becoming the biggest loser

1/8/10

2010-01-08T07:38:00.001-08:00

Breakfast: 2 soft boiled eggs and smoothie
Lunchbox: fruits and nuts

Dinner:
Tassajara warm red cabbage salad
Carrot, dill and white bean salad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hello from the iPhone

2010-01-08T07:26:00.001-08:00

Let's see how easy this is.

1/5/10 - bfast and lunch

Dinner: lemon cucumber dill salad

1/6/09
Breakfast: oatmeal

Dinner: Julia childs boeuf bourginon

1/7/10
Smoothie, oatmeal and fruit and but lunch bag

Dinner: chicken kabob with salad

:: whats the plan right? ::

2010-01-08T06:47:00.001-08:00

well firstly I must say, I've did well the last 3 days. Just by eating clean (no junk), I am now down to 155. Feeling good that i'm heading in the right direction.

I'm not a great blogger anymore... I'm just so heavily dependent on my iphone that I can it much inertia to pull up my laptop and write an entry. I've gone through weekends where my macbook just stayed in my backpack. Sad huh? I'm going to try and find a blogger app on my iphone so I can continue to be a good blogger.

And yes a plan is required for the goal -

I've heard from many professionals. Great abs are 90% weight/fat loss and 10% exercise. I.e. if you have flabby, you won't see 'em. So phase 1 is focused on losing even more weight and getting the fat down. This means keeping the diet under control, no crazy binging. I'll be doing lots of cardio to try and burn more fat in Phase 1.

When i start to lose the fatty, I'll start to incorporate more ab-focused exercises in the routine. This is phase 2. The reason why i'm waiting for Phase 2 to do this is I can't seem to do too many things at a time. Gotta keep focused in each phase.

wish me luck.

:: 2010 ::

2010-01-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

The jeans weren't fitting quite right.

Noticeable chubbiness under the cheeks.

Actually got a sore throat!

And wow, I just weighed in at 160 lbs.

But c'mon, honestly, I know EXACTLY what I am doing to myself so why do I need the "tell-tale" signs. I know the darn tale. Heck, I wrote the darn tale! I shouldn't need to be told.

But for those that don't know the tale, here's a quick flash back to2009. I totally accomplished my goal of completing my first marathon in October 09. It was an awesome experience and I still till this day, can't believe that I actually did it! But the completion of a marathon lent itself to considerable pride. It made me feel like I was untouchable - that I could do whatever the hell I wanted.

I am still eating clean and green (yay!) but I've let some vices back into my life - chocolate and bad carbs. Not the occasional chocolate mind you - I've somehow convinced myself that I can whatever chocolate I wanted, even if it wasn't necessarily good chocolate. I let myself eat bread and all the holiday parties, even though I didn't really care for them.

Not like I really need evidence but the fact is - I am now 160 lbs, 10 lbs heavier than I was 6 months ago and feeling crummy. I'm so not untouchable. Really the problem is not chocolate or bread, the problem is pride. I already have head knowledge of what the effects of over-indulgence can be. I already have a change in heart at my attitude towards chocolate, but I am proud, indulgent and willfully in denial. But today, I take full responsibility and blog humbly before you of my very human shortcomings.

My health goal for 2010 is not going to be weight-oriented, its going to be more tangible - I want a visible 6-pack. I've never seen it! Honest! And I'm tired of a weighing-scale goal so I'm going for something more touchy feely. Not sure how I'm going to track this goal but pictures might be the way to go. Expect this blog to get a little bit more fleshy than you're used to.

If you're still reading my blog, I'm so glad you are. Accountability is back on and you guys are a big part of it.

:) Happy New Year!!!

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

2009-11-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

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

:: weekly meal plans are back! ::

2009-10-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

:: marathon finisher! ::

2009-10-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

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.

:: of food at home ::

2009-09-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

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!

:: how's it going? ::

2009-09-03T05:09:00.001-07:00

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...

:: brocolli stem soup ::

2009-09-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

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

:: updates ::

2009-09-01T05:38:00.001-07:00

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.

8.12.09

2009-08-12T06:39:00.001-07:00

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

still here

2009-07-30T07:43:00.001-07:00

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!!!

:: July 11, 2009 ::

2009-07-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

:: July 10, 2009 ::

2009-07-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

:: July 9, 2009 ::

2009-07-09T06:17:00.001-07:00

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

:: July 8, 2009 ::

2009-07-09T06:05:00.001-07:00

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

:: the ultimate victory prize ::

2009-07-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

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.

:: July 7, 2009 ::

2009-07-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

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

:: July 6, 2009 ::

2009-07-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

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)

:: hello world, again! ::

2009-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

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. :)

:: hello world::

2009-06-26T16:52:00.001-07:00

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

:: June 20, 2009 ::

2009-06-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

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

:: loef ::

2009-06-20T06:46:00.001-07:00

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)

:: Jun 19, 2009 ::

2009-06-19T08:09:00.001-07:00

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.

