Afternoon naps

One of the things I miss most about being a stay at home mom are the afternoon naps. They're usually between 3 to 6pm and after the boys have been tired out by their post lunch play.

Why do I think I miss these nap times so much? Firstly, I lie in bed with whichever child I put to sleep for almost the entire nap. Sometimes I fall asleep, sometimes I don't. If I'm not asleep, I get to watch them sleep. At night, I don't usually bother to keep awake to watch them :)~ When they wake up from their afternoon naps, they're usually in a good mood, and there isn't a rush to get to the next activity. Maybe it's just something about napping in the middle of the afternoon and waking up at dusk.

For me, there's something about just being home with the children in the afternoon and having absolutely nothing to do but to be with them. And it seems so frivolous on the surface, but so crucial to the development of the child or to the relationship between child and care giver.

Thankfully, I do have a wonderful boss at the moment and the work is relatively meaningful so I look forward to working on weekdays. But still, I do miss these wonderful afternoon naps.

It's tough being a working mother. Wait, it's tough being a mother, period. Even stay at home moms running their own businesses struggle with time management because they can't give as much time to their kids as they'd like. I have to constantly remind myself why I want to work. I want to contribute to the household income and help provide for my kids. I want to be contribute to the workforce by applying myself and doing well at work assigned to me. I think I do appreciate my kids more when I get some personal space for my self development (i.e. work or hobbies).

What can I do to cope? Focus on the present. Tomorrow is a Monday and is a working day for me, but I still have more than 12 hours at home with the kids. I need to focus on that.

Just So You Know

Mornings are difficult for mommy. Not really because I want to continue snoozing. I'm a morning person so I enjoy waking up by 6.30am or earlier. The earlier the better for me, so I can prepare for work leisurely.

BUT, the two of you make it so hard. First, Chris, you take after daddy and would sleep in everyday if you could. Not by yourself though. You want to continue sleeping, snuggled right up to mommy. You whine (with eyes closed, mind you), if I get up. Or you start nursing and fall right back to sleep. You make me wish it was the weekend and I could hug you and let you sleep in for as long as you want.

When I finally convince you that I need to go workout and get ready for work, I see your older brother drinking his milk quietly and watching me. Baby elephant, you wave at me when I say good morning or sometimes stop drinking your milk to speak to me as well. I can't resist giving you a morning kiss. It's like I missed you the entire night because I take care of your brother in a different room at night.

You (two of you) make mommy wear her heart on her sleeve and she enjoys it tremendously.

Back in the game

It's been almost a month since I started work. Most days, I work longer than average hours. How do I feel? Good actually! I feel like I'm able to enjoy having both some individual space to myself as well as time with my family. Because I don't work on weekends, I do get a break from work. Because I no longer stay at home the entire day on weekdays, my cabin fever's gone and I look forward to coming home everyday to spend time with the boys. Weekends are also spent on playing and sometimes just watching the boys play or interact with each other.

Am I having my cake and eating it too? Perspective matters, really. Of course I could lament about missing out on their growing during the day, but I choose to enjoy my workday while I'm in the office. When I say I enjoy my work, no I don't mean I spend time gossiping with girlfriends in the pantry or go for long lunches or coffee breaks. I actually work at my desk and relish being a useful member of a productive team. Then at the end of the day, I go home and my kids see that I'm all smiles. What message do I hope to send to the kids? I hope the kids appreciate me as who I am, as I make earnest attempts to stay true to my identity as a mother, a wife, an employee as well as an employer. I hope my kids see the wholeness of playing different roles that life requires of us and which we innately desire as well. Regardless of whether we work, we are all multi-dimensional creatures and I think it benefits our children to see how we manage each role. I believe it benefits them greatly if they can see that we tackle issues head on, coupled with a heart full of hope. I never want to live with what-ifs or with regrets. I detest being held back by fear because it can be very crippling.

I've never considered myself smart or intelligent by any measure, but I hope I can at least pass on the value of working hard or of pushing and stretching ourselves. Hopefully, coupled with inheriting their father's brains, they will be able to achieve a good measure of fulfillment in their lives.

Mommy's back in the game, boys. At least for now. Let's play it well and enjoy it!

Effective eating with the 4 Hour Body & Nutrition Cycling

'Abs are made in the kitchen'

This is so true. Exercise and good nutrition must go hand in hand and I couldn't agree more.

So on my 50 day journey, have I met my goals? Let's see.

Is it now second nature to eat clean?
Yes, at least when I'm at home. I'm so used to buying chicken breast, eggs, frozen fish fillets and shrimp and salad and stir fry veggies on a weekly basis now. I love the ritual of steaming the chicken and boiling the eggs to keep in the fridge so I'm always well stocked with good, lean protein. I love grilling (sometimes steaming) my fish fillets because the fish tastes gorgeous and melts in my mouth! I love the sweet and crunchy shrimp added to my raw salads or stirfried veggies.

When I'm planning to eat out, I automatically search for the menu online so I know what good foods I can order even before I step into the restaurant. Even if I want to eat items that are not so compliant to clean eating, I already know what I want to order, so I don't go overboard on the day itself.

Have I reached my physical goals?

Measurements wise, I would say I've exceeded expectations. My plan was to have a 24.5 inch waist by December. I've achieved that now and some mornings, my waist is almost 24 inches. I'm not so bothered by measurements though, I just don't want to lose lean muscle.

Fitness wise, I think I've made a vast improvement from when I first started working out in February, but have started to plateau and not have as many personal best timings or reps. This is also one reason why I started adding more high octane carbs to my meals, like fruit or muesli to breakfast on days I feel tired. I also noticed that the day after I eat significantly more, I manage to hit personal bests in my workout. There may come a day when I will include carbs at both breakfast and lunch if I continue to see my fitness plateau for an extended period. I'm still hitting personal bests for now, so I'll keep things the same for now.

Most importantly, am I happy?

Yes, most definitely! I like the clean foods and I like the results! I like feeling lean and not bloated. Going easy on myself also helps prevent wild binges that make me feel terrible.

So I think this lifestyle is sustainable and I think I'll carry on with it. I like that there are also many salad places around now, like Sumo Salad and Salad Stop in town where I can get my protein and salad fix anytime! Yay!

4HB Day 50/50 - 25 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
1/4 Chicken breast, hard boiled egg, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Fried chicken.

Dinner:
Steamed fish, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 49/50 - 24 June 2012

Breakfast:
Protein shake.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Cheese bread from bakery, fried pumpkin.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 48/50 - 23 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
@Jimmy monkey: sausages, scrambled eggs, wilted spinach.
1/4 banana chocolate muffin.
Green tea.

Snack:
Jackfruit.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Salted peanuts w ikan bilis n sesame seeds.

Dinner:
Mom's birthday dinner @Imperial Treasure: Peking duck wrap (3), tofu w crab, prawn w mayo(2), crispy pork (2 cubes), stirfried long beans, bok chye w mushrooms, 2 Tbsp eefu noodles, red bean cream w lotus.

Post dinner: 2 tbsp muesli w plain yogurt. (didn't feel full after dinner, may not have eaten enough then)
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 47/50 - 22 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Steamed fish, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 46/50 - 21 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
1/4 chicken breast, hard boil egg, salad.
1/2 banana.
Green tea.

Snack:
-

Lunch:
Steamed shrimp, stir fried veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
2 pieces fried chicken.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB updates

Latest update:
I found my Levis that I wore pre-wedding and tried them on. They are baggy! OMG! I'm flabbergasted and motivated even more to press on!

