Saturday, November 7, 2009

:: weekly meal plan 11/7-11/13

Saturday
Cottage cheese muffins (Heidi Swanson)
Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

Sunday
Carbonnades a la Flamande (Beef and onions braised in beer)-Julia Child
Garlic parsley potatoes
Brussels sprouts
Unfussy Apple Cake

Monday
Leftovers

Tuesday
Millet Fried Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Wednesday
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Cumin (Peter Berley)
Creamy Wild Rice Soup (Heidi Swanson)

Thursday
Julia child's burgers, served in lettuce wraps

Frday
Leftovers
Read more...

Saturday, October 31, 2009

:: weekly meal plans are back! ::

We've finally moved into our home and got the kitchen upgraded! ANd now I can make weekly meal plans! woohoo

see our work in progress kitchen


Today
Italian sausage meatballs serve atop fresh shredded raw veges
purple hedgehog potatoes (Heidi Swanson)
Creme de guacamole (Heidi Swanson)


Sunday
Giant crusty and creamy white beans (Heidi Swanson)


Monday
Broccoli Dubliner Soup (Heidi Swanson)


Tuesday
Leftovers

Wednesday
White bean and asparagus salad (Catherine Walthers)
Gremolata chicken (Laura Fu)


Thursday
Chunky Lentil Soup (Heidi Swanson)


Friday
Leftovers
Read more...

Monday, October 19, 2009

:: marathon finisher! ::

