Day 19 - Insulin Resistance

When I started the slow carb diet, my goal was to test my discipline and see if I have significant results in weight loss.

I soon found another reason to continue and a more compelling one.

I think I might I have insulin resistance. Not that I went to the doctor for a check up or anything. I was looking up for ways to get rid of a dark skin patch (I'm asian fair so any dark skin on any area is odd) at first I thought it was dead skin cells that you can scrub over or some bruise I acquired from pole dancing until I came across symptoms for insulin resistance and how it might lead to type 2 diabetes. Some of the symptoms involves; fatique, weight gain. ability to focus which are general symptoms if you are overweight. I will have to go to a the doctor to find out more. Not that I am particularly alarm but I feel like it might in some way contribute to why I feel like I am always very ill discipline that perhaps my body is reacting and not responding the way it should if it was being optimum. 

I do not know if the lack or the excess of carbs contribute to the insulin resistance. I heard that diabetics shouldn't eat a lot of carbs so perhaps less carbs does do more good.

 

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

Day 17 - It takes a while to stick to a habit

I was so sore from the pole routine the other day, I wanted to fit in some stretching but I was hurting so much I decided to skip any form of activities I wanted to do.

I hadn't really noted what I ate as the entire week went through with much of a blur but I know I was eating better.

I also know at some point I have to take a reality check with the scale or the measuring tape. I don't really like confrontations. My fat percentage however is still at 45.6% which haven't drop since a week ago. I don't know if that is a good thing since I don't gain any fats. I seem to think that cheap "fat analysis" meter I bought from China wasn't any good. I can feel my body change even if the number don't seem to prove it.

And I know it because my workout numbers seem to improve today; some more than the other.

Friday's Pole workouts – Pole Strength Routine

Pole Squat – 10 reps 2 sets

Pole Plies – 1 reps 2 sets

Pole Lunges – 10 reps 1 set

Pole Leg Lifts – 10 reps 1 set

Pole Single Leg Squats – 10 reps 1 set

Pole Hold – 7 reps first set 5 reps 2nd set 

Pole Row – 10 reps 2 sets

Pole Triceps Push – 10 reps 2 sets

Pole Shoulder Push – 10 reps 1 set 

Leg Hook Side Crunch – 10 reps 1 set

Knee Tuck – 0 reps 0 sets (I was too sore and tired by the time I reach here!)

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Pole Play,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - You Dust Yourself Off and Try Again

Yesterday was the pits. Today I decided to redeem myself with my pole exercises.

A shout out to Duke for the pep talk. Thank you!

And instead of just going through the motion, I challenge myself to complete a full 10 reps per set. I only did 1 set of each exercises so I can pace myself to finish the entire pole strength routine. It was not easy. Especially after a day's work, I was tired but I wanted to compensate myself after a break down yesterday. Just so I can feel good about myself and that I accomplish something.

Wednesday's workouts - Pole Strength Routine

Pole Squat - 10 reps 2 sets

Pole Plies - 10 reps 2 sets

Pole Lunges - 10 reps 1 set

Pole Leg Lifts - 10 reps 1 set

Pole Single Leg Squats - 10 reps 1 set

Pole Hold - 6 reps 1 set for each arm (I only managed to do 1 when I started so yea!)

Pole Row - 10 reps 1 set

Pole Triceps Push - 10 reps 1 set

Pole Shoulder Push - 10 reps 1 set (This was a vertical push up with the pole to assist you, I used a chair variation but I surprised myself when I can actually do a full 10. Another yea!)

Leg Hook Side Crunch - 10 reps 1 set

Knee Tuck - 3 reps 1 set for each arm (By the time I reach this exercise, I was tired and sore and my arms was shaking, so this was the toughest for me to complete today. This is kind of like the vertical leg lifts)

A slap on the wrist for yesterday. A pat on the back for today.

 

 

 

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Pole Play,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Plateau & Off the Bandwagon

Today is Day 14. That is 2 weeks into the challenge and I am not doing as well as I should in terms of weight loss or fat loss. I have progressed yes, in terms of food choices and awareness but I cannot claim to be one of those people who can boast a 30 pounds in 30 days kind of weight loss.

The last couple of days was tough in terms of diet, I was on a cheat day on Saturday and I was ready for no carbs again on Sunday, however I had a couple of lunch and dinner invitations and that really screws me over. I cannot resist some of the potatoes (and the pasta, and the pizza...) it was tooooo tempting, I just caved. I cannot just have a bite, it lead to two bites and then it was a slice of pizza..and then pasta. I remember telling myself 'That's enough, or 'gosh what you are doing, no carbs!' and then went into this spiral fall of guilt. I felt like a total failure. Again.