I've also learnt what I can do on days I feel flabbier, say after a big binge (although these are less likely now that I've gone easy on myself and allow myself a treat almost every other day haha!).

What's constant: exercise.
My short and super intense 10 to 15 min workouts, 5 times a week (mondays to fridays) plus one 4 min super duper intense workout once a week (i.e. Tabata) on Saturdays. Oh, rest is important too, so Sundays are active rest days. I might go for a leisurely walk but no high intense anything haha!

What changes according to needs: diet.

Maintenance mode: (still experimenting the limits)
- tried adding carbs once a day (sometimes twice), mostly at breakfast time after the workout. No weight gain or increase in size.
- carbs are mostly high octane carbs like fruit, whole grains in the form of granola or muesli
- I've always been a little averse to rice so have not tried adding it, except for Saturdays where my free meals might include fried rice or some bread or muffin.
- absolutely no snacking after dinner. I find this really helps in maintaining a flat tummy, but I do indulge sometimes.. Haha!

Shrink/ tone mode:
- strict lean protein and veggies diet for at least 2 days straight. The flab falls right off.
- no fruits or any carbs, except for those present in the veggies.
- definitely no snacking after dinner.

I haven't been on the shrink / tone mode for some time. So far maintenance mode keeps me happy and satiated. Of course, I'm lazy to plan more carbs so I only add say a banana or 1/4 cup of muesli to breakfast when I feel a little fatigued and think I need the carb boost.

On Saturdays, I know we're always out for breakfasts so I'm not too hard on myself if I have white / sour dough bread toast with butter and jam and maybe a cupcake. This is on top of my usual eggs and sausages (I still love my proteins:) ). I've also been treating myself to an entire box of durian each Saturday afternoon for the past 2 weeks and am getting a bit tired of it. However, I do realize I really miss my fruits and muesli and so snack on them on Saturdays as a treat. They also give me an extra fibre boost! I seem to be craving dates this week, maybe will eat them on Saturday in place of my durian treat... We'll see.

I'm at day 46 of the 4 Hour Body / nutrition cycling lifestyle now. It's sure been an adventure but I've learnt so much about my body, my psychology and how to keep an even balance of both. I think each individual body responds to nutrition and exercise differently and it's important to find out what's best for our own bodies. The goals remain the same. To cut fat, maintain and gain lean muscle in order to burn even more fat and to increase our metabolism. To increase our energy levels so we feel better and not sluggish.

Work it out!!

See my knees? I'm one of those strange people who cannot kneel, otherwise my knees hurt. I think there's something wrong with my knees, because everyone should be able to kneel right? Anyhow, I still kneel because I don't give a damn hahah.

Ok, so the bruises aren't from kneeling, but from the Ninja Jump Tucks during one of my workout routines. Cool!! Both the tucks and the bruises haha! I'll post a link of the video on this move when I get time to log onto my laptop.

4HB Day 45/50 - 20 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad.
Banana.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Steamed fish w stir fried veggies.
Green tea.

Snack: (starving at 5.45pm!)
Hard boiled egg.
Lara bar (pecan pie flavor) - so so, not the tastiest.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Seaweed
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 44/50 - 19 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Peanuts (approx. 10)

Lunch:
@Sushi Tei: salmon sashimi, seaweed w salad, salmon skin.
Green tea.

Snack:
-

Dinner:
Grilled mackerel & beef Korean set w/o rice.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 43/50 - 18 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad. Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
@Brewerkz: chicken Cobb salad.
Camomile tea.

Snack:
@Brewerkz: Fried whitebait, chocolate fudge cake, chocolate brownie w ice-cream.

Dinner:
-
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 42/50 - 17 June 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Kimchi.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Lunch:
Steamed shrimp, salad w hotsauce.
Green tea.

Snack:
Coke light.
7 baked almonds.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, stir fried veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

Dad.

I finally got to meet my dad for lunch yesterday, after quite a few months. Man, I miss talking to him and spending time with him.

I've had my internal battles because of why he left us, or rather why my mom told him to leave. But I've realized over the years that his wife (not my mom, he remarried several years after the divorce) really does take care of him and keeps him happy. After being with her for over 20 years and living with her everyday, I can still see how precious she is to him, even as he talks about her. The spark is very much alive. I'm not condoning adultery, but after all is said and done, I believe there were push factors that led to him looking elsewhere for emotional support. I'm happy that he has found happiness that looks like it'll last.

I believe this is why I feel so strongly about placing relationships above material things or convenience. I believe living happily with someone requires work, patience and understanding. I naturally do not possess any of these qualities. I'm lazy, impatient and easily irritable and picky. But at least I know what I need to work on and am trying everyday.

My dad. Even in his absence his love is powerful and has taught me the importance of putting my spouse before myself. He's taught me the value in being easy going and content with the simple things in life. Thank you, Pa.

4HB Day 41/50 - 16 June 2012

Have been enjoying my workouts in the morning and adding a post-workout protein shake after that. It keeps me satiated until breakfast time and helps get my metabolism going in the morning:)

Post-workout:
Protein shake w chia seeds.

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs, sausages & rocket leaves.
Green tea.

Snack:
6 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, stir fried veggies.
Honeydew.
Green tea.

Snack:
Durian, muffin.

Dinner:
Grapefruit.
Braised chicken drum stick, stir fried cabbage, stir fried bok chye. Meatball soup.
Coke light.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 40/50 - 15 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
-

Lunch:
Out for lunch@ White Dog Cafe.
Pumpkin soup, lettuce w 2 walnuts, grilled salmon w mustard, carrots. Handful of tortilla chips.
- no idea why they serve tortilla chips at every table. Wanted them to take it away but I saw my dad eating it so I left it there. I finally tried some after a long long deliberation.


Snack:
Blueberry muffin. (no carbs at breakfast, so enjoyed this extremely good muffin)

Dinner:
Steamed fish, stirfry veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 39/50 - 14 June 2012

Post-workout:
Protein shake

Breakfast:
@Jones the Grocer: scrambled eggs, mushrooms, bacon, sausage & toast w butter & jam. (experimenting w adding in carbs at breakfast)
Decaf long black

Snack:
-

Lunch:
Egg white omelet.
Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, stirfry veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

Seems no change in bloatedness or weight if carbs are added at breakfast so far.

4HB Day 38/50 - 13 June 2012

Experimenting with adding carbs to breakfast or to just one meal a day. I feel less fatigued somewhat and no weight gain.

Pre-workout:
Protein shake.

Breakfast:
Muesli w almond milk.
Green tea.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, salad.
Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, stirfry veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 37/50 - 12 June 2012

Today, I was utterly tired of all the controlled eating and let myself eat anything I wanted. It did not result in a big binge and I didn't feel very bloated so I did enjoy the day. But it lacked lots of veggies...

Breakfast:
Grapefruit.
@Jimmy monkey: vegemite toast w soft boiled egg, apple pie.

Snack:
Chocolate pancake from Mr Bean.

Lunch:
Almond croissant.
Chicken breast. Salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Soy green tea latte.
Peanut butter chocolate cake.

Dinner:
Taiwan pastry.
Green tea.

Snack:
Seaweed, granola.
Banana.

It seems the snacking did not make much difference to my weight or measurements. Perhaps everything in moderation is fine and it helps me not go hog wild on a binge.