Hey guys,

Sorry I've been so MIA. Have been crazy getting our house ready for move -in condition, training for the marathon. I'm still very much alive and kicking! Here's my race report! (more pics to come later)

~~~~ js ~~~~~

The Trigger
When we made our way to Union Square yesterday, and 20,000 magnificent ladies gathered, my mum said, “oh so you’re not the only crazy one”. I’m not! And we’re definitely not crazy! Turning 30 was pretty big for me this year. The last year saw me go through a transformation of my life and I wanted to end my 20s with a bang.

Rule #1 – Achieve something.

Figured I would sign up to push myself to the max and actually be realistic with my goals. Having ran regularly 3-4 x a week for a year now, a marathon seemed in reach. And not just any marathon, if I’m going to run one – it has got to be the Nike women’s. I need that tiffany’s necklace for bragging rights.

Rule #2 – if you’re going to run a marathon – make the darn prize worth your while.

The problem with that particular marathon is every single lady marathoner wants to run it at some point in their lives. It’s the only one where you get presented with a tiffany’s pendant by hunky firemen in tuxedos. So … they have a lottery system and getting in is luck of the draw. I put my name in, crossed my fingers, and got it. Oh shit, was my first thought when I got my notification e-mail. No excuses now!!!

The Journey – Wk 0-16

For 4 months, I
- Sacrificed Saturday morning for long runs. (Thanks to Mikee who did the grocery shopping, and friends who supported me on the > 14 mile runs)
- Sacrificed Saturday afternoon for long naps
- Pretty much gave up on any form of social life during the week days. Had to run 3-4x on the weekday evenings

Rule #3- Make running become your life. At least for a few months.

- Ran without music. Realized I can be very comfortable with myself for hours letting my mind go free.
- Went through 3 pairs of running shoes: Brooks, Asics & Saucony
-
Rule #4 - Make sure you get properly fitted for shoes. Don’t just buy the pretty ones. Your feet won’t be too pretty after.

- Sprained my left ankle twice, both times from just being stupid.
- Missed about 25% of runs due to ankle injuries

Rule #5 – Don’t try to make up for runs you miss.

- Invested about $140 worth of happy feet massages (they are $20 each)

Rule #6 – Don’t skimp on the $20 chinese massages.

Injury #1 – Wk 6
On the day of my 13 miler Saturday training run , I sprained my ankle. Not during the run, but right after. I was standing at the sidewalk, stretching, and I didn’t realize the sidewalk dropped right behind my left ankle… and there it went. Wrapped it up for a week and didn’t run for 2. I didn’t feel too bad considering it was earlier in the game.

Rule #7 - Don’t get complacent.

Injury #2 – Wk 12

4 weeks before race day, I had planned a rather hilly 14 miler around Lexington Reservoir. I was feeling pretty much like this run was in the bag. You know how you just have a pretty awesome feeling, that was it. And then the view of the reservoir came up and I thought – wow, I should really take this in more. And thud right there, I had lost focus, and steered off the road and my same darn left ankle rolled off the side.

Rule #8 – Stop to smell the roses, Don’t run while smelling the roses. Keep your eyes on the road while your feet are moving. (applies only to people like me. And you know who you are)

This left me pretty much out of commission for awhile. I stopped running for 2 weeks and did as much kettlebells and weights as I could to get my core strong, per Susan’s recommendation. A few had even advised that I should consider skipping my run to let my ankle heal properly (er hello like NO WAY?). But I decided it was important to listen to my body.

Post injury runs – Wk 14-15

First run was a short 3 miler on Tuesday. Did not feel good – ankle was yelling at me to stop. Fine. I gave it another 4-day break. On Saturday, I broke it out on the treadmill for 9 miles. It was probably my worst long run ever. I had to stop every couple of miles to stretch and roll the ankle. It wasn’t feeling perfect at all. People kept asking… how’s the ankle? I kept saying it was fine because I somehow felt that by staying positive, it might just heal faster.

I continued to do my training runs at this point but forced myself to keep it slow so as not to aggravate the injury further.

Rule #9 - You can’t always be a hero. Be ok with being slow and letting the grannies cruise on by on the trail.

1 week before race day, I ran my final long run of 8 miles on the los gatos creek trail. The ankle complained a few times – but it was no longer rebellious complaining, just some whining. So I kept going and those 8 miles felt awesome. Left ankle still remained sore after, but we can all deal with a little soreness in life.

Rule #10 Don’t be a whiner. Sore muscles are ok.

3 days to race day

