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When I first embarked on my portion control diet, I was vigilant about my weekly weigh ins. Every week on the same day, I would get on the digital scale at the gym before eating or drinking anything at the start of the day.

digital bathroom scale

I lost about 9kg over the vigilant weeks.

Then I took it easy. Stopped the weigh ins and was more liberal with my diet, thinking the added exercise from dance classes and runs will make up for it.

Boy was I wrong.

After about a month or two, I got on the scale. To my horror, I had gained 3kg of the hard lost weight.

By not weighing myself weekly, I failed to notice the weight creeping back. Got complacent. Undid the good from the disciplined weeks.

I should have gotten a bathroom scale and weighed myself weekly, to keep track of my weight all the time, so I wouldn’t have ended up gaining so much.

Wish me luck :p

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I used to love dressing up. When it came to holidays, Christmas and any special occasion I loved to shop for new clothes and dress up for the occasion.

I went shopping for clothes in my current obese state. A dress like that would have looked great on me when I was in shape but now, the tummy ruins it.

Nothing beats clothes shopping to shock me back into my diet and exercise routine. I want to get in shape for Christmas. For the fancy dinner my hubby is bringing us to and to look great in the new dresses he bought me.

Time is short. I don’t believe in crash dieting but every kilo counts.

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One reason why I prefer running outdoors is the scenery. Running along the canal offers unexpected sightings of wild life.

While I don’t particularly look forward to encountering the occasional snake, squirrels and bird are a welcome sight. I have yet to photograph the squirrels or the blue birds in action but today, I caught the majestic crane, albeit from quite a distance, on my iPhone.

Years ago, wild cranes used to visit the canal. They have since disappeared. This lone crane is a welcome sight.

Running the same route can get monotonous but the excitement upon seeing that crane took the boredom away and made me forget about my tired aching body.

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I had a great start with my weight loss program and have shed 7 kg in a couple of weeks. Then I got complacent. I stopped watching my food intake and started eating chocolates, desserts, potato chips and junk food again.

durian well

The next trick when you cheat on the diet is to burn the extra calories by running or working out.

I gained 1kg because in the past 2 weeks, I got complacent. I ate what I wanted without compensating for it. So slowly but surely, the weight I lost returned.

Why didn’t I watch my intake?
No time. Lame excuse. We make time for the things we deem important.

As for not limiting my calorie intake – that was due to the lack of discipline. I could limit my intake for weeks then so why not now ?

It all boils down to complacency and the lack of motivation. I need to remember why I embarked on this journey in the first place. To get back my health. To reclaim my figure and for my own self esteem. I need to focus once again on my destination.

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It’s been a while since my last run. Blaming it on a lack of time is but an excuse. One can always make time for things that matter.

Why do I run?
The original reason was to burn more calories and boost my metabolism so that I can lose weight.

Then I discovered endorphins and got hooked on the runner’s high.

That kept me going until I was too swamped to run regularly. The runner’s high was soon forgotten and I just didn’t feel like running anymore.

One way around this was to force myself out of bed and choose a scenic route to run.

Parks, canals, reservoirs, beaches or anywhere close to nature are lovely. Relaxing. Soothing to the weary soul.

I ran along the canal and the houses in that estate, admiring the flora and fauna as I went along. You know what? The 2.6k route was too short at the end of it.

Ran 2.6pm
Burnt 202 calories.

I’ll shoot for more next time.

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I’ve really blimped out again. This time, horribly. I gained 12kg in 1 year.

I was in great shape a year ago, working from home, with time to run 10k daily. Back to work, I ate as much.. ok.. probably even more. At the same time I exercised far less, running 10k once a week max, maybe 4k during lunch some days.

Weight loss requires one to burn more calories than on consumes.

After achieving the target weight, to maintain that new figure, one still has to watch what one eats and drinks and exercise as much. Calorie intake must not exceed calories burnt.

I seek comfort in food. Fell sick and couldn’t exercise for months, but I could still eat. I let of myself and got obese.

Well it just means starting over again.

I went for my first lunch time run yesterday, after a very long break. 20 minutes then. Today, I ran for 30 minutes, 3.6 k.

I intend to keep that up, increasing the time I spend running, and then my speed so I can race again. Gonna run again tomorrow.

