Interval Training

I had read from several websites, that one of the faster ways to reduce belly fat (and weight) is to do interval training. Interval training burns off more calories in lesser time.  Interval training is alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity. 
 
For example, walking. If you're in good shape, you could incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular brisk walks. If you're less fit, you could alternate leisurely walking with periods of faster walking. There are several benefits that come from interval training, besides weight loss: increased insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, both of which are important for overall good health. Heart rate also improves.

For a further read on Interval Training.

TRA Programme: Day 67

It has been a two-week gap since my last measurement. I was very busy with work the past week, and also getting ready for the sister’s wedding. With the hectic work schedule, late nights (read: late night snacking) and wedding food…..I think I would have put on weight. No…fats to be exact. I continued going to the gym (doing intervals on the treadmill for 15 min) once a week during lunch time…so hopefully that had helped.

Well, the measurement turned in OK results.

I continued to lose weight. Body fats increased by 100g (ok, that wasn’t too bad). But I had also lost muscle mass – by about 200kg. BMR actually went down slightly. Hmmm, need to eat more frequently. Body age maintained.

The good news is: Visceral fats finally dropped by 1! It had been stuck at Level 4 for the past 2 months….

Looking at the past 2 week’s food intake, I realized what probably worked for me, despite the late night snacking on biscuits and the late nights (lack of sleep), was: 

(a) increased exercise / activity and 

(b) a more balanced, heavier breakfast. 

Due to work commitments, I had a few breakfast meetings at the hotels. They served healthy breakfast – a set meal comprising egg white omelette with tomatoes, salad, granola with yoghurt, fruits, fruit juice. I had this twice in that week. I ate much less during lunch – only salads (brought from home) / yong tau foo (just vege only), and ate normally for dinner – rice, fish, meat, vege. And the measurements were pretty OK.

Now I’m onto the final month of the TRA programme. Let’s see how things will progress from here on. I think I’ve “shocked” my body past a plateau, with the increase exercise / activity and more scrumptious healthy breakfasts. Let’s hope it improves.

TRA Programme: Day 45 and 53

TRA Programme: Day 45

Yes! I’ve lost more weight…So far, I’ve lost a further 600g (total 1.8kg). A tad slow in my opinion. Have to work harder. Fats-wise, I’ve lost an additional 100g only, whilst there has not been any change in the weight of the skeletal muscle. Hmmm, so does this mean I’ve lost more water?

I’ve lost another 3 cm off the tummy (total: 8 cm).

Visceral fats level is still at 4.

More resistance exercises to keep it going...

TRA Programme: Day 53

I don’t know if I’m happy or upset. I started to hit the gym the past week (there's a gym at home). So far, I only went twice and both times, I did interval training on the treadmill. The other change I made to the programme, was to switch my Trimshake to lunch instead of dinner. I was thinking, that perhaps it would be more effective, as I would have more activity (walking around etc) after lunch, compared with after dinner.

The good news: My fats level dropped quite a bit (lost about 800g of fat over the week) and I gained much more skeletal muscle (gained about 500g of muscle). My BMR went up and my body age decreased by 1 year! Good achievement, I think. :)

The not-so-good news: As muscle is heavier than fats, my body weight went up by 600g since the last measurement. Visceral fats remained the same. Hmmmm….

Oh well, as long as there’s more muscle and a younger body…..overall, it’s good. :)

I think I will continue with the gym sessions. Perhaps more frequently from now on. Let’s see how it goes.

On the whole, I do feel less lethargic now, compared to before. Some days I do feel as though I am catching the flu bug (hey, I'm human too, and susceptible to viruses too), but so far, I have fallen ill only once (major case of runny nose and subsequently, a phlegmy cough). And I recovered fully within 3 days (I used to take a week). I guess that copious amounts of fruits, vegetables and Lifepak supplements (multi-vitamins and anti-oxidants) helped. :)

TRA Programme: Day 23 and 32

TRA Programme: Day 23

Over the past 2 weeks, I made sure I was really eating more. I added a large tomato to each meal, on top of the other vegetables. I brought 2 apples and a guava to work every day for my breakfast and lunch fruit portions (cheaper than buying cut fruits from the stalls). Made sure I ate more protein (canned tuna, chicken breast meat, lean pork) and now, I take the stairs instead of the escalator / lifts at the MRT stations.