I could not sleep on the days leading up to October 18th. I woke up frequently and woke up way too early for my own good. And whenever I thought of the marathon, I felt like puking. There were these nasty images in my mind of limping off the trail in crutches, no tiffany’s pendant in sight. That’s when I decided I will have to accept a new race day strategy.

- Maintain a 12 min/mile no matter how freaking slow that feels
- Force a 0.5 mile walk every 6 miles
- Listen to the ankle. If it is whispering to stop, don’t. If it is yelling to stop, do.
- Be OK with not finishing the race, as long as I know permanent injury is at stake.
- Basically, it’s not time to be a hero.

Rule #11 - Plan a realistic race-day strategy.

I didn’t crazy carbo load but I did eat starting eating about 60% good carbs during dinner (which is 50% more than what I usually eat) and got lots of lean protein. I drank religiously and stretched plenty.

Eve of race day

Went through my check list to make sure I didn’t forget anything: shoes, socks, pants, undies, run bra, tri top, running hat, sunnies, spf, small cellphone.

Things I forgot: body glide, throwaway sweater for first couple of miles.

Went to pick up race packet. Even more nausea, but of course didn’t tell anyone. Didn’t want my mum to think nausea had anything to do with my ankle. But really, it was just cold feet.

Told time and time again that I shouldn’t eat anything funky the night before but I could not resist the tuna and spicy salmon sashimi don. Cleaned it all up. ☺

Could not sleep all night. Darn.

Rule #12 – Get as much sleep as you can up to 2 weeks before the race. OD on it! You’ll start losing sleep closer to d-day so load up on sleep inventory!

Race day

No nausea today. Yay. Finally seeing the 20,000 runners gathered at Union Square must have been the perfect antidote. I am not the crazy one. And I’m definitely not the only one recovering from injury.


We suited up and thanks to Chris, I was able to get some body glide on.


7am – and we’re off. We hack into the 9 min/mile group and get to the start line in 5 mins, not bad! Except the 9 min-milers must have hated us … SORRY!!!

Mile 1-5
With everyone passing me, there was almost an instinct to speed up. But I kept looking at my GPS watch to maintain the 12 min mile. I was going to be a good girl today – NOT going to kill myself over this. We ran through downtown SF, by the embarcadero and along fisherman’s wharf. Killer ocean views and the start of killer hills. Still, going strong and ankle seemed to be responding well. Water and Gatorade every 2 miles, so that was nice.

I ran past runners that had pictures of loved ones on their backs. Many were running for a specific cause or in memory of someone and it was too emotional to bear. I had to tell myself to not look otherwise I’d be sobbing the rest of the way.

Mile 5-10 aka neverending hills
Here’s where the series of hills went on and on and on … the hills training I did at Rancho totally helped. Didn’t have to stop once! The presidio had nice views though, and that totally made up for everything. At some point, I had even forgotten about the hills. Didn’t stop for my mandatory walk at 6 miles because I tried to be a hero. At around the 8 mile mark, I remembered my hero rule and stopped to talk a quarter mile. At 8.5 miles, there were sliced oranges from Kaiser permante. And at 9 miles, luna bars. Still not hungry, so I skipped.

The end of the 10 miles was the start of the great highway. You could see the “finish village” … which was kinda depressing knowing you had 16 more miles to go.

I stopped to admire the view here. Just spectacular. Snagged a photo of two.

Mile 11-15 Golden Gate Park
We got into Golden Gate Park and it still wasn’t quite done with the hills at this point. Not quite as bad but bad enough. Miles 11.5, bananas from safeway. Still not hungry, I passed. At 12.5 mile mark, stopped for my mandatory walk and did some stretching. I noticed a first aid station to the side of me. There was a young runner getting her ankle tended to, tears streaming down her face as the medic told her she am not able to complete her run. I felt sorry for her but at the same time I thought, that could have been me. Don’t be a hero, Don’t be a hero.

After the mandatory walk, I picked it up again and kept it at 12 min mile. Still feeling pretty awesome as I came up on 15 miles. This might actually happen!!! Continued to get water at every water stop.

Mile 16-20 The Great Highway
I make it a point not to eat when I run unless I absolutely have to (didn’t want to do #2), so up to this point, I hadn’t eaten at all since yesterday. I was also starting to feel it. All I really wanted was a banana and coconut water. So at mile 18, it was like the heavens heard me. Perched right on the median in these comfy lounge chairs was Michael and Jen! I saw them from a distance and was just so happy seeing my first official supporters!!! I stopped to stretch and wow, I had a giant can of coconut water AND banana for consumption. Hallelujah!!! Of course, we had to stop for the token pictures and after chugging that amazing coconut water, I was off. I felt a pretty awesome energy surge and kept going strong for the next couple of miles.