:: Jun 18, 2009 ::

2009-06-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

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:

:: Jun 17, 2009 ::

2009-06-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

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

:: Jun 16, 2009 ::

2009-06-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

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

:: Celebrating a year ::

2009-06-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

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.

:: Jun 15, 2009 ::

2009-06-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

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.

:: Jun 14, 2009 ::

2009-06-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

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!

:: Jun 13 2009 ::

2009-06-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

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!!!

:: Jun 12, 2009 ::

2009-06-12T08:25:00.001-07:00

Activities: Rest day

7am: Morning smoothie

9am: Scrambled egggs

Main meal @ Saigon with mikee and MIL
Various chinese dishes, no rice.

:: Happy 50th to me! ::

2009-06-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

:: Jun 11, 2009 ::

2009-06-11T07:09:00.001-07:00

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

:: Jun 10, 2009 ::

2009-06-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

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

:: Results are in ::

2009-06-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

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.

:: oops, false alarm! ::

2009-06-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

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)

:: Jun 9, 2009 ::

2009-06-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

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

:: Jun 8, 2009 ::

2009-06-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

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

:: Jun 7, 2009 ::

2009-06-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

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

:: Jun 6, 2009 ::

2009-06-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

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)

:: June 5, 2009 ::

2009-06-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Activities: Nada.

21-hour fast (9pm-6pm)

Main meal @ Korea House

:: June 4, 2009 ::

2009-06-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

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

:: 7 - day lottery ::

2009-06-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

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!

:: June 3, 2009 ::

2009-06-03T05:41:00.001-07:00

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

:: June 2, 2009 ::

2009-06-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Activities: Bailed on shadow boxing because of a little emergency.

7am: Morning smoothie (Carrots, strawberries, 1/2 banana, kale, swiss chard, OJ)

12pm:
1/2 rotten apple, with worm (at least it's organic)
1 banana

Main meal @ home
Homemade mushroom soup, MIL's leftovers, some strawberries

8pm: 1/2 jamba juice peanut butter mood

:: Clean Month of June ::

2009-06-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

This month, I am practicing an extended period of discipline. The goal is not to indulge in any personal shopping for any tangible items for the month of june.
(Exclusions: Food for survival, gas, gifts, movies)

Since I've had a minor relapse for the last few days in terms of nutrition, I've decided to also include eating clean, mean and green in this challenge. No junk for the month of June. It's gonna be a tough one!

But I'm excited! :)

:: June 1, 2009 ::

2009-06-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

Activities: 5pm 3.0 mile interval run

8am: Morning blend of blueberries, banana, carrots, rainbow chard

11am: Handful of raw almonds

Main meal @ MIL's
2 veggies, 1 fish, 1 steamed egg

:: May 31, 2009 ::

2009-06-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

8am: Scrambled eggs with chicken sausage. The craving for eggs would not go away!

Random snacks through the day: dried organic apple

Main meal @ iris
potato salad, 99 chicken, greek salad

:: May 30, 2009 ::

2009-05-30T08:58:00.001-07:00

Activities: 5.0 mile outdoor run (Focusing on minimizing vertical bounce), 591 cal burnt, 00:51:53 (10:20 min mile - fastest 5 miles ever!)

20 hour fast ... that failed.

We were at my sister-in-law's place and was fed with homemade scones and pizza. Argh.

5pm: Small meal with Mikee at whole foods
Mixed salads, veges, curry chicken

:: May 29, 2009 ::

2009-05-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

Activities: Nothing unless I can muster a run after coming back from the city

Day: 24 hour fast, 7pm-7pm

6pm: 1 navel orange, sips of pear cider
Main meal @ 7pm at Zuni Cafe
Bread and butter
Gnocchi, Squid salad - shared with Aylin
Chicken baked for 2 (Second to none)
Flourless chocolate cake (chateau victorie)

:: May 28, 2009 ::

2009-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Activities: 5pm crosstraining
10 mins sprint, leg extensions, chest press
10 mins rowing, squats, pushups
10 mins cycling, leg raises

6am: 1 cup of OJ, 1 piece of dark chocolate

8am: 1 banana

main meal @ home
Leftovers of veges, 2 fried eggs, homemade mushroom soup, watermelon

:; the 1 year mark ::

2009-05-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Come June 10th, it will officially be a year since i started on the biggest lose challenge. And hopefully, I will be at the 50 lb mark. That will be a crazy day. 50lbs ... 50 lbs... i cannot believe it sometimes!

:)

::: May 27, 2009 ::

2009-05-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

Some good news, I'm blending today! We are almost in contract with a buyer for our home so I expect we can be less vigilant now about kitchen use.

Activities: 7am morning trail run

8am: Morning blend of apple, frozen strawberries, carrot, chard

12pm: 1 plum

4pm: random snacks at network launch at work. bleah. but all in the name of accountability.