I know. I have to cut down those snacks. That’s the hardest part for me, but hey, I’ll do it… next week?

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Working out alone can get boring. Why not rope in your family. All can get in shape together.

Where I live, there aren’t any mountains to climb. Our tallest hill, Bukit Timah hill is the highest peak available to scale.

It’s more a tourist attraction with a gravelled road that spirals up the hill, the top of which has a wooden shelter and a nice plain of grass where families have their picnics, or gatherings.

A place where one can commune with nature.

There are many ways to burn those calories. Hiking up a hill is one of them. Stopping to watch the squirrels, laughing at the antics of the monkeys, observing majestic trees, shy butterflies and interesting flowers makes the journey fun. Before you know it, you’ve reached the top. How many calories did you burn without realizing it?

More fun than the treadmill IMHO.

The path isn’t lighted up so do your hiking up and down the hill during the day. It is, after all, a tropical rainforest, with all its wildlife. Not somewhere you’d want to spend the night. Bring along a bottle of water and some light snacks and a mat and you can enjoy a picnic when you reach the peak.

Then make your way down the path.

You could go through the sandy trails and climb the steeper paths if you are more adventurous. As I always go with my kids we take the familiar paved route.

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If healthy, natural weight loss is your ultimate goal, what you really need to do is to stick to a healthy diet and 30 minutes of cardio exercise 5 times a week.

Healthy snacks like a handful of nuts, other than peanuts, or a crunchy apple instead of ice cream would make a difference too.

Basically, if you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. If you take in more calories than you burn, those extra calories need to be stored somewhere, as fat.

So to lose weight, get moving. Go for the burn. Pick a cardio exercise you can do regularly.

1. Run

2. Swim

3. Brisk walk

4. Cycle

5. Jump rope

6. Climb stairs

7. Go play football

Just get off your butt and move it everyday.

At the same time, watch what you eat.

Everything in moderation. Go for a small slice of your favourite cake once in a while so that you don’t feel deprived.

Watch out for sweet drinks though as the sugar in there pack in a lot of calories. Switch to plain water.

Instead of deep fried food, go for grilled or roasted food.

Watch your portion size and hidden calories.

Salads may seem healthy but not if they are drenched in rich creamy dressing. A vinegar based dressing is better than thousand island dressing calorie wise.

If you seriously want to lose weight, start a food diary. Make that your reality check. Then you’ll know for sure how much you really eat and drink.

Switch to a healthy diet by replacing the high fat, high calorie food with healthy low fat lower calorie alternatives and you’ll be on the way to a slimmer you.

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To say I’m not fat would be an outright lie. The muffin top jiggling over my once-fitting jeans would testify to that.

5 months ago, I ran every morning. 10k each time. Yeah, I invest in good running shoes to protect my legs and glucosamine for my joints. Back then, my abs were flat. I swam some evenings too. about 20 laps, so I could eat as much as I wanted and still stay fit.

4 months into a desk bound job, I’ve gotten lazy. I run more for that mental boost that’s better than coffee. At first I’d get up at 6 to run before work. Then skip lunch to hit the gym.

Late nights meant sleep’s more precious so eventually, I skipped the morning runs for an extra hours zzz.

Lunch time gym gets kinda lonely when everyone is out having lunch with friends, so I stopped the lunch time workouts as well.

10k runs were on Saturday mornings when it didn’t rain.

All the while I continued eating as much as before and blimped out as a result.

Hubby kept telling me I was getting fat but I denied it. Hey, I can still zip up my jeans… barely.

Then, my ultra-cool sis-in-law came with bags of designer togs she wanted to give away. Some weren’t even worn before.

5 months ago, they would have fitted me.

Now, I tore one trying to get into it. Even the ones much too big for her were way too small for me.

I finally admit to my weight gain and will do something about it. Tomorrow.

Ok that’s what we always say about starting on a diet or a new exercise program.

You see, tomorrow never comes.

I’ll work in a run or workout later today. Will let you know about it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I’ve got an exquisite pair of wool pants I couldn’t zip up and a lovely dress that showcases my beer belly (and I don’t even drink beer) in the closet as weight loss motivating factors this time around.

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