Ran past a Canadian runner, likely in her 50 miles, “Will I finish in time to get my tiffany’s necklace?”. She was extremely worried she wouldn’t make it. Lol, what people do for that darn necklace!!!

Miles 20-25 Lake of pain
This part of the run loops around Lake merced. Not particularly wonderful views or anything, plus you are running along side cars. Mile 22 is when the left ankle launched a full-on rebellion. There was no denying it. Every step was a spasm of intense pain right up the side of my foot. I thought of that young runner at the first aid station… that ain’t gonna be me. I slowed to a brisk walk at 13.5 min mile and decided to walk as far as I could. Even if I had to walk to the end of the finish line, I will.

Many describe this zone as “hitting the wall”. I don’t think I ever felt that. My legs wanted to go on, my heart wanted to go on, right ankle ready to go but just the left ankle holding us back. The minutes crawled by as I power walked around the lake. I got bored and picked up a luna chocolate bar – mmm it wasn’t bad at all. I always hated all the powerbar mumbo jumbo but luna was actually palatable surprisingly.

At mile 23, my dear husband showed up to haul me in. I informed him of the condition and he was relieved he didn’t have to run the rest of the way with me. For his efforts, I rewarded him with Ghiradelli chocolate I had snagged from Mile 21 for him. Ran past a guy wearing a tshirt “power-enhancing hugs for free”! Aww, how sweet, but I passed.


We power walked together and at mile 24ish was joined by Hazel


!Soon, I could see the finish line in sight. Here’s where I abandoned all the rules I made for myself – I’m going to finish this race and rip it up. Off I went, sprinting, ignoring the pain, and passing everyone in front of me to cross the finish line.

I visualized this moment for many months – and each time I saw myself weep at the finish line. But I didn’t. I received my tiffany’s medal from the oh-so-hot-fireman-in-a-tux and felt so relieved that this was done. Wow, I did it. I actually ran a marathon. And my thoughts? Eh… it wasn’t too bad really? Asides from the ankle and smelliness, no blisters, no aches or new sprains, no chaffing, no sickness. Anyone can do it… you just have to train I suppose. The more you train, the easier the marathon will be, just simple math really.

Rule #13 – Do whatever it takes to complete your first marathon safely. But at least, finish in style.

Rule #14 – Don’t expect to run a marathon if you are not going to train for it.

Chris and I reunited, she was way ahead of me, and made sure we got plenty of photo ops around the finisher’s village. We still had plenty of energy to do jumps and stuff so that will tell you we didn’t give it 200%. :P


Met up with some old friends like Eric and Cam at the finisher's village which was nice. Kinda glad Mum finally decided to come out to support me on the race. I was getting extremely tired of her telling me to give it up!!!


Went home and had a ginormous Chinese dinner and a ginormous chocolate cake. Mmmmmmm… so worth it. ☺


And here's the tiffany's necklace in all its beauty.... sigh.



The Day After
I woke up at 4am today. And this is when it really hit me hard I think. Wow, what an experience. I never want to forget this experience so I got up and started writing this account. And note to self - I'm feeling fine! Might do a short run today or tmrw to kinda ease it down a little.

The best advice I can give for the first-time marathoner to make up your own list of rules. My own experiences have shaped mine, which is why I was more likely to stick to them.

Rules

Rule #1 – Achieve something.
Rule #2 – if you’re going to run a marathon – make the darn prize worth your while.
Rule #3- Make running become your life. At least for a few months.
Rule #4 - Make sure you get properly fitted for shoes. Don’t just buy the pretty ones. Your feet won’t be too pretty after.
Rule #5 – Don’t try to make up for runs you miss.
Rule #6 – Don’t skimp on the $20 chinese massages.
Rule #7 - Don’t get complacent.
Rule #8 – Stop to smell the roses, Don’t run while smelling the roses. Keep your eyes on the road while your feet are moving. (applies only to people like me. And you know who you are)
Rule #9 - You can’t always be a hero. Be ok with being slow and letting the grannies cruise on by on the trail.
Rule #10 - Don’t be a whiner. Sore muscles are ok.
Rule #11 - Plan a realistic race-day strategy.
Rule #12 – Get as much sleep as you can up to 2 weeks before the race. OD on it! You’ll start losing sleep closer to d-day so load up on sleep inventory!
