Here We Go Again! 12.12.12!

Ah! New year, and time for new resolutions.

Actually, I have never been a "new year resolution" kinda guy. If I feel like doing something, I just do. If there was anything that I started at the beginning of a year and actually achieved something, was 10.10.10, the lifestyle change program that was meant to improve my health and result in me losing weight at the same time. (My target was to lose 10 kg and I lost 7.2 kg!)

Then I started the New Year of 2011 with an updated program - 11.11.11! Unfortunately, 11.11.11 was an absolute disaster! Regretfully, I regained all that I have lost - plus a bit more. As of today, I weigh 102 kg!

But as I mentioned in previous entry, not all is bad. I know that my weight gain during this period has to do with this: I stopped smoking. I don't even do social smoking anymore, except for the occasional cigars.

Having said that, I still believe in my 10.10.10 program, because the big idea in the program is to lose 1 kg a month by changing your diet and your lifestyle. Except that during 2011, to cope with my quitting smoking, I "substituted" my urge with food.

I believe I can achieve this. A friend of mine who followed this program actually met her target (plus more!). The key to this program is to reduce consumption gradually and to increase physical activity slowly as wee. This is so that the body doesn't go though a "shock".

I am sure many of your have personally experience and saw how some some friends went through a crash diet, lost 10kg, and gained it back faster than when they lost it? Or hurt themselves trying to jog? Or hit the futsol floors, literally?

So, I am reposting my guide for the 10.10.10 - A Lifestyle Change Program (LCP) - now rename 12.12.12 (Lose 12 kg in 12 month by end 2012). I have also updated it slightly, as a reminder to myself:

So here's my plan...

1. Things to stop with immediate effect: Fries, and carbonated soft drinks. Occasional pinching from the kids allowed. Like the Malays always say, "Nanti kempunan pulak..."

2. Instead of 3x a day, limit rice intake to at most once a day, if at all. The curry chicken with whole meal bread is just as good. And if I feel like it, I will have my Nasi Kandar. It is even more sumptuous now as I treat it as my weekly reward.

3. Instead of Nasi Lemak for breakfast, it is tosai for me now. I need my "spice" boost to start the day. It's a very satisfying alternative. And I was told it is healthy. Tosai or Chapati.

4. You'd be surprised how many ways there are they serve meehoon out there. Yup, it is so much lighter than rice, particularly for lunch. And I can't handle Yellow Mee anymore. The additives/preservatives leaves me feeling bloated and kinda mess up my digestive system. Yellow Mee, Laksa Noodle, and Kuey Teow.

5. Instead of a Quarter Pounder that comes with fries and Coke, treat yourself to a Jake's Ribeye once a month. It's awesome. You may argue that you can get 10 Quarter Pounders with the same price. But aha! It's 10 less in your calorie system.

6. No eating after 8pm, unless you plan to party until 5am the next morning. Or if Man Utd are up by a three goal margin at the half hour mark, I'll treat myself to a packet of Indomie at halftime break. Now, how often does that happen?

7. Paatchi sugarfree chocolate and Special K cereal bars are great in-between snacks. I can only afford one of either in a day, but it is sooo good, it's worth it.

8. Water, water, water. Cheap and healthy way to feel "kenyang".

9. Instead of yum char or a Starbucks, go for foot massage instead. You get a full 45 minutes of quality time with the person you're with, holding each others arm trying not to scream at the top of your lungs. And to top it up, you get a free mineral water after the massage.

10. Exercise? Many many tips on the net for this, like walk instead of the taking the lift, park your car a bit further to your actual destination, etc. Basic requirement, 30 minutes a day, three times a week. Start with either swimming and/or brisk walking. I also play badminton with my kids.

There you go. My resolution for 2012. Happy New Year! :)

What A-Nation!

My friend, Neera, posted the question below in her FB status recently...

Question: What do you call a country where everyone drives red cars??

Answer: A red carnation.

Ever creative and witty, she went on to share a few more of the "nations" defined. I just thought of capturing them all. I also contributed to a few lah!

Questions...

A country where all men go to party before they are finished? The Stagnation.

A country full of donkeys? Assassination.

A country full of beer? Coronation.

A country full of lotion? Cremation.

Country where you can go in and not come out? Intonation

Country where everybody sleeps all the time? Hibernation

Country where everything you touch explodes? Detonation.

Where all work's done? Donation!

A country full of lame people? Lamination.

Where the people are very driven? Determination.

A country where all the people's hair look impeccable? Combination.

A country with a cholera outbreak? Chlorination!

_________________

Haha! Thanks for bringing me smiles, Neera! :)

11.11.11 - A Disaster!

Some of my close friends know about this program that I went on in 2010 dubbed the 101010. It was a lifestyle change program that I adapted for myself in order to lose some weight. I say I adapted because I got the idea after watching a video from 3news in NZ. The idea is for me to lose 1kg a month over a period of 10 months each year, hoping to lose a total of about 20kg in 2 years.

I have to say that 101010 was quite a success. Although I did not lose 10kg, I managed to drop 7.2kg of my fat!