And even though I had no carbs on Mon and Tues, I still feel like a failure. I was doing so well and why do I have to mess it up again? What is wrong with me, why can I not be as discipline as I should.

I think I need to think of something to "punish" myself. An embrassing 'before' picture would probably give me a kick in the butt.

 

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 10 (Cheat Day)

As far as this diet goes, I had been pretty good in keeping up refraining from carbs. I try as much as possible not to stray to far from the goal.

I have not realized that it was already cheat day today. It wasn't until I went to the supermarket and my fiance asked me if I wanted to have a bag of chips. I love chips but I haven't one since I started this diet. I don't know if my fiance was trying to be supportive or kind or disruptive because he was the one who reminded me of my cheat day today. It was a mix of feelings when I realized it was cheat day. I was secretly happy because I do want those bag of chips so it was very timely to give in to some junk. At the same time, if my fiance hadn't reminded me of my cheat day I probably won't have finished the bag.

I decided I was just going to enjoy the cheat day. I suppose psychologically it would have made me less anxious about eating carbs. It is a cheat day after all, a kind of 'treat' after having spend the week without carbs so I was not going to beat myself about it anytime soon.

 

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 8 (and 9)

Craving for carbs has been creeping slowly and I find that the more I resist the more I kept thinking about carbs like bread or pasta.

So in order not to torture myself I will have a bite of a pc of bread or a spoonful of rice and chew it really slow. It just takes one bite and for the rest of the day I won't think of anymore carbs. This method helps me stick on this challenge more.

Fat percentage hasn't dropped since 2 days ago and my meals has a lot more greens than it used to be and I am really happy about that.

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 7

This is going to be a rather short post.

1 week into the challenge already and...I dont lose significantly a large amount of weight but I am very happy to announce that my fat percentage did drop a little.

Yippee!

And my meal for the day. This is the first day that I actually feel sick of chicken. It was wings the entire day! I think I'll have myself some nice meat tomorrow.

 

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Drink ACT,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 5 (and 6)

After the cheat day, I decided to own up my reality. I still was a little bit apprehensive about finding out my weight so I purchase this fat meter to find out how fat I really am. Percentage wise. At least that will give me an indication if I am improving or not. And its easier to use than a fat caliper.

http://tinypic.com/r/1oum4h/6

Shocking.

I don't even know how accurate a fat meter is but still, shocking. Half of me is like fats. Eww.

True wake up call.

The good thing is, this slow carb thing is probably one of the easiest diet I have ever done. I do not feel deprive in any way. Which is a good thing.

Here's what I ate the last 2 days. If you see potatoes or fries in there, it goes to my fiance. He has been very happy with the extra food.

http://tinypic.com/r/1h59hi/6

http://tinypic.com/r/2q1ywqp/6

http://tinypic.com/r/1zl82uu/6

Here's to hoping that my fat percentage drops a point tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 4 (Cheat Day)

I told myself it was too soon for a cheat day because I only started this challenge 3 days ago. But otherwise, I will have to wait for the next Saturday. Truth be told, I wasn't really craving for anything nor do I feel like I need to stuff my face with food. But I cave anyway, I chose to not have a full cheat day where I can eat anything I want. I just want to have a bite of maybe some fries and some ice cream here and there, it wasn't going to be an all-you-can-eat day kind of cheat day. Pretty much this was how my meals look for the entire day and I cheated with fries on the side. 

I have not weigh in myself. I have this phobia that I might have gained weight or have not improve on the scale and if any of those happen I might I get disappointed because sometimes I can be really impatient with results. So I judge with how my clothes feel around my waist and hip. It is a good indication that I might have lost weight, water or fat if my clothes is starting to fit better. Even if I feel better overall, I still take it as an indication that I am improving in general. Eventually, I will get on the scale and take a realistic look at numbers.

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 3

Day 3 was a slight improvement. I managed to have 2 softboiled eggs for breakfast. I love eggs so this was a nice treat. Before I slept the night before, I was already imagining eggs for breakfast which motivates me to wake up earlier in the morning. Food has such a powerful impact on me I suppose.