Rule #13 - Run comfortably throughout. Finish in style.
Rule #14 – Don’t expect to run a marathon if you are not going to train for it.
Rule #15 – Get inspired and shape your own rules.
Read more...

Friday, September 4, 2009

:: of food at home ::

I'm heading home to Singapore today. It's been a 14-month absence and my family and friends have not seen the new me. I was so excited to showcase the new me that I even got my eyebrows threaded beautifully at an Indian Supermarket. Hey, appearance matters!!!

Instead of hauling back the usual See's Candies loot for gifts, I stocked up on organic spices, tea, granola, dried fruits and nuts instead. Organic is spelled e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e in Singapore so hopefully it will be quite a treat.

For those who know - Singaporean hawker food is not known to be healthy. On the flip side, it's one of the best and most complex tasting foods out there. I don't think I'm going to go crazy like I normally do - in fact I'm trying to figure out how to maintain my style of eating so I don't upset the body too much. (Thank you mum for loaning me your blendtec while I'm there!!!) So I've narrowed down what I will eat at the hawker centers which largely centers around my favorites:
1. The quintessential Hainanese Chicken Rice. Most likely boon tiong kee. (At most 2 times)
2. Prawn mee soup, without the mee(noodles). The prawn broth is to die for. (Once only)
3. A night out at a "zi cha" where I will order my favorite "hot plate tofu" dish and allow myself to some salted fish fried rice and black hokkien mee. (Once only)
4. Yong Tau Fu - quite possibly the healthiest hawker food in Singapore. (At most 4 times)

All other meals? Cook at home or find some healthy organic cafe ($$$). I can do this!
Read more...

Thursday, September 3, 2009

:: how's it going? ::

So let's see... Since we packed up our life into boxes, I haven't really weighed myself. I've pretty much downsized to Size S/XS/2/4 for my tops and M/6/8 for my heavier bottom. I'm still not 100% lovin' my body yet(a 6 pack would be nice ;)) but I still feel great. Completed my longest run ever of 18 miles last week as part of marathon training. Running hills regularly at rancho now. So I guess it's going well!!!

Here's are some recent pictures though...



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:: brocolli stem soup ::


My latest discovery... making broccoli stalk soup. Oh my my ... so so good. I used Gordon Ramsey's recipe/method for the base but instead of using broccoli heads, I used stalk. All I needed was an uber powerful blender. Think of how nutrient dense this soup really is! I am wowed and it is so delicious.

Remember the key is in the method!!! Ingredients: Broccoli stalk, water and salt. :)

Gordon Ramsey's Broccoli Soup Method
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

:: updates ::

I watched Julia & Julie last night and suddenly felt inspired to blog. It's been awhile, friends!

Nutrition
I feel like I've achieved nirvana in nutrition. I eat anything is fresh and natural. I stay away from boxed stuff with labels on them. I cook/prepare all my meals at home and when I can't avoid eating out, I tend to make the right ordering decisions. Yet i still indulge in the occasional founder's favorite at coldstone. I feel balanced. In fact, I no longer have a choice. We went to Gilroy on Sunday with my mother-in-law and there weren't many options for lunch. We ended up going to el pollo loco. Not too bad -grilled chicken and all. Within an hour, I was coughing for like hours. It stopped that night but still, there it was again, my body reacting to junk. Am I better off having my body immune to junk, like it used to? Nah, I don't think so. I would like to live a long and healthy life. :) (p.s. Julia Child pretty much cooked traditionally and lived to a ripe age of 92. Who said butter was bad for you again???)

Exercise
I'm doing the 'minimum' marathon training, definitely not going above and beyond but running 4x a week. I used to be able to work out every single day but there's something about this repetitive running that makes it just so boring that I dread doing more than I have to. Of course, I'm a lot busier these days with getting our house ready for move-in that I barely have time for anything else so I'm officially excused. I ran 18 miles last weekend - and it felt pretty good. I think I'll be able to complete the marathon on time. But quite honestly, I just can't wait for life to get back to normal when we officially move in. I'll be swinging my bell away in our backyard... :)

Evangelist
Julia Childs' book changed people's lives. That's what I want to do - cause change. I'll leave it at that for now. I'm heading back home to Singapore this weekend - my dad has not seen me since I changed my life around. I hope that he will see that the stroke he suffered was not for nothing. That he helped me live a long and healthy life.
