:: Day 48 - Summary ::

Activities: 1072 cal
7am: Endurance run, 5.0 miles(WOOHOO!), 60 mins, 674 cal, HRa 160, HRm 171
5pm: Swing volume workout + TGU, 700 swings, 39 mins, 398 cal, HRa 151, HRm 163... Man those TGUs are killers. I'm so glad I got Joe to review my snatches, TGUs and windmills --- lots of bolts were tightened! I felt it so much today even just with the 8kg.

Groceries for the week: farmer's market with mum


8am: vege and fruit juice
2 celery sticks, 2 carrots, 1 apple, parsley, broccoli, 1/2 banana, ice, water


10am: 1/2 an apple
3pm: Anti-Cancer Juice (ABC: Apple, Beet, Carrot) shared with Mikee


Main Meal: @ home
Ponzu salad with Seared Hamachi, Turkey Medallions, blanched broccoli, quinoa

Read more...

:: armchair statistician ::

Check it... I am swimming in data. I haven't done any formal regression analysis yet but just by observing data I've noticed that on the days that I had significant weight loss... there was a distinct pattern in behavior observed:

- eating at home (Homecooked meals)
- exercising twice a day
- burning >700 calories
- diet across all days was either eating <1440 calories or the warrior diet

And because I didn't collect data from the very beginning, it's inconclusive whether or not the Warrior Diet is a factor yet. (Although initial research on another candidate has shown the warrior diet to be extremely promising)



Could my journey to winning short-term be just as straight forward as that? Here are more calculations...

Average weight loss on double workout/eat home days = 1.67 lbs
Number of days remaining with double workouts + eating at home = 10
Expected weight loss over next 2 weeks = 1.67 x 10 = 16.7 lbs
Expected weight at the end of competition = 179 - 16.7 lbs = 162.3 lbs
Percentage weight loss at the end of the competition = (200-162.3)/200 = 18.9%

It's going to be exciting to see how the next 2 weeks measure up to my initial theory! :)

p.s. This theory does not apply to everyone, especially the rate of change. But if someone else out there is doing something similar, please share your data!!!
Read more...

:: Get your own FREE live-in trainer ::

Personal trainers are awesome... but you know who the best personal trainer is... YOURSELF. A personal trainer can only keep you honest for the time you spend with them which may be say, 3 hours a week. Unless of course, you're Mariah Carey who can afford a live-in trainer + chef.

Don't get me wrong - I think a personal trainer is critical in helping people learn the exercises safely, teach on how to increase intensity and educate one on how to create workouts, proper nutrition etc etc But when you leave that gym, it is all you. A good trainer will equip you to help yourself the 23 hours that you're not in the gym and become the best personal trainer you can become. I would like to share the system I've been successful with...

1. Accountability. I blog religiously because it keeps me honest, especially about what i'm eating, in front of all my friends, family and even blog-friends. I widely advertise my blogs to my friends so more people read it, and the less likely I am to chicken out.

2a. Personal coaching. I signed up for check-ins with my "coach", Joe Sarti, so he can tighten the bolts on my kettlebell technique and just chat with me on how I am doing overall, offer advice etc.

2b. Pro bono coaching. I didn't plan for this one but it somehow happened - I have "coaches" that read my blog and offer me guidance! Mad props to Susan for all the time she's spent with me on chat, email, blog to help me achieve more than i ever thought I could!

3. Deliberation. Plan your activities a week in advance and you are more than likely to stick to it. Might need a coach's help with it though. I've to give Susan props again for this one. Without goals, how do you know where you're heading?

4. Set up affordances. I signed up and PAID for bootcamp 3x a week so I know at a bare minimum, I'm attending bootcamp 3x a week.

5. Help others. When I achieve success, I immediately try to pass it on and help others succeed. Seeing other people succeed motivates me to continue being the best I can be.

6. Cause and effect. I weigh myself daily so I know the consequences of my actions (or lack thereof). A heart-rate monitor also does the same thing for me.

7. Cheating. I push myself hard, because I'm not cheating anyone but myself.

8. Education. I read alot - to educate myself on what I'm eating so again, I know the consequences of my actions.

9. Money vs health. I stopped being cheap. Bootcamp? Bring it on! Coaching with Joe? Bring it on! Heart-rate monitor? Bring it on! New workout clothes? Bring it on! Expensive organic produce? Bring it on! Anything to keep me moving and keep me healthy!!! Money is _nothing_ compared to good health.

