Trying to Lose Myself

9.0km - 1h 10min

2010-07-04T12:16:00.002+08:00

I've been taking things a little easier and not pushing myself too hard when it comes to speed.

Seems to work out in that my knees don't seem to hurt much and I'm able to last longer.

I just decided to try a longer route last night and managed to complete 9km in about 1h 10min. That's about 0.128km per min. My last 10km attempt was 10km in 1h 15min which is about 0.133km per min. So last night was nowhere near my personal best. But what surprised me was that I was able to complete it fairly comfortably.

I've signed up for the New Balance Real Run. My first run which includes trail + sand. And the whole route is about 15km. That should be an interesting challenge.

Passion Run 2010 (10km) - 1h 15min

2010-05-23T10:48:00.000+08:00

Passion Run was quite a challenge. To be honest, I had not really trained well for it. Leading up to it, I've only done a couple of 5km and 6km runs and my last 8km run was really quite a while ago. So I was really apprehensive at going for the 10km run yesterday.

As it turns out, the timing's pretty sucky... slower than my Standard Chartered 10km run last year but I'm quite pleased that I was able to run all the way and complete the whole route, given my lack of preparedness! I really hope to better my timing at my next run. I was thinking about the Mizuno Mt Faber run but might just wait till the Yellow Ribbon Run in September.

The run itself was quite pleasant. Being at the beach, the scenery and atmosphere was really nice. Weather was also very good. I'd been worried that it would be too blazing hot but it was windy and the sun was pretty gentle. A small complain would be the non-runners like roller-bladers and cyclists who were also on some parts of the running route as east coast was a public park so it wasn't closed to the public. But they weren't a huge bother.

The bigger issues with the run probably involved the organization. Transport was terrible. Heard from my friend who took the shuttle service from the National Stadium that it was a nightmare. Too infrequent and the shuttles had too small a capacity to handle the crowds. Ended up with many people getting flustered and late. Going back was just as bad. Leaving East Coast at night with thousands of people is just not very pleasant. I managed to catch a cab but it was stuck in traffic and before even the cab left the east coast area, the meter was already recording about 12 bucks! My last complain was the super slow baggage collection. Having been to the Stanchart Marathon and the Live Earth run, I thought the baggage collection was quite poorly organized. Don't think they really had any system other than placing a couple of hundred of bags in one area. The queues were really long and moved really slowly. Thought it was a dampener to the end of a nice run.

I'm definitely gonna aim to better my timing of my 10km runs. Still considering if I should do the Mt Faber run (but the registration might already be closed). Looks like for now, I'm kinda hooked on taking part in these runs.

Really like the dry bag which they gave out to finishers. Have been thinking of getting one and now I don't need to buy one! Best finisher gift so far!

Jogging Route - 5.4km

2010-05-17T23:53:00.000+08:00

17 May 2010 - 38min 58sec

This is bad... it's been a while since I took almost 39min to complete a simple 5.4km route. Main reason is that I've been having some problems with my RIGHT knee. All along, I've had to wear a knee support for my left knee and things were ok. But about a week ago, my right knee started hurting when I ran so for the last week, I took a break, hoping that my right knee would heal up. So today, after almost a week of rest, I decided to take it slow coz I didn't want to aggravate any injury I might have. Well, I'm glad to say my right knee didn't really have any problems, but then again, I really did take it slow, as can be seen at my super slow timing. The big question is whether I'll be able to complete my 10km run this weekend at the PassionRun.

8 April 2010 - 36min 00sec

Haha.. highly unlikely, but I managed the same time as my last 5.4km run. I think what I'm doing is more like intervals so I shall happily call it that for now. So, I've done another interval run and well, don't think it was much easier but maybe I got a little more used to doing it. Will try doing this once a week for now.

3 April 2010 - 36min 00sec

Tried to do a tempo/interval run today. Thing is, I'm not too sure what's the difference between a tempo run and an interval run. Will do some research on that later. Anyway, I thought it wasn't too bad considering I tried speeding up about 4 times within each lap, followed by slower jogs in between. I think such runs are supposed to be good for developing speed. Hopefully I can keep this up at least once a week in between my longer runs.

25 March 2010 - 35min 35sec

Kinda surprised that I've shaved off almost 3mins off my last recorded timing. :) Guess with a 3 month gaps between recording and somewhat regular running, I'd better have improved my timing!

14 Dec 2009 - 38min 18sec

Just back from Bali after a one week post-marathon celebration and I kinda pushed myself to go on a 5.4km run. Actually, I was kinda hoping to be able to complete a 2.4km distance in under 14min30sec but still missed the target by 30sec. :(

25 Nov 2009 - 39min 0sec

A little demoralizing.

It's been two weeks since I last did a road run coz I was in Surabaya. During that two weeks, I managed some gym time but only did about 30min of interval training on the elliptical for about 4 times. On top of that, I didn't want to push myself too hard coz of my sprained toe. Well, all that has added to a demoralizing increase in timing for my 5.4km route. I was toying with doing about 8km but decided to take it one step at a time, since it had been 2 weeks since my last long run. I've definitely gotta get back to some momentum especially since my 10km StanChart Marathon is barely 11 days away. I think I should be able to work in at least 2 or 3 more runs leading up to the 10km next Sunday. I guess in some ways, I am also a little disappointed in myself for being pretty ill-disciplined with my food the last few days. I've really been indulging in all sorts of nonsense since my second last day in Surabaya till now. While a small part of it is due to the fact that I didn't want to offend my host, I think a large part of it is my own ill-discipline. When I weighed myself the morning after I returned from Surabaya, I was about 86kg. That's almost 2kg more then my last weigh-in. Sigh. How am I going to achieve my target BMI at this rate? Gotta pull my act together over the next few days. Sigh.

I decided to add another route because I usually do it on my 'relax' days after doing longer runs like the 8km one two days ago. One round of the route above is about 2.7km. I usually do two rounds so it's about 5.4km.

11 October 2009 - 38m 01sec

I was a little apprehensive with running tonight coz my knee was hurting a bit after my 8km run two nights ago. But since there wasn't any pain today, I decided to give it a try and make an effort not to strike too hard or push myself too hard. Wanted to see if my knees were ok. I'm glad to say that while there was slight discomfort during the run, my left knee isn't hurting and maybe the 8km run was a one-off strain. Hopefully my knee will adapt as I attempt the longer runs. I usually try to use the first 2.4km of the route to measure my own 2.4km pace. When I started doing proper 2.4km runs about 4 to 5 months ago, I was doing around 22mins. That timing has been improving slowly and tonight, I managed to do it in about 15mins. That's probably my fastest time so far! If I'm not wrong, for my age bracket, I am supposed to complete the 2.4km run in around 14mins... just 1 more minute to cut down! Wow.. can't imagine passing my 2.4km run... if you take army as the last time i passed, it's been about 16 years since I passed my 2.4km! The goal is close....

Jogging Route - 6.3km

2010-05-05T23:48:00.000+08:00

5 May 10 - 43min 35sec

Did another afternoon run today because my evenings have been taken up with conducting some remedial lessons. Thought it would also help to prepare me for the Passion Run cause it's also going to be held in the late afternoon. I'm kinda glad that I was able to complete the 6.3km route in around the same time I usually do. It's definitely an encouragement after the disappointing attempt at the 8km route two days ago. However, it was quite a struggle. I'm wondering if it's because I was running in the late afternoon instead of the usual late evening. Maybe running in the sun, at around 5pm is not really the best time of the day. Anyway, I think I might try to put in more afternoon runs so that I can get ready for the Passion Run. Hope to be able to complete at least a 10km run before the actual day.

24 Apr 10 - 44min 16sec

Getting a little concerned these last few runs coz my left knee seems to be acting up during the runs. Today, I thought I was keeping pretty good time but somewhere near the last km, my left knee suddenly started hurting again and I had to slow down the pace a little. If this goes on, might have to drop by the Sports Medicine Centre and let the doc take a look at it. I'm working back up to 10km runs since I've signed up for the Passion Run on 22 May.

12 Apr 10 - 48min 53sec

Sigh. Tonight was quite a struggle. For starters, my discussion groups ended at about 11.30pm and by the time I stretched and started running, it was already just past 12midnight. Then, within the first 5mins, I could feel myself just plodding on without real heart or commitment. Then after another few minutes, my left knee started to hurt a little. I was real tempted to stop, thinking I might have strained my knee but I decided instead to just slow down a little and keep pushing on. Thankfully, the pain went off after a while, so maybe it was just due to insufficient stretching or just mental blocks... heh... Anyway, maybe I really should have just taken an additional day of rest this time round. Anyway, I've signed up for this Sunday's Live Earth Run for Water. It's only a 6km run so I don't think it should be any problem. Maybe try to go for a little more speed. Let see if I can get over tonight's lack of drive.

6 Apr 10 - 43min 15sec

Tonight is the first time I went running with a full weekly schedule. Given the change in my schedule this term, I will finish with work at about 11.20pm most weeknights. This means that if I want to keep up my running, I have to do it between 11.30pm all the way to 12.30pm! Not much choice really. I'm toying with running in the late afternoon but I'm a little afraid that I will tire myself out before I have to conduct the workshops in the evenings! Anyway, let's see how it goes.. whether I can keep up running at such a late hour. Gonna try to do different kinds of run and see if I can work on improving my timings a little. Hoping to work back up to doing some 10km runs. Will keep to 8.1km for another week or two before attempting to increase it.