Read more...

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

8.12.09

We close on our house today. Very very exciting! We get our keys at 5pm and our super star agent has offered to host a housewarming party for us to meet our neighbors! We cannot be more excited!!! :D
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Thursday, July 30, 2009

still here

still here. still here.

still running and training. still fasting intermittently. still drinking green smoothies. still eating clean. :)

I'm back at a 149 and I can only go down from here. The last 2 weeks have been crazy... we put an offer on a house, got accepted and in 2 weeks will close. After that it will be more weeks of painting and getting our home together so don't expect many updates.

Stay healthy, folks!!!
Read more...

Saturday, July 11, 2009

:: July 11, 2009 ::

Activities: Back on the training program!
10 miles, 1:55:00,


Breakfast of Champions, 9am: Strawberries, Plum, carrots, emmenthaler cheese, eggs, salad, leftover strudel



Light dinner @ home
Fresh sardines from the farmer's market, grilled
Insalata Caprese
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Friday, July 10, 2009

:: July 10, 2009 ::

Activities: Rest

Fast from 7pm-7pm

Feast @ 7pm
Starter: fruit/vege smoothie shots
Appetizer: Bowl of home made carrot soup
Main: Rainbow Chard Strudel
Side: Cabbage "spaghetti"
Dessert: Fresh fruit with vanilla yogurt





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Thursday, July 9, 2009

:: July 9, 2009 ::

Activities: 20 min elliptical, 2.0 mile treadmill run, 40 mins

6am:
1/2 banana

Main meal @ home
Ground buffalo with onions, fried eggs, raw and cooked lettuce, bak choy, cheese
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:: July 8, 2009 ::

Activities: None.

10am:
1 banana, 1 plum

12pm: Pizza from a work thing :(

7pm: Black-pepper grass fed beef on a big bed of salad greens, fruit and yogurt


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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

:: the ultimate victory prize ::

Remember how I had the victory dress? And then I had the victory jeans? And then the victory wardrobe overhaul?

I've decided what I want my ultimate victory prize to be - a photoshoot, a no-kidding-around-type, serious pay-good-money photoshoot. I'll have to first get my body to a state where I just love it. And then I'm going to frame up my favorite picture in my bedroom to remind myself, every single day, of what I've achieved.

Somewhere in my fridge I should put up a picture of old me though. LOL. A conscious reminder of who I don't ever want to be again.
Read more...

:: July 7, 2009 ::

Activities @ 6am: 2 mile run, 1 mile walk
Ankle felt weird after 2 miles so decided to take it easy. :(

7am: Vege fruit smoothie by Mikee

Snacks: 1 angelcot, 1 banana, carrots

Last lunch by sodexho
Broccoli, Filet Mignon, Cut fruit

Read more...

Monday, July 6, 2009

:: July 6, 2009 ::

Seems like ages since I last did this...

Activities: Rest day

7am: Vege fruit smoothie, 1 angelcot, 2 fried eggs sunny side up

12pm: 1 apricot, 1 angelcot

7pm: Ruey's farewell dinner at Satsuma's
soup, salad, saba, softshell crab, sukiyaki (no rice)


Read more...

:: hello world, again! ::

Hello, world.

So we sold our home, closed escrow a little over 5 weeks after listing. Given the economy, I think we did pretty well. Yay!

Since then, we’ve been living off the good graces of our family and now crashing at my SIL’s while they are on a cruise in Alaska. Meanwhile, we’re shopping for a new home.

My nutrition took a crash landing during the last two weeks of house madness. I was constantly stressed and tired and definitely ate more than I should. Because I didn't have access to my own kitchen/produce, I couldn't control the quality and type of food I consumed. I didn’t think twice when apple cider or chocolate was offered to me – It was like I was a zombie. A toxic zombie. Our scale has been packed away for two weeks now so I really have no idea how the weight is doing but I don’t need my scale to tell me my body's not liking what I'm doing. Even with the house sale stress over, I started getting these nasty headaches every day in the late afternoon. A couple of times they were so bad I actually had to resign to taking tylenol (which I almost never do). After 5 days of continuous headaches, I (finally) got the message. It was at that same time that we got access to well stocked-up kitchen. So I instantiated Operation Clean Up. We started up on fresh organic vege/fruit smoothies every morning and cooked our own dinners. We fasted as much as we could during the day to get back to our primal instincts. This week is going to be pretty awesome – the fridge is stocked with goodies and I’m whipping out some health on a plate.


