My Low-Carb Meals

I've been on a low-carb diet since the year 2000 when I was diagnosed with PCOS.  My weight ballooned up from 42kg to 48kg in just a month! I was perplexed, felt something was wrong with me and decided to see a gynae who gave me the diagnosis, which shocked me.  

That was the beginning of my long journey of battling infertility and weight loss.

Going on a low-carb diet (with only 100gm of carbs per day) along with exercising twice a day helped me shed a lot of weight, which was extremely hard.  Women with PCOS usually have unexplained weight gain and difficulties in losing weight. I didn't want to be on Metformin, so I followed a low-carb diet and exercised every single day.  It wasn't easy but I was hell-bent.

23 years on and I'm still on a low-carb diet.  I still eat carbs but minimally and I no longer calculate my daily carbs intake. I have portion-controlled meals and I try to have at least 12 hours of intermittent fasting every day.

My low-carb meals are very simple and sometimes not pocket-friendly. 

Ba Kut Teh with organic broccoli + alfalfa sprouts.

I had Bak Kut Teh again the next time but this time, I had different cuts of meat.  And I added an egg and organic baby spinach.

While everyone else ate 'loh shi fun' noodles, I blanched some veggies and ate only 2 tablespoons of noodles.  This is like a noodle salad.

I air-fried Shishamo and ate 4 pieces for lunch.  The fish is lightly salted with very little cooking oil.

Brekkie with hubs - pork noodles sans the noodles. 

My dessert - mixed sesame bar, limited to only 2 pieces a day.

Low-Carb Light Meals

I am a regular at the 'chap fan' (economy rice) stall at our neighborhood coffee shop. Drama Queen and I have our brunches there at least thrice a week. Each time I am seated at the table tucking into my dishes, surely one of the stall vendors will comment on my food. They can't believe the amount of food that's on my plate, which is a measly portion of dishes sans any rice and big chunks of meat. As I grow older by the year, I tend to get repulsed by the sight of big chunks of meat of all kinds. It's as if my inner body is trying to tell me not to put that stuff into it.  My tummy can't store too much food either as I have a pretty small stomach.

Here's what I had two days ago:


A scoop of steamed egg, a scoop of blanched ladies fingers with garlic, sambal minced pork with onions and fish paste with salted egg yolk sauce; a bowl of sugar-reduced red bean tong sui for more protein, iron and fiber boost.


And this was what Drama Queen had:


Fried chicken with sesame seeds, braised brinjal with minced pork, sauteed long beans, fish paste with salted egg yolk and sambal minced pork on a big plate of rice. Both Drama Queen and Cass eat way more than I do and I am always  amazed with how much food their stomach can store! It's unfair that they have flat tummies and mine is bulging!

I have stopped eating rice for 18 years now. It was in the year 2000 after my diagnosis  of having PCOS that I did an extensive research on PCOS and learned that it is an insulin-resistance disorder. A low-carb diet with exercise to reduce insulin levels is ideal for reversing PCOS. And it's proven. My years of staving off high-carb food with daily exercise have helped reversed this disorder 💪🙏

Meal Replacement Shakes

Designed to have fewer calories than an average meal, meal-replacement shakes include all the vitamins and nutrients needed for the rest of the day. While taking such shakes, one needs to make sure it is followed by healthy dietary and lifestyle habits in order to drop some weight.

Generally, it is a good idea to drink the shake for breakfast in the morning. It goes without saying that  your dinner, lunch and snacks ought to be low in calories and sugar-free. Such changes make you lose weight faster and easier to sustain.

Here are a number of tips on what properties to look for:

Avoid sugar
When your liver is unable to absorb the excessive amount of sugar, it is turned into fat.

You should avoid the following foods, among others:
~ Spirits (and alcohol)
~ Sweets, pastries, cakes, biscuits
~ Jarred fruits

Fruits can be consumed in larger quantities quite safely as fructose doesn’t make you gain weight like sugar.  However, it is best to eat everything in moderation.  Fruit is an excellent choice as a healthy source of carbohydrates.

Low-caloric diet makes our body use fat as fuel
Consuming excessive calories, your liver transforms them into fat. If you alter your dietary habits and avoid sugar, your body will use fat for energy. Seek shakes that are lower than 200 calories. Also, avoid eating foods low on nutrient properties such as donuts, French fries, corn dogs, popcorn, etc. Such foods are rich in calories and low in nutrients.

Know that there are different carbohydrates
After consumption, they can either be transformed into sugar or as protein. Simple carbohydrates are easier to digest providing us with energy in a short term. Dairy products and juices are the sources of such carbs. Complex carbohydrates work vice versa – they take more time to digest, yet provide more energy in a longer term (grain products, greengrocery). Thus, aim for shakes with food fibers and low on carbs so that they fill you up and you shed weight faster.

20g of protein or less
In addition to enhancing your metabolic process, shakes also help to get rid of fat and keeps you full longer. For you to choose the right shake, choose one with 20g of protein per serving.



 

Add greengrocery in your menu
They are rich in fiber, which is paramount for you to lose weight. It goes without saying that fruits and vegetables are the key to good health due to the abundance of vitamins and minerals. What’s more is that they reduce your craving for unhealthy snacks, give you energy and are low in sugar.

