Archive for the ‘Losing Weight’ Category
The Gabriel Method of Trimming Without Dieting
I came across the newspaper article in The Star- Trim with Ease- a new method to trim down espouses a nourishing diet and a healthy state of mind (1 October 08).
The method was designed by Jon Gabriel, who weighed 187kg and now he had trimmed to 83kg (height 1.9 metres). He mentioned that he had tried all sorts of weight loss methods such as low fat/low carb diets, naturapaths, homeopaths, personal trainers and even had acupunturist tape seeds to his ear- but none of them worked.
Finally, he had succeeded because he understood the deeper underlying reasons. He states that our mental and emotional stress causes much of the fat gain- something that never got addressed by the more popular diets.
From the article, here are some points he mentioned:
1. We need to nourish our body with nourishing food- then the nourished body will not demand for fattening food. Instead, it will crave healthier food.
2. He recommends lots of greens, organic produce, drink plenty of water, proteins (from grass fed meat, free range chicken, whey protein).
3. He suggests method to overcome the deeper underlying causes (mental/emotional stress/toxins and devitalisation) by adopting methods such as visualisation.
Reviews of Different Diet Plans
PROGRAM THAT REQUIRES YOU TO CUT OFF CERTAIN FOOD GROUPS FROM YOUR DIET:
1. Glycaemix Index/ Glucose Revolution
Different carbs get coverted to blood sugar at a different speed- real human are used as subjects whereby they take the carbs and then have their blood sugar measured at different intervals. The result: the Glycaemix Index (G.I) is formed- whereby food is listed according to categories. GI method says that one can eat carbs- but be wise on the food selection- the slower the carbs get converted to blood sugar, the less you will be triggered to eat. However, GI method had been criticised because it is hard to know the overall effect of GI when you have a plate of food containing an assorted of carbs and protein.
So you have sinned in a big meal, what to do next?
During the last few weeks, I’ve been invited to many lunches by friends and colleagues. My friends paid for my lunch from their hearts as their gesture of thanks, and it will not be appropriate to complain about the calories, rite?
If you think you have been ‘bad’, then check out some of the food that I’ve been eating:
Above: My absolute favorite- marmide chicken. Next to it is tauhu (fried in Thai style). There’s also mutton (that I don’t eat) and some veges stir fried with belacan.
Inspiring Story of Ernie Nix- from obese principal to marathon runner
The April 2008 of Runners World featured an inspiring story on an obese principal who turned into a fit 48 year old marathon runner. To read the entire story, click HERE.
In the physical magazine, his ‘before’ photo is featured and it is totally different from the ‘after’ photo.
Before:
- Weight= 397 pounds
- Cholesterol= 440
- Blood pressure= 220/110
- On medication for hypertension, high cholesterol and anxiety. He also had to sleep with an oxygen mask supplying 2 litres of oxygen to avoid sleep apnea
Deeper Underlying Reasons for Addictions
Any forms of addictions such as addicted to booze, fags, food, work, sex and caffeine almost have a deeper underlying reasons- the cause may not be just superficial. Sometimes, people who do not suffer from such addictions may be quick to blame those who suffers from it.
For instance, someone I know weights at least 300 pounds. To me, she’s a walking time bomb, even though she does not have any apparent health problems. Anyone’s first reaction, including my own, will be to ask her to cut down on food and to start on an exercise program. I have hinted to a mutual friend that I would not mind planning an exercise program for her. But I was told that it is a sensitive issue for her friend, for anyone who tried to ask her to lose weight will end up upsetting her. In fact, this friend once mentioned that she’s the only person she knew who never asked her to do something about her weight.
This got me thinking- this lady basically suffered from serious food addiction. She literally eats non stop (she loves meat and food that is high in fat) and do not attempt to control her food intake. She has everything in life- lots of money, property, a big house with an elevator, a good husband, successful kids- so there is no reason that she is unhappy. But on the few times that I have seen her, I sensed a kind of unhappiness in her. Probably something in her personal life is making her unhappy that she does not reveal to us. Well, every family have skeletons in the closets, don’t they?
Therefore, cases where you see people overeating or having eating disorders- there is a much deeper cause other than laziness and lack of self control. Something deep inside must be making the person feels very unhappy or there is an inner turmoil or conflict that the person is choosing not to address. Probably an inner emptiness that the person is trying to fill up with food, booze, sex or whatever. Sometimes, if the underlying issue is lack of self confidence or bad self image because of the weight problem, the problem is normally resolved if the person is able to stick to an exercise program and successfully lose weight. Most of the time, people who had lost a lot of weight will report feeling more confident, and the confidence levels flow into other areas on their life such as career, relationships and allow them to accomplish other personal accomplishments. And that motivates the person to continue.
On the other hand, there are those who had lost weight, but later regained it back. Then the person tries again, lose weight and later regained it again. Each time the person regains weight, it’s a huge blow to the person’s self esteem, making the person feel more small, unworthy and like a failure. Check also the initial motivation driving the person to lose weight- did the person do it naturally through sensible eating and exercise instead of yo-yo diet or punishing exercise routines or worst eating disorders like aneroxia or bullimia? Was it to please someone else because we feel that we are never good enough for them? Or because it was due to intense peer pressure to belong or to look like a certain celebrity? If so, then perhaps the person will need to seek help, not from an exercise specialist, but from a therapist or counselor first.
Deeper issues that are not being addressed and solved will resurface back again and again in our lives. It comes back to haunt us for as long as we do not face, understand and let them go. Once we resolve our inner conflicts and trauma, only then we are able to move ahead in life. With this out of the way, we would stand a better chance of succeeding in anything, be it a plan to lose weight or built healthier relationships.
Festive Season Diets-High in sugar/fat
Can’t resist squeezing in a post before being dragged for visiting… Happy Chinese New Year & Happy Holidays 
For Chinese celebrants, Chinese New Year (CNY) is here. In Malaysia, we seemed to be lucky because we celebrate various festivals, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Raya, Christmas together. We visit each other’s homes and taste various goodies that our friends and relatives got to offer.
Normally during CNY, when you go visiting, you can expect the following type of food:
–various types of cookies and cakes
–fried stuff- prawn or fish crackers
–a rich assortments of sweets and candies
–nien gao (basket cake- my mom makes them)
–barbequed meat (taste sweet)
–sweetened packet/can drinks
–mandarin oranges (just found out that one mandarin orange have the same calories of a piece of bread-that case, you might as well eat bread because mandarin oranges can irritate your throat)
–for dinners, it will be chicken, fish or meat, cooked in various styles.
You Know Exercise is Your ‘Thing’ when…
This is an original entry writen by me, mostly on how exercise had changed my life. Does any of it describe how exercise changes yours?
- You felt something is seriously wrong by the third consecutive day that you have not exercised.
- You plan your life around exercising instead of planning exercising around your life.
- You find excuses to exercise instead of skipping it
- Your idea of exercising does not involve taking the stairs or doing housework, it involves intensive workout at the cardio machine
- Still, scrubbing the dirty stains on the white tiles in your bathroom no longer become a dreaded chore like what it used to- instead you use it as an opportunity to work on your biceps and triceps, and your thigh muscles coz your’re squating
- You no longer get upset when you can’t find a parking close to the entrance- you don’t mind parking much further away and take a walk
- When your friends commented that you look good, you start preaching about exercising to them.
- You start a blog that talks a lot about exercise and update it regularly Read the rest of this entry »