No kidding though – my headaches started to alleviate and yesterday, ZERO headache! I feel great. Now time to get back on track. I sprained my ankle on Friday so my marathon training came to a screeching halt over the weekend. But I'm over that disappointment and will pick things right back up again as soon as the swell is down to zero. I ended up doing a great kettlebell workout which was definitely less impact on the ankles. :)

Read more...

Friday, June 26, 2009

:: hello world::

yeah silence. for awhile. We're moving out in 3 days so this is really not at the top of my mind. :)
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Saturday, June 20, 2009

:: June 20, 2009 ::

Activities:
7am, 7.0 mile run on asphalt, 1:15:18, (10:45 min mile)

9am: Yogurt with blueberries, banana and strawberries


Main meal @ MIL's
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:: loef ::

I'm so glad that I'll be able to finally shop for stuff in Singapore (I'm singaporean) now that I'm "normal sized". Check out this Singaporean fashion site... cutesy dresses and totally affordable prices!!!

This is the Carmen Crochet Dress for SGD24 (US$17)

Read more...

Friday, June 19, 2009

:: Jun 19, 2009 ::

More than halfway through the green month! Woohoo and now into the 140+ range. Sweeeet!!!

Activities: Stretching and weights

Carbo loading @ 12pm with Marnie (Rokko, Sunnyvale)


Snack at 9pm
Some leftover stuff from mikee's dinner. no carbs.
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:: Jun 18, 2009 ::

Activities:
3.0 mile run, 29:15, 344 cals
Weights

9am: Fruit and yogurt
12pm: 1/2 navel orange

Main meal @ home
Leftover steamed eggs, veges, fruit/yogurt

Activities:
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

:: Jun 17, 2009 ::

Activities: 8pm, 3.0 mile run, weights

7am: 1 hardboiled egg, yogurt with strawberries, blueberries and banana


Main meal @ 12pm at work
Fish tacos with no rice.

Snack at 9pm
Mother in law's steam eggs and veges
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:: Jun 16, 2009 ::

Activities: 3.0 mile run, 29:15 (9:45 min mile) , 330 cal

10am: 1 pear, 1 cookie from meeting

Main meal @ tomatinas
Tomato soup, broccoli/cauliflower, salmon insalata

Read more...

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

:: Celebrating a year ::

It's officially been a year since I started on the biggest loser journey. As I look at my progress thus far (50lbs), I never would have thought I would be able to do this. For the past 8 years, I've tried many times to "diet" which always resulted in ... well, failure. So why is this time different? Why do i know for a fact, that I'm never going back? Why am I confident that I will be healthy for the remainder of my life?

Because now I understand. I understand that good health is priceless. And I don't ever want to regret not taking care of myself. Life is fragile and the body is not limitless, I have to do my best to preserve it.

I've also found a system that really works for me. I don't feel deprived, I am nourished. I don't feel hungry, I am strong. I don't feel like I'm losing out, because I look forward to every meal. I'm not greedy, I'm disciplined. Because I've never felt so good - how can I ever go back?

This year is one of the greatest years of my life. It marks the turning point one of the biggest conversion points in my life - like Paul on the way to Damascus. This is a brand new me.

As I roll into the next year, it's going to be another huge year for me. I'm going to train for and run my first marathon. Who would've thought I would sign up for a marathon. Nothing is impossible.

Hello, me.

Read more...

Monday, June 15, 2009

:: Jun 15, 2009 ::

Activities: Rest day. Oops I miscalculated. day 1 of marathon training actually starts today. :)

7am: Morning smoothie, 2 hard boiled eggs


Main meal @ 7pm with Thu
Athena's Grill. Likely the seafood souvlaki with veges + salad.
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:: Jun 14, 2009 ::

Activities: cross training @ 12pm
30 mins elliptical trainer, 15 mins weights, 395 cal

7am: Breakfast smoothie

3pm: whole wheat crackers with apricot japaleno spread at Dyl's

Main meal @ MIL's
Jaziang mian. I went easy on the noodles but loaded up on raw veges!

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Saturday, June 13, 2009

:: Jun 13 2009 ::

Activities: 7am, 5.0 mile run, 52 mins

2pm. Beef tongue burrito without the tortilla and rice. So basically I had some beef tongue with salsa and some beans. Didn't finish the whole thing.

Main meal @ 6pm Ice cream for dinner! Cold stone's!!!

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Friday, June 12, 2009

:: Jun 12, 2009 ::

Activities: Rest day

7am:
Morning smoothie


9am: Scrambled egggs

Main meal @ Saigon with mikee and MIL
Various chinese dishes, no rice.
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Thursday, June 11, 2009