4HB Day 36/50 - 11 June 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad w 1/2 avocado.
Green tea.

Snack:
Granola @ Food For Thought: toasted rolled oats w sliced almonds, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, black & white sesame seeds, coconut, candied ginger, mango & raisins, served w skimmed milk.

Lunch:
Chicken breast salad.
Coke light.

Snack:
Durian wrap.

Dinner:
Steamed fish, stirfry veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 35/50 - 10 June 2012

Intermittent fasting today.
Nothing in the morning, only water and green tea.

Lunch:
1/2 can tuna.
Green tea.

Snack:
Coke light.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.
Seaweed.
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 34/50 - 9 June 2012

Snack:
Chicken breast.

Breakfast:
@Brunetti: scrambled eggs, bacon, rocket. Chocolate macaroon, chocolate gelato.
Decaf long black.

Lunch:
Shrimp, salad.

Snack:
Birthday cake @ Cristan's birthday
Cat mountain durian
Greek yogurt w grapefruit n grapes.

Dinner:
Dinner @ coffee shop: Chinese rojak, fried rice.
Coke light.

Snack:
Luna coconut chocolate bar.
Black decaf coffee.

Was supposed to be a cheat day of sorts but there wasn't any all out bingeing, just eating whatever I felt like.

4HB Day 33/50 - 8 June 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Think Thin protein bar

Lunch:
Chicken breast.
Caramel smoothie @ tcc (treat to calm me down before a killer meeting)

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Egg w long beans, chicken curry, bok chye stirfry.
Diet coke.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 32/50 - 7 June 2012

I suspect I may have been so tempted to snack previously out of sheer boredom. I got busy from 6 June onwards and somehow my mind has been more occupied with other things. So another trigger for me here, apart from emotional eating- boredom.

Breakfast:
Omelette, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Chicken breast w 1/2 avocado, steamed broccoli, salad.
Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Grilled chicken breast, stirfry mixed veggies.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 31/50 - 6 June 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad.
Green tea.
Black decaf coffee.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, salad w 1/2 avocado. Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Steamed fish, stirfry veggies.
Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 30/50 - 5 June 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad. Grapes.
Green tea.

Snack:
None, not hungry.

Lunch:
Salmon sashimi n salad, baby octopus.
Green tea.

Snack:
Wheat biscuits, digestives n peanut candy:(

Dinner:
Beef salad from sumo salad.
Green tea.

Snack: (hungry at 12.30am.. Why?)
7 baked almonds.

Press on! Get back on and accept nothing less than full victory! Never accept mediocrity! Make this a lifestyle, not a short term goal! Press on! Visualize!

Update: I read that when the body is in the fat burning state, hunger is common at night so I'm not worried about living with it, as long as it doesn't lead to gastric.

4HB Day 29/50 - 4 June 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.
Black decaf coffee.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, steamed broccoli.
Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad w 1/2 avocado.
Green tea.

4HB Day 28/50 - 3 June 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast w kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
-

Lunch:
Yong tau Fu w loads of leafy greens.

Snack: (free meal)
Snack fest!

Dinner:
Handmade Chinese noodles. Grapes.
Green tea.

Always my baby:)

Here's looking at you, my sweet pea!

4HB Day 27/50 - 2 June 2012

Snack: 5.30am
Woke up starving. Treated myself to almond butter on weetbix, Tbsp of granola and some trail mix.

Breakfast: (free meal)
@Jimmy monkey: sausage, poached eggs, spinach, toast w butter n strawberry jam, 1/2 blueberry muffin (tasted like brown rice flour was used). So good:) but a little bloated.
Green tea.
- think carbs always result in some bloatedness or I may actually be sensitive to gluten or wheat.

Snack:
Dark chocolate (not the 99% one though, eeks!)

Lunch:
Chicken breast, steamed broccoli.

Snack:
Grapefruit.
Protein bar.

Dinner: (free meal)
wedding reception @ Raffles Hotel Bar n Billiard room buffet. Amazing desserts. Enjoyed thoroughly.
Green tea.

Breakfast salad on fuel day

I'm enjoying preparing my simple meals more and more:). This morning, I had cubed steamed chicken breast with half an avocado, crisp lettuce, crunchy grapes and kidney beans with hot sauce! My salads usually don't have any dressing out of sheer laziness. I add tobasco (hot) sauce because it's so simple to dribble it on. When I feel like it, I might use balsamic vinegar but recently I've been a bit rushed for time during meal times plus I'm lazy. Also, if there is avocado in the mix, I'm happy and don't see the need for dressing, except maybe a sprinkle of hot sauce just to give it a kick :).

Today is fuel day so I'm adding beans and fruit to my meals and enjoying them, especially the fruit! I may have over done it with the grapes this morning but boy were they good:). Plus I had I think almost five whole minutes of peace from the kids to eat! What a pleasure :).

Eating clean can be and is a joy!

4HB Day 26/50 - 1 June 2012

We're finally in June!! Yay!

Breakfast:
Chicken breast w 1/2 avocado. 1/4 cup beans, grapes, lettuce in hot sauce.
Green tea.
Yummy grapes!

Snack:
Chicken breast (small piece)
Hard boiled egg.

Lunch:
@Saveur:
Crispy pork belly w poached eggs. Side of lentils. Yummy!
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.
Banana (1) - post workout.

Dinner:
Steamed fish, salad w 1/4 cup kidney beans.
Green tea.

4HB Day 25/50 - 31 May 2012

Breakfast:
Omelette (1 whole egg, 3 egg whites), spinach, cherry tomatoes n lettuce in hot sauce.
Green tea.
Black decaf coffee.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Tuna w avocado. Small portion of French beans, carrots, eggplant stirfry. Steamed spinach, cauliflower.
Kimchi.

Snack:
1 tsp almond butter, 1/2 Larabar, 1/2 cup almond milk.

Dinner:
Chicken breast. French beans, carrots, eggplant stirfry. Steamed broccoli, fresh lettuce, tomatoes n cucumber.
Green tea.

I thoroughly enjoyed today's meals. I kept telling myself to take a picture but totally forgot the moment I sat down and started digging into the grub:)

Update:
Woke up at 4.45am (1 June 2012) and decided to treat myself to a square of 99% dark chocolate. Remembered to measure my waistline as mentioned yesterday. It now stands at 24.5 inches. I guess in the early mornings, after my body has had a rest from food for a few hours, I'm at my leanest. This was my goal waistline for December 2012, but I've reached it 6 months early. Have to find a way to maintain and not bloat up like a blimp. Neither do I want to lose anymore and risk looking like a skeleton. Not good. So, yay for now :).

4HB Day 24/50 - 30 May 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna w avocado, spinach leaves n lettuce.
Green tea.

Snack:
Chicken breast (small piece).

Lunch:
Stirfried shrimp w long beans. Steamed broccoli n cauliflower.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.
Hard boiled egg (1), kimchi.
- hungry, maybe the shrimp wasn't sufficient protein at lunch time.

Dinner:
Chicken breast. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrot stirfry. Kimchi.
Green tea.

Snack:
Lindt 99% dark choc.(1 square)
1/2 Larabar (choc. hazelnut flavor)
Black decaf coffee.

Miss my decaf coffee. Been too busy to drink my decaf the past few days n not willing to spend $5 or more for a decaf long black at coffee joints.