28 Mar 10 - 44min 07sec

Hmm... I have not compared my 6.3km timing for quite a while but I thought I was doing quite ok. Now that I've started recording my timings again, it's kinda surprising that my time is actually 5mins slower than best timing last year. Wonder how come.... I actually feel that I am keeping quite a decent pace. As far as I can estimate, I have been doing about 45mins the last couple of weeks. So I thought pushing myself to complete it in about 44min was already not bad. So I'm a little disappointed that my best time last year was 39min 35sec. Talk about not moving forward. :S I know I'm not really focussing on speed, but then again, I shouldn't be getting so much slower leh... :(

21 Oct 09 - 39min 35sec

I was kinda motivated after the improved timing for my 6.3km run two days ago. So although I was originally thinking of doing a 5km run, I decided to try the 6.3km run again but in the opposite direction. Although I know it's not strictly a time thing when it comes to running longer distances, I'm still quite pleased that today, I managed to just shorten the time a little more. The run was quite ok. Think I've more or less adapted to 6.3km runs. Now I'm thinking of taking 2 days break from running before attempting the 8km run again over the weekend.

19 Oct 09 - 40min 10sec

Hmm... This is kinda surprising. I actually shaved off 11mins from my previous timing for the 6.3km route. :) I was consciously trying to push myself to keep to a faster pace but I really didn't expect to improve the timing by that much. :)

20 Sep 09 - 52min 30sec

My second attempt at 6.3km. This time was a little easier and I managed to maintain a higher speed (though I know speed is not the key thing in running longer distances). I've been running between 4 to 5+ km every other day, resting at least a day in between. It's great to be able to complete this 6.3km route reasonably comfortably though I did have to push myself a little at the last kilometre. Gonna take it a little easier this coming week and I'm gonna try doing the 7km route at the end of the month.

9 Sep 09 - 55min 2secs

Completed my first try of a 6.3km route. I think this is really the first time in my life I have ever run 6.3km! The last 2km took a little more determination. Was very tempted to just start walking. MAanaged to complete the whole run under an hour. I guess that must be really slow but I believe the important thing is not the speed, but completing the run. It's going to be a mental (and physical) challenge to complete the 10km in 80 days time. Find it almost impossible to imagine people who run the full 42km.

Jogging Route - 8.1km

2010-05-03T17:56:00.001+08:00

8 May 2010 - 59min 35sec

Looks like it really might have a difference whether I run at night or in the day. I went on an easy pace tonight and managed to complete the 8.1km route. It wasn't a walk in the park, but it certainly wasn't a struggle like my last attempt about a week ago. This is kinda worrying since the Passion Run is held at 4pm in the afternoon. How am I going to cover 10km comfortably in the afternoon when I'm having trouble doing 8km? hmmmm.....

3 May 2010 - 1h 7min 59sec

Today was a big disappointment. It's been about a week since I last ran because I decided to give my knee a break. It's been acting up and I thought it might be good to just take some time off and let it heal. The good news is that there was only a little pain during today's run. So I guess the time off was good. The bad news is that I couldn't complete the 8.1km run. I think it was a combination of a few factors... (1) it's been a week since I last ran, (2) It might not have been the best decision to try 8.1km after the break and (3) I was trying to run in the afternoon, at about 5pm - I think I had not hydrated myself properly today and by the 5km mark, I was feeling kinda off and decided it was best to call it quits and walk the rest of the way. I covered about 5.2km in about 37min 34sec before deciding to walk the rest of the way. It's kinda discouraging coz I think it's the first time I'd ever given up halfway in a run. So that accounts for my ultra-pathetic time of more than an hour for my 8km run/walk. Like that how to do the 10km Passion run on 22 May? Sigh...

10 April 2010 - 57min 45sec

Just a slight improvement over the last run though I don't think it's a significant one. Probably just the result of a few less traffic light stops. I'm thinking seriously about taking part in my next 10km run, maybe the 100 Plus Passion Run in end May. Haven't signed up yet... let's see if I can decide soon.

1 April 2010 - 58min 10sec

It's been a while since I've run 8.1km. I decided to push myself as I'd been comfortably doing 5km and 6km runs for a few weeks. I decided to take it easy and not push myself too hard. It wasn't too hard a run and I'm glad I managed to complete it in under an hour. I'm looking forward to the possibility of taking part in a 10km/12km run soon. I think setting that as a target will keep me on track in my training.

25 October 2009 - 1hr 0min 35sec

Woot! After one week, I've managed to actually shave almost 3min off my last timing! I was actually expecting to take longer than the previous attempt because I was trying really hard to work on my running gait tonight. It was really awkward. I had to work on three things - in increasing order of difficulty: (1) avoiding knocking my knees together when I run (2) trying to correct my left leg which tends to swing forward in a curve and (3) landing mid-foot instead of my ankles. The last one is really tough. I'm so used to the usual landing on my ankles so trying to land mid-foot almost feels like I'm running on tip-toes. As my sports trainer said, it's going to take time to adjust my gait coz I'm already so used to running in my usual way. After tonight's experimental run, I am guessing my feet are going to hurt tomorrow coz I was running in such an unusual way. The surprising thing is that I actually completed the run 3min faster! And I frankly thought I was putting in less effort. Hmm... so maybe there is some truth to the advice which Dr Chia was giving me with regards to changing my running gait.. heh.. Gonna be attempting the 9km route in a week or two.... so exciting... the goal is so near...

17 October 2009 - 1hr 3min

After my 3-day break from running, I decided to try the 8.1km route again. I picked up the pace a little, again trying to improve on my running gait. As the timing above shows, I managed to shave off 2mins from the earlier run. The last 2 to 3km were quite challenging. Had to overcome this intense desire to give up and do a shorter 6km run. However, I'm glad I persevered and finished the whole run. I'm also quite happy that my knees aren't hurting like the last time. There was a bit of discomfort during the run but it usually came and went. After the run, I've not experienced any pain. Guess that would be good news rite? As is my personality, I need to control my desire to push for the the 9km and 10km runs immediately. I'm guessing it would do more harm than good. I will probably try to keep to 5 to 8km runs for the rest of the month and attempt the 9km route at the end October.

9 October 2009 - 1hr 5min

I went for my first 8.1km run. Prior to that, I kinda rested from running for about 3 days and did some weight training instead. After some stretching, I started on my run. Keeping in mind that it was my first 8km run, I decided not to push myself too hard. I just had a session with my sports doctor the day before and he had advised me to take slightly smaller steps and try not to exert too much striking force when my heels land. So, I tried to make some adjustments to my running. Surprisingly, the 8.1km run wasn't as hard as I imagined it to be. I did have to push myself a little toward the last 2km but I don't think it was much more than what I felt when I was doing the 7km run. So, it was with a great sense of accomplishment when I reached my end point in about 1h 5min. Only problem this time round was that my left knee actually hurt quite a bit after the run. I put some ice on it and well, after a night's rest, the pain has kinda lessened quite a bit. It's a little worrying cause I wouldn't want to have to stop running because I get a knee injury. Will probably have to talk to the Sports Trainer sometime next week to see if I can do something to strengthen my knee.

For now, I am really quite elated that I am one step closer to completing my 10km run. There is a huge temptation to push for it earlier but I have to tell myself to take it one step at a time or I might risk injuring myself coz my body is not ready for it.

DOW Live Earth Run For Water 2010 - 6km (40min 04sec)

2010-04-18T10:54:00.004+08:00

Decided to take part in the Dow Live Earth Run For Water 6km run as I think I really need some short terms goal to keep up my exercising and also as a kind of lead-up to the 10km Passion Run next month.

Although 6km is not too tough since I'm pretty much doing it at least once a week, I thought I'd take the chance for such events to try for some Personal Bests. Based on my last 6.3km run, I took about 6.87min per km. Today, I completed 6km in about 40min 04sec which gives me 6.68min per km. Nice to see a slight improvement. :)

My next big run is the 10km 100 Plus Passion Run 2010 at the end of May. Looking forward seeing some improvement by then!

2.4km - 13min 56sec

2010-04-15T11:54:00.000+08:00

As a lead-up to the 6 km Dow Live Earth Run this week, I decided to just do a 2.4km run but to try for a personal best instead. I'm pretty glad to say that this is probably the first time I've done a sub-14min 2.4km run.

I don't think I should push myself too hard when it comes to speed coz I think I'll risj straining my knee but it's nice to be able to go below the 14min mark for my 2.4km.

Now, it's on to the 6km run this Sunday.

Second Wind

2010-03-25T00:10:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I've kept records of my running and I think I should get started on it again. I've been running kinda regularly, probably doing about 3 runs a week most of the time. I had to go off my gym sessions for the last 3 weeks cause I think I strained my left shoulder muscle. Waiting for it to heal properly before resuming my gymming.

I've basically been keeping my runs to around 5km and 6km. I do feel myself getting more comfortable with the 6km runs and it was quite a pleasant surprise to find that I've dropped my 5.4km timing by almost 3mins.

I think I need to give myself another 10km target so that I have something to work towards. Right now, trying to maintain my weight is the main motivation to run. It's definitely not been easy. I don't think I am totally going back to old habits, but it is hard trying to reach some equilibrium. Think it will take some time to adjust my lifestyle so that I can enter maintenance mode.

Well, I hope to keep up my running record. I think marathon runners call this the Second Wind. Since I'm definitely hoping that this weight loss is a long term result (I certainly don't want to start buying fluffy clothes again...), this is definitely going to be like a marathon. I think I need to hit my second wind so that I can keep thing going.

I shall resolve to hit my BMI by September (latest!)!

2010-03-23T00:47:00.002+08:00

It's been a couple of months since I last posted. Since the Stanchart Marathon, I've been trying to reach my target weight of 80kg. I think the closest I've reached was about 81.5kg. The sad thing is, with the demands and stress of work, I have found myself struggling not only to do my regular runs, but also with stress eating!

I'd been keeping up with jogging and gymming every alternate day until about 2 weeks ago when I think I strained my left shoulder muscle. It's been hurting since then and I've not hit the gym because of that. I'm hoping it heals fast so that I can return to my gymming. So for now, I've tried to go for jogs every other day.