So, after meeting my consultant today….

I lost fat! Pure fat! And gained more muscle. Yay! As muscle is heavier than fat, on the whole, I only lost 0.1kg. But nonetheless, the body fat % has dropped. Still higher than initial measurements, but lower than the previous 2 weeks. That is an improvement. I find myself eating more fruits and vege portions, vs protein and carbs. That should be the way.

TRA Programme: Day 32 (after 1 month)

Met my consultant today for a review.

I am happy to announce, that I have lost even more weight!

Weight is down by 1.2kg from 9 days ago.

But, the body fat % is down 0.3% (seems a tad little)….this indicates that I have not been doing enough strength / resistance exercise. Hence, as a % of the whole body, the body fat % is still not as low as I would like it to be. Muscles went up by 0.1%. Hmmm, I would need to exercise more or do more physical activity (climb more stairs?).

My visceral fats have always been at 4. No change in that.

But 1.2kg in 1 month…I’m happy with that. I’ve also lost 5 cm on the tummy. It is definitely flatter.

My Skin Carotenoid Score: 40,000

Time to put in more effort. The body needs a catalyst to spur it to work harder at burning fat. This would come in the form of more resistance training exercises – more housework, more walking and more weights perhaps.

Let’s see how it will be at the next review.

TRA Programme: Day 8 to 10

TRA Programme: Day 8

I have changed my breakfast meals. I bought some honey baked ham over the weekend, and for the next few days, breakfast will consist of 2 slices of wholemeal bread, honey baked ham, lettuce and apple. I switched Trimshake to lunch, as I was trying to see if taking the Diene-O-Lean (DOL) supplements during lunch would help build muscle and burn fat at a faster rate. DOL is supposed to melt fats and build muscle. I figured, if I were to take it at night, there won’t be much physical activity (other than housework) to help in the muscle building effect. The body would not be moving about much. So I decided to switch it to lunch time. At least I have after lunch to continue to “work out” (either via Yoga session, walking around to buy snack, take files from the cupboard, climbing the stairs to the MRT station etc). Hopefully it would work better that way.

TRA Programme: Day 9

Mid-Autumn is approaching, and mooncakes are everywhere. Given the sugar level in an average mooncake, I’m not sure if I should even take one piece. Hmmm….

I shall be meeting my consultant tomorrow. I wonder what news my body has in store for me.

TRA Programme: Day 10

Met my consultant today. Oh dear! My weight increased. But what’s worse is my body fat %...it has risen much more! I must be doing something wrongly. After going through my food diary, my problem is….I’ve not been eating enough. What I thought to be 1 portion or more, is actually less than 1 portion. There is not much problems with the food choices, but the problem is more of insufficient protein intake. With the amount of walking I am doing, but insufficient intake, my body was beginning to store fats and burn muscle. There was more muscle loss than fat loss.

The consultant gave me a few tips for protein and how to prepare them (given that I do not have the luxury of time to prepare for breakfast and dinner). I shall try them out.

This programme is certainly useful. I learnt that I have been under-eating all these while. The key is to eat many small meals (of the right foods, of course), and to achieve at least 10 portions of food (with the majority being produce (i.e. vegetables and fruits)). This is in line with another weight management tip that I have read before – eat at least 10 portions. This would melt the muffin top that most mums would have after having kids. Time to tweak my daily eating habits.

TRA Programme: Day 1 to 7

TRA Programme: Day 1 (11 Sep 2012)

Day 0: Weight – 56.2 kg; Body Fat % – 29.2%; Visceral Fat Index – 4; Waist – 33”; Body Age – 38; Skin Carotenoid Score – 32,000 (not bad..)