7pm Main meal @ MIL's (I could really get used to this!)

:: born to run? ::

2009-05-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not. I don't have any natural talent whatsoever when it comes to running. A question I have been asking myself lately is...Why do i subject myself to a torment of training for and running a marathon? Why don't I do something that I have natural affinity for?

I'm not sure. I'm a sucker? Sucker for pain? I used to be one of those girls in school that would do anything to get out of phys ed. I convinced my GP that the nagging ache I felt in my knee would prevent me from any form of phys ed and for four years I sat out in the shade reading while everything else ran in the field.

Today, I'm a whole different person. I get out of bed at 6am and I'm pounding on the sidewalks by 630am. I like the new me - even though my body was not precisely engineered for this. And I will complete a marathon, at least once in my life. Because I like the challenge and I like knowing that I can exercise discipline and hard work to get results otherwise unachievable.

And you know what - it's also for very practical reasons one should stay fit and be able to run fast and long distances. Ever watch those end-of-the-world movies? If an asteroid ever came crashing down on San Francisco, I wanna be one of those that can literally run for my life.

Not born to run, but definitely born to live.

:: May 26, 2009 ::

2009-05-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Activities: 5pm, 3.5 mile run, 00:34:24 (9:50 min mile!)

8am: 1 banana

12pm: 1 plum, 1 fuji apple

Main meal @ MIL's
Probably more good ol chinese food - 2 vege dishes and 1 meat dish, a tablespoon of rice.

:: May 25, 2009 ::

2009-05-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Activities: 4pm 3.0 mile run, 29 mins

12pm: banana hot chocolate

3pm: Bowl of vege soup with beef

Main meal @ Derek's
raw Broccoli
panfried asparagus
gailan
salad
grass fed arm roast
couscous

:: May 24, 2009 ::

2009-05-26T08:12:00.001-07:00

Activities: rest day & semi fast day

Main meal @ SIL's
Pork chop BBQ
Sausages (Chicken apple)
cold noodles

:: May 23, 2009 ::

2009-05-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Activities: 7am 7.0 mile road run, 01:16:42, 11 min mile, 842 cal

9am: 1 banana, a few cashews, glass of OJ

12pm: Glass of naked juice blend from star bucks

Dinner @ Mediterranean Grill house with the Marquezes
Mixed grill kabobs, no pitas.
Small cup of frozen yogurt

:: May 22, 2009 ::

2009-05-23T09:28:00.001-07:00

Activities: 3.0 mile speed treadmill run, 00:29:32 (9:50 min mile!!!)

7am: 1 banana
10am: 1 orange
12pm: 1 turkey lunch meat, slice of tomato, wrapped in a piece of butter lettuce, random fresh fruit

6pm: Main meal @ MIL's
Beef with eggs, Ti-Pang, Romaine lettuce instead of rice

:: May 21, 2009 ::

2009-05-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Activities: 5pm 4.0 mile interval run, treadmill

10am: 1 banana
12pm: 1 orange

main meal @ Hoshi
Various izekaya style dishes, skipped the rice and ate up all the vegetables that were used for decoration.

:: May 20, 2009 ::

2009-05-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Activities: 7am 2.0 mile test run on new shoes, 00:20, woohoo! 10min/mile!
(235 cal, HRa 159, HRm 173)

So far, I'm really liking my new asics evolution-4. They feel a ton lighter than my old New Balance. :)

Day: It's a fast... well sort of. I had a lunch meeting with my boss so ended up with some yogurt.

Dinner @ 8pm, courtesy of mother in law
A bowl of brown rice, steam eggs, fish

:: May 19, 2009 ::

2009-05-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Activities: 6am 5.0 mile run, 55 mins, 621 cal

9am: Skinny vanilla latte, 1 navel orange

12pm team lunch at Umbrias: Small prawn salad (no dressing), cup of ciopinno

Main meal @ home 745pm
I hate not being able to cook. Hate.
MIL cooked a bowl of rice, veggies, spare ribs, fried eggs

:: May 18, 2009 ::

2009-05-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

We've been packing up our house non-stop this weekend. I am so tired. :( But, I hope I'll get a run in today regardless.

Day: Decided not to fast two days in a row. Had some fruit/yogurt with an omelette!

Main meal @ MIL's
Veges, Eggs, Chicken from costco

:: May 17, 2009 ::

2009-05-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Activities: Not sure yet... still busy clearing out the wardrobe.

Day: 24 hour fast. (7pm-7pm) Yay - it was successful!

7pm: Break-fast
2 bowls of homemade asparagus soup
Smoked salmon salad
1 chicken sausage from farmer's market
2 strawberies
A few bites of red velvet cake, courtesy of Alice

:: May 16, 2009 ::

2009-05-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty bad day in terms of nutrition. I fed some guys for brunch and ended up eating quite a bit. I pigged out at MIL's as she continually offered me food. Argh. But I'm paying for it because Sunday has now become fast-day.