The sad thing is that I think I have really started stress eating. Work has been really stressful and I've been 'rewarding' myself with sinful treats ranging from creamy chocolate biscuits to mars ice cream bars. Some days, I find myself downing packets of cookies, not because I was hungry but just cause I wanted to keep something in my mouth.

Sigh.

Now it seems that losing the weight was the easy part. Reaching a balance and keeping to off is really tough.

I think I'm back to about 85kg now. I'm gonna try my best to control my urge to stress eat and return to a more healthy lifestyle. I think I can still target to hit my ideal weight of 80kg by the end of this term.

Let's see how the 10 weeks will go.

Off for a week

2009-12-20T23:47:00.002+08:00

I've not done any exercising since returning from Bali coz I've been having stomach cramps. Think I might have eaten something bad when I came back from Bali! haha. Anyway, I also caught some heat rash on my last day in Bali so I guess the last week was also time for the rash to heal properly.

Managed to do a run tonight after the week off and I completed a 7km distance from Bishan to Hougang. In some ways, I do prefer being able to run to somewhere instead of simply running in a circle. For example, I prefer running about 5km to my house in Serangoon rather than to run 2 rounds of 2.5km around Bishan. Only problem is, it's kinda hard to wash up after that since I am not home and it also means I have to pack some shirt to bring along with me on the jog.

I guess the bigger question is how am I going to keep up with my exercises now that the Stanchart marathon is on. I think Dr Chia had a point when he asked to sign up for the 10km Stanchart run because it did help me to keep up with my training. I seriously don't know if I want to train for a half-marathon or should I start taking up some other activity so that the exercising can remain fresh. But I know that I better decide soon so that I won't totally lose my momentum for exercising and start piling on the kgs.

Back from Bali

2009-12-13T22:31:00.002+08:00

After the 10km Stanchart Marathon, I decided to reward myself with a trip to Bali. This is actually my first real vacation since I started losing weight. Since I'm much fitter and much lighter, I found myself being able to take part in activities which I've previously not dared to attempt due to being so overweight. So for the first time, I went parasailing, river rafting and I even attempted my first ever diving! It's great to be able to 'qualify' for these activities and not feel tremendously winded/tired after doing them. For the parasailing, the weight limit was 90kg... for the first time ever, I qualified! haha...

My next trip, I intend to try a trek up to a Volcano peak and maybe do some mountain biking. :P

Enjoying a waterfall along the river

My Diving Instructor and Me

Parasailing

My First Ever 10km Run - 1h 17min 34sec

2009-12-06T11:12:00.003+08:00

I'm extremely proud to be able to say that I have completed my first ever 10km run. I've never run 10km in my life before and this is really something I'm pretty proud of achieving. A year ago, I don't think I could ever have imagined finishing any run, let alone a 10km run. I really have to thank the team at the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre for their support and guidance. Right now, I'm only thinking of going for a nice relaxing celebratory vacation in Bali... tomorrow!

On the eve of my first ever 10km

2009-12-05T21:40:00.003+08:00

In less than 12 hours, I will hopefully have succesfully completed my first ever 10km run. I think I've more or less fought off the flu/cold bug and do feel that I'm about 90% ready to take on the run. I am a little apprehensive because I have not gone beyond 9km in all my training runs. Why I went for my 5km run, I had already attempted it before, so tomorrow's 10km is going to be really the first time ever that I've run 10km. I'm not really gonna push myself too hard coz my main aim is to be able to run the entire route without stopping. However, if I'm able to complete it within 1 hr, it will be really the icing on the cake!

I hope the weather will be fine tomorrow and that I will be able to wake up on time!

Jogging Route - 7.0km

2009-12-03T23:56:00.000+08:00

3 Dec 09 - 51min 44s

3 days more to the StanChart Marathon. I know the 10km run doesn't sound like much when compared to the full marathon of 42km or even the half marathon of 21km. But for me, 10km is like something I have never done before. I'm a little worried cause for the last few days, I have been fighting off a flu/cold bug. My body has been aching a little and I've been having a slight fever. So I've not run very much and only managed 2 runs since 27 Nov. I was actually hoping for at least 3. With the 10km run only 3 days away, I won't be doing anymore runs and will be resting up for the big day on Sunday morning. Tonight's 7km run timing wasn't too bad. It's definitely an improvement over the last time I did the 7km route but then again, that was in September. I'm not sure if I'm really ready to take on the 10km but for now, I'm only hoping that I will not succumb to the flu bug in the next few days.

24 Sep 09 - 58min 44sec

Was feeling kindy moody today so I decided to try the 7km run hoping for a healthy injection of endorphins. Thought that the combination of being aoping to ble to complete my first 7km run and the endorphin high would help me to get over my mood. Regardless, I've done it! And I'm one step closer to achieving my goal of completing my 10km run. :)

Jogging Route - 9.0km

2009-11-27T22:52:00.000+08:00

27 Nov 2009 - 1h 15min 29sec

I decided to push myself and try the 9km route again. It's not too encouraging to see that my time has increased by 6mins even though this time I did not fall like the last time I tried this route. The last 2km were also quite a struggle and I really wanted to just give up and start walking. I managed to push through and completed the route. I admit I'm a little apprehensive about the 10km run next Sunday. I don't know if I can get back to my pre-Surabaya form. Gotta think about how to prepare for the coming week. Probably just attempt shorter runs around 6km and 8km before the actual run on Sunday. So close.. so apprehensive.. Also wondering what target I'm gonna set for myself once I complete the run next Sunday.

11 Nov 2009 - 1h 9min 35sec

The last week since I returned from Sydney has been a whirlwind of activities. It's the end of term and there was practically something happening every evening. On top of that, I had to prepare for my coming trip to Surabaya as well as the conclusion of the programme I am in charge of in school. So, my exercise regime has been pretty badly disrupted. Think I only managed to complete one 5km run before tonight's 9km attempt. Even when it came to tonight's attempt, I was actually not too sure if I wanted to do it. I've been feeling a little sick-ish and I've also not even started packing for my trip which departs in barely 15hrs. Well, I finally decided to try and keep to my original goal of completing one 9km run by the first week of Nov. It was kinda tough trying to push myself to complete the route but I'm glad that I managed to do it. On top of that... I received my first ever running injury! Around the 8km mark, I was looking ahead and missed a stupid tree root sticking through the pathway. So I tripped on it and sprawled on the ground.When I picked myself up, I was tempted to stop running and just take a bus back but it really felt like such a waste to give up with less than 2km to go. So, I tried taking a few steps and when I realized I was only suffering from some bruises, I decided to keep up with the running and complete my first 9km run. I'm very sure I'm going to feel the full brunt of the bruises tomorrow when I wake up. heh. Well, here are my 'trophies':

Well, I'm off to Surabaya tomorrow for 2 weeks for a school trip. Am a little worried because when I come back, I will barely have 2 weeks before the Stanchart 10km run and I don't know if I will be able to do any running in the 2 weeks that I am in Surabaya, Really hope that where I am staying will be conducive to some running. Let's see how things go.

In Surabaya

2009-11-16T20:08:00.002+08:00

From Sydney to Surabaya... I'm in Indonesia leading some students on an overseas immersion programme. It's been 6 days since I arrived and it's been a struggle as far as watching my diet is concerned. I'm staying with a host family so I've pretty much been busting my diet with the food my host family has been feeding me. They're really hospitable so they've been buying all sorts of yummy local food for me to try... from lemper to bak pau to pestel (a curry puff with tanghoon/vegetable fillings). And well... in order not to offend, I've had to at least try one of the stuff they buy... and I must admit most of them are quite yummy. The other thing about eating out in Surabaya is that it's really hard to find vegetable dishes! Most of the dishes I see in the food courts are usually deep fried and drowned in some sweet sauce/peanut sauce. Even the soupy dishes are pretty oil laden like the every popular Soto Ayam. But the surprising thing is, although I see the Indonesians eating all the sinful food, they don't seem to be extremely overweight.

Well, I'm trying hard to eat in moderation but I think I am failing... just hope I don't put on too much weight before my 10km run. It would be wonderful if I basically was able to keep stable at the end of the trip.

The good news though is that there is a gym just barely 30m away from my host family's place. So, I'm glad to say, in the six days I'm here, i've visited the gym twice. It costs 75000 rupiahs per visit which is about 12bucks. The gym is pretty huge but most of the equipment, though functional, is pretty old. But hey... all I need are some weights and the ever reliable elliptical/treadmill. Running in the open is almost definitely a no-no here. Roads aren't well constructed and it doesn't really feel safe/clean running in along the roads. So, until I return home, it will probably be doing some interval training on the elliptical. Hope I'm able to keep up the training for the 10km run.

The other good thing is there are some outdoor activities. Will be going on a 3-day, 2 night outdoor trek tomorrow. Hopefully I'll use it to burn off some of the extra food I've been eating and not end up snacking and piling on the calories again. :)

Will be home in a week... a little scared to face the scales and my 9km route....

Sydney Trip

2009-11-02T00:23:00.002+08:00

I've been in Sydney the past week for a work trip. This is the first long trip that I've been on in a long time. Food-wise, it's been quite bad as food in Sydney is really very expensive. Resorted to just eating sandwiches most of the time. I've also been quite hooked on cheese and crackers... quite sure I've burst my calorie limit a couple of times. Now that I'm back, I can get back to my 'normal' meals.

One thing I managed to do was go to the gym in the hotel almost everyday. That helped me to burn off some of the cheese and sandwiches. I was also quite glad that I actually managed to do at least one run outdoors around the Sydney Opera House. It wasn't a very long run coz the weather was a bit cold but I managed to do about 35mins of jogging. Here are some pics of my first ever run around the Sydney Opera House! heh... Can't imagine that I'm actually taking souvenir pics of me jogging around famous landmarks.

Am really glad to be back.