Also, I think incorporating healthy snacks like the Larabar maybe twice a week is good to satisfy my cravings. I see it included in Billy Beck's 7 day challenge, along with his other cococontrol bars as well as chocolate or berry protein shakes. It's all considered part of a clean eating regime and I think it only makes this type of eating pattern sustainable.

On a more wary note, I also don't want my love for keeping to clean eating to become an eating disorder. I had to battle the voice that kept telling me I would be cheating or committing a great sin if I had the Larabar or the 99% dark chocolate.

My reasons for indulging despite the voice:
1. Larabar contains no sugar, it is sweetened by dates, so I would be giving in to a fruit and I think I could live with that once in a while.
2. The 99% dark chocolate is 99% cocoa, hello... And the amount of sugar I would think is almost negligible. I also only had 1 square. It was brilliant, melting slowly on my tongue! If indulging in this keeps me clean 80 to 90% of the time, I'd stick with it, instead of depriving myself for the sake of perfection and then succumbing to an all out binge again. It's true, moderation is key.
3. I think I've very little fat left that I'd like to lose and I'm still experimenting and researching on ways to maintain my current form. I've yet to take pictures because how do I take pics showing abs without showing too much skin? There is an outline of the 6 pack but not the bulging type of 6 pack (which I do not want). Oh ya, forgot to take measurements, maybe tomorrow.

Ok, Tata for now. I'm off to do some blog reading and then to sleep. If I lack sleep, my cravings tend to act up unreasonably so I have to keep reminding myself to sleep.

4HB Day 23/50 - 29 May 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, spinach n lettuce. 1/2 avocado.
Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Lunch:
Salmon sashimi, veggie salad, octopus from sushi Tei.
Green tea.
- feel quite stuffed. May skip the octopus next time.

Snack:
Hard boiled eggs (1).

Dinner:
Beef salad from sumo salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiler egg (1).
1 tsp almond butter :)

Feels like I'm constantly eating, but I was surprised that as I neared the 3 hour mark, I was actually a little hungry.

4HB Day 22/50 - 28 May 2012

Fuel day. Including slow carb beans and fruit today. Yay!

Breakfast:
Omelette (1 whole egg, 3 egg whites) w 1/4 cup kidney beans, spinach leaves n lettuce, Green tea.

Snack:
Chicken breast, kimchi.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, stirfry longbeans n carrot. Grapefruit. Green tea.

Snack:
Larabar (blueberry muffin flavor): first time trying this. I like it! All natural ingredients and sweetened because of the use of dates and blueberries. Yummy!

Dinner:
Steamed fish, tomatoes, cucumber n 1/4 cup kidney beans in hot sauce. Steamed broccoli.
Carrot soup.
Green tea.

Snack:
(midnight, woke up n tummy was rumbling, actually hungry! Maybe cos of the tough workout earlier today)
10 baked almonds.
Hard boiled egg.

4HB Day 21/50 - 27 May 2012

Breakfast:
Hard boiled eggs (2), small pc chicken breast, kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
10 baked almonds.
1/2 small avocado.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, steamed broccoli, asparagus, tomato. Green tea.

Snack:
NuGo Slim bar
- chocolate brownie crunch flavor, helped stave off cravings and kept me full until dinner time. Also 16gm protein and only 19gm carbs, so a good deal. No artificial sweeteners. Would have this again the next time I have chocolate cravings on a Fire meal day. On a Fuel meal day, maybe a Larabar.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, veggies stirfry. Green tea.

Snack:
1 tsp almond butter.
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 20/50 - 26 May 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad. Green tea.
Black decaf coffee.

Snack:
-

Lunch:
Chicken breast, hard boiled egg, mixed veggies. Green tea.

Snack:
10 baked almonds.

Dinner:
Steamed fish, stir fried broccoli. Green tea.

Snack:
5 baked almonds.
Black decaf coffee.

Realized the importance of a visioning exercise. Again, got this from Billy Beck's website. Need to visualize my goals everyday for at least 10 minutes to keep me focused.

4HB Day 18/50 - 24 May 2012

Breakfast:
2 hard boiled eggs, salad, kimchi. Green tea.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, kimchi, salad. Green tea.

Snack:
Binged again. Reevaluated n decided legumes must be included.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad, kidney beans, kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

Decided that I do love the routine of this lifestyle, but that I may need more carbs. So I'm incorporating the nutrition cycling principles from tomorrow onwards. Will be doing 3 Fire meal days followed by a Fuel meal day, where I include the legumes in as a complex carb. Also, will try to incorporate extra meals per day so I don't go more than 3 to 4 hours without eating. I think that was was my undoing. On Wednesday, I went for 6 hours without food and then the binge started from there and never stopped until Thursday afternoon.

Wish me luck! I'll take one day at a time:)

4HB Day 19/50 - 25 May 2012

This is Fire meal day 1. Doing 3 Fire days followed by 1 Fuel meal day. Also, no more cheat days. No more 'cheating'! In it's place, I get 2 to 3 Free meals per week. But for this week, I plan to stay clean until Saturday when I have a wedding reception, then I'll have a Free meal then. After Saturday, I'll incorporate 2 to 3 Free meals per week. Until then, I need to cleanse my body of all the junk!

I'll be labeling everything under 4HB because most things remain the same, only slight tweaking to help me stay on track.

Breakfast:
Tuna, salad, kimchi. Green tea.
Black decaf coffee.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Lunch:
Chicken breast, kimchi, mixed veggies stirfry. Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Tuna, mixed veggies, kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.

Feels good to be eating often, although I've to actually remind myself to eat.

Nutrition cycling

Here's the link with details:
http://www.livegreatly.com/nutrition-diet-effective-eating/nutrition-cycling-the-best-diet-ever-3/

In brief. 3 types of meals:

1. Fire: burns fat and detoxifies.
Consists of lean protein (1/2 plate) and veggies (1/2 plate).
2. Fuel: builds muscle and performance (speeds metabolism)
Consists of 1/3 lean protein, 1/3 veggies and 1/3 high octane carbs (e.g. Fruit, brown rice).
3. Free: any food you desire.

The goal is to have 3 days of Fire meals followed by 1 day of Fuel meals, then back to 3 days of Fire and so on. Each week, allow yourself 3 Free meals (not binges, a portion of something you enjoy and that's it), any day that you choose - this means I can have any type of dinner I want, say on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Fruit is also no longer a forbidden item. I always had an issue with fruit not being allowed on the 4HB.

This makes a lot more sense to me, so let me mull over it and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

4HB Day 17/50 - 23 May 2012

Bad binge today. Not a binge day, but big big binge. Reflections after the enormous list...

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad, kimchi. Green tea.

Lunch:
Steamed fish, salad. Green tea.

Snack:
Pop corn (salty)
Durian salat, coconut kueh n sesame ball
Haha! Felt good but guilty now.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad, kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
The binge continues!
Sugar flaky cookies (5)
Double chocolate biscuits (2)
Taiwan flaky milk pastry (2)
Lindt milk n nut chocolate (4 squares)
Kinder bueno hippo shaped chocolate creme wafers (2)
Flake bar (1)
Pretzels (~7)
Goldfish crackers (8)
Almond chocolate pretz sticks (1 box)
Coconut juice (1 can)
Soybean drink (1 childsized pack)

Fallen off the wagon on day 17, 2.5 weeks into the 4 Hour Body diet.