Activities: Nada. Packing up our home.

7am: Breakfast blend

10am: Various bites of bagel, smoked salmon, egg etc.

1pm: Klondike ice cream, Chinese pork bun

6pm: Various chinese food at MIL's (skipped rice)

:: May 15, 2009 ::

2009-05-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

I went for the hydrostatic fat test yesterday and I'm pleased with the results. I'm at 25% body fat. (This also means my digital scale is off by 5%) My ideal should be 22% but to really push it, it would be 19%. I'm going to set my final goal for 19% now and hopefully I'll get there when I reach 142 lbs. :)

Activities: 470 cal
4pm, 1.5 miles treadmill run, 16:20, 149 cal
430pm weights, 71 cal
5pm, 2.0 miles outdoor run, 250 cal

7am: Vege/fruit blend

12pm lunch with charles
lettuce wrap with tomatoes. (and okay, some of his garlic fries)

8pm Main meal @ DingSheng for inka trip pre-briefing briefing
Various dishes and I went easy on the rice. Finally got to meet 2 though!

:: May 14, 2009 ::

2009-05-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was dressing for work, I realized that there's a whole lot of stuff I just can't wear any more. There's only so much a belt can do for me before I start to look ridiculous. I put my foot down and decided enough is enough, there is no reason why these artifacts of my past should still be hanging in my closet of the present, even if I got unbelievable deals on them at anthropologie. I must move on.

Activities:
Hydrostatic Fst Composition Test, 515pm, Moment of truth!

7am:
Breakfast blend

12pm: Lettuce wrap with chicken and tomatoes. Fruits on the side.

Main meal @ home
Lightweight frittata, salad, dumplings (at derek's), 1 orange

:: May 13, 2009 ::

2009-05-13T06:44:00.001-07:00

Activities:
5pm Run at work, 3.0 miles, 33 mins
8pm Unclogging of pores at the spa with Jen

Today's a semi-fast day.
7am: vege fruit blend (Chard, carrots, berries, banana, ice)

Emergency food: 1 navel orange or apple

Main meal @ work (6pm)
Beef/Pork Ragu with broccoli and carrots, 2 eggs

:: May 12, 2009 ::

2009-05-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today is a victorious day. I was putting on my clothes and realized that they were ridiculously large on me. There's only so much a belt can do. I decided to pull out my "victory clothing" stash of size 4s and size 6s to see if I got lucky. Yay - I fit into both the size 4 top and the size 6 pants! :) To be honest they weren't really victory clothing. It was the only size available at the anthro sale and I willed myself that I would one day fit in them.

Activities:
530pm Run, 2.0 miles

Jen & Michael's celebration lunch at Xanh
beef salad, various appetizers, 2 bowls of clear soup

Main meal @ home
Tandoori chicken on a bed of lettuce with a fried egg (bisteck ala pobre style!)

:: May 11, 2009 ::

2009-05-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

So... I've been gone 3 weeks on vacation and I really saw no point in trying to maintain my food/exercise journal since everything was going to be out of whack. It's true though... the chileans/peruvians hardly have any vegetables in their diet at all! It was very trying to 'eat healthy' in another man's land, where every meal is ladened with papas (potatoes), but overall i think i did ok. Gained only 2 lbs phew. :)

7am 3.0 mile run, 00:30:00, 373 cal, HRa 168 HRm 181

Snack for day: 1 banana, 1 orange

1pm: Couldnt take it. Ordered some turkey meat loaf and broccoli. (sin papas, por favor)

Main meal @ home
Stir fry chard, leftover pork from MIL, eggs

:: blip. ::

2009-05-10T16:52:00.001-07:00

I'm back on the grid, still very much alive. Been gone for 3 weeks trekking in Chile and Peru with my dear husband, Mikee. It was good to be away but it feels better to be home. Will write more later...

:: Day 104- 4/16/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-16T06:15:00.001-07:00

It's a glorious day... clear skies, warm smiles and 152.6 :)

:: Day 103- 4/15/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Giggles again... 153.4 :P. Nearing the 50lb mark, that will be a pretty crazy day!

Activities: I WILL get a kettlebell workout in before our trip. But other than that, I'm day fasting again. It helps being uber busy at work really.

20-hour fast, Main meal @ home with Effie
Leftover cabbage rolls, Kale/Chard Stir Fry, Tofu/Egg Scramble, Salad, Vege/Fruit Smoothie
Pecan Torte and Chocolate Ganache (Yes there's more!!!)

:: Day 102- 4/14/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Giggles... 154.6!!!! I guess the body worked overtime when it couldn't figure out what the heck I was doing!!! First, no carbs or refined sugar. And second, a full 24 hour fast.

Activities: It's a busy day today so I doubt I can get any exercise in again but we'll see.

