:: just because you don't see it, doesnt mean it ain't there ::

This morning I finally tried 2 pieces of the Ritter Sport chocolates that my sister in law gave us from Germany (since I was PMSing). They were pretty good, but as I bit down on the chocolate, I noticed some sensitivity on my tooth. Not good - Could it be possible that well focus so much on nutrition and health that I had forgotten about proper dental care? I tried to think about when the last time I flossed was... i couldnt remember!!!

I mean, I used to be nazi flosser - twice a day sometimes. Wow... I really need to consider that just because i dont see my teeth and that decaying doesnt contribute to weight gain, it is still part of the whole health and nutrition package. That would include other things too like skin care and hair care... and even nail care! Alright, I'm back on the flossing game!
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:: Day 82 - Summary ::

Activities: Rest Day

8am: ABC + 1 celery stick + 1 pear + 1/4 banana + kale stems +flaxseed meal blended drink


I thought MIkee's beet-juice mouth was pretty funny! (he didnt realize at this point. mwahaha!)


Team lunch --- again
And they ordered... pizza... again.
I had 3 squares of pizza. No other option was available except skipping the meal but I made a bad decision, and went for it.

4pm: Chocolate Binge
while I was walking by one of the hallways, i spotted some chocolate. I suddenly remembered the taste of chocolate from this past weekend - and I went for it. The result was 1 kit kat + 2 reese's pieces. Will blog about this later.
Main meal @ Justin's house
We had a church meeting at justin's place. I had a foot long chicken breast subway sans the bottom of roll and condiments. Not too shabby. Oh and 1 cherry kitkat from Japan!

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:: Day 81 - Summary ::

Activities:
6am: 4.5 mile run with Mikee, 58 mins, 597 cal, HRa 150 HRm 163

8am: ABC + 1 tomato + parsley + 1 celery stick blended drink

12pm: Team lunch
Groan... it's going to be pizza. Sigh... probably the worst thing to have. Not good not good, I hate some appetizers and then ate a strawberry salad and a slice of pizza. Still an improvement... I typically eat at least 2 slices of pizza.

Main meal @ home
Laura's Chap Chye again! Encore!!! I was still full from lunch at dinner time so I ate half what I normally would eat. Cant wait to detox today again.

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:: Day 80 - Summary ::

Reflections: Stepped on the scale today. Looks like i havent gained any weight this weekend which is miraculous on its own. :P

Activities: 1020 cal
6am: 3.0 mile run with mikee, 35 mins, 380 cal burnt, HRa 156 HRm 168
630pm: Spin class with Iris, 62 mins, 640 cal, HRa 151, HRm 175
YES - I killed it. Iris and I have decided to make this a regular weekly "date". :)

8am: ABCC Juice, handful of almonds

12pm: honey mustard slaw, homemade. Only managed to eat 1/3 of it. Had another hanfdul of nuts.


Main meal @ home
Laura's Chap Chye


====== Recipe for Laura's Chap Chye "mixed veges" =======
1. stirfry some dried shrimps (I used dried fish) until fragrant
2. Add garlic, onion and ginger (optional ginger)
3. Add sliced chinese dried mushroom (mushrooms should already be soaked in water or microwaved for a minute in water)
4. Fry a little bit more
5. Pour water, soy sauce, chinese wine and ground white pepper
6. Add chopped up vegetables to the mix (I used cabbage, broccoli, kale, napa)
7. Cook until desired softness (Add more water or broth as needed)
8. In the last minute, throw in 1 bunch of presoaked vermicelli for some carbs. Or, serve with rice instead.
This is so delicious I am making it again tmrw!!!
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:: friend or foe? ::

One reason why I had been so successful in the competition was because I shared meals with people who shared the same values - Aylin and Mikee.

While traveling this past weekend, I noticed that not everyone thinks about nutrition the same way that I do. My friends mean well, they do - they want me to try the "best of toronto". God bless their hearts. But what ends up happening is that I have to fight a battle with myself constantly on what to consume and what not to consume. The "best of toronto" rarely includes nutritious superfoods like raw vegetables and fruits but consist mostly of processed desserts. I'm so thankful that my host had a magic bullet which allowed me to have my dose of fresh veges/fruits each morning.

Tracy Reifkind once wrote a blog entry about how it is important to hang out with people that value the same things that you value - especially in terms of nutrition. I disagree to a certain degree. While friends can certainly have an affect on my nutrition, at the end of the day, it is up to me to practice discipline and live up to my own ideals. Just because i'm a meat-eater doesn't mean I have to consider the vegetarian a foe. My goal for now is to think of gracious ways to turn down offers of food that are not in line with my nutrition ideals, without coming across as a bitch you know? There's no reason why I can't have a slice of cake at my friend's birthday so again, there's the balancing act. I can't blame my friends for poor nutrition just like I can't blame God for sunburn. Maybe for some people it means having to cut off unhealthy friendships but for me, I think I can do this and still keep my friends. My hope is that they will notice the changes in me, due to nutrition, and that it can spur them on to lead healthier lives.

