Back in Singapore again.. not too proud of Vietnam

I'm back after about 8 days in Vietnam. I hate to say it, but as far as exercising & food control went, Vietnam didn't fare too well. I think the problem was that most sights in Ho Chi Minh City were accessible only by bus so walking was fairly minimal. Add to that, the traffic conditions in HCMC are really not pedestrian friendly. Anyone who has been to HCMC can attest to it. Not only are the roads/crossings almost non-existent, the air quality doesn't really inspire anyone to venture into the streets for a healthy walk. Add to that, there was quite a bit of food to be had in Vietnam and I confess I gave in and tried some of the special local desserts like the coconut ice cream in a fresh coconut. It was one big SINFUL indulgence. I think it's the first ice cream I've had in months.

So the point is, I weighed myself when I got back and I 'm sad to say there wasn't much difference from the 137kg when I came back from Japan.

4 Dec - 7785
5 Dec - 7086
6 Dec - 13926
7 Dec - 1523
8 Dec - 7282
9 Dec - 13187
10 Dec - 15857

Actually, 7 Dec was much much higher than 1523 steps. I think it would probably be closer to 10000. Simple reason was I forgot to bring my stepmeter with me when I went out. :P

Since I'm back in Singapore, I decided to continue with my daily exercise instead of the incidental walking when I was on tour. I was pretty happy with myself that I finally succeded in going for my first exercise swim in many years. While the swim was fairly tiring, I found that my heartrate after the laps were not very high. But I was pretty tired out. Not sure how to understand that result. If I went any faster, I don't think I would have been able to complete 20 laps. So anyway, as far as serious exercise timing went, I've done two days since I returned:

9 Dec
Activity: Swimming (20 laps)
Duration: 37min
Heart Rate after: Not too sure... but seemed pretty normal
Step Count for the day: 13187 steps

10 Dec
Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 33min
Heart Rate after: 128 bpm
Step Count for the day: 15857 steps

I was quite surprised with a few things:
(1) I was not really as winded as I normally felt after my walks before my long period overseas. In fact, I felt surprisingly 'fitter.
(2) When I put on my work pants after this past 6 weeks away, I was surprised to find that they were pretty loose! I think I might have dropped at least an inch or two!

It's quite encouraging to see these changes. Now, the question is whether I can keep it up and not get too happy. I'm still a loooooooooooooong way off from my target but I must admit it's starting to feel good (and look a little better too!).