Woke up at my usual time in the morning. Did the usual chores. Took the first 6 capsules for the programme. Taking the capsules wasn’t so bad afterall. Had a bowl of oatmeal + kiwi. Took 1 packet of Lifepak (4 capsules) as required. And off to the usual routine of sending the kids to school and going to work. For lunch, I had a bowl of claypot Ipoh Kway Teow (soup). Afternoon snack was a hot dog bun. Hey! It’s my first day. I’m still getting used to it. (Oh, there’s another set of 6 capsules to consume before lunch). Dinner was 1 Trimshake (a meal replacement, that replaces 1 serving of Carb and 1 serving of Protein), steamed salmon, steamed threadfin, spinach and half a bowl of brown rice. I didn’t feel hungry at all and I slept right through the night. (There was a set of 3 capsules to consume before dinner, and a different set of 6 to consume after dinner plus 1 packet of Lifepak).

However, I experienced a massive splitting headache after lunch that lasted till night when I fell asleep. The body was trying to adjust to the influx of nutrients / multi-vitamins, I think. It was quite painful, I could hardly move. After checking with the coach / consultant, we decided that I should consume only 1 packet of Lifepak a day, instead of 2. So I should split it up (2 capsules in the morning, 2 after dinner). According to her, as Lifepak is extremely nutrient-rich, a generally weaker body may not be used to it yet, and the existing weak condition would manifest itself. (In my case, I tend to have low blood pressure and headaches…so that fits the symptoms).

So that’s how Day 1 went. :)

Oh! I took the Chocolate flavoured Trimshake. It is GOOD! Yummy!

TRA Programme: Day 2

Day 2 went by quite well. Experienced a slight headache, but that disappeared as the day went on. I had reduced my consumption of the Lifepak. Breakfast was the usual oatmeal, lunch was buffet (bee hoon, fried rice, chicken curry, spring rolls, fried char siew baos, siew mai) catered by the office as we had a mandatory training session. Dinner was just Trimshake some char siew, roast pork, vege and steamed egg with minced meat (I had to bring the girls for ballet rehearsal, so we ate near the ballet school). One thing I noticed was, my digestive system seemed to have improved (the output was better…if you know what I mean). In fact, why I ate so little for dinner, was due to the Trimshake keeping me full. I felt quite full after Trimshake, that I didn’t feel like eating anything else. All through the night (even when the girls had their apple pie from McDonald’s. I didn’t feel any craving for it too…)

TRA Programme: Day 3

Day 3 was great. Slept late the night before, so was a little tired, but other than that, the day went well. No headaches. :)

Breakfast was oatmeal (I should eat something else). Lunch was Trimshake and salad prepared from home (mixed greens, carrots, beetroot, egg, olives, tou fu, apples, sunflower seeds, mixed with sesame sauce). We were going to be eating out again (bringing the girls out this evening), so I switched the Trimshake to lunch instead of dinner, for today. Wow, it was a filling lunch. Had a curry puff from OCK for snack (parting gift from the guy who was here to train us in the new system). Dinner was Bak Kut Teh + vege + meat + fried prawn fritter + some rice. I didn’t feel hungry after that throughout the night.

TRA Programme: Day 4

It is not that easy to shift to the TRA meal plan – it advocates 3333: 3 main meals with 3 servings of carb, 3 servings of fruits+vege and 3 servings of protein. Yes, it does mean having to give up some favourite foods (or at least, consume much less) and that itself, is challenging. Despite that, I’m motivated by the thoughts of a healthier, more energized body. I would rather eat less of something now, than to not being able to eat much in future (if my health deteriorates in future, who knows? next time can only eat porridge and vege).

TRA Programme: Day 7

Due to work schedules, I was not able to meet my consultant yet. But I did a check on my own. Hmm, weight seemed to have gone up (hmm, due to more muscle? Muscle is heavier than fat), but I definitely noticed my clothes becoming a tad loose. And my tummy is definitely more flat. It still sticks out a bit, but not as much (or is it just psychological? haha). I measured my waist, and it was 3 cm (or 1 inch) smaller. Yay!!

I realized it is even more difficult to stick to the 3333 meal plan during the weekend. With the kids around, I have to pretty much eat their leftovers (on top of my own food). I guess I just need more fine tuning with the meal plans on a weekend. For example, if I will be cooking pasta in tomato sauce for them, I should cook less (in case they do not finish their portion). Or, if we have to eat out, I should eat an apple or DIY a salad before we leave home. It’s very tough to find a good portion of vegetables in most meals outside, without having to pay extra. Which reminds me: Time to stock up on the apples and vegetables at home. :)

The Journey Begins

~ The next few entries are what took place over the past 2 months or so. I have been keeping my own journal, but I'm only just starting to publish these entries on this new blog. ~

So,

I have decided. I need to lose weight. I WILL lose weight. The final straw was when one of #2’s classmate’s mummy asked me point blank, “When is your EDD?” I have no idea who was more embarrassed. She or me.