Possible reasons for the binge:
1. Stressed by new situation at home (helper came back and we're all adjusting)
2. Fear of entering the job market again In a few months
3. Fear of losing too much weight while still nursing - I've never felt my chest bones protrude out before and my hip bones can be felt and seen slightly sticking out in the mirror.
4. Fear of muscle loss as I sometimes feel my muscles getting weaker (not sure if it's imagined or strain from working out). I fear this may be caused by insufficient calories and doing HIIT 5 to 6 times a week. The 4HB does not encourage exercise so frequently, in fact, the weight / fat loss is supposed to happen without any exercise. What do I do then? I may need to include some high octane carbs like fruit or brown rice or quinoa maybe every 4 days or so. I read that if the body is deprived of all carbs, it detoxifies and burns fat, but after more than 3 days, it may lead to muscle loss... No!!! Not what I need or want. (http://www.livegreatly.com/nutrition-diet-effective-eating/nutrition-cycling-the-best-diet-ever-3/)

I usually feel my leanest on Fridays, but from Wednesdays onwards, when I already begin to feel like a lean allover with no bloat, I start to feel some fatigue... I suspect that's after I've lost all the weight from the Saturday binge and am losing somemore. If there were no fatigue, I wouldn't be worried about muscle loss... I don't know...

It's an experiment. It really is and I guess I'm still finding my footing here. I'm also doing the 4HB without including legumes... So I'm not sure if I'll start including legumes into the 4HB lifestyle or go the way of nutrition cycling. I'll do a new post on nutrition cycling in brief. I've overstayed my welcome on this one.

All I can say is, I've fallen and it's time to get back up. I'm thinking this Saturday will be a non cheat day, so the next one will be the following Saturday (2 June 2012). Whether I get to next Saturday on the 4HB or nutrition cycling, I'm still undecided. I just know I don't want junk for at least another week. Feels good while eating but has sickening after effects.

4HB Day 16/50 - 22 May 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad, kimchi. Green tea.

Lunch:
Fish, sausage, salad w chia seeds. Green tea.

Snack:
Iced decaf Americano.

Dinner:
Omelette, tuna salad from sumo salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.
2 peanuts (in shell)

We're on to Wednesday now! Press on!

4HB Day 15/50 - 21 May 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad, kimchi. Green tea.
Black decaf coffee.

Lunch:
Chicken stirfry, fried fish, chicken soup, celery. Kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
5 baked almonds

Dinner:
Chicken stirfry, fried fish, hard boiled egg, salad. Green tea.

Thinking of Lindt milk and nut chocolate in the fridge.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.
2 peanuts (in shell).

The head cravings are strong on Monday. The cheat list has begun, although somewhat mild at the moment. At the moment, it is:

Raisins
Lindt milk and nut chocolate
Taiwan milk pastry
Tau sar piah

4HB Day 13/50 - 19 May 2012 Cheat day

Pre-breakfast:
Chicken breast, jackfruit.

Breakfast:
Grapefruit
@Jimmy monkey: french toast, carrot cake, hot chocolate, 1/2 banana chocolate muffin, 1/2 piece sourdough toast w jam.
Green tea.

Lunch:
Kimchi
Banana pb oatmeal
Durian, watermelon, jackfruit


Snack:
Grapefruit
Blueberry waffle (1/2)
Chocolate donut (1/3)
Sesame ball w peanut filling
Sausage (1/3)
Nachos (1/2 small bag)
Kaya toast (1/3 - the parts w butter)
Garlic toast
Gongcha matcha tea 50% sugar

The food wasn't very exciting and tasty once I had 3 or 4 bites. Seems I'm learning to be more selective now, which I see as a good thing.

I'm losing my binge stamina ... Missing my creamy hard boiled eggs, steamed chicken and large salads w the gorgeous balsamic vinegar.

Dinner:
Grapefruit
Murtabak
Prawn paste chicken (2 pieces)
Fried rice (1/2 bowl)
Ice Milo

Snack:
Taiwan red bean pastry
1 chocolate cookie
Jackfruit, watermelon
1 tsp peanut butter
1 slice softmeal bread w cheddar cheese
Green tea.

Feel sick..

4HB 14/50 - 20 May 2012

Did not feel any hunger until 4pm.
Loads of water & green tea until dinner time

4.20pm:
Hard boiled egg

5.15pm:
Small pkt salted peanuts

7pm:
Salad, kimchi
Green tea.

Snack:
5 baked almonds.
Black decaf coffee.

4HB Day 12/50 - 18 May 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salad, kimchi. Green tea.

Lunch:
Omelette, pork chop, Chinese spinach. Kimchi. Green tea.


Dinner:
Pork chop, chicken breast, salad. Green tea.

Snack:
Black decaf coffee.
9 baked almonds.

The urge to just binge is so strong because it's mere hours away. Hold on!!!!!

Update: woke up at 4am (19 May 2012) starving and decided to have durian. Figured the only time I have to eat without carrying Chris or wolfing down my food is at night and I don't want to extend the binge to Sunday morning. Hurray!!

4HB Day 11/50 - 17 May 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna in egg omelette, salad, kimchi. Green tea.Black decaf coffee.

Lunch:
Fried chicken pieces, ginger fish, bok chye. Kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Ginger fish, 1 small pork rib,chicken breast, salad. Kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.
Black decaf coffee.

Tough Thursdays strike again. My craving for durian today has overridden all other food cravings. I will probably buy durian tomorrow in preparation for Saturday. Exciting!

But I've been good so far and come Saturday, I'll enjoy myself :) one more day, getting there :). I must say that my food cravings have lessened somewhat, apart from this sudden onset of durian craze.

4HB Day 10/50 - 16 May 2012

I realize it gets boring just posting my meals and progress here. It would be more exciting if I said I was falling off the wagon and I suddenly binged on a non cheat day, but I haven't and I don't want to. That's why having accountability on my blogposts is so important to me, it keeps me on my toes and I celebrate my success one day at a time. I've made it 1/5 of the way and my main objective was to make this a lifestyle. Slowly, I think I'm getting used to it and enjoying it. I love clean proteins and the sweet taste of the raw veggies 5 or 6 days a week (depending if there is a fast after cheat day). On cheat day, I love how I do not have to worry or restrain myself. Any weight gained due to cheat day falls right off in maybe two days and there is further loss from there. There is still fat loss from week to week and more definition to my muscles so there is progress there as well. I think what's important is that I'm enjoying myself in the process.

Breakfast:
Tuna w onion, salsa, kimchi. Green tea. Black decaf coffee.

Lunch:
Stirfried longbeans, pork in curry sauce, scallops. Green tea.

Dinner:
Steamed cod, salad, kimchi. Green tea.

Snack: (hungry!)
11 baked almonds
Black decaf coffee.

Brothers

Here they are, early on Monday morning. Forgive the blurriness of the pics. Baby elephant was halfway through his milk and Chris went to look for him while I got ready for Chris's bath. They were beckoning to each other and it really pleases this mommy to see them starting to interact as brothers:)

I wish I had more pictures of them. The thing is, I'm usually in the thick of the action too, so I don't have the time to run for my camera or phone. I think I'd rather be with them than watching from the sidelines anyway.

4HB Day 9/50 - 15 May 2012

Breakfast:
Tuna w onion, salsa, kimchi. Green tea.

Lunch:
Grilled salmon n chicken set, salad. Green tea.

Snack:
Iced decaf Americano

Dinner:
Beef salad from sumo salad. Green tea.

Good day today. Fell asleep earlier so didn't get a chance for my usual evening decaf coffee, didn't need it I suppose.