20 hour fast, Main meal @ 7pm with manna
Primal Cabbage Rolls (stuffed with pork and organic beef)

Raw carrots with artichoke dip (this dip is made with yogurt and tofu!)
Baked broccoli fries

RAW Pecan Torte with Chocolate Ganache (Grain-free!)

:: Day 101- 4/13/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Activities:
24 hour fast: Giving my body a little bit of a surprise - 24 hour water fast started since yesterday at 3pm. Didn't see that coming huh??
9pm: Random workout @ home

Main meal > 3pm
3pm: 1 banana to break the fast!

4pm: Scrambled eggs, salad, chicken sausage, carrot soup, cut fruit, sliver of pecan torte

9pm: Glass of fruit/veggie smoothie + slice of pecan torte

Oh and just for funs, here's a pic of the stuff i'm bringing to patagonia (not including gear)

:: Day 100- 4/12/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-12T17:13:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!!! Christ is Risen!!!

Activities: 5.0 mile dusk road "indian style" run with Mikee, 00:58:06, 632 cal, HRa 155 HRm 178

20 hour fast, 4 hour eat window
1pm: Main meal @ Daryl & Laura's easter lunch
there were like 10 courses of food and 3 courses of dessert so I won't be able to go into detail. But there's a reason why I'm only having one meal today! lol

:: Day 99- 4/11/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Phew, no weight gain... but also no weight loss. After a week of eating out, the first thing I did when I got home was head straight to the kitchen and cook. Felt so at home there! I'm going to do a mini primal challenge this coming Mon-Thur, I'll be eating primal(ultimate way to break your weight loss plateau) - no carbs, lots of vege and meat though. See how that goes!

Activities: Final mission peak hike prep. So... we might not do this at all. We're leaving on Thursday so a good rest period might be nice.

8am: 1/2 banana, few pinches of bread from the farmer's market, cashews

Rest of day: mini fast

Main meal @ SIL's
Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Cauliflower, Healthy Calamari

Fruit & RAW! Pecan Torte with Chocolate Ganache

:: Day 97- 4/10/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-10T06:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a week away from my husband, undisturbed 9 hours of sleep, (my tempurpedic pillow), homecooked natural meals and my weighing scale. I wonder how I fared this week! But on the upside, I managed to exercise every day and control my eating relatively well. :)

Activities:
6am Spin class @ 24 hour, 60 mins, 621 cal, HRa 151 HRm 165

7am:
Asides from a large serving of endorphins from spin class, I had eggs, ham and cut fruit.

Random snacks:
2 fish tacos primal style without the tacos.

Main meal @ home sweet home
Carrot soup
Broccoli Rice with Bacon fat

:: Day 96- 4/9/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-09T06:42:00.001-07:00

Activities: 860 cal
630am morning run, 4.0 miles, 00:40:51, 459 cal, HRa 160 HRm 172 (10.2 min/mile!!!)
3x15 Benchpresses, 40 lbs
3x15 Skull crushers, 20 lbs
745pm 24 hour Everlast Shadow Boxing Class, 35 mins, 401 cal, HRa 161 HRm 181

8am: Random cut fruit, some egg, 1 banana

Random snacks for the day: Nuts, seeds, carrots, banana

Main meal @ Kyoto Restaurant, Salt Lake City
Wow, this place is one of the best I've had in the US. I highly highly recommend it if you were ever visit salt lake. Make sure you sit at the sushi bar and make friends with the three sushi chefs - they were quite hilarious!
I had miso soup, wakame salad (the best i've had, it had some yummy spicy octopus in it), salmon skin roll, toro nigiri, Shiro Maguro Nigiri and a japanese-style toro roll on the house!

And here are my new friends, the adorable sushi chefs!

:: Day 95- 4/8/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Activities: 10pm run/walk on treadmill, 20 mins, 194 cal

8am: 1 banana, 1 biscuit, 1 small egg, cut fruit

Random snacks: pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried apricot, carrots

Main meal @ Sampan Chinese Cuisine
Jen and I shared 4 massive dishes with plenty of leftover!!!

:: oh, yeah! ::

2009-04-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Love this mirror in the gym! My sentiments exactly!

:: Day 94- 4/7/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

Love it when there's a whole foods close by! Look what I picked up yesterday?

Activities: 4.0 mile run, 41:30, 461 cal, HRa 157 HRm 228(is that even possible???), 10.3 min/mile!

8am: 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 packet of emergen-C
(And I actually skipped the "hot breakfast" provided by the hampton inn! :P )

Random snacks: Apple, banana, mix nuts and seeds with apricots

Main meal @ Grille from Ipanema
Various salad bar items (1 plate only) and 1 plate of grilled meat with pineapple. ALso had 1/2 slice of Brazilian chocolate cake.