 

Lunch was another piece of roasted chicken. I realize I haven't been craving for carbs that much, occasionally I do wish for a bite of potato chips or fries but I thought I would save that for cheat day. For dinner, I had a mix grill of beef and seafood. I really appreciate that my family was supportive enough to have a simple grill dinner without carbs though we do have corn and we use a lot of butter. We also have a large serving of greens with my favourite japanese wafu dressing. Because dinner was so good, carbs was the last thing on my mind.

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 2

Another wet morning, which means another late morning which means no breakfast again. I really really really got to have the habit of getting up earlier. Waking up in the wee hours of morning is a real challenge as I am not a morning person at all though I do admire and aspire to be one of those early risers who wakes up do their workouts, eats their breakfast and plan for the day right.

 

For now, I am just not one of those. And this is not an early morning challenge though I will get to that soon. Not today it seems.

 

Lunch, is yesterday's chicken. I had half a chicken this time and because the sun was starting to come up I really do not want to walk out in the hot afternoon sun to get food. Also, protein is not cheap except maybe for eggs and I budget not to spend more that $10 a day for meals.

 

I do not seem to crave for carbs as yet but it is important that you pace your meals so you don't get overly hungry and when that happens you tend to want to eat anything on sight. It is not a matter of will power, it is a matter of physics I suppose, our body needs fuel.

 

I don't seem to post yesterday's meal so here it is today.

 

 

I won't be posting today's meal since it is pretty much the same. I was out of ACT energy drink so I only had BodyTrim in the evening. I don't see any difference in my weight as yet but it has just been a day so I suppose I'll take a week before my next weigh in.

 

So today I manage to squeeze in a little bit of exercises in the evening. I just recently purchase a pole for pole dancing. I find it to be quite fun, I hate exercises that are repetitive, it bores me. So last night I signed up for an online pole dancing lessons at studioveena.com. That way, I have the privacy, comfort and convenience of home to brush up on my pole and fitness. I will probably share my progress on the pole as I go along.

 

Here's just briefly of what kind of exercises I did today with a little bit more pole work.

 

 

See you tomorrow, cheers!

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Drink ACT,Health and Beauty,Pole Work,Whale to Wow

4HR Body Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet - Day 1

This post is long overdue so today of all days I decided to just get on it.

 

Here goes, I am doing the 4hr Body no carbs for the next 30 days. I didn’t do any preparation nor was I prepared mentally. I figured if I am going to stick to this kind of eating into a lifestyle then it should be an easy and relatively simple to do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t stick with it.

 

I woke up late this morning so I had to rush to get to work. Which means, no breakfast.  Tim Ferris suggests having breakfast half hour after you get up. Time which I do not have. So that’s the first mistake I made (actually the fact that I didn’t plan for this means I plan to fail but I am determined to prove that wrong heh.)

So no breakfast, I started off with a ACT energy drink when I got to the office. I was trying to wean off coffee and I needed a kickstart so ACT energy drink was perfect.

Lunch was a challenge. It was so hard to get a decent carb -free lunch. Rice and noodles are staples even bread so I decided to shop at Cold Storage to see if I can get some salad mix or whatever.

Cold Storage usually has some variety of choices where fresh produce are concern but the branch at China Square was deeply disappointing. Their salad mix was expensive it’s almost $8 for a single serving and you had to mix it up yourself, no dressing. The fact that there is no cooking involved, I just don’t’ understand why healthier food choices are more expensive than junk food. You can get 2 plates of chicken rice or a plate of steak for $8 here.  I decided not to get the salad only because I know if I took the time to plan and prepare, it would have been way cheaper with healthier dressing.

I decided to go for the roasted chicken from the deli for $7.60 and a pack of banana which I only then realize that part of the slow carb diet was that there should be absolutely not fruits heh. The entire chicken means I can have spread it out for 3 or 4 meals which is in line with the rule of “eating the same thing over and over again”. I had the deli lady cut in quarters for me. After  1 quarter of the chicken and 2 bananas, I am stuffed. I don’t know why as I was previously quite famished. The rest of the chicken I kept it in the fridge, I figured if I am hungry for dinner I can reheat it up again or snack on the bananas. I did however drank BodyTrim before I go to sleep just so I don't wake up in the middle of the night hungry and snacking.

What I love about the Tim Ferris Slow Carb diet is that you can possibly lose 20 pounds in 30 days without exercising. I love this! So while I do not rule out exercise in this challenge (I will include those exercises as I go along) it is less pressure for me to make exercise a priority everyday. Everyday for the next 30 days its just no white carbs, no fruit and lots of water which I think I can handle.

 

 

 

Read more »

Posted in: 4hr Body,Drink ACT,Health and Beauty,Whale to Wow