Cheat day list hasn't really grown, except that I did start craving sausages, ham and shrimp. They're all allowed, although sometimes finding organic sausages is a bit of a stretch.

It's Wednesday soon, 3 more days to cheat day. The durian craving is strong :)

4HB Day 8/50 - 14 May 2012

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, salsa, kimchi. Green tea. Black decaf coffee.

Lunch:
Egg tofu, minced pork, Chinese spinach. Kimchi. Green tea.

Snack:
Salsa

Dinner:
Chicken breast, minced pork, small pc pork rib, salsa, salad. Green tea.

Snack:
Salsa, small pc chicken breast (salad at dinner seemed insufficient)
Black decaf coffee.

My cheat day list is beginning again haha! I suppose it's motivation of some sort. I know I can enjoy anything I want, it's all about timing it and the wait is only a few days.

The list is less daunting than last week's; let's see if It grows much more over the next few days.

Murtabak
French toast/ pancakes
Cheese tart
Banana bread
Durian / avocado shake
Durian puff n cake
Green milk tea w pearl
Red bean pastry
Peanut butter waffle, blueberry waffle
Kaya toast w butter
Sesame ball, butterfly
Cheese fries / nachos/ potato chips
Strawberry muffin
Han chin peng

4HB Day 7/50 - 13 May 2012

Today, this hog is on a fast. Loads of water and some green tea. Also an active rest day from my workout, so just went on a leisurely 3km walk with Chris in the carrier.

It's 4.45pm now and I feel much better after the water and green tea today. Having a cup of black decaf coffee as I write this. Will probably have a snack of baked almonds before bed later and it's back to regular programming tomorrow. I miss my eggs, chicken breast and big salads, but just can't make myself eat today. The fast is optional but supposed to help control the damage wreaked on my tummy yesterday and also cleanse the system of the junk more efficiently. May or may not fast each week, haven't decided yet.

Update: here's what I consumed on the fast and how it ended.

Loads of water and green tea until dinner time.

5.40pm: 7 baked almonds, hard boiled egg. Black decaf coffee.

7.30pm: green tea.

12 midnight: seaweed snack (2 sheets), black decaf coffee.

Sleep.

4HB Day 6/50 - 12 May 2012 Cheat day

Here we are. Pigged out.

Pre- Breakfast:
chicken breast, side salad

Start of binge:

Breakfast:
Grapefruit first.
Ice chocolate
Oreo cheesecake
1/2 banana choc muffin
Vegemite cheese toast dippers w soft boiled egg. Yummy!
Choc chip m&ms cookie

Snack:
Red bean Taiwan pastry

Lunch:
Granola with peanut butter, blueberries in greek yogurt, drizzled with honey. 1/2 mango, rice corn cereal (approx. 12 pieces). Green tea.

Snack:
Grapefruit.
Fried springroll.
Marbled choc. brownie bar
Emicakes durian crepe. (caved after 1/2 of this and couldn't finish, had to toss it.. Nice but too much).
Coffee bean small decaf blackforest ice blend with NSA (no sugar added) option, topped with whipped cream. (felt too full after 1/2 but finished 3/4 and had to toss it).
Deep fried cheese tofu (3 pieces on a stick)
Taiwanese sausage
Cheesy sausage (4 small on a stick)
Kimchi.
Green tea.

Dinner:
Grapefruit
Indian rojak
Plain prata (2 pieces)
Ice Milo

Snack:
Taiwan milk pastry
1 piece softmeal bread with peanut butter and fig n orange marmalade.


Felt like a mule had kicked me in my tummy. Too much food for my body to take. Psychologically, I felt satiated. Physically, my body paid for it. But it's just one day, maybe I'll have a more comfortable cheat day next week.

Ta ta!

4HB Day 5/50 - 11 May 2012

Breakfast:
1 hard boiled egg, chicken breast, side salad. Green tea.

Lunch:
Small portion pork chop, hard boiled egg, long beans stirfry.
Green tea. Decaf black coffee.

Snack:
7 baked almonds

Dinner:
Chicken breast, 2 small steamed pork rib, side salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Decaf coffee, black.

4am: tummy growling so had 1/2 tsp almond butter (that was all that was in the jar!) and 4 baked almonds. I don't believe in denying real hunger.

Couldn't think of anymore items to the cheat list but it was a tough day because Saturday is only hours away :)

The binge doesn't begin until after I have a protein dense breakfast of chicken breast first. Then grapefruit before the binge to control insulin spikes and I'm a free woman yeah!

I'll try not restricting myself at all later today. Firstly, my body needs the calorie spike to maintain or boost metabolism plus psychologically, my mind needs a little break, so all's good. I forgot to add that after all previous cheat days (even though not fully on the 4HB), all the weight and bloat came off by Tuesday and by Wednesday, I felt leaner than the previous week. But previous cheat days were failures in my opinion. I ate loads but still restricted myself and kept worrying, so the cravings continued until Sunday so I ended up having 2 binge/ cheat days , which is not the way to go.

This time, no guilt, just pleasure:)

4HB Day 4/50 - 10 May 2012

Breakfast:
Omelette, side salad. Green tea. Decaf black coffee.

Lunch:
Steamed egg, chicken wing in soup, Celery stirfry. Green tea.

Snack:
7 baked almonds.

Dinner:
2 pc chicken in curry, steamed chicken breast, side salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Decaf coffee, black.

Yesterday (Day 4) was tough, I could almost smell Saturday and the almond butter, the bread and granola were beckoning but I was good :). I suspect today's gonna be tougher still but it's just a while more. Meanwhile, I've been planning my route to getting my fixes on Saturday :) haha! Many items are either available at home or around the neighborhood:) yay!

4HB Day 3/50 - 9 May 2012 & notes

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, side salad. Green tea.

Lunch:
Steamed fish, minced meat, Chinese spinach. Green tea.
Decaf black coffee.

Snack:
Hard boiled egg.

Dinner:
Minced meat, chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Decaf coffee, black with a pinch of cinnamon.

The cinnamon in the coffee was an experiment which turned out to be a nice treat. Smelt heavenly.

Couldn't add anymore food to the cheat day list, think I've exhausted it. Although... I did fall asleep thinking of a drink which might satisfy 80% of my cravings: an Oreo cookie, peanut butter, caramel frappe with whipped cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce, sprinkled with violet crumble. Maybe a tall size will do. I don't think they have this drink yet. They have not added peanut butter to their repertoire of drinks at Starbucks but maybe.... Maybe soon :)

Funny that I do have almond butter that is allowed on non cheat days, but I know the first taste of it might send me into an all out binge and it's just so not worth it. I've worked hard the past few days and have come off feeling amazing, cleansed and lean physically and psychologically, I feel a sense of achievement somewhat at keeping to the rules and eating well. By the way, I say eating well because the diet advices to keep away from added sodium/salt, sugars and non healthy fats. So my salads are only dressed with a tbsp of balsamic vinegar (this is the only dressing I take with salads because I absolutely love it and would drink it if my body could take it haha) and I add healthy fats like half an avocado a day to help keep up metabolism, apart from all the other health benefits of good fats.

Oh yes, also no processed food if possible. So at the moment I haven't been including beans or legumes in my salads because I haven't had the time to get raw beans and prepare them from scratch. Waitrose does kidney beans as well as cannelloni beans without any sodium so I could consider that, but the thought of eating canned stuff daily isn't attractive to me.... It's just a preference. If it comes in a box or can, I somehow don't trust it so much. So I eat more fresh veggies and a little bit more protein to replace the calories.