10. The goal. I keep my eye on the prize, both short-term and long-term. Ultimately, I want to be a warrior for life. Strong enough to run after my children and keep up with them. Live a long and healthy life. Somehow kettlebell is going to fit in awesome to a new mother's routine.

*** Please do share with everyone your systems for success!! ***
Read more...

:: Day 47 - Summary ::

Reflections: I am almost certain double workouts + WD can move the scale by 1 lb a day. Today, I am doing single workout + eating out for dinner so I should expect to see less movement. Wow, I am collecting so much data on myself I really should be doing a regression analysis.

Activities: 614 cal burnt
6am bootcamp, interval cone training, 63 mins, 614 cal burnt, HRa 147 HRm 179 (As you seen from my max Heart rate, Hao kicked my butt this morning...)

oh and mum had her first KB session today! She's a natural ;)


8am: vege and fruit drink to share with mum
2 celery sticks, 2 medium carrots, 1 apple, 1 orange, bunch of blueberries, ginger, shaved ice, water

12 pm: Salad bar from wholefoods


Main Meal: === GOCHI dinner ===
Beef tataki salad, Unagi rice, risotto balls... all I can say is yum.




Me & Mum - doesn't she look young?? She's 53!!!

Read more...

:: new milestone ::

My BMI is no longer in the "obese" zone. This really happened 6 lbs ago but I just took note of it. So now i'm in the "overweight' zone. Still doesn't sound very positive right? But it's going in the right direction.
Read more...

:: warrior diet update ::

I am bursting with excitement so I had to share with news. So for the past 1.5 weeks, my coworker, Aylin, has been sticking to the warrior diet with me. She truly is a warrior and has not complained one bit! She consumes every single thing I push on her plate, and believe me, it's not that exciting.

So last week was a slow week for both of us since (a) we were getting used to the WD (b) we ate out alot. This week, however, Aylin cooked her dinner at home every single night. In the last 3 days, she's lost 3-4 lbs! AND she hasn't been able to do any physical activity during this time so we can conclude that it was all due to the WD! I am so proud of her and she deserves this shout-out! Go Aylin!!!
Read more...

:: Day 46 - Summary ::

Reflections on WD: I think eating out can really ruin the warrior diet for me. I tend to eat alot more when outside, especially in social settings since I eat alot faster. Need to start pacing it down a little and listen to my body more.

Activities: 995 cal burnt
6am High-Octane Cardio -End of boring cardio!!! 45 mins, 483 cal burnt, HRa 156 HRm 166
Wow - this is Susan's recommended workout for me and it kicked ass! I love doing kettlebell outside! Not only did I get ballistic strength training in, I also ran 3.0 miles while I was at it! I highly recommend it :)
{50 swings immediately followed by 1/4 mile jog or 1 min jumprope
10 snatches R/10 snaches L; 1/4 mile jog or 1 min jumprope
10 burpees; jog or jumprope recovery
10R/10L clean-front squat; jog or jumprope recovery
repeat if you dare.}

3pm Elliptical interval training on resistance 5, 45 mins, 512 cal burnt, HRa 162, HRm 170

8am: vege fruit juice to share with Aylin
1 celery stick, some broccoli, 2 carrots, 1 apple, 1/2 orange, 3 strawberries, parsley, ginger, water, ice


12 pm: salad with light balsamic vinegar dressing
spinach, strawberries, carrots, cucumbers, 1 boiled egg


Main meal:
spinach salad, steamed eggplants, stirfry chicken, blanched broccoli, quinoa

My portion

Dessert shared with Mum

Read more...

:: Day 45 - Summary ::

Reflections: Daily doubles + WD have become a lethal combination! Down 3 pounds in 2 days!

Activities: 1021 cal burnt
6am weights training with balancing, 552 cal burnt, HRa 139 HRm 168
2pm : Max incline 15.0 treadmill workout, 45 mins, 469 cal burnt. HRa 154, HRm 165

8am: vege fruit juice shared with Mum
2 organic medium carrots, 2 sticks of celery, bunch of parsley, some broccoli, 1 fuji apple, 5 strawberries, ginger, swig of milk, ice and water

AYlin says it'd be easier to consume if it didn't look like diarrhea. My mum says that all natural stuff looks like diarrhea! haha It's with food coloring that things look bright and beautiful :) thought that was funny!