:: Happy 50th to me! ::


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:: Jun 11, 2009 ::

Activities: 7am 3.0 mile run/walk, 32:02, 319 cal

8am:1 banana

12pm: Lettuce, tomatoes, grilled egg plant, yogurt/granola


Main meal @ home (leftovers)
A bowl of leftovers from MIL (no rice) - mostly veggies, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms

Starting a new spot for photos of stuff i DID NOT eat. :P
Donuts at small group

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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

:: Jun 10, 2009 ::

Activities: 530pm 3.0 mile run, 361 cal, 29:32

8am: 1 mandarin orange

12pm
: Lettuce wrap with tomatoes, carrots and some fruit (no dressing)


main meal @ MIL

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:: Results are in ::

So i got my baseline bloodwork done yesterday and just got my results. I am not thrilled with the results but I can understand why it's the way it is. The last time I took my cholesterol, it was at 138. At that time, I hardly ate meat and focused on a diet of mostly veges (raw and cooked), fruits and grains. In the last 3 months, I ate a ton of meat (South america trip) and hardly ate veges at home because of our house being staged. I can't wait to have my kitchen back again!

The good news is that my good cholesterol (HDL) is up - YAY! Finally got it moved past the 50 mark. The exercise has paid off!

6-9-2009
Cholesterol 195
LDL (bad) 132
HDL (good) 56

8-4-2008
Cholesterol 138
LDL (bad) 82
HDL (good) 48


Will test this again 6 months after I get a kitchen back. If ever.
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:: oops, false alarm! ::

For some reason I thought the 1 year anniversary was today (June 10th), but it really is June 16th! Read the post from 6/18/2008. How time has flown...

Notice that my goal was to get to 140-150 by the end of 2008 so technically, I am 6 months late. But hey, better late than never! :)

Nutritiohn journey summary:
Restrict calories -> Reduce junk(Refined sugars, carbs) -> Eating naturally -> Warrior Diet -> Eating organic veges/grains only -> Eating primal (Why would you do this?) -> -> Intermittent fasting -> Reducing carbs -> Feelin' good! (Will post my baseline bloodwork results as soon as I get them!)

Exercise journey summary:
Bootcamp > Kettlebell training > Running > 1/2 marathon > Full marathon (10/2009)
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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

:: Jun 9, 2009 ::

Activities:
6am 3.0 mile run with Mikee, 29:40 (9:53 min mile), 331 cal

24 hour fast (7pm-7pm)

Main meal @ Ruey's Graduation in Stanford
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Monday, June 8, 2009

:: Jun 8, 2009 ::

MW 1.1 (marathon week)
3.0 mile run, 29:45, 332 cal burnt
weights

9am: Darn chocolate muffin homemade by Ashley

Main meal @ MIL's
Various, but no rice

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:: Jun 7, 2009 ::

6am: Morning run with Mikee, 29:32 (9:50 min mile), 311 cal

8am: Morning smoothie of the usual

3pm: Few bites of leftover apple cinnamon oatmeal pancake

main meal @ bangkok bay restaurant
Assortment of thai dishes, but no rice

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Saturday, June 6, 2009

:: Jun 6, 2009 ::

Activities: 5.0 mile outdoor run, 51:10 (10:15 min mile), 592 cal

Lunch: @ Salinas
Fresh fruit, yogurt and granola


Main meal @ Bay Leaf for Markus Birthday
Gado Gado, Sop Bataria, Tempeh, Mee Goreng (no rice) (INdonesian food)

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Friday, June 5, 2009

:: June 5, 2009 ::

Activities: Nada.

21-hour fast (9pm-6pm)

Main meal @ Korea House

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Thursday, June 4, 2009

:: June 4, 2009 ::

Finally broke the 152 barrier. Eating clean is definitely helping! Pretty sure I can get to 150 by the Jun 10 mark.

Activities: 3 mile run, 29:32 (9:50 min/mile), 331 cal, ham string curls, bicep curls, plank

8am: 24 oz Morning smoothie


Main meal @ Daryl & Laura's
It's always good when we eat there!
Quinoa salad, lamb chops, 2/3 sausage, dessert
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

:: 7 - day lottery ::

In a bid to keep things interesting (and unpredictable), I have devised a 7-day lottery plan. Each morning, I pick something from the hat and I have to eat that way for that day.

1. Raw only
2. Veges/Fruits only
3. Morning smoothie + Main meal
4. 24 hour fast (7pm-7pm) + Main meal
5. Eat anything
6. Zero carbs
7. Morning smoothie + Main meal

Will try this week. Wonder how it will go!
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:: June 3, 2009 ::

Activities: 2.0 mile run treadmill, 221 cal

8am: Strawberries

Random snacks: Raw almonds

Main meal @ Pho Queen with Effie
Grilled chicken, bowl of beef balls soup. Went easy on the vermicelli

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