I was happy to start the New Year of 2011 with an updated program - 11.11.11! Unfortunately, 11.11.11 was an absolute disaster! See graph below:

Regretfully, yes! I regained all that I have lost - plus a bit more! At the height of it, my weight went up to 100.6kg!

But it is not all bad. During this period, I have actually gotten rid of one baaaad habit... Smoking. I have stop smoking for 8 months now. I don't even do social smoking anymore! Except for the occasional cigar...

I know it is an excuse, but I'm gonna blame my weight gain on me stopping smoking. Yup. a check on the NHS UK website says that on average, smokers who quit will gain about 3-4kg on a long term basis. I know of friends who have gained more than 10kg after they quit smoking.

In that sense, I think I am ok. But more importantly, I feel that I am now back in control of my diet and lifestyle. Thanks to Ramadhan.

So, time for a relaunch of 10.10.10. And no, I am not going to call it 11.11.11 anymore. It's 10.10.10! 10 kg in 10 months. Worked the first time round, no reason why I can't do it again!

Wish me luck! BTW, my weight now is at 98.2 kg. And my target: to be at 80kg by the end of 2012!

Signs We're Closer to a Developed-Nation Status...

I love Dr M's Vision 2020 - for Malaysia "to be a fully developed country by the year 2020."

I like the fact that he included the word fully in the vision. (To remind ourselves what he means, here's a link to Vision 2020). Yet somehow, I can't help but believe some of us have actually read it as "fool-y" developed nation.

There are signs why I think this is so. Hence, this entry is dedicated to identifying those signs which indicate we're closer to a developed-nation status... NOT!

(Note: The listing here is not in any particular order, and will be updated as we get "closer"...)

#1. We have mastered English. We order kari ikan to go with our roti canai, and when the bangla worker didn't seem to understand, we explain our request in English, "Fish Curry," then add tak mau ikan.

#2. We recycle. We send ALL our rubbish to the recycling center.

#3. We are social media savvy. We express our thoughts/love/requests to our spouse/kids/friends through Twitter/FB/etc, whilst we are all at the same breakfast/lunch/dinner table.

#4. We're global. We have Malaysian-born politicians, singers, chefs, etc all over the world, especially in Australia. I repeat: Malaysian-born.

#5. We treasure our nature. We treasure it so much that we take a piece of it every time we visit such places. "Hey, love the stalagtite hanging from your ceiling. And yeah, the coral in the aquarium looks awesome."

#6. We are apt at using fork, spoon and knife for our meals. We have also developed further use for them, especially to stress a point during-meal conversations, by pointing the chicken (on the fork) to the person right across the table.

#7. We have a high literacy rate of 88.8%. However, whether we understand what we read or not, that's a developed country status problem. For now, we can read.

#8. Our Malaysian-born (read #4) designer Zang Toi is listed among "Most Influential Chinese Americans." Eh? Malaysian ke American? But we are still proud of you! Hebak ore kelate ni...

#9. Many of our buildings, and even some luxury houses, have lifts. But I hope someday, we will realize that the buttons with the arrow signs outside the lifts are to indicate if we are going up or down with the lifts, and NOT to make the lifts come up or down to you!

To be continued...

10.10.10 The Final Update. Or is it?

The day has arrived: 10th of October, 2010. I now weigh 92.8 kg.

Looking on the surface, I have failed to achieve my target. There was a time after the Raya period, that I wanted to go on a crash diet in order to meet my target. But that would be counter to what I am preaching here. I think I mentioned before, "it's not what's waiting on the other side, it's the climb."

So I bravely ploughed through the post Raya period, taking the bull by the horns, with all the rendang and ketupat charging at me in full force, them supported by 10-course chinese wedding troops of steamed garoupa and lemon chicken, and four season platter. I had to stay true to my cause. I had to continue with my program of Lifestyle Change for a Lighter You, in short, the LCLY Program.

Finally, I came out of it not to bad. I would like to take a lot of positives from this journey. In the spirit of 10.10.10, I have listed 10 reasons why I am a happy with my 10.10.10 achievement:

1. I have actually lost 7.2 kg!!! That's the equivalent of 15.873 pounds, or 1.1338 stones, or 4063.6 drams. I would never have achieved it had I not started this program.

2. I have reduced almost 3 inches off my waist. Good news and bad news. I get to buy new pants/shirts (good) but the credit card outstanding balance as it turns out has an inverse relationship to my weight (bad).

3. I look a lot healthier. Well, at least that's what my friends tell me. Not sure if this has to do with me reducing my weight, or the fact that I am no longer a corporate slave. I'd like to think its the former.

4. Speaking of health, I used to take two (2) high blood pressure medication prior to starting this 10.10.10. Now, with the agreement of my doctor, I am only on one. Hope to reduce it further.

5. My cholesterol level have stabilized within the acceptable range. This was of course with the help of aforvastatin calcium. But previously, I used to take one 10mg tablet a day. Now, I only take one every other day.

6. My doctor is also happy now to see me once every 3 months as opposed to once a month at the beginning of the year. I save consultation fee.