:: Day 93- 4/6/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

It's going to be an interesting week. I'm traveling for work in salt lake, but thank God, there is a 24 hour fitness right next door and a whole foods a mile away. It won't be hard to keep this up!

Activities:
rest day

8am: Usual morning smoothie

Random snacks: Apricots, almonds, cashews, carrots
1 "world-famous" rubio fish taco

Main meal @ West Jordan, UT with the team at Market Grill
Garden salad sans dressing with dungeness crab
Cioppino with side of broccoli

And best part, I said no to dessert! :)

:: Day 92- 4/5/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-05T07:27:00.001-07:00

Activities: If I can drag the husband out of bed, we really should hit mission peak to train for our trip. And I did drag him out, albeit a little too late since we were in the sorching sun the rest of the morning.
10am Mission Peak hike, 6.2 miles round trip, Elevation gain: 2100ft, 1305 cal
Ascent: 1:10:00, 848 cal, HRa 166 HRm 176
Descent: 1:01:09, 457 cal, HRa 124 HRm 138

8am: 1 apple

11am: 1 apple, live trail mix

12pm: 1 vitamin water (acai blueberry pomegranate)

Main meal @ home
BBQ beef heart kabobs, beef heart burger patties, beef heart ragu, salad, Rice, Eggs
(Thanks D, for being a loyal tester!)

:: Day 91- 4/4/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-04T07:21:00.001-07:00

Activities: 815 cal
8am: 5.0 mile slow jog with Mikee, 1:00:26, 632 cal, HRa 153 HRm 176
4pm: 4 rounds of Tabata intervals, 20 mins, 183 cal
9am: Some random fruit from farmer's market

Rest of day: Mmm... in preparation for tonight's feast i will likely fast the rest of the day.
Hah! Didn't end up fasting!
1/2 vege spring roll, Some leftover beef stew

Main meal @ Gochi with MIL
Salad, Risotto Balls, Claypot Rice, Edamame, Kurobata

:: Day 90- 4/3/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Activities: Realistically speaking, I don't think I have time for anything today...

8am: Usual morning blend

12pm: Fruit and yogurt parfait, 1/3 banana

Main meal @ home with our tasters of the week, The Distinguished Chasteens
Primi: Creamy swiss-chard cakes with mascarpone-creamed spinach

Secondi: Bœuf Bourguignon (Face-off between conventional and grass-fed)

Verdict:
The two types of meat need to be cooked at different temperatures. Last time we had a cook off, we gave grass-fed the advantage. This time, we gave conventional the lead. So we cooked at higher temperatures.
Tenderness: Conventional definitely came out ahead in this department. SO soft and pieces falling all over the place. It was however more chewy for the grass-fed.
Flavor: Mmmm... the sauce itself was more flavorful and 'complex' with the grass-fed and more bland with conventional.
I'm still a grass-fed lover though! Just have to cook it at the right temperatures next time!

:: warrior diet - how i do it ::

2009-04-02T08:27:00.001-07:00

This post is part of participation to Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays. This is the third week I am participating but will be on vacation for awhile. I am a follower of the warrior diet tradition (among others) and this post is a response to my critics and in particular discusses how I am able to pull it off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When people see the pictures of what I eat in the day... they often ask, "How do you do that? ...That's impossible! ...I could never eat so little. I need way more than that... I can't eat raw stuff...I need hot food."I do eat like a warrior - 20 hours of controlled fasting (under-eating) and 4 hours of over-eating. During under-eating, warrior consumes only raw and natural foods like veges, fruits, nuts. During over-eating, warrior consumes more veges, whole grains, and meat. But it's cooked!

Why eat like a warrior?
Let's be serious guys, these guys don't really care about why I eat like warrior. If it were that simple, people would be doing it already. If the answer to "why should we be healthy?" was so important, America wouldn't be in the sorry state it is today. But here's the answer to that question anyway. Also love the Top 10 diet fallacies.

Practice makes Perfect
I won't deny that I am starving myself somewhat in the day, but the good people over at the warrior diet camp would call it "controlled fasting". When I first started out, it was a very drastic change from how I was eating before. If not for my partner in crime, Aylin, I probably would not have succeeded. So we kept each other accountable day after day and I stuck to it. Within a few weeks, it just became habit for me to eat that "amount" of food in the day. If I tried to eat more than that, I would feel pretty crabby the rest of the day. Almost like a zombie.

My body wants that morning blend!

I'm pretty surprised that after 9 months of going clean, I still have not gotten sick of my morning blend (veges, fruits etc). It helps that each blend always tastes slightly different... depending on what is in the fridge. I think back on those days where I would drink those meal replacement shakes (powder form) and get sick of it within 2 days. There is something about the blend each morning that my body just _craves_ for... literally. Don't give me anything else, just the morning goodies please. I'll admit there are times that I just want some scrambled eggs. That doesn't happen very often though.

