EATING MY WAY TO BETTER HEALTH – PART 3

 

I got a serious wake-up call in Aug 2020 from my blood test results. I had been having issues with my health over the last few years.

Blood tests do not tell the whole story.

I did not feel good.

Had aches and pains in many parts of my body. Pain in the right shoulder and upper arm and left leg. Itchy Skin. Weak knees and injury prone ankles. Persistent back ache.

I did not feel comfortable at all and did not know what was wrong with me.

I was aware that just losing weight alone will not work. And that weight loss is a given, and what I really needed was a practical and workable action plan.

It took decades of abuse to get to that point. Toxins, sugar, fat etc. have been building up over the years. Some of the toxins were from the environment I was working in. It did not happen overnight.

I made a conscious decision to do something about it. I knew what I must do after getting some consultation from a medical doctor and a TCM practitioner.

It is more of a question of what I must do to get to better health.

I created my own regimen covering on my food intake and some simple exercises. I walk at least 5 times a week. Each walk will be for a duration of least 30 minutes and will cover 3 km per session.

It is all about nutrition and eating my way to better health.

I made changes to my regimen whenever I met some resistance in weight loss. The weight loss did sometimes slow down or at times just stopped. Anyway, I also did not expect instant results.

I added new items to my regimen after getting new ideas on health and nutrition from videos, blogs, and articles.

These are the things I did and which I grown accustomed to:

• Weighing myself every day first thing in the morning.
• Tracking every item of food eaten every day.
• Estimating the calorie count in each meal.
• Tracking the number of steps walked every day.
• Finding out the type of nutrients provided in any meal.
• Cutting down on my food intake after my cheat days.

 

This is an update to 2 of my posts 5 ACTIONS TAKEN IN EATING MY WAY TO BETTER HEALTH – PART 2 and 5 ACTIONS TAKEN IN EATING MY WAY TO BETTER HEALTH.

 

I posted Part 2 about 6 months ago and Part 1 in Aug 2020. This makes it a total of 10½ months since I started on my regimen. My regimen consists of eating well and exercising.

I have lost 20kgs after 10½ months.

My knees, ankles and spine are thankful for this.

 

Weight loss progress

 

18th of	Weight loss	Cumulative Weight Loss
Aug 2020	0	0
Sept 2020	7.8	7.8
Oct 2020	2.6	10.4
Nov 2020	0	10.4
Dec 2020	1.7	12.1
Jan 2021	2.5	14.6
Feb 2021	0.8	15.4
Mar 2021	0.4	15.8
Apr 2021	0.2	16.0
May 2021	2.2	18.2
June 2021	0.9	19.1

 

Milestones

 

After the first 3 weeks – lost 5 kgs.

Lost another 5 kgs after another 2 months. Total loss of 10 kgs by Oct 2020.

I hit the first plateau and had to make some adjustments to my regimen.

And I managed to lose another 5 kgs by end Jan 2021 making a total loss of 15kgs after 5½ months.

Another 4kgs by June 2021 making a total loss of 19kgs after 10 months.

I hit the magic figure of 20kgs on 1 July 2021.

It is exceedingly difficult to lose weight and it will get increasingly more difficult as time goes by.

My weight went down considerably and quickly in the first few months. And it slowed down after that. I now average around 0.5 to 1.0 kgs a month.

 

Next step

 

I must lose another 10kgs to reach my normal weight. It is still some way to go. Maybe it will take probably another 1½ to 2 years.

I will aim for the next 5 kgs first. To do this, I will start on a High-intensity interval training (HIIT) programme to build up my fitness and endurance. I will also have to tweak my food intake to prepare for this.

HIIT is a form of interval training. It is a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating between short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods.

 

The other thing I have started and eased into my regimen is intermittent fasting.

I was and am effectively doing intermittent fasting and did not realise that until I read about it.

My typical daily schedule is:

Dinner latest by 8pm. I only have liquids after that until bedtime.

• Morning walk on an empty stomach.
• After that a coffee with milk. That is effectively my breakfast.
• Lunchtime after 12 pm. I had fasted for 16 hours.
• And of course, plain water and non-caloric beverages throughout the day.

Sometimes I had to take some snacks at night when I feel hungry. Usually, some almonds or crackers.

I noticed that having a big breakfast clogs up my system as it makes me sluggish the rest of the morning.

 

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is an eating pattern where you switch between periods of eating and fasting. Still eating a normal amount of food but in a smaller time frame called ‘eating window’. It is also a healthy way towards weight loss.

It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them.

There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day or week into eating periods and fasting periods.

Most people already “fast” every day, while they sleep. Intermittent fasting can be as simple as extending that fast a little longer.

I do this by skipping breakfast, eating my first meal at noon and my last meal by 8 pm.

 

Recap from Part 1 and updates

 

The original post covered the steps of I had taken toward reaching my goal of better health through healthier eating.

It was and is still all about simple exercises and changing my eating habits.