==== evangelizing ====
FOr those that have known me for awhile, you will know that every year I get hit with a terrible cough. i'd be hacking all day, for hours with no end and sometimes it'd be hard for me to even talk. This would last typically 1-2 months. And 2 months out of the year is alot of misery. It usually is triggered by the common cough/cold. A few weeks ago I caught a cold which quickly developed into a cough. I've been "coughing" for 2 weeks now but wow, it hasn't exploded into the fullblown asthma attack yet, whcih usually requires me to be on a steady dose of steroids. I attribute this to just being healthier these days and my immune system is alot stronger than it used to be. I don't wish to medicate my condition anymore, I'm going to nutritionize it. I got to share this amazing story with some of my close friends in toronto this weekend. They are all aware of what cough can be like. So Imma keep evangelizing and selling nutrition to my friends. Maybe they'll convert one day.
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:: Reflections on travel ::

As I spent the last hour reviewing my food journal for the toronto trip, I've come to realize that I ate alot more than I normally would. This is somewhat expected. When you're running around with a tour guide, they are constantly selling you on the best local cuisine... Food is always being shoved in my face. And you know, the "best-of-X" food always looks oh so good.

So it's a delicate balancing act of ...
a. not wanting to hurt the feelings of your host, "giving face" the chinese would call it
b. wanting to experience something once-in-a-lifetime (cow's ice cream voted the best by reader's digest!!)
c. being careful about what you consume (ice-cream 3 days in a row? seriously???)

The scale is hard to balance. I think I made good choices (ABCC in the mornings, eating less of everything) and bad choices (late night cookie binge). But overall, in the spirit of vacationing, i think I did quite well. Now that i'm back home I'm determined to get back in the normal swing of things. Unfortunately with just 4 days of eating off-schedule, my body is starting to crave more food than it normally does. Not good - need to get back into gear.

=== ant infestations ===
We returned to an ant-infested living room + kitchen today. My mum gave us a bag of candied almonds and I must have not closed the bag completely... the ants somehow found it and made their way steadily inside. It really put a dampener on my spirits especially since it was so visibly affecting Mikee. I tried to clean it up as best as I could but we are not sure what to do with the ants on the carpet. Vacuum them anyway? If anyone has any ideas on how to clean up this mess, please share... xxx Traumatized Virgo.
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:: Day 79 - Summary ::

Activities: Nada. Transit day again and also zombie day. I think the effects of the week has started to take a toll on me.

6am EST: Yogurt + special K + few slices of banana

8am EST: handful of cashews

12pm PST: 1/2 salad + chicken broth


1pm PST: Yogurt + strawberries

Main meal @ 6pm
Steamed broccoli + carrots, steamed sweet potatoes with stir fried chicken breast, long beans with egg, steamed eggplant

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:: Day 78 - Summary ::

Activities:
Mild walking today as we brought Chris to Niagara Falls, niagara-on-the-lake and CN tower.

8am: ABCC Juice shared with Chris and Mikee

12pm: self-made chicken sandwich
(we bought a rotisserie chicken, canadian swiss cheese, wheat rolls, tomatoes, mayo ... and had a mini picnic. cheap and good.)

1pm: Famous Cow's ice cream at Niagara on the lake.
I had crunchy cow and messie bessie.

Main meal @ 9pm
Miso soup, salmon chirashi, edamame, a few pieces of other sashimi that chris couldnt finish

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:: Day 77 - Summary ::

Activities: Nada - it was Nan's wedding day and I had to fulfil MOH duties!

8am: ABCC Juice

9am: Breakfast with the bride... Condensed milk toast + HK style tea

12pm: a few pieces of california roll at the hotel

Reception dinner @ 7pm
Butternut squash soup
California salad (What the heck is that?I know!)
Chicken breast + 4 shrimps + fingerling potatoes
creme brulee cheesecake (argh, to die for)
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:: Day 76 - Summary ::

Activities:
8am: 3.5 mile run on treadmill. This was supposed to be a 7 mile run but a. we woke up late b. we were really tired
10am: 1.5 mile walk around Leslie Street Spit

9am: ABCC Juice shared with Mikee and Chris

12pm:
A bite of Chris' hot dog
mix bean and vege salad from Sobey's, shared with Mikee


4pm: Out-of-town guest BBQ at groom's house
Tofu skin dish
A couple of dumplings
home-made apple pie + ice cream

7pm: Dinner with friends at Ding Tai Fung
Essentially a bunch of northern chinese delights

10pm: my friend kat gave us a bunch of "monsieur felix" cookies which are ... ahem... the best cookies we've ever had in our lives. Like Aylin's cookies, once you start you can't stop. Argh. My favorite is the menage trois as pictured below.

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:: Day 75 - Summary ::

Activities: 8.0 mile walk throughout downtown Toronto. Somehow it was very tiring. My legs are still sore from that all-day walk.

8am: ABCC Juice, shared with Chris and Mikee

1130am: 1/2 bowl of cold korean noodles


3pm: Double scoop of gelato at the distillery district, perfect compliment to the hot weather
4pm: 2 pieces of chocolate from SOMA chocolatier (voted best in toronto), shared with Mikee


7pm: Dinner at Greek Restaurant Avli, in greektown
Greek salad


Stuffed chicken breast + some of Mikee's delicious lamb shank

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:: Day 74 - Summary ::

Activities: Nada. It was travel day and we literally spent 12 hours in transit.

6am:
ABCC Juice
Healthy turkey bacon mcmuffin

3pm:
yogurt with fruit, tuna bites shared with mikee
handful of raw almonds


11pm, after landing in toronto
main meal @ congee wong
The 4 of us shared beef rice noodles, seafood crispy noodles and braised tofu. It so hit the spot.
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