Cutting Down On Salt
We should aim for less than 1500 mg of sodium per day, and definitely not more than 2300 mg. 1500 mg of sodium amounts to 0.75 teaspoons or 3.75 grams of salt per day, while 2300 mg amounts to one teaspoon or 6 grams of salt per day.  Try to avoid eating foods high in salt.





GMOs and gluten-free
Your diet should be free from GMO and gluten containing products. This includes paying close attention to the greengrocery you buy.

There are plenty of shakes available in the market to meet the preferences of vegans, lactose intolerant patients, those on a weight loss diet, etc.

With the  above tips, I am sure you now have a better idea on  how to choose a proper nutrition shake.

Carb-Free Chicken & Char Siew 'Rice'

While Cass is going to have chicken and char siew rice for lunch today, my lunch is a skinny carb-free chicken and char siew 'rice'!    The rice is replaced with sprouted mung beans (the mung beans look similar to rice) which tastes better than rice and way healthier too!




Carbohydrate-free chicken and char siew 'rice' for health freaks and weight watchers, composed of sprouted mung beans, sprouted alfalfa and sprouted snow peas, with a drizzle of chicken rice chilli sauce and ginger sauce.  High in protein and fiber and packed with nutrients from the raw sprouts.  I used lean chicken breast and lean char siew.  Yums! :)

Eating Clean

Lunch for a health freak mommy today :)




Composition of HFM's healthy salad...
Organic broccoli and alfalfa sprouts, organic cherry tomatoes, mashed hard-boiled eggs with mayo (I used two free-range chicken eggs), toasted almond flakes, raw pumpkin seeds, toasted sesame seeds, grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of goma salad dressing.  This is what I like about eating clean.  I eat without an iota of guilt and I feel so good after my meal - no phlegm clogging up my throat, no tingling sensation in my throat, no bloatedness, no cloyness, no feeling of unquenchable thirst and it's low in fat :)

The Many Healthy Diets of the World

These days, it seems that everyone has their own unique ideas on how to live a healthy life. Commercials about new pills or diet programs populate the television. Books concerning each emerging perspective stock bookstore shelves. The people behind the pills and programs and books give sold-out lectures on their viewpoints.

The persisting question is, do any of these ideas actually work?

They certainly do for some people. There are fervent testimonials from unpaid people, sincerely telling of their experiences and extolling the products and concepts. However, since each person’s body is different, some ideas work for some people but don’t seem to for others.
It’s intriguing to read about the various ideas and how and why they seem to work at all, even though a steady diet of such investigating can prove confusing. There are so many conflicting methods to choose from. Still, perhaps with a little knowledge of one’s body, it can be more easily determined which ideas to try.

One idea emerging on the market is the elimination of yeast from one’s diet. There have been books written on the subject and literally several hundred available yeast-free recipes. There are online blogs that discuss ideas about yeast-free nutrition, illnesses and other relevant topics. This diet certainly seems to work for some. While it likely isn't for everyone, the Wisconsin Institute of Nutrition, LLP is a strong supporter of the idea and their website at http://nutritioninstitute.com/ is worth a look for the interested.

A Complete Metamorphose

This year has been an overall pretty good year for me in every area of my life.  I thank God that all my loved ones are pretty healthy and are not inflicted with any life-threatening illnesses including myself, though I did suffer from a bad fall on the road while jogging and I injured both my palms pretty badly. Career wise is also pretty good for my hubs and me, albeit we have been under a lot of stress from work the whole year through.

I am also glad that I managed to have a chance meeting with two of my erstwhile colleagues this year. I have been thinking about them occasionally all these while and wonder how they are now, as we had worked together very closely more than a decade ago and had gone through thick and thin in the company. But I just did not know how to look them up until the two separate chance meetings.

When I bumped into this erstwhile colleague of mine recently, I could not recognize her for a moment. She has doubled up in size and looked totally different now. She used to be very slim and had an hour glass figure to die for, but her body has now metamorphosed into a pear-shaped figure and her neck could barely be visible. This is probably due to her perpetual good appetite, irregular and late meals and zero exercise. I think that if she continues with a sedentary lifestyle with more input of calories than output, her health is in for trouble in time to come. She should really do something about it before it is too late. She should go on a diet, take red cell press to suppress her appetite, goes for a lap-band or even better, exercise and control her calorie-intake simultaneously.

No Way To Stay Slim This Way

There are still chunks of cheese, tubs of sour cream and a packet of digestive biscuits in the fridge. I think my mil will bake a cheese cake one of these days. Oh I can’t wait for her to bake again as I love cheese cakes. I have also put in my request for almond cookies. My mil’s almond cookies are awesome too. Gosh, if I continue gorging on carbs like this, I will have to start reading lipofuze reviews since I don’t have the time to put in extra minutes to work out everyday.

Nutrisystem Diet Plan

I read from a magazine that a few well-known celebrities are on the Nutrisystem diet plan. But does nutrisystem work effectively on a long-term basis? I don’t think that a diet plan will work effectively on a long-term basis if you don’t watch what you eat and if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. I always believe in eating everything moderately, eating up to 70% full (never 100% full!) and EXERCISE regularly.