7. My stomach has shrunk. Yup. I can no longer eat as much as I used to. To those who have had the pleasure of going out to makan together, you know how much I can eat. Today, too much food and my body react violently. The discipline I practice now has conditioned my body to take food moderately. Meaning, it will not be easy for me to gain weight. In fact, the reverse is true, which leads me to my next point.

8. I can now enjoy my food, without the worry of putting on weight. I still eat frequently. But the amount I eat is significantly less. Partly because my stomach has shrunk. Another is because I have a strategy: I get unsuspecting family and friends to go with me for my eating spree, but we will "share" the food. So I dapat lepas ketagih (Satisfy my tastebud), without having to worry about the calories.

9. My wife, who initially refused to do this program, finally "decided" to join me. (Think she got tired of me bugging her and just wanted me to shut up. PLus the London Weight Management was a bit off her budget.) She started this LCLY program early May and she has lost 5 kg in 5 months! She's looking a lot hotter now. Which means I can lose my weight further with more calories burning. (You need to figure this one out yourself! )

10. I can now play badminton with my kids with a lot less pain or muscle/joint aches. It is kinda like chicken and egg situation here. You need to exercise to lose weight. But to start exercising when you are 20 kg overweight, I can tell you, is NOT easy. But after changing my lifestyle, I can now play badminton for 30 minutes, without the need for a medic to stand-by.

So, overall, I am happy with what I have achieved so far. And the climb continues. After maybe about a week of "relaxation" of my program, with a few Kudu and Raju's in between, I will continue with it. In fact, it has become second nature to me, that I don't even consider it a program anymore. It has taken a natural course.

But what is life without a challenge, right? So, let's give ourselves a few weeks "cool down" period. And we can start in November, after my birthday in mid-Nov, with the new all improved 11.11.11. - to lose 11 kg by 11th of November, 2011.

Anyone care to join?

Carcamarba.com is officially registered!

For the longest of time, I have used "Blogger" to write about various stuff that is of interest to me, under the name Carca Marba, namely about food, photography and occasional digression into other areas. I was writing mostly for fun and wanted to try out what "blogging" was all about. Key learning is that it is a great way to share your thoughts, experience, ideas, and opinion.

After a few months, even though I have not written much, I now realize that I do enjoy this sharing part. Therefore, I have decided to make carcamarba.com officially assigned to my blog. Boy, am I glad that it is available! I look forward to committing myself to writing more with this development, celebrating diversity through food, photography, and whatever the heart fancies.

Looks like I have to start exploring more eating places and take more photos. And it is not an excuse. Really.

Gain Some, Lose Some More...

My buddy Jeremy reminds to "stay off" the food, as my weight-reduction graph is beginning to look like the peak of the Himalayas. I agree on the graph part, but not sure if I can listen to him on the food part. I simply can't, as by now all of you know my passion for food. I'd rather die of heart attack from a clogged arteries that from stress related matters.

But this is not about the planning of my death. God decides that. Having said so, as long as we live, we might as well do it to fullest. By that, I don't mean being reckless either. In my case, reckless would mean to continue to eat-non-stop-in-max-quantity kind of lifestyle. I have decided to stop that at the beginning of the year. However, the peaks that you see in the graph below indicate that I am only human, susceptible to the temptations that come my way as in it.



I am now at 96.2 kg. Exactly back on track. Phew!

I am well aware of what Jeremy is saying though. It is about maintaining some consistency. BUT IT IS SO HAAARD!!! Difficult as it may be, I have been quite disciplined though. And after about four months, I notice these few changes in my life...

1. I weigh in everyday. If the scale is showing an alarming increase, corrective actions are activated immediately, either through adjustment of food intake or increasing physical activities.

2. If I am having Nasi Lemak in the morning, I will automatically plan in my head to have either sandwich or salad in the afternoon to "balance" things out.

3. And if I am going to have a really BIG meal in day AND night, an automatic 40 minute cycling activity is penned in for the next day. But I have to admit, for this, only so far 50% success rate. On a positive note, it is a 500% increase since December 2009.

4. Noticed that even my body has started to change. I was invited to attend Siti Nurhaliza 15 Year in the Music Industry Celebration last Friday. (Thanks Siti, Ayie, Rozie, and Alud!)
The food spread from Kuzi Catering was fantastic. Nasi Minyak, Dalca, Daging Dendeng, with Putu Mayam and Apam Balik for dessert accompanied with teh tarik. It was sooo sedap. On the other hand,the calorie count for one sitting could easily breach the daily 2,460 kcal that I required. And I struggled to finish the food. I actually had to force myself. Now isn't that a good sign? The portion my body can take now is getting smaller!!! (Don't be fooled though, it is still bigger than most people, hehe...)

I know that despite the temptations and the peaks, based on behavioral and physiological change, I am actually losing weight! Time gone vs target achieved, I am on track. But Jeremy is right. I need to be more consistent in my weight-reduction approach. So perhaps, after this, the graph will look more like Penang Hill, looking at it from the Assam Laksa stall in Air Hitam. I need to be more steady in my program.

Lemme think about it over my Japanese Sunday buffet lunch. Errrr... belated birthday celebration for my son?

Have a great week ahead, y'all!