Before this, I had been offered seats on the MRT trains quite often. Some colleagues and associates have also asked me if I was expecting a third child. (#2 is 21 months). On top of that, a health screening at Raffles Medical revealed that my body fat percentage was on the high side. Any further increase would technically place me on the “obese” category. The bad cholesterol in my body was also a tad high (I hardly exercise, save for carrying the kids and housework). The doctor advised going on a diet to lose weight. My initial thoughts were, “Do I need to lose weight? Although I wear size L, I’m not round/plump….” Well, after the comments from colleagues and friends, I decided, I just needed to get in shape. And I want to do this the healthy way (i.e. no starving or skipping meals – skipping meals also very likely mean insufficient nutrient intake, which would be counterproductive. Not to mention making me feel miserable at the same time. I enjoy eating). I generally take rather healthy meals, with the "occasional" indulgence (my typical breakfast would be oatmeal + fruits, lunch is salad or sometimes pasta / rice, if I have appointments, dinner is usually rice + steamed fish + vege, thanks to the kids. It’s easier to adjust our foods to suit the kids than have to cook them separately). But I was still looking pregnant! Perhaps it’s my late nights up, plus my indulgences (chocolates, snacks etc) may not be as occasional as I think. Oops.

A friend introduced a weight management programme to me (I prefer to call it a health management programe, as it not only helps one to lose weight and get in shape, it can also be used to build up health), by Nu Skin. It is called TRA® – The Right Approach. (I like how that sounds).

The TRA is not just a weight loss programme. It also teaches / encourages one to eat healthily, ensuring that our bodies still obtain the necessary nutrients it requires for optimal function. Part of this is through watching what we eat and making sure that we eat on time. The programme advocates eating at every meal (there is no need to skip meals), just eat the right foods (no snacking on chips, but it’s ok to snack on vege and fruits). The other part of the healthy weight management is via nutritional supplements, to ensure our bodies are able to function optimally. While on this program, I can eat normally except to cut down on my carb intake, overly sweet fruits like lychee / papaya, and to avoid fried foods and chocolate (ouch!).

One thing that attracted me to TRA is that this programme takes only THREE months to complete (no need to continue taking subsequently) and that there will be no rebound in weight (provided we follow the instructions well, with regards to the healthy eating and exercise). This could be due to the fact that our bodies would have gotten used to eating healthily by then (imagine, three months of healthy eating daily…would have kicked any bad snacking habit too). I don’t mind that, afterall, who would complain against healthy eating, if it’s going to leave you in a much better state? :)

The daunting thing (it’s ok once you get used to it) is having to swallow a total of 29 capsules daily (throughout the entire day, not all at once).


The other attractive thing about TRA? There is no need to work out at a gym. Just simple exercises - walking around during lunch, brisk walking, alighting 1 bus stop earlier to walk that extra distance, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator...all free and one can do them at any time of the day. One can go to the gym if one wishes....it's up to the individual, and depending on what works better for the individual.

I compared the TRA with Herbalife and a TCM weight loss approach. I decided that the TRA was better for me as it aims to educate and put into practice what we probably already know very well - the need to eat well. I purchased the TRA programme (a hefty sum, IMHO, but towards a better lifestyle) and embark on this health transformation journey. Let’s see how the progress will be… :)

Journey towards a healthier life

I have 2 young kids. I want to be there for them when they take those all important national exams. I want to be there for them when they step out into the working world. I want to be there when they make the all important decision regarding relationships. Hence, I need to ensure I am healthy.

Therefore, I am starting this blog, to just jot down the steps I'm taking, towards achieving a healthier lifestyle. Given that I don't have help at home (i.e. late nights due to housework etc), I have a pretty exciting yet stressful job that I love, it is therefore, imperative, that I eat well. This blog documents how I started on this journey, and the on-going process.

Cheers!