First Sports Massage

2009-10-20T08:11:00.003+08:00

Went for my first sports massage at SSMC today. Wow... it was not a painless experience. The female therapist really kneaded and stretched my leg muscles and while it wasn't the most pleasant time, it really did feel good after that. Being the first time I've gone for such a massage, the therapist was commenting about how there were many 'knots' in my leg muscles and that my neck was really stiff. I think at times, when she was working on my neck and shoulders, I wanted to cry out in pain. :S But maybe, the massage contributed to the big improvement in my timing for my run last night... or then again, maybe it's all in the mind. Whatever it might be, I'm quite sure this won't be my last session. :)

Just a little burnt out

2009-10-15T23:49:00.002+08:00

Been feeling a little burnt out last two days. Did another approx 5.4km run on Tuesday night but realised that my heart really wasn't in it. It was one of those non-commital.. bo-chup kinda run. So, I decided to take a break yesterday and today to let my body (& mind) recover a little before pushing on with my exercise routine. Feels nice to relax but at the same time, it does feel a little guilty. Will probably do a light run tomorrow night and hit the gym on Sat. Aiming for another 8km run on Sunday.

A little about my favourite meals at this time.

For breakfast, I've pretty much settled on two slices of multi-grain bread (either from Gardenia or Sunshine). For a treat, I sometimes buy the 100% wholemeal loaf from Cedele. They are really tasty, especially when toasted, but cost almost twice the price of the Gardenia/Sunshine bread. I toast the bread and on one piece, I'll put a slice of 60%-less-fat-low-fat kraft cheese + 1 hard-boiled egg + 2 slices of tomato + 1 leave of lettuce. Recently, I started putting in a few slices of a small cucumber. This open-face sandwich is really quite delicious... & crunchy. On the other slice of bread, I'll put on some 100% natural peanut butter which I buy from Carrefour. It's the one where they basically grind up peanuts into a cream.. no preservatives or anything else. :P I finish off the breakfast with a cup of UCC instant coffee (right now trying blend 117) with a teaspoon of low-calorie creamer. All in, a pretty filling breakfast which I estimate to have the following calorie content:

BREAKFAST

2 slice of multi-grain bread - 160 kcal
1 slice of low-fat cheese - 50 kcal

1 medium hard-boiled egg - 80 kcal

Lettuce/cucumber/tomato - 20 kcal (?)

Peanut butter - 100 kcal (?)

Coffee + 1 teaspoon low-calorie creamer - 30kcal

TOTAL = approx 440kcal

For lunch, for the past week, I've been trying some of the soups from Heinz and Campbell, the non-cream kind. For example, I've tried the 'Very Vegetable' series from Heinz together with two slices of multi-grain bread & a generous portion of vegetables. My 'receipe' consists of the following:

LUNCH

1 can of Heinz Very Vegetable (Potato & spinach) soup - 250 kcal

Brocolli - approx 70 kcal

2 medium carrots - approx 70 kcal

Half a green pepper - 15 kcal

2 slices of multi-grain break - 160 kcal

TOTAL = approx 565 kcal

I usually top it off with a small apple & a diet soft drink (like diet A&W.. yummy!).

So lunch adds up to be about 650kcal.

For dinner, I try to keep to a soupy meal like Fish Soup with Rice or Yong Tau Fu with Rice. As far as I can estimate, that's no more than 500kcal.

Of course, I do snack a little here and there. That's usually in the form of a few almonds. I think I'm snacking at around 200 kcal a day.

So, I think my total calorie intake for my three meals + snacks is about 1800 kcal.

Together with my exercise, I think that still creates a sufficient calorie deficit for me to continue losing some weight.

Recently, been finding that I am getting hungry a bit easier. Not too sure if it's coz I'm running longer distances or just that I'm becoming less disciplined/greedy. Need to watch myself since I'm just a little way off from my target weight of 80kg.

A bit more...

My Jogging Targets

2009-09-08T09:59:00.004+08:00

With the 5km run behind me , I've gotta look forward to the 10km run which is barely 88days away, I'm gonna have to continue increasing my run distances until I can hit 10km. So, I've decided to post the maps of different run distances and update them with the run timings once I have managed to complete the run.

Thank God for google maps. :)

Jogging Route - 10.7km

2009-09-08T09:55:00.001+08:00

My first milestone - 5km RUN Singapore

2009-09-07T00:31:00.002+08:00

After about 11 months since I started on the programme, I have reached my first milestone of taking part in my first run ever... the 5km RUN Singapore event around the Singapore F1 circuit. There's this deep sense of achievement that I actually took part and completed the run. But to be honest, 5km seems a little short when I compare it with the 10km run at the end of the year. I don't even dare to think if I will ever be able to complete the whole 42km marathon.. .lolz... Ok ok, one step at a time. 5km run today, 10km run in 90 days time! (omg.. can't believe it's in 90 days...)

12490 - My First Ever 5km Run

2009-08-30T00:43:00.001+08:00

Today, I went down to The Central to collect my first ever Race Pack for next week's Run Singapore. The pack itself wasn't too exciting, a T-shirt, 2 water bottles and a number tag. But the thought that I will be taking part in my first ever 5km run is quite unebelievable. I think the latest is that the organizers had to change it to about 4.5km for some safety reasons but what the heck, as far as I'm concerned, it's still a 5km run :).

I know a 5km run for most of you will probably be no big deal, but for me, it really is a HUGE deal. I think the last serious thing I ever ran successfully was my 2.4km in JC and that was XX years ago. I decided to sign up for the Run Singapore coz I thought it would be an affirmation that I am on the right track. Additionally, I thought it would be really cool to let my first every run to be along the Singapore F1 circuit.

My real goal is the 10km run at the Singapore Marathon at the end of the year. I can't imagine every running 10km... but hey, a year ago, I wouldn't even think of taking part in a 5km. I've been doing regular runs in the last 2 months and I think I should be able to complete the 5km run without having to walk/stop.

I'm pretty excited about next Sunday and a little apprehensive as well. But I think it's going to be memorable and a personal achievement to be able to complete my first every 5km run event. 12490. Sounds like a nice enough number to begin with. :)

2009-08-09T09:01:00.002+08:00

O.M.G.

It's hard to believe my eyes.... I've broken the 90kg mark...

I've been keeping myself busy with my new job and trying to adjust to my new schedule. I've met my doctor recently and he's challenged me to set myself a new target of completing a 10km run by the end of the year. With that in mind... I decided to sign-up for the 10km-run of the Standard Chartered Marathon. This will be my first ever marathon participation. Figured that I'll try to work towards that goal, failing which, I just won't turn up for it. heh.

I've been trying hard to keep up the routine of alternating between gym and jogging. So I've tried to go to the gym on Mon, Wed & Fri and run on Sun, Tue and Thu. I've been taking tennis lessons on Sat and Taiko drums as well.

So far, so good.

I think I've been able to give myself enough variety to avoid getting bored. I'm also quite happy I've not gotten any serious injury so I've been able to keep going. The next activity I'm really trying to get into is Dragonboating.... :P

10 more kgs and I will have met my weight target of hitting my ideal BMI. It's scary when I think that I might put it all back on in no time. I've not been able to go to the gym the whole of last week coz of work but managed to put in a couple of runs at night. Glad to say it seems I did not put on any weight.

89.5kg... O.M.G. :D

First Milestone - less than 100kg!

2009-06-14T21:19:00.002+08:00

For the last few days, I've been monitoring my weight and I'm pelased to say that I have met my first milestone of going below 100kg! I should be weighing in at about 97kg right now.

For me, since I started putting on weight, this is probably the second time in my life that I've ever been below 100kg. The first time was more than 20 years ago when I went on a fitness streak due to the influence of my JC friends. That time, I believe I also dipped from 120kg to around 90kg. This time, I've dropped from a high of 154kg to about 97kg... that's more than 50kg lost. It feels great and I have also started buying new clothes again to replace the first batch of replacements I bought due when I dropped about 30+kg. Right now, I'm actually wearing clothes ranging from M to XL depending on whether they are American sizes or Asian sizes. It feels great to go shopping for clothes and find that the sizes are too large.... that's something I thought I would never say again! haha.

About 2 weeks ago, I started doing weight training with the trainers in the club's gym. Started off doing simple full-body training and today, the trainer decided that I should start doing focussed training on different days. I admit I feel kinda loser-ish coz I'm really lifting pathetic weights. While the regulars are liling on the pieces of metal, I'm kinda using the lightest or next-to-lightest weights. Although I know this is kinda expected since I've NEVER ever done weights before, it's still kinda embarassing. I guess my goal now is to just tone up my muscles so I dun end up with too much flabby skin. I'm not working towards being some muscle dude. Don't think that's what I really want. It's only been two weeks and the muscles are starting to hurt less. I gotta admit, I think I actually see some muscles forming. lol.

I'm gonna be starting a full-time job soon. It's a little worrying coz I'm not sure if I will be able to keep up my gym regiment with a full-time job. I might have to cut it down to three times a week. I'm of course worried that the weight will also pile back on. I've had a fairly successful stretch with a few minor bumps. But the next two big challenges are (1) to keep losing weight until I reach my ideal bmi, which means I have to lose another 20kg! and (2) to keep the weight off.

Both are kinda hard.

I've seen the reports on tv of the winner of the reality show Biggest Loser putting back most of the weight he had lost after 3 years. I think I will be pretty discouraged if that were to happen. I think that in my life, this will probably be the last serious attempt I am gonna make to lose weight. I think if the kilos pile back on, I'll probably never lose them again. So the goal will be to keep them off.