1pm: snack with Aylin
Spinach salad with carrots, french cantaloupe, green onions, avocado, dressed lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, cheese string


5pm: snack
2 pieces of cantaloupe, 10 raw almonds

Main meal: Dinner at Athena's Grill
Greek salad, Seafood Soulvlaki, some of mum's grecian feast, pita bread, hummus, bite of baklava, sans rice.

Read more...

:: Day 44 - Summary ::

Activities: 900 cal
I think the double workouts are essential to quick weight loss - which is my goal for the next 3 weeks. I can literally see the scale move each day whenever I do a double workout!
6am: 20 mins good ol' swings w/26lb, 199 cal burnt, HEa 150, HRm 162
90s swings, 30s rest, 10 sets
60x10= 600 swings
630am: 2.2 mile short run, 23:11, 264 cal burnt. HRa 162 HRm 172
6pm: 44 mins Swing volume workout (1000 swings!!!!) + TGU + Windmills, 16lb, 427 cal burnt, HRa 147, HRm 164

7am: vege and fruit blend to share with Aylin
1.5 celery stick, 2 medium carrots, 2 apples, broccoli, bunch of parsley, 4 strawberries, ginger, swig of kefir, ice, water


x pm: share with aylin
1 cup of kefir, 1 red pepper, carrot sticks, french cantaloupe


Main meal: Leftovers from 2 nights ago
Spring salad, 1 chicken tender, boiled veges, eggplant & tofu, quinoa

p.s. Even though I no longer eat ice-cream at home anymore, I've found quite a number of uses for the ice cream scoop. I love to use it to hold my softboiled eggs as I de-shell them. And most recently, I found out it's great for scooping out the seeds of a cantaloupe!

Read more...

:: mum on the warrior diet! ::

My dear mum is visiting from Singapore today. Incidentally, the one who upped the game by 400% offering a 4x prize sponsorship should I win. Since i'm on the warrior diet, she has no choice - so I'll be updating with her thoughts as well! Doesn't my mum look awesome for her age (old)??? Her secret: Don't go looking for stress! Stress will naturally come looking for you!
p.s. My arms are definitely slimmer now!!
Read more...

:: warrior diet reflections ::

So... it's been the end of week 1 of the warrior diet. The bottom line... NO WEIGHT LOSS! Ok i can't blame it on the WD - it's been a sloppy workout week for me and I ate out FOUR TIMES for dinner. I definitely overate (significantly) and ate bad stuff as well. Well, it's time to sprint to the end in it? Here are some of my reflections...

1. Taste. My tastebuds arent liking raw too much yet but my body is loving it. The day I had a bowl of pho, i literally wanted to throw up after. After eating so cleanly, my body totally rejected MSG-city. Interesting isn't it? That being said, anticipation towards dinner each day is really awesome! But the vege fruit juice is totally yummy...I actually crave it now... both tastebuds and body!!! Who would've thought that would be the easiest way to get me to consume raw veges like carrots, celery, parsley etc.

2. Hunger. Hunger is totally manageable during the day. I think it _totally_ helps that Aylin and I work together and are both on the WD. We help keep each other honest although I think she has totally taken it to the next level. Overall, my appetite has definitely reduced during the day. And so has the grocery bill!!!

3. Energy. I dont really feel "super energetic" like how the otehr WDers describe it but I definitely dont feel lethargic despite being on a lower calorie count. Even yesterday with the super grueling hike, I was OK and pretty strong throughout. I think it proves that I dont really need that many calories in the day! Also, I sleep less hours these days. 430am and BING!! and I am wide awake. Like now. Argh.

4. Weekends. The weekend was surprisingly easy to manage... especially with the husband being uber supportive!

5. Sustainability. Can I sustain this for life? As long as I have a 9-to-5 job, I totally think this is doable. I really like the idea that body is detoxing during the day, on a daily basis and I'm giving it the best it should get!

6. Dinner portions. U know... intersting thing is even though I eat a larger dinner than before, it's only slightly larger. Aylin can testify to this phenomenon as well. Filling up on the raw salad is definitely helping! If i know that i wont find raw veges at a restaurant, I eat it at home first.

7. 1 meal a day. I'm kinda liking the concept! Especially since breakfast/lunch isnt exactly social and my body just doesnt need that much stuff.

8. Discipline. Warrior Diet requires discipline. We have people at work trying to get us to eat cake or pizza that would completely ruin what we are tryin to do. The way I get around it is to remind myself of how many snatches I have to do to offset the cost and also to tell myself, "I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT TASTES LIKE, THERE IS NO NEED TO TRY IT". That's why if you offer me a piece of chocolate made by the eskimos in the artic circle, I would more than likely accept. Just once.