Plant not the tree of knowledge
There is nothing in my pantry that is my bad for me. Seriously. We went through a pantry overhaul and got rid of anything that will stand in the way of my success. If I ever feel the snackies, I'm free to raid the fridge! Usually, I'll end up with some nuts or dried apricot or a spoon of raw almond butter. I'll still have relapses like when I went to a company party yesterday that was full of the knowledge trees. I caved. But when I went to movie night with my husband, I insisted he finished whatever "free popcorn" he wanted outside the theater, before enjoying the movie with me. It worked! :)

Some Suffering is Good
When I get hunger pangs at work, it makes me feel almost ... primal. I can't explain it, but it keeps me really alert at work and I feel like I'm at my best concentration. If I allow myself to get a large meal, I immediately feel sluggish and it affects my productivity at work. We've been conditioned to believe that we need to satisfy every craving and allow ourselves to shut up the hunger like eating 6 small meals a day... but I kinda like hunger. Some suffering is good for me, especially hunger.

Eating clean IS yummy

I'm usually a rather modest person (asian roots) but I must say that people love the dishes I make. I keep to clean and natural principles and even so, food is yummy. Even more yummy than what you might get a restaurant. That's why we hardly eat out anymore. It's way more expensive and just doesn't taste as good. :)

Let the Feast begin

The warrior diet's principles involve a 20-hour period of controlled fasting and 4 hours of feasting. If I ever feel the temptation to reach for something with more taste... I remind myself that I'm going to have a fantabulous dinner that most will be jealous about. I pull out my blog and look at the recipes I've posted and allow myself to drool at the meal which is to come. It really does help that I meal plan in advance and I always keep things interesting by trying at least 3-4 new recipes each week and keeping the husband involved in meal choices.

Use Natural Variety

Eating responsibly and sustainably is a great way to have variety in the diet. The seasons change, the farmer's markets flavor and color changes with the season. There's really no better way to select ingredients for cooking. And it helps keep the taste buds interested!

I'm not the extremist
I have people tell me that my diet is "radical" or "extreme". I find that so... amusing. Because that's what I feel about their diets! Because quite frankly, I'm not the one pushing my body to its extremes. If anything, I am lengthening my longevity and what I am doing is anything BUT extreme!

Sustainability is Key
This is no diet. This is a mindset change that became a lifestyle change and is not a physiological change. I can't go back even if I willed myself to because my body WILL reject it. But why would I even think of going back? I've never enjoyed food more than I do now and I've never felt better. Life is in short, awesome. (Oh and did I mention losing 40+ lbs in 8 months? :P )

:: Day 89- 4/2/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

Activities: 1000 calorie workout day, 1,106 cal
7am: Kettlebells 12kg @ home, 363 cal, HRa 142 HRm 157
}40 2 hand swings, 2 min.
40 transfers, 1 min
40 reps, 1 swing, 1 transfer, 1 min
40 reps, 5/5 x 4 1 hand swings, 1 min
40 reps, 10/10 x 2 1 hand swings, 1 min
40 reps, 20/20, 1 hand swings, 1 min.
40 2 hand swings, 1 min (12kg)
40 2 hand swings, 1 min
Plank, 1 min}
10 min work w/0 min rest x 4 = 40 mins (1,440 swings)
5pm: Dusk neighborhood Run
3.75 miles, 42 mins, 510 cal, HRa 166 HRm 176
1.25 miles, 15 mins, 233 cal, HRa 165 HRm 172

8am: Breakfast blend

Random snacks at work: Apple, orange, carrots, almonds, apricots

Main meal @ MIL's
Greens, flank steak with egg, ribs

:: Day 88- 4/1/09 - Summary ::

2009-04-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Activities: 5pm I didn't end up working out for 1000 calories because I forgot my heart rate monitor!
4.0 mile run, interval ipod playlist workout (switch to sprint when a song changes), 42 mins, (10.5 min/mile)

8am: Usual morning blend with kale, 1 tbsp raw almond butter

random snacks: orange, carrots, almonds, apricots

Innovation showcase at work: 2 mini cupcakes from Kara's, 1/2 cookie, guacamole, fruit

main meal @ home
Chopped Miso Salad
Dylan's green onion egg roll
Leftovers

:: Day 87- 3/31/09 - Summary ::

2009-03-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

Activities: 608 cal
530pm Shadow Boxing Class @ 24 hour fitness, 49 mins, 523 cal, HRa 163 HRm 182
615pm Ab workout, 12 mins, 85 cal, HRa 128, HRm 141
"Dieting" from social activities online. Only allowed gmail and work e-mail. Woohoo I survived social-fasting!

7am: Usual morning blend (this time with kale fresh from raman's garden!)