It really feels great to be in the double-digit-weight-zone again. Now to see if I can hit ideal BMI. If that happens, it will the first time in my life. :)

Attempting something different

2009-05-15T00:09:00.002+08:00

For the past week, I've decided to try something different for my exercise schedule. As I had started teaching again, I've had to wake up before dawn every morning and since school ends at different times, I was beginning to lose my routine of going to the gym. So, starting last Wednesday, I decided to try jogging every night instead of going to the gym. It's a little worrying for me coz I've been going to the gym almost everyday for the last 5 to 6 months. Changing my exercise regime might just result in a drastic slowdown of my weight loss efforts. Worse still, I hope it doesn't cause it to plateau out. I'm gonna try it for about 2 weeks and see if I am able to continue with some weight loss. I expect the rate to slow down a little, but I certainly hope the change is not too much. I'm still continuing (and enjoying) my weekly tennis and I'm gonna try to include swimming at least twice a week and maybe another activity (like Taiko??).

My jogging has been quite encouraging. I've alternated between completing 2.4km jogs and doing slower but longer endurance jogs. I started off about 2 months ago with a 2.4km timing of around 22mins. Tonight, I pushed myself and was pretty proud of achieving 19.5minutes! Of course, that's way off from the 'official' passing timing. But hey, shaving off 2.5minutes is a personal achievement! In between nights of pushing myself to better my 2.4km timing, I try to do longer endurance jogs of between 30 and 40mins. Hoping to work it up to 1hour.... :P

I do enjoy jogging more than running on the treadmill or using the elliptical which are generally quite boring. I've been able to occupy myself on the elliptical somewhat by watching movies on my psp or playing simple games but time really crawls. When I jog, the 20 to 40mins seem to pass by pretty quickly. And to be honest, I do enjoy a good sweating.

I'm really apprehensive about this change of my exercise regime. If things don't turn out good next week, I'll definitely return to the gym. Let's see how it goes.

2009-05-06T23:58:00.002+08:00

I was quite surprised when I met my Sports Therapist today.

At my last appointment two weeks ago, I weighed in at 107.5kg which was barely 2kg less than my weigh-in two weeks earlier. I was getting a little demoralized as I tried to struggle with trying to eat more (as my dietitian recommended) while maintaining my exercise in the light of huge changes to my schedule due to the change in my job.

This week, I was really surprised when I weighed in at 104kg! While it's a morale booster, I am wondering if it's just a weird yo-yo effect coz as far as I know, I've been eating a little more and I had to stop exercising for two days last week coz I was kinda coming down with a flu/cold.

This means that I am barely 4kg away from my first target. Unbelievable.

Went shopping last weekend and realized that I'm basically fitting into US XL T-shirts. I was even more surprised when I could actually fit into a Bossini Crew T-shirt... XL! I didn't even need to get the XXL. I am sure if I had told myself that I could wear a Bossini XL shirt 6 months ago, I would die laughing.

My waist has dropped to about 40 inches. In fact, I was trying on jeans at Marks and Spencer and found that I could actually fit into a size 38.. though it was a little snug. So I think I'm somewhere between 39-40 inches. That's down from over 54 inches just 6 month ago.

Again, I must admit... it's unbelievable.

I'll be seeing my doctor for the last time in 2 weeks. I doubt I can hit 100 by then. But I think I'm definitely on my way. :)

In a dilemma

2009-04-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

Met my dietitian last week and I've been in a bit of a dilemma.

As far as my dietitian is concerned, I am losing weight a little too fast. I've been losing weight at a rate of about 1.5 to 2kg a week. She felt that the safe rate is about 1kg a week. While I have not been starving myself, she was worried that with my weight loss, I might start losing muscle mass instead. So, she suggested that I try to increase my intake with some breakfast, like with some wholemeal bread or low-fat yoghurt.

For one thing, I am of course pretty happy that I've been losing weight at a fairly speedy rate. But I wouldn't want to lose weight at the expense of my health. But there is a worry that if I were to put in more food than I am currently taking, my weight might even out or worse still.. go up!!

I've been playing around with her recommendations the last few days. I'm due for a weigh-in with my sports therapist on Wednesday. Don't really know what to expect. My last weigh-in was about 109 kg. If I follow my usual target, I should be about 106kg by Wednesday. But so far, I think my weight loss is slowing down. Last few days, it's been hovering around 108/107kg.

I'm so close to my target... but really think I should try to do the right thing. Really in a bit of a dilemma. WIll probably try to continue with the extra food and see how things go.

Burnout

2009-04-13T00:04:00.002+08:00

Last week, I had my first taste of burnout.

I've been pushing myself pretty hard coz I was quite disappointed that I had only lost 2kg at my previous session with my Sports Therapist. So, I've tried to put in some extra walking/jogging in the evenings before my session with the ST last Wednesday. Well, it paid off and I weighed in with a loss of about 4kg. The surprising thing was immediately after that session, I was totally burned out. For the next two days, I could barely bring myself to go the gym or do any walk/jogs. So basically, on Thurs and Friday, I slacked off from my exercising. Finally, on Saturday, I managed to push myself to go to the gym to continue with my daily exercising. I've also started with my evening walk & jogs. I find that I've been able to push myself to do about 20-30mins of slow jogging in the evening. As excited I am to starting doing regular jogging, I'm also quite mindful that I don't push myself too hard coz I really don't want to get any knee/foot injury which might take me off exercising on a long term.

As of today, i'm down to about 108kg. Only 9kg more to my first target of hitting below the 100kg mark and 19kg more to my final target of going below 90kg.

Fighting back a cold

2009-04-04T00:46:00.002+08:00

I've been trying hard to fight back a cold. My nose has been runny and my throat has been sore but so far, no fever, cough or phlegm. I've been pushing on with my nightly walk 'n jogs. In fact, I've been able to put in 10 to 20mins of slow jogging into my walks. It feels really good to be actually able to do some jogging. It's been years, almost 20 years in fact, since I've actually done any serious jogging. I'm thinking of aiming to take part in some marathon, maybe at the end of the year. That would really be the culmination of what I've been working on in the last few months. But for now, I think I should keep my sight on my first goal.... double digit weight...

Falling sick?

2009-03-31T00:45:00.003+08:00

One thing that I've been quite amazed with is that I've not fallen ill since I started on the exercise and diet programme. That's more than 5 months without catching flu or a cold. Well, the healthy streak might just be over. I'm feeling like I'm coming down with a cold. I've been sneezing at work at my nose is a kinda stuffed up. I'm really hoping I don't fall sick coz it will definitely affect my daily workout routine. That would certainly be a waste since I've just recently started upping my frequency by including nightly walk & jogs.

Gonna take some panadol and actifed and then hit the sack. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.

Disappointment

2009-03-30T01:02:00.002+08:00

Last Wednesday, I had my fornightly session with the Sports Therapist. It was a little demoralizing because when I weighed in, I was 113kg which meant that I had lost only 2kg in 2 weeks. This was the lowest weight loss since I had started on the programme in October. Of course, 2kg is still fairly decent since the recommended weight loss is about 1 to 1.5kg a week. However, since i have been losing at least 3kg every fornight, losing only 2kg was a little demoralizing. In my last post I was worried about burning out and this 2kg loss was almost an affirmation of that fear. Of course, to be honest, I did give in to TWO buffets the week before. As much as I tried to eat healthily at the buffets, I guess they really did take a toll. Looks like I am going to have to strengthen my resolve not to go for such pig-outs.

Since Wednesday, I've tried to put in more effort to up my daily exercise. I've been trying to go for walks every night. Although there is some inertia to get walking, I do find myself sleeping very well if I go for a walk. So that's kind of a motivation. The other encouraging thing is that I find that I've been able to include a short jog during my walk. It's been years since I've even tried jogging so being able to jog about 200 to 300m is really a confidence booster. However, I'm trying not o go overboard coz I'm a little worried about injuring my knees/feet which might result in a long period of rest.

My personal goal is within reach. But I'm sure the next 14kg will be a hard push. First, I want to hit the 2-digit weight, then I'm gonna go for being within the normal BMI.

Reaching Burnout?

2009-03-20T13:09:00.002+08:00

For the last two days, it has been getting tougher and tougher to get off my butt to go to the gym. I'm not sure if I'm simply reaching a burnout stage after the last 4-5 months of fairly intensive exercising. I've tried to overcome it by upping my exercise a little. On top of the usual 30mins elliptical and 30mins swimming, I've tried to go for a 60min walk in the evenings. The nice thing about taking a walk in the late evening is that I find myself having a pretty good night's sleep after that.

Come to think of it, hitting below 100kg is really within sight right now. I'm weighing in at about 114kg today which means it's only about 15kg to go. If I can keep up this rate of losing about 1.5 to 2kg a week, I will hit my target in 7 to 10 weeks! That's quite exhilirating.

But for the immediate situation, I need to overcome this increasing sense of lethargy. I'm so worried that I might slip up and just let myself go. I've always been the impatient sort and I guess losing about 33kg since I first started barely 6 mths ago is already a pretty decent progress. Really need to keep myself focussed and control the snacking impulses. :S

Feels good!

2009-03-04T00:10:00.002+08:00

One month since my last post. Today, my weight is about 117.5kg which means that I've lost 7kg in one month which works out to a little more than 1.5kg a week. That's pretty encouraging. A few things have been great morale boosters.

1. I'm fitting into size 44 pants.

I've started wearing size 44 pants. That's almost 10 inches off my waist in October! I've already changed my pants twice. Once when it dropped to 48inches and now when it's down to 44. Today, I went to Marks and Spencer and decided to try on their slacks and jeans cause they usually carry up to size 44. I was near elation that even the size 44 jeans felt a little big but i didn't dare try the 42. :) My target, 38 inches! That would really blow my mind.

2. I'm fitting into XL shirts (US-size).

I've pretty much packed away all my clothes from Oct 08. Even the nice Under Armor Collared shirts I bought are now much too baggy for me. I bought some 4XL work shirts from Queensway in Dec and I think right now, the shirts are feeling a little big too. I found that I am actually fitting nicely into US XL shirts which are of course larger than asian sizes. The last weekend, I found that I could start walking into some of the shops in the malls and actually fit into some of the shirts! I've not been able to do that in a very very very long time. I tried on a Goldlion work shirt, size 18 and it actually fit (though it was a little snug). I can almost cry. My goal I think would be to fit into an asian XL Shirt or maybe a size 16 work shirt.