A Very Round Young Man

Every morning when I run round the neighborhood, I see this very ‘rounded’ young man walking his dog. He is quite good-looking with big eyes, fair skin good features, except for his very round belly and round face which make him look like a Chinese rocking doll haha! If only he would make an effort to start exercising or perhaps take some top diet pills to shed at least 10kg, I am sure he will sweep any girl off her feet!

Sedentary Lifestyle

Having a sedentary lifestyle indeed helps you to put on the pounds really quickly. I gained about 1 pound over one week when my movement was limited due to a badly sprained back. Not only could I not run, I could barely walk with a straight back. I was seated most of the time. When my sprained back was healed, I worked out doubly hard in the morning. I also went on a diet and went to bed with a growling tummy for almost a week. I have now lost the 1 pound that I had gained in 1 week :)I don’t need to go to www.sensascam.net to search for the best weight loss products anymore :)

Eat Everything You Want And Stay Slim

I discovered that I can eat almost everything that I fancy and not get fat. The idea here is the portion size. Instead of gobbling down a full size portion of chocolate cake, eat only half a slice or a quarter slice. Satiate your craving but don’t overfeed it and you don’t have to rely on the best weight loss pills to stay slim! Of course, you have to stay active and exercise for optimum results.

Safe Weight Loss Pills

I wonder if there is really such a thing as safe weight loss pills in the market, safe as in a pill that does not cause any negative side effects to the body. If you have taken a weight loss pill and have not suffered from any type of ill side effects whatsoever, I’d love to hear your story. I have never taken any weight loss pills and the nearest to a weight loss product I’d taken was some kind of tea that helped me move all the sludge out from my guts!

Best Way To Lose Weight

Over the past 4 months ever since I started my online blogshop, I have kept myself super busy. I hardly have the time to sit at the dining table to enjoy my meals, hardly any time to nap in the afternoon, have been getting only 5-6 hours of sleep each day and hardly any time to munch on snacks in between meals. Stress aside, I have been really delighted to watch the red needle on the bathroom scale point towards the left numbers each morning! The best way for me to lose weight is a hectic lifestyle and of course my daily morning run / swim / gym. I don’t need any weight loss supplement to help me lose weight. I am now back at my pre-Baby C weight at 44kg, YAY!

Colon Cleanser For A Healthier, Happier, Thinner You

It is vital to have your colons cleansed regularly to promote a healthier, happier and thinner you. A colon cleanser works by cleansing the digestive tract or unnecessary wastes. For the past few years, I have been eating a tablespoon of psyllium husks (which acts similarly to a colon cleanser) with water and honey every morning. I hardly ever suffer from constipation anymore. Do you use a colon cleanser too? If you are looking for one, you may want to read up on some colon cleanse reviews.

Thank God It's The Holidays

After 2 months of working really hard on my 2-month old online store, I finally get to take a short respite this CNY holidays. During this one-week break, I will spend more quality time with the gals, meet up with my friends and do all the reading that I have wanted to do. I have neglected my health blog a little and I must find more interesting health articles to write in this blog. This means more reading for me. I also want to read about the alli review after reading so much about Alli, the only FDA approved over the counter diet medication.

Loosing Weight Healthily

Do you think that the best weight loss products will help you achieve your ideal weight and thereafter help you to maintain that weight permanently? I don’t know as I have never tried weight loss products. I still think that the best and healthiest ways to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is to eat healthily, cut down on fatty foods and food that is high in empty calories, reduce white flour products, ensure that calories output is higher than calories input and most importantly, EXERCISE!

Not An Ounce Of Fat Gained

Tomorrow is Chinese New Year but I had already chomped down many of the cookies that I had bought weeks earlier. I have been eating so much cookies and CNY snacks that I now feel nauseated at the sight of them. Thank God I did not gain an ounce in weight and don’t have to get those top fat burners to help me slim down. My daily morning exercise and all the stress managing my kids and online business have been helping me burn all the fat away.

Lose Weight The Safe Way

Do you really think weight loss pills would successfully and safely help you lose weight? Ever since I read about the case of a Singaporean actress who lost both her kidneys after consuming a weight loss product, I never dare touch these products. She’s downright lucky that her boyfriend (who eventually married her) donated one of his kidneys to her. That’s what I call true love! Anyway, I am strongly of the view that in order to safely lose weight and keep your weight in check, you need to EXERCISE (no short cut ok!) and reduce your calories.

I Had Supper Last Night

I have not had supper for aeons but last night, I put aside my health freak regimen and had supper consisting of durians and fried noodles (albeit only 1 tablespoon hehe!). In fact, I have been feasting on the king of fruits – Musang King variety for the past few weeks. After all, how often can you indulge in durians right? It’s seasonal and you only get to indulge in them several times a year. I think very soon, I will need to get some Kettlebell workouts to help me rid my jelly belly! Jogging alone can’t do the job effectively. Durians are the king of fatty fruits too and are really high in sugar and calories, I better have some self control or my diet plan will be thrown out of the window.