 

1. Moving away from animal-based protein to plant-based protein.

I have continued to keep some animal-based protein in my diet. Just a bit.

The only thing I have in the morning after my walk is coffee with milk.

Lunch will be oatmeal porridge with seeds and yogurt. I switched to making oatmeal porridge. which is a bit more watery.

2. Moving away from refined carbohydrates to unrefined carbohydrates.

I eat rice in limited amounts, mainly basmati rice as it has a lower glycaemic index.

3. Cutting down on consumption of saturated fat.

Most foods with high saturated fat are still off the menu.

4. Reducing intake of beverages with added sugar.

Only coffee with fresh milk at home. This is my breakfast.

5. Focus on calorie deficit.

I am focusing less on the total calorie count, and more on the quality of the calories.

Not all calories are the same. My focus in on nutrition.

I now walk 5 times a week at the nearest park cum playground. Each session will cover around 3 kms and last at least 30 minutes.

 

Recap from Part 2 and updates

 

These symptoms have disappeared:

1. Lethargy.
2. Most of the pain in my joints.
3. Dry eyes syndrome.
4. Dull aches and sometimes pain in both my upper arms.
5. Bloated stomach, indigestion, and reflux at times.
6. Pain the knees and joints.
7. Back pain.

I also sleep better now.

 

Changes to the regimen

 

I decided to follow this regimen after I hit a block in the weight loss.

Weekdays

Breakfast – coffee with fresh milk.

Lunch – Oatmeal with assorted seeds.

Dinner – home cooked meals.

 

It is still working.

 

Tools mentioned in Part 2.

 

 I am still using these tools to help me keep track of my physical activity.

1. Xiaomi Mi Band 5

I use this to track my steps and distance covered during my walking sessions. It also tracks my sleep quality.

2. Xiaomi Mi Body Composition Scale 2

I am using this scale to track my weight loss and obtain my health information daily.

3. Mi Fit app

The Mi Fit app tracks my activity, analyses sleep, and evaluates my workouts. The health band and scale are synchronised to the Mi Fit app.

 

Things I learned then mentioned in Part 2.

 

1. Traditional Mediterranean diet is healthier.

I have incorporated some of the techniques and ingredients in my regimen.

I prepare a Mediterranean inspired meal once a week. This includes a pasta and a Mediterranean inspired dish.

 

A Mediterranean-style diet typically includes:

• Plenty of fruits, vegetables, bread and other grains, potatoes, beans, nuts, and seeds.
• Olive oil as a primary fat source.
• Dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry in low to moderate amounts.
• Fish and poultry are more common than red meat.
• It also centres on minimally processed, plant-based foods.

I also cook Asian dishes with this philosophy in mind.

 

2. Cutting down on salt leads to weight loss.

I have continued doing this.

 

3. Why Chinese restaurant food taste so much differently from home cooked Chinese food.

The major differences are due to the amount of oil and salt and the type of sauces used.

I create my own sauces and pastes which tend to be less oily. My sauces and pastes use fresh ingredients like tomatoes.

I use spices and aromatic ingredients to enhance the taste of the dishes.

You do not need a flavour enhancer like Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). All the natural flavours and spices and aromatics will enhance the taste.

 

4. Some “Italian” food are not Italian at all.

I stopped mixing a main dish with pasta.

A “primo” (pasta) is not mixed with a “secondo” (Chicken, meatballs etc.). They are two distinct dishes. Pasta is a “primo”, a first dish, whereas a “secondo” is a second dish. I served them separately.

 

In a nutshell

 

My regimen works for me.

It is a combination of exercising and reducing food intake. A simple exercise like walking works for me.

The next step is to start on a High-intensity interval training (HIIT) programme to build up my fitness and endurance. I must select suitable exercises for my programme.

Reducing my food intake also works for me. I also focus on eating the right type of food and the suitable cooking method.

 

I still enjoy most of the food I used to have.

I still have my cheat days for hawker or restaurant food. For example, Nasi Lemak is a once-a-month affair.

I cook all the other stuff I like, albeit with less salt and oil. Outside food is usually saltier and oilier than home cooking.

 

Current regimen.

 

Weekdays

Breakfast – coffee with fresh milk.

Lunch – Oatmeal with assorted seeds.

Dinner – home cooked meals.

Walk at least 5 times a week. At least 30 minutes and cover 3 km per session.

 

Weekends

Cheat days. I must ensure that I do not overdo it on these 2 days. After all, I must recover from this digression on the following Monday and Tuesday.

 

I will continue with intermittent fasting on most days of the week.

 

Next milestone is to get a weight loss of another 5kgs.

 

I know by now that this is achievable.

It is a matter of time, patience, and consistency.

Slow and steady progress is the key.

 

Date of commencement of food regimen: 18 August 2020

1^st Status update: 4 December 2020 (3½ months after commencement)

2^nd Status update: 1 July 2021 (10½ months after commencement)