3. Swimming Trunks

This is one of the worst enemies of any overweight person... putting on swimming trunks. For one thing, it is impossible to find large sizes. And I am not talking about swim shorts... but the typically speedo-type. 2 weeks ago, I went to the Royal Sporting House in Suntec and bought a pair of size 42 trunks which I thought I would probably not fit but would be a nice goal to aim for. When I got home, I tried it on and found that it actually fit! So now, I've started swimming regularly, almost 20 laps every day. It's a huge morale booster.

On the whole, I think I'm really feeling better and looking better. Two Weeks ago, my regular doctor took my pressure and said it has never been lower! I also find that I can chase after a bus and actually catch it without feeling breathless.

But with all this good news, I am also getting a little worried that I will be happy and settle for 117.5kg. There are days when I really feel tired and don't feel like going to the gym and the temptation with food is really growing. I keep thinking longingly of that delicious 'butterfly fritter' and that KFC Fried Chicken... SIGH. I'm aiming for at least another 20kg and if possible, 30kg so that I can actually hit 90kg... which is probably the lowest I have ever been. I'm trying to kick my exercise regime up to slightly higher level so that I can maintain the weight loss. I'm picking up tennis starting this week and I hope to start nightly walks to complement my morning exercises.

Really hoping to keep this up. 18kg to go!

124.5

2009-02-04T13:28:00.002+08:00

Just got back from my sports therapy session and wow... my weigh-in came in at 124.5kg! That's quite a morale booster. I've been a little disappointed the last few days when I noticed that my weight was hovering around 126kg. Wonder why there was a sudden drop? I am trying to be a little more careful with my meals. I tend to eat until full so I'm trying to just eat a little less, like 1/4 less rice or something like that.

As far as exercise is concerned, I think it's going on reasonably fine. I recently purchased a Wii Fit so that I could have some exercise at home too! How hard core is that! lolz.

I'm just hoping 124.5kg is not a one-day thing. Let's see how the next couple of days go.

Chinese New Year Temptations

2009-01-31T23:28:00.002+08:00

It's the first week after the CNY celebrations and I am proud to say that so far, I have not given in to two of my faves: bak kwa & pineapple tarts. The only time I think I really broke my diet is during the reunion dinner when I defintely had more than my allowed share of fishballs and fried yam cake. :P

It's been about 3 weeks since my last update and I am glad to say that I am more or less keeping to my exercise regime. I've been making it a habit of going to the gym before going to work and if I can't make it to a gym for any reason, I make the effort of going for a brisk walk around the neighbourhood of at least an hour.

For food, I think I'm still quite disciplined but I feel myself getting a little lax on some days. I have to admit that it's becoming increasingly tempting to indulge in some of my familiar favourites, but everytime I feel like giving in, I feel this deep sense that I am wasting the progress that I have made so far. Hence, so far, I have not really given in. Some food habits which I have been cultivating:

- eating chicken rice with plain rice instead of the oily chicken rice. I actually bother to bring my own white rice from home to eat together with the skinless white chicken meat together with my favourite chopped ginger and black sauce. It's been almost a month since I last ate a bowl of oily rice. And to be honest, I think the taste is still as good.

- eating western food but asking for the sauces (like BBQ sauce and Thousand Island) to be served separately. I get to control the amount of sauce I put and I find that I am actually eating so much less sauce then I usually do.

- drinking iced tea with only about 1/2 a tablespoon of sugar. I've tried drinking it without sugar but I find that the tea at most coffee shops are not so freshly brewed so it ends up having a pretty bitter aftertaste. Other than that, I only drink water/coke lite/pepsi lite.

I'm quite pleased to say that I find that I am losing the kilos, slowly, but at least fairly steadily. This morning, I found that I'm about 127kg. That means I'm losing about 1kg a week which is the recommended rate. But I do find that this past week appears to be a fairly slow week. I'm hoping that I can keep up this rate of lost. It would be really awesome to be less than 120kg come april....

I went shopping today and I found that my waist has dropped about 1 to 2 inches since the end of Dec. I had bought a fitting pair of pants in the last week of Dec and my waist then was 48inches. Today, I tried on a pair of size 46 inch pants and found that they fit pretty nicely. :) I've also thrown out my old shirts cause they were beginning to look really big on me. I think I've dropped about 2 shirt sizes - I used to buy 3XL/4XL shirts and today, I was trying on XL/2XL shirts. :)

The going has been tough, but I must admit that it felt REAL good when I was trying on the clothes today. My next goal... to be able to buy shirts off-the-rack from Marks & Spencer. :P

It's been a while

2009-01-09T21:28:00.003+08:00

As with all blogs, it usually comes to a time when updating feels like a bit of a chore. It's been a while since my last update, but mostly due to my laziness. Thankfully, the laziness is confined to my blog updating and not my exercising.

I've been keeping up with my daily visits to the gym but I must admit that in the past week, there has been a growing inertia to go to the gym. It's a little scary because I really don't want to put back what I have lost so far.

My latest weigh-in puts me at about 130.2 kg. That's quite exciting and I think I've lost about 5 to 6 inches to my waist. Ialso find my shirts getting a little too baggy and am startng to buy shirts at least one size smaller. I think all this is making me a little complacent. I'm far from my ideal weight and am still targetting to lose at least one kg a week if not more.

I've been clocking in at about 25 to 30mins on the elliptical machine everday together with about 25mins on the treadmill. But as I start losing weight, it's taking more time on each machine to burn off those calories. Phew. It's tiring. But hey... nothing comes without hard work right?

It's 2009 and my goal is to lose a kg a week and hopefully hit the double digit weight by the end of this year. This is one resolution I hope I can keep. :)

Overseas again - In Jogjakarta

2008-12-21T01:05:00.003+08:00

I’m in Jogjakarta now. I’ve never imagined that I would say this… but I’m kinda disappointed that my hotel doesn’t have a gym… LOL! This has NEVER been a requirement for me when choosing hotels but now it seems that I’m actually looking out for it.

I think I am mildly addicted to the adrenaline of exercising. Although I couldn’t find a gym, I actually took the effort to do a brisk walk for about 30mins around the hotel grounds. I’m only here for 4 days but I certainly don’t want to go back to Singapore to find that my weight has remained the same or worse still.. increased! It’s the Christmas season so it’s kinda scary coz there’s a tendency to overeat. I’ve already given in a little to temptation today. Although I’d fought off the temptation to have a nice plate of FRIED RICE, I ended up giving in to the dessert which I thought I had to try. It was an awfully sinful banana with chocolate syrup in the middle and topped off with some grated cheese and condensed milk. Yes, I felt awful eating it, but how could I give up trying s local specialty..

I’m off to visit Borobudur tomorrow and I’m told that it will be a bit of a climb. I hope to hit about 15000 steps tomorrow so that I won’t have to go to a gym in another hotel. I’m actually toying with taking a 15min taxi ride to a nearby hotel and paying about 30,000 rupiahs (abt 5 singapore dollars) to use the gym. Let’s see how things go tomorrow.

Ellipticals & Treadmills

2008-12-20T14:58:00.002+08:00

I was introduced to the Elliptical Machine and the Treadmill on Thursday. I've been on any of those so it was quite an interesting new experience.

The Elliptical Machine was pretty tiring. I only went about 15mins on it and my knees were starting to feel wobbly. The Treadmill was a slightly more interesting experience. I was on it for about 20mins, walking at about 4.5kph and when I stopped, my feet felt like it was floating! I don't think I was lightheaded, but it was a strange sensation of weightlessness.

I did kinda enjoy the two machines coz I am better able to know my speed and duration as well as the approximate number of calories burnt. The only problem is that it can get kinda dull walking 20+mins on a treadmill. I'm gonna think about how to keep myself occupied. Maybe I can finally make use of my portable DVD player. The PSP screen is a little small...

The next machine I am thinking of trying out will be the rowing machine. But that's a story/adventure for another time. :)

13 kg in 8 weeks!

2008-12-17T00:05:00.003+08:00

Yepz... i'm pretty psyched. Went to see my doctor today and I've lost about 13kg since I joined the programme. It's been exactly 2 months since I joined the programme so that makes it about 1.5kg lost per week. I started off weighing about 147kg and today, it's about 134. Frankly, I'm quite pleased with my progress. I've definitely begun feeling the weight loss. My pants are now getting pretty loose and I'm beginning to be able to wear some of my used-to-be-tight shirts.

Of course, the concern now is whether I can keep this up. I must admit to feeling somewhat satisfied although I know I am far from my ideal weight. Personally, I would love to go from a triple digit to a double digit weight. I think I really need to remind myself to take it one step at a time. My goal for now is to go below 130kg.

As far as exercise is concerned, I've been trying to up my walking and I've also taken up swimming as well as some simple arm exercises to build up my biceps and triceps. I cannot believe how weak they are. Not surprising I guess, considering that I have done zero exercises on them for the past dunno-how-many years.

Anyway, here's a record of my walking for the last few days:

11 Dec - 15720 (33mins)
12 Dec - 13547 (26mins)
13 Dec - 14903 (33mins)
14 Dec - 6751 (forgot to bring stepmeter out) (50mins)
15 Dec - 13697 (41mins)
16 Dec - 15607 (46mins)

Time in brackets show the time I took on my brisk walking.

On top of that, I've managed to clock in some swimming time.

11 Dec - Swimming (20 laps/37mins)
16 Dec - Swimming (20 laps/40mins)

I'm gonna be meeting up with the sports therapist for the first time on thursday so I'm looking forward to doing some other different exercises.

13kg gone. \O/

Back in Singapore again.. not too proud of Vietnam

2008-12-10T23:12:00.002+08:00

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!).