9. Love. If you love your inner-you, there is no reason why you would not love what this can do for you. I love me - and because I do, i want to give my body the best.

10. Calorie-counting. I know I'm not supposed to count calories on the WD but I decided to count my calories for just one day to see how things stack up. Woah, way below what I was taking in! Just have to watch those almonds!


CONCLUSION: Week 2, here I come!
Read more...

:: Day 43 - Summary ::

Activities: 752 cal burnt
6am bootcamp circuit training. Man for some reason this was extra tough. Hao really kicked my ass. Although, it might have something to do with grueling hike yesterday.
6pm KB Max VO2, Work sets w/12kg
6 snatch R, 15 sec work,
15 sec. rest
6 snatch L, 15 sec work,
15 sec rest
x 12 sets = 12 min. total,
Calories burned: 156 cal, HRm 172 HRa 159
* I was supposed to do 16 cycles but the blister really felt like it was going to split so I called it quits. And... i was starving.

8am: vege and fruit blend to share with Aylin
1 celery stick, 2 carrots, 1 apple, bunch of parsley, 4 strawberries, ginger, swig of kifer, ice, water


xpm: snack to share with Aylin
carrot sticks, broccoli, snappeas, blueberries, hard boiled eggs


Main meal:
Spring salad, 2 chicken tenders, boiled veges, eggplant & tofu, quinoa

Read more...

:: Sprint to the Finish ::

Alright, so given I am currently in the lead, I might have a shot at this prize. So i'm going to give it my ALL but no matter what happens on game day - I am walking away a winner. As Susan recommended, I have become more deliberate about my training regime, especially since I have 2 out-of-town weddings coming up. Kudos also to Susan for giving me more ideas about different types of KB workouts.

Read more...

:: mini-me vs. inner-me ::

Mini-me. I was looking through some college photos yesterday and I started to feel a little nostalgic... especially of how slim I used to be. I mean I wasn't a supermodel by any means but i was a comfortable size 8-10 and I looked good. I want to look like that again. I want to be mini-me again. While mini-me looked great, there are some things you should know about her:
1. Mini-me couldn't run a mile
2. Mini-me was always lethargic
3. Mini-me ate crap all day long - instant noodles (with the MSG packet) was a staple

Inner-me. Here's a pic of me yesterday, after scrubbing the kitchen floor. I am nowhere close to mini-me in terms of size and I'm not thrilled about how I look at this point. But there's alot to like about inner me...
- Inner-me can hike Mt Tallac, Mission Peak and not feel a single ache in her muscles after
- Inner-me can snatch a 26 lb kettlebell
- Inner-me can run a strong 4 miles
- Inner-me can hold a plank for 3 minutes
- Inner-me feels awesome, all day long
- Inner-me hasn't had chocolate, sausage mc muffin w/eggs or instant noodles in 6 weeks.
- Inner-me feels great.




It doesn't help just to look great, one must feel great. In the battle of Mini-me vs. Inner me, I must come to realize that I'm not battling for the biggest loser contest - I'm battling for myself. To become the most beautiful inner me ever. Hopefully that comes with a freebie, mini me.
Read more...

:: Day 42 - Summary ::

Activities: 1506 cal burnt
12pm Hike to mission peak with Mikee, 5.6 miles roundtrip, 2200 feet elevation gain
Uphill: 1 hr 28 mins, 1017 cal burnt, HRa 162 HRm 172 (shaved 15 minutes of previous time)
Downhill: 1 hr, 489 cal burnt, HRa 133, HRm 167


9am: 3 carrot sticks, 3 almonds

11am: Vege and fruit drink
2 carrots, broccoli, parseley, 1 beet, 1 apple

2pm: handful of almonds

3pm: recovery meal of 2 eggs + 1 flaxseed bread


Main Meal: Homecooked meal prepared for Ruey and Mikee
carrot sticks, cooked veges, tofu and eggplant prepared cold, chicken pan-fried
TJ Soy Orange bar


Read more...

:: Sign up NOW!!! ::

I convinced Mikee to sign up for this! Teehehee! But why would anyone pass up this opportunity to spend a day learning from the best? And best of all, in wine country! $195 is nothing - compared to a lifetime of strength and supreme cardio fitness. If anyone of you are interested and have signed up - let us know! We can perhaps carpool! This is going to be awesome!!!!! But early birds special ends on TUESDAY.
Read more...