About calorie counting, I've put a stop to it since last Sunday. I was doing it for the past 2 or 3 weeks and it got me so stressed it wasn't enjoyable anymore and it caused me to obsess over junk food and worry about what I eat, even on supposed cheat days, which definitely isn't healthy psychologically.

I wasn't officially on the 4HB until 7 May 2012. I was kind of straddling eating clean and 4HB, hence allowing myself cheat days on Saturdays. Eating clean allows fruit all day and complex carbs as a post workout meal. Somehow the mish mash of the 2 approaches don't work for me. Maybe the daily fruit intake caused me to crave more sweet stuff? Maybe I just couldn't decide if having complex carbs on non cheat days was ok. So I decided it would be simpler to implement if there were clear rules. Hence the official start of the 4HB.

4HB Day 2/50 - 8 May 2012

Here's what I ate. From today on, I'll post what I ate for the day instead of my meal plans.

Breakfast:
Chicken breast, egg scramble, side salad. Green tea.

Lunch:
1/2 Grilled mackerel & beef set w/o rice, salad. Green tea.

Snack:
Iced decaf Americano.

Dinner:
Small chicken salad from sumo salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Chicken breast (portion of protein at breakfast was insufficient)
Decaf coffee, black.

No hunger pangs. Thought I was hungry at 3am this morning, but drank water and went to sleep. Woke up feeling good.

Looked at Pinterest again yesterday and my cheat list grew by the following items:

Cinnamon rolls
Salted caramel cake
Fried sesame ball
Choc croissant
Dark choc cookie
Choc swirl poundcake
Cheese bread/ grilled cheese sandwich

I currently can't think of anything else to stuff my face with.

4HB Day 1/50 - 7 May 2012

Breakfast:
At Coffee Bean. Omelette with a side salad. Decaf Americano.

Lunch:
Pork stirfry, pork rib in soup, bok chye. Green tea.

Snack:
Celery & cottage cheese.

Dinner:
Chicken breast, salad.
Green tea.

Snack:
Decaf coffee, black.

Completed with no alterations.

I cannot believe I haven't felt real hunger the entire day. My head hunger wants reprieve so I find myself looking at the Pinterest food section to tempt myself, or perhaps to dream about food.

I keep a cheat day list of the things I might want to eat on Saturday (my cheat day). Here it is now:

Granola with Greek yogurt w honey
Banana, mango, pear
Prata/ murtabak
Dates, figs, raisin, prunes
Choc Cheesecake
Raisin bread, banana bread
Decaf mocha/cookie frappe w whip
Green tea frappe
Ice cream/ yogurt
Durian / durian puff/ cake
Snickers ice-cream bar
Caramel or butter or honey popcorn
Shortbread/ choc chip butter cookies
Banana fritter, sweet potato fritter
Doughnuts!!
Red bean pau
Leng Yong pau
Pizza
Fried springroll
Oreo ice-cream
Peanut butter waffle, choc waffle
Nutella anything
Blackforest cake
Apple/blueberry pie
Frozen yogurt with choc, granola, cookie toppings
Chicken pie from prima deli
Reese's peanut butter choc cups

Shocking but I know I can't eat it all anyway. No shame in listing away :). Don't judge :)~

50 Days on the 4-Hour Body (4HB)

The 4 Hour Body diet in a nutshell:
For 6 continuous days a week, eat protein (preferably lean), beans/legumes and veggies at every meal. No fruits, dairy, sugars, simple or complex carbs. Only carbs from the veggies and beans are accepted, and yet, with caution. Have 3 or more meals per day. The 7th day is Cheat day. Throw all caution to the wind and go hog wild with food if you want. There are guidelines to minimize damage here, available in the book by Tim Ferris.

So, I decided to give myself 7 weeks, this started yesterday. Let's track the progress here daily :)

What I hope to achieve in 7 weeks:
Simple. That this type of eating becomes second nature to me and that cheat days become attractive but not binges anymore.

What I hope to achieve by the end of 2012:
Fat loss (not muscle loss) of 5kg. This may be quite a stretch, because I'm not actually sure I have or can lose 5 kg of fat. Well, we'll take it as it comes, observe and tweak the method.

Current waist size: 25.5 or 26 inches.

I'm happy with this but hope to reach maybe 24.5 inches by year end. Not a priority but just fun to dream about this.

I'm not relying too much on weight because I want to replace fats with muscles and achieve more definition. Also, I suspect my weighing scale is off by 4kg. I vaguely recall this from my pregnancy weigh ins at the gynae and noticing the home scale was always lighter by 4kg haha!

So, on my weighing scale, I was 55kg last September and I never weighed myself until 2 weeks ago and the scale showed 50kg. This morning, it showed 49kg. Assuming it's off by 4kg, I should be 53kg now. Heavy by my standards but because my size 26 jeans are loose now, I know I lost fat and gained muscle and I'm extremely happy about that!

I'll still be continuing with my 12min workouts 4 to 5 times a week but won't be discussing them much here as they've become a set routine for me. Nothing new to report about them, except that I love them:)

Wish me luck!

Illusions

I am a coffee lover.What do I enjoy about it?

Firstly, the slight bitter taste it leaves in my mouth, although if it's too acidic or burnt coffee, it's definitely a no go for me. Secondly, the memories made from drinking the stuff.

My first love was always naked, black coffee. Americano done well, or just an expresso shot on its own. It wasn't until I met Vader that I got influenced to drink coffee with well textured milk and the different flavored syrups.

Well, I've since discovered that my first love still is the bare black drink itself. How did I discover this? I'm ashamed to say it's through drinking black decaf coffee... But I'm still nursing Chris, so I prefer not to have a wired up baby on my hands.

I used to think I needed coffee only for the caffeine and not the taste. Now I know I do love the taste, even without the caffeine (or very little of it). Or, it could be that I just haven't had a black cup of joe in years, yes, years...

Memories. Warning... Somewhat LSD type memories coming up, just without the drugs. My earliest memory of having a jolt of black coffee shoot through my system was in uni. To finish up my Literature novels, I would make a huge pot of hot, black coffee and immerse myself in all sorts of worlds conjured up by poets and writers. I'd stay up entire nights reading and drinking coffee and I would say I enjoyed it most when I was so tired and wired up at the same time, I almost couldn't tell the difference between reality and fiction. I would have a mild headache that I actually enjoyed because it dulled my senses to reality and I could somehow turn away from it and focus on fiction or whatever world I was reading about.

Then there were times where I would escape to places by myself. Places where I would not bump into people I knew. Why? Because again, I wanted to enjoy a strong cup of black coffee, except this time, with a ciggie or ten hahha! Ok, maybe five. Again, the moment was so pleasurable because I could enjoy the moment for what it was, alone and without distraction.

Drinking my cup of black decaf coffee now reminds me of my ciggies and I'm embarrassed to say I do miss them sometimes. But I would never harm an unborn child or a nursing child by picking up the habit again. I thought about picking up my ciggies once Chris is weaned, but I've got a new project that is in many ways, like a new baby - my workouts and clean eating commitments which I'm crazy about. :)

Now I'll choose black coffee alone, thank you. No cigarettes required this time.