From Japan to Singapore to Vietnam

2008-12-02T00:09:00.003+08:00

I've left Japan and I'm now in Vietnam.

Step count has been decent except for 29 and 30 Nov when I had returned to Singapore. Was really too tired out to walk and just wanted to sleep. I had to also pack for my Vietnam trip.

24 Nov - ??
25 Nov - 13781
26 Nov - 16313
27 Nov - 10541
28 Nov - 19872
29 Nov - 6481
30 Nov - 6804
1 Dec - 15498

I weighed myself back in Singapore and I was tremendously proud that I'd acheived my goal for the Japan trip.. My weight went below the 140kg mark to about 137kg! I'm pretty pleased with myself. However, on my first day in Vietnam, I hate to say it but I think I've been pigging out on the three meals. Starting from tomorrow, I will reign myself in and go back to more nominal meals. No way I'm gonna waste all the hard work I'd put in while I was in Japan! Vietnam's food is delicious but I guess I have to remind myself of my goal!

2008-11-23T20:03:00.002+08:00

This has been a tough week. It's my third week in Japan and boy am I wiped out. Generally, it has been a busy week as I've had to do plenty of walking except for 21 Nov when most of the time was spent on a coach.

Food wise, I think I've mostly kept to a decent intake. I did succumb to some really succulent pork yakitoris but I tried hard to make it up with a light dinner. I love it that Japan has so many no/low sugar drinks. Makes it a pleasure to have so many choices to drink after a meal/when thirsty.

16 Nov - 19287
17 Nov - 12957
18 Nov -11784
19 Nov - 15265
20 Nov - 24207
21 Nov -7507
22 Nov - 19195
23 Nov - 19519

This past week's average step count is 16177. It's quite exciting to see the increase in the step count.

One more week to go. Hope to have a good week ahead.

In Japan - Part 2

2008-11-15T22:12:00.002+08:00

2nd week in Japan.

I've been pretty good so far. Meals usually involve only a bowl of rice instead of the usual 2 or 3, especially when I am travelling. I have not taken any very sweet drinks since Japan has a nice variety of low sugar/low cal drinks. It's been also quite tiring as I've been chalking up a decent number of steps almost everyday.

However, I admit that I've had a bit of a weak spot when it comes to Yakitori... I've been hungering for some and today, when I visited a temple, they were having a festival celebration... and there wer Yakitori stalls!! I gave in and ended up eating two pork yakitoris, one chicken and a nice big piece of squid.. :P OK.. I did try to make it up by not having lunch. :) And dinner was quite vegetarian. lolz.

Here's my step count for the week:

9 Nov - 18578 steps
10 Nov - 11985 steps
11 Nov - 11333 steps
12 Nov - 11850 steps
13 Nov - 10780 steps
14 Nov - 19204 steps
15 Nov - 26030 steps

That makes an avergae of 15680 steps. Nice. But boy... do my feet hurt!

In Japan - Part 1

2008-11-08T23:47:00.001+08:00

I'm travelling in Japan for almost the entire month of Nov so updates will not be so frequent.

I'm on the move almost everyday and I am proud to say that when it comes to my favourite Japanese food, I have been cutting down on many of my favourites. I've amazed myself at how reasonably healthy my breakfasts have been when compared to my previous trips to Japan. For starters, I have been taking a large serving of lettuce... without any dressing! And I've cut down the fried food to maybe a weiner and one or two other items. I've also been keeping away from my favourite Japanese jellies which I usually take for supper. Pretty good right?

As for exercises, it's a little tough to do my dedicated 30mins of walking coz it's winter here and I don't really have winter exercise gear. But I think I've been doing decently well with my daily step count:

2 Nov - 13089 steps
3 Nov - 11044 steps
4 Nov - 9484 steps
5 Nov - 12694 steps
6 Nov - 7988 steps
7 Nov - 18328 steps
8 Nov - 28133 steps

That averages out to 14394 steps a day! And today was a really bumper day with over 28 thousand steps (and I have two pretty sore feet as prove of the bumper day).

Hope I can keep up the discipline of walking more and controlling my snacking and love for Jap food. Perhaps when I go home after a month, I might have lost a couple kilos.:P

Exercise Diary - 30 Oct 08 (Thursday)

2008-10-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 32 mins
Heart Rate after: 128 bpm

Step Count for the day: 13816 steps

Wow... another bumper walking day! It's due mainly to the fact that I had a presentation and in the evening I went out for dinner and some shopping. I'm also quite glad that I've more or less overcome the mental barrier of doing a daily exercise. But there is still some inertia coz I tend to be quite tired in the evenings. I'm of course a little concerned coz I'm off to Japan soon and since it is winter, I probably can't do my nightly walks. The upside to that is that I will however be doing plenty of walking through the day since I am on tour so it might make up for it. But I will TRY! It'll be sad to break the momentum that I've gathered in the last two weeks. I'm hoping for some good changes/improvements after my trip.

Food Diary - 30 Oct 08 (Thursday)

2008-10-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

I'm deciding whether I want to continue with the food diary since I have already completed my first phase and reported to the dietitian. I think in some ways, my daily food habits are quite routine and repetitive. I met the dietitian and she has prescribed a meal plan which is supposed to bring my calorie intake to around 1800 calories a day. The plan sounds pretty do-able but I'm sure it's going to take some will power and discipline to stick to it.

Anyway, I guess I am somewhat keener to keep to my exercise diary but maybe I'll only make entries for my food diary if there are any special entries worth mentioning.

The meal plan she suggested was:

BREAKFAST
Prawn noodle soup with chwee kueh (coz I like chwee kueh)
OR
Lor Mee (but no chwee kueh. sniff.)
OR
Fried Bee Hoon with two side dishes

LUNCH
Yong Tau Foo with a bowl of rice
OR
Some soup dish (like fish soup, dumpling soup, etc) with a bowl of rice
OR
Chicken Rice (with plain rice! and no skin on chicken meat. Heh)
It's going to be a little challenging to find a chicken rice stall which serves plain rice... but I think I'll give it a try!

DINNER
Spaghetti (preferably with tomato sauce and no processed meats)
OR
Palm size portion of meat with boiled veges (basically minimal frying) with a bowl of rice
and
FRUIT

My guess is that the plan isn't too tough to follow. Gonna give it a try for the next few days but unfortunately, I'll be off to Japan soon so I'm not going to be able to follow it.

The fun never ends. Lol.

Exercise Diary - 29 Oct 08 (Wednesday)

2008-10-29T23:41:00.002+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 24mins
Heart Rate after: 140 bpm

Step Count for the day: 7890 steps

Reasonably busy day. Had a couple of meetings to attend then rushed off for a dinner appt. Today, it was fairly easy to get into the exercise mood. Came home at about 10pm, immediately changed to my track shoes and went for my walk. I seem to be able to manage the pace a little better now. Actually, I think I'm walking at a fast pace and covering my distances faster. Might have to consider changing my route so that I can get in at least 30min of walking time. I love my new New Balance shoes. Definitely more comfortable than my ill-fitting Nikes.

Food Diary - 29 Oct 08 (Wednesday)

2008-10-29T23:39:00.002+08:00

Brunch, 11am
1 bowl of prawn noodles
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea Orh Peng (with 1 tsp of sugar)

Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Dinner, 7pm
1 plate of grilled chicken (with BBQ sauce) and rice
1 Iced Tea (no sugar)
approx 15 pcs of crincle cut french fries

Location: Restaurant
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 28 Oct 08 (Tuesday)

2008-10-28T23:29:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 32 min
Heart Rate after: 140 bpm

Step Count for the day: 7945 steps

Was feeling really sleepy tonight and I was really tempted to skip my evening walk. Hard to drag myself out of bed and put on my brand new track shoes (yep! bought a nice new pair over the weekend) and go for my walk. In the end, felt quite proud that I didn't skip my walk for the day. I really need to put my heart into it and get these daily exercises up. As the doctor mentioned, I've really been living a sedentary lifestyle for many years so it's an uphill task trying to get into the rhythm of regular exercising. Supposed to keep this up for about another 2 weeks before I 'graduate' to more stuff. Kinda looking foward to that. :)

Food Diary - 28 Oct 08 (Tuesday)

2008-10-28T23:26:00.003+08:00

Lunch, 12.30pm
1 plate of nasi lemak (with 1 chicken wing, cabbage & luncheon meat)

Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Tea, 4.30pm
1 bowl of lor mee
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dinner, 7pm
Brocolli

Diced Chicken with peppers

1 bowl of clear corn soup

1 bowl rice
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 27 Oct 08 (Monday)

2008-10-27T23:50:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 25 min
Heart Rate after: 140 bpm

Step Count for the day: 13949 steps

OK, nice step count today again cause I went around shopping and went out with some friends too. But, dinner was a little on the heavy side. Luckily these dinners come once a fortnight or once a week at most. Not sure how it's gonna impact my routine, but I'm thinking these 'social meals' shouldn't be too bad since they're not that frequent... :P

Food Diary - 27 Oct 08 (Monday)

2008-10-27T23:45:00.000+08:00

Lunch, 12.30pm
1 plate of white chicken rice
4 chwee kueh
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Snack, 5pm
2 bread talk buns
2 plain sausage
Location: Shopping Centre
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Satisfied

Dinner, 7.00pm
Roast duck, prawn balls, fried chicken, fried celery, 1.5 bowls of rice.
1.5 scoops of ice cream
Location: Restaurant
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 26 Oct 08 (Sunday)

2008-10-26T23:42:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 34 min
Heart Rate after: 140/156 bpm

Step Count for the day: 8636 steps

Tonight was the first time I've walked past midnight. Was busy with playing a game until past midnight. I'm quite pleased that I've not used it as an excuse to get away with not going for my walk. I pigged out a little by having two fired butterfly fritters today. Coupled with a buffet dinner, probably blew my food quota for the day. Feet feeling a little tired/painful. Must try to get some better shoes. But it's so difficult to get large shoes in Singapore. I saw some sales today, but even the Nike size 13 were too small for my feet.... Gonna check out the New Balance shops this week.