Random snacks at work: orange, carrots, apricots, almonds

Main meal @ merit vegetarian
4 of us shared claypot mushroom rice, mama's fish claypot, lotus salad, broccoli "beef", vegetarian soup

Pret'z farewell @ Cheesecake factory
Rushed over to cheesecake factory for a farewell party. Didn't order any food since we already had dinner but the 8 of us did share some serious pieces of cheesecake. I looked up those babies, they range in calories form 800-1200 calories per slice. I had a good amount of cake and decided it was my special treat night. Rarely do I get to try 4 types of cheesecakes!
4000 calories worth of cheesecake

:: it's official ::

2009-03-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

:: Usual Morning Blend ::

2009-03-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

I love love love my vitamix blender. If I had an empty kitchen, it would be the 3rd item on my list to purchase. Even though it's pricey, I use it every day and have recovered my cost many times over! (Compared to jamba juice prices)

The great thing about my usual morning blend is that every day it tastes different, depending on what I have available, and I love the surprise of the blend as it swirls in my mouth. I sneak lots of veggies in and it makes me feel good that each morning, I fill up with pure goodness.

Must-haves:
- Liquid: 2 fingers of water and ice
- Body: carrots (love it as a base), celery
- Fiber: any green, leafy and stemmy veges. I love broccoli stalk and rainbow chard.
- Sweetness: Apple, blueberries, strawberries... any sweet fruit! Maximum of 2 types so the GI isn't too hgh.

Optionals:
- Texture and flavor: 1/3 banana
- Flavor: swirl of buttermilk lends some tartness
- Flavor: parsley, ginger, lemon zest etc etc
- Essential fats: some kind of nut butter, I like the occasional tbsp of almond butter

Mix it all together and blend until smooth. Undeniably, the fastest and easiest way to consume raw veges. :)

:: Day 86- 3/30/09 - Summary ::

2009-03-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Activities: 715am KB 12kg workout, 438 cal, HRa 153, HRm 160
{1 min double-handed swings, 40
1 min 1/1 single-hand swings, 40
1 min double handed swings, 44
1 min 6/6 single handed swings, 44
1 min double handed swings, 40
1 min 10/10 single handed swings, 40
1 min double handed swings, 44
1 min 22/22 single handed swings, 44
1 min plank on toes
1 min rest}
10 mins x 4 sets = 40 mins, 1680 swings

8am: Usual morning blend

Random snacks: Carrots, almonds, orange, apricot

Main meal @ home with Julia and Marcela
Seaweed Risotto
Vibrant Tasty Green Beans
Nori HandRolls

:: Day 85- 3/29/09 - Summary ::

2009-03-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

Activities: 30 min hike @ Mission peak(we forgot our poles!!), 294 cal,

8am: 1 apple, 1 slice of acme bread

11am: 1 apple, random cut fruit, 2 slices of acme bread with some emmenthaler cheese and butter
(i'm so glad we no longer have bread now)

main meal @ home with team bessie
Grass-fed faces off against grain-fed tri tip (Grass-fed WINS!)

Roasted Beets Salad

Dyl's kale and mushrooms with sundried tomatoes

:: Looking back ::

2009-03-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm kinda stumped that after 4 weeks of bootcamp that i haven't lost any significant weight. But I do feel a lot stronger though, and I totally kicked butt during the physical tests. I decided to do all my measurements today and see what those other non-weight measures look like. Maybe I'm just gaining muscle with the extra weight stuff I'm doing?

I'm liking how the numbers are looking. :) I think my new goal maybe should be to get my body fat percentage down to ideal instead, which would be around 25% ish for me.

:: Day 84- 3/28/09 - Summary ::

2009-03-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Activities: 5.0 mile morning run with Mikee
7am, 5.0 miles, 57:47 (11:30 min/mile), 648 cal, HRa 160 HRm 178

9am: 1 apple

Random snacks: apples, nuts, apricots, 1/2 of iris' banana nut wholegrain muffin

Main meal @ MIL
grass-fed burgers!!! YUM!!!

Autumn Succotash!!! Roasted Beet Salad!!!

I had my burger paleo style, no bun!

:: MJ Meal Plan 03/28 - 04/03 ::

2009-03-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday
Grass-fed Burgers @ MIL's
Autumn Succotash

Sunday
Tri-Tip Blind Taste Test (grain fed TJ vs grass fed Miller Ranch)
Served atop salad

Monday
Seaweed Risotto
Pan-fried Chickpea Salad Recipe
Nori HandRolls

Tuesday
- eat out at merit -

Wednesday
Chopped Miso Salad

Thursday
Spring Panzanella Recipe

Friday
All-day Spicy Stew (Sally Fallon's)

:: Day 83- 3/27/09 - Summary ::

2009-03-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

Activities: Last bootcamp of Spring! :(
6am, 60 mins Slider workout, 530 cal, HRa 136 HRm 179

7am: Usual breakfast blend with extra extra kale

Random snacks: Papayas. They are going bad!!

Main meal @ Hanamaru with MIL
various sushi rolls at hanamaru
seaweed salad
miso soup