Foor Diary - 26 Oct 08 (Sunday)

2008-10-26T23:21:00.000+08:00

Tunch, 2.30pm
1 bowl of plain Pho in chicken soup
2 vietnamese rice paper rolls
Location: Vietnamese Restaurant
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Snack 5.30pm
2 butterfly fritters
Location: Suntec City
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry, want to eat favourite snack
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Happy!

Dinner, 6.30pm
Dinner buffet
small bowl of prawn noodles soup
small bowl of mee siam
2 servings (curry sotong, fried fish (2pcs), curry chicken (2 pcs), kailan)
1/4 papaya and half a dragon fruit
Location: Club
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
fThoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 25 Oct 08 (Saturday)

2008-10-25T23:50:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 32 min
Heart Rate after: 156 bpm

Step Count for the day: 13326 steps

Woot! I've crossed the 11,000 goal with 2000+ steps to spare! Heh... well, it was a tiring day coz I pretty much spent the day walking and shopping. Then, I also decided to try walking back from Ang Mo Kio MRT Station. Took me over 30mins and more than 3000 steps. Really tired out today but quite pleased with myself. :)

Food Diary - 25 Oct 08 (Saturday)

2008-10-25T23:46:00.000+08:00

Lunch, 2.30pm
1 plate of white chicken rice
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea Orh peng (1 tsp of sugar)
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Snack, 5.30pm
2 bread talk buns
Location: Ang Mo Kio Hub
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Somewhat happy!

Dinner, 6.45pm
1 bowl of lor mee
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 50% full

Snack, 7.30pm
1 6-inch hot dog
1 coke light
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 24 Oct 08 (Friday)

2008-10-24T23:24:00.000+08:00

Activity: None
Duration: NA
Heart Rate after: NA

Step Count for the day: 4002 steps

Felt really sleep tonight. I think must have been the earlier mornings I have been having the last two days. Anyway, excuse or otherwise, I took it as my 7th day break since I'd been doing my evening walks for 6-nights in a row. Of course, deep down, I'm thinking I should have just gone for the walk. but seriously... YAWN... I'm really sleepy today. Hope this doesn't break my momentum which I've gathered the last 6 days.

Food Diary - 24 Oct 08 (Friday)

2008-10-24T23:09:00.000+08:00

Bunch, 11am
1 bowl prawn noodle soup
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea Orh peng (1 tsp of sugar)
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Lunch, 2.45pm
1 bowl of yong tau foo (1 bean curd skin, 1 bitter gourd, 1 fish cake, 2 pc chinese cabbage, 1 ladies finger)
1 bowl of rice
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dinner, 8.30pm
2 plates of spaghetti in tomato sauce with luncheon meat & sausage
1 medium mango
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 23 Oct 08 (Thursday)

2008-10-23T23:58:00.002+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 32 min
Heart Rate after: 128 bpm

Step Count for the day: 10700 steps

Hmm.. quite impressed that I managed to clock more than 10,000 steps today! It's partly due to the fact that I had to go out of office for some presentation and after work I did a little bit of shopping near my office. Not bad.. quite happy!

Tomorrow will be my one week anniversary of exercising every day! Definitely should think of some reward for myself. heh.

Food Diary - 23 Oct 08 (Thursday)

2008-10-23T23:55:00.000+08:00

Breakfast, 9.30am
1 bowl of Lor Mee (no egg)
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea Orh peng (1 tsp of sugar)
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Lunch, 3pm
1 bowl of Vietnamese Pho (plain, without meat, in chicken soup)
2 rice paper rolls
Location: Vietnamese Restaurant
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Dinner, 8.15pm
1 bowl of rice
Chicken curry (1 large carrot + 4 pieces of chicken)
Green Vege (Chye sim?)
1 medium mango
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

I really love Pho!

Exercise Diary - 22 Oct 08 (Wednesday)

2008-10-22T23:59:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 23 min
Heart Rate after: 130 bpm

Step Count for the day: 8118 steps

Actually, quite amazed at myself today. Weather wasn't too good. In fact, there was still a very slight drizzle, but I actually got off my butt and went for my walk again. It's been 5 days since I started and I'm kinda glad I've been fairly motivated in doing my daily walks. I guess the big question is whether I can carry this on for at least 4 weeks which is what the doctor has prescribed for me to accomplish. I'll be off to Japan soon so it's gonna be quite challenging to keep up with the walks. Since I will be walking most of the time while I am there, I'm hoping to top the 11,000 step count while I am there. Not too bad since I managed 8000+ steps today. That's just 3000 more to 11,000.

Food Diary - 22 Oct 08 (Wednesday)

2008-10-22T23:54:00.002+08:00

Brunch, 11am
1 bowl of pawn noodle soup
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea Orh peng (1 tsp of sugar)
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Tunch, 4pm
1 plate nasi lemak with egg, luncheon meat and chicken wing
1 pokka oolong tea
Location: coffee shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dinner, 8pm
1 bowl of rice
Sweet and sour pork (about 8 pieces)
Tow gay
Half a medium papaya
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Exercise Diary - 21 Oct 08 (Tue)

2008-10-22T00:10:00.003+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 31 min
Heart Rate after: 130 bpm

Step Count for the day: 7681 steps

OK, inertia is starting to set in. It was a little bit more of a struggle to go for my walk tonight. In a way, I'm thankful I started this blog cause at least I didn't want to enter 'No exercise' as an entry. Not for now anyway. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm fairly determined at this point to try and make a difference. At least I made an effort to include an additional 10mins from the prescribed 20mins a day.

I've been reading that I need to make it at least 11,000 steps a day. Wah lau.. right now, it's hard to imagine getting the Step Count to 11,000. Guess I should try to take it one step at a time (no pun intended).

Food Diary - 21 Oct 08 (Tue)

2008-10-22T00:06:00.002+08:00

Brunch, 11am
1 bowl of Lor Mee (no egg)
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea Orh peng (1 tsp of sugar)
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Tunch, 3.30pm
1 bowl yong tau foo (1 bean curd skin, 2 kang kong, 1 ladies finger, 1 bitter gourd, 1 cuttle fish)
1 bowl of rice
1 Pokka Oolong tea
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dinner, 8pm
1 bowl of bak kut teh (about 5 pieces of pork)
1 bowl of rice
1 large serving of green vege
1 medium mango
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Exercise Diary - 20 Oct 08 (Monday)

2008-10-20T23:41:00.002+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 24 min
Heart Rate after: 150 bpm

Step Count for the day: 5462 steps

Almost didn't feel like walking today. At first, I was kinda happy there was a downpour. But the downpour stopped around 10.30pm so I decided I didn't really have an excuse. :(

Food Diary - 20 Oct 08 (Monday)

2008-10-20T23:36:00.002+08:00

Had what I would consider a 'typical' 3-meal-a-day kinda day.

Breakfast, 9.30am
1 plate of bee hoon + fied egg + fish fillet + szechuan vege
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea C kosong peng
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Lunch, 3pm
1 bowl yong tau foo (2 bean curd skin, 2 kang kong, 1 ladies finger, 1 bitter gourd
1 bowl of rice
1 Tea C kosong peng
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dinner, 8pm
1.5 bowl of rice
fried green vege with oyster sauce
black sauce pork
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Exercise Diary - 19 Oct 08 (Sunday)

2008-10-19T23:13:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 22 min
Heart Rate after: 150 bpm

Step Count for the day: 8615 steps

Food Diary - 19 Oct (Sunday)

2008-10-19T23:07:00.000+08:00

Lunch, 2.30pm
1 bowl of kway chup
1 bowl of yam rice
1 plate of pork + fishcake + kiam chye
1 Tea C kosong peng
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dinner, 8.30pm
1 plate white chicken rice
1 plate tow gay
1 bowl of fishball soup with tanghoon
2 'bread talk' buns
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Very hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Very full

Exercise Diary - 18 Oct 08 (Saturday)

2008-10-18T23:10:00.000+08:00

Activity: Brisk Walk
Duration: 60min
Heart Rate after: 132 bpm

Step Count for the day: 9612 steps

Food Diary - 18 Oct 08 (Saturday)

2008-10-18T23:02:00.000+08:00

Lunch, 2.15pm
1 plate white chicken rice
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea C kosong peng
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Dinner, 7.20pm
1 plate Aglio Olio with ham
2 'bread talk' buns
Location: Food Court
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% full

Dessert, 9pm
1/2 Medium size papaya
1 packet of ground nuts (Thumb brand)
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Wanted some dessert
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Satisfied (felt full because of ground nuts)

Snack, 2am
1 cup of hot milo (3 tsps)
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Wanted a hot drink before sleep
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Satisfied

Exercise Diary - 17 Oct 08 (Friday)

2008-10-17T23:09:00.000+08:00

Activity: None
Duration: NA
Heart Rate after: NA

Step Count for the day: 5382 steps

Food Diary - 17 Oct 08 (Friday)

2008-10-17T22:55:00.000+08:00

Lunch, 12.30pm
1 plate Mee Rebus w/egg
4 chwee kueh
1 Tea C kosong peng
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: A little Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: Full

Dinner, 7.20pm
1 plate charsiew with roast pork rice
1 plate dumpling noodles
Location: Coffee Shop
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: Hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: 80% Full

Dessert, 8.30pm
2 delmonte bananas
1 Fuji Apple
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: wanted some dessert
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: satisfied

Snack, 2.30am
1 Fuji apple
1 slice of banana walnut bread w/butter
Location: Home
Thoughts/Feelings BEFORE: a little hungry
Thoughts/Feelings AFTER: satisfied