Times when my memory trips and surfaces past indulgences like these, I still enjoy the moment, but only as a memory. I enjoy the illusion of taking a sip of strong coffee and drawling hard on a fag. I allow the pleasure to wash all over me and think to myself, no calories (ok, maybe 4 cals because it's instant coffee), all pleasure. Aaah, maybe cigarettes may shorten my life, but I could live with a short and pleasurable life. I could live with this illusion, just so long as it remains one, yes.

One more thought, the moment black coffee goes past my lips, my cravings for junk stops and I absolutely love it, adore it :)

2012 Resolutions Review

It's time. Let's see how I've fared in my resolutions list.

1. Be more carefree

This is a tough one, but I think I've made a slight improvement. I choose to dwell on positives more and find myself enjoying it.


2. Where it is not possible to be carefree because I'm annoyed, ignore situations completely and zone out :)

Slight improvement. Yes, I've learnt to ignore people and just carry on doing stuff. It helps that I'm usually too busy to bother with annoying stuff for long.


3. Complete the 30 day shred once the DVD arrives

Fully accomplished!


4. Get on the Bodyrocker program

Accomplished, but on both Bodyrock as well as Zuzkalight's workout channel, depending on whether equipment is needed, length and intensity of the workout. It's fun to choose my workouts each day. I workout 5 times a week- mon, wed, thurs, fri and sat.

5. Do more of what I want / enjoy in terms of work

Not much progress here yet. I need to start working by August due to financial constraints and do what I enjoy on the side, perhaps on weekends.


6. Wear heels more often

Nowhere close, haha! Wore heels all of ONE time on a cny visit. But you know what, this one doesn't bother me. Many chances when I start work or when the kids are slightly older and Vader & I get to go out as a couple again.


7. Breastfeed Chris until he's at least a year old (6 months more! Too soon)

On my way there. At the 10 month mark now, 2 more months. I doubt we will stop at 12 months, except with the introduction of cow's milk in the day when I'm at work.


8. Find more hope in my faith

Yes, I'm relieved to say this is on the mend as well. Not so angry at God all the time and blaming him for sticky situations and circumstances I cannot comprehend. Won't go into the details but will say I do have renewed hope and my perspective on difficulty has somewhat shifted. I'm thankful for that.


9. Get more foot massages

Haha! Not achieved. I no longer feel the need for as many foot massages ever since I started working out. My knots have worked themselves out, there is a spring in my step and I wanna hop around instead of sitting down for a massage. I've been using my free time for to sit and read while enjoying my soy decaf latte instead. It really is a pleasure.


10. Play harder with my boys (all three)

To some extent, yes. But I've also grown busier so I forget to play on certain days. This is a good reminder!


11. Smile more, enjoy many many more belly laughs

Some improvement here, even though with my mom traveling and my helper on home leave, I get cranky quite a bit. I've since embraced the time I get to spend at home instead of lamenting about how crazy busy I get. I just have to go with the flow and rest whenever I can. I won't have entire days at home with my kids forever and I need to treasure the time I've been given now.


12. Take a short trip with my three boys

Highly dependent on whether I get a job soon and manage to save up enough for the end of the year. But the other night, I realized that as much as I'd like to travel to far away lands with them, I'll also be perfectly happy if we could only holiday at home. The travel bug in me craves traveling but if we can't afford it, then I won't pine for it. I've got to learn to be happy with living simply and digging deeper into what good family life is.


That's it!

Aunty Amy

My kids are very blessed to have a helper who loves them.

Last Sunday (15 April 2012), Aunty Amy left for a five week home vacation and was in tears when saying goodbye to them at the airport. I didn't want to prolong the goodbye because baby elephant had not yet seen her tearing and I didn't want him to be affected. That, plus I started tearing up as well. It's supposed to be a happy occasion because she was going home for a well deserved holiday and she is supposed to return after that. So that was the message we wanted to send to baby elephant.

Aunty Amy has been our helper since baby elephant was three months old and since Chris was born. I think she's also naturally drawn to loving children. When we're out on Saturdays, she often points out other kids to me, always with positive comments and not in comparison to our kids.

I guess what touches me is her ability and willingness to care for my kids, many times at her inconvenience. She often rushes through her own meals or doesn't even mind eating a late lunch or dinner because of them. Usually we free up time for her to eat her lunch before noon, but she chooses to have her dinner after 8pm, after she sees that things in the household are settled. This means she will play with the kids while making sure we have time to eat, shower and get ready to put the kids to bed. There are times the kids' schedules are delayed and they're settled only close to 9pm. She never once complained or made a face or showed any signs of reluctance. I worry about her getting gastric sometimes... To me, this goes beyond what is expected of her. To me, only parents need to put up with such inconveniences. So we appreciate her dedication to both the kids and us.

We try hard to reciprocate the kindness but I think she is probably simple to please. On our Saturday morning breakfasts, she Always chooses the cheapest item on the menu *face plant*... and she eats the same thing every single Saturday even though we give her the menu all the time. At Jimmy Monkey, she has a chocolate banana muffin. At Brunetti, she has pancakes. We get her a nice latte each time and I hope she enjoys it. Once, we went to a HK cafe for dinner, she ordered instant noodles with luncheon meat *double face plant*, the portion was so small I unconsciously frowned at the waiter when it was served. We offered her fried rice because baby elephant was certainly not gonna finish even a third of the adult portion served to him, but she said the noodles was enough. We don't like nagging, so we respected her choice.

We are very glad she chose to renew her contract with us. There may come a time, anytime, when she may grow tired of Singapore or maybe even our family. I'll respect that choice too, when she no longer wishes to work with us. And we'll still love her for her overwhelming dedication while she is with us.

Crap

They say if you don't look like crap after you work out, you haven't worked hard enough.

I must be doing a good job then :)

I'm back on my workouts after resting on Wednesday. It was a good rest, but I felt even better after yesterday's workout. The picture was taken this morning after today's workout.

Picnic in the nude

Chris (on the right) and his friend, Cristan, enjoying baked chicken with carrots, sweet potato, potato, onions, asparagus and mango and nectarine.

Feels like it was just yesterday

4 years.

Fleeting

Short

Intense

Sure feels like it was just yesterday when we were at church, at the hotel, on our wedding day shoot, eating our late steak dinner after the wedding dinner.

Only better.

Lazy

Laziness is:

1. When eating fish, I pick out fish bones by only using my mouth. I refuse to pick out anything by hand because it is slower. Or maybe this is pure greed. (I only ever use my hands and go through the fish with a fine tooth comb when preparing fish for my kids, and possible for an aged husband in future)

2. When I eat oranges, grapefruit and grapes with the seed in and swallow the seeds because I can't be bothered to fish them out of my mouth.

3. When fish bones are small and soft enough to be swallowed with little hazard, I swallow them.

4. Eating prawn with their shells on because again, I cannot be bothered to remove the shells with cutlery or hands before shoving them into my mouth.

5. Swallowing prawn shells because I don't bother spitting them out. I spit out the tail la, because while I'm lazy, I'm not foolhardy. Unless it's fried prawns and the tails are small and crunchy enough for me to chew to bits.

6. When squeezing lime juice onto my mee goreng / mee siam / whatever I might be eating, I don't bother to use a fork to sieve out the seeds. The seeds fall hatter scatter all over my food and no, I don't pick them out. I start mixing them all in. Then when I start eating, I no longer notice the seeds. I swallow all!

7. Always eating fruits like apples and pears with their skin on because again, I cannot be bothered with peeling. My mom-in-law asked me why i don't peel my apples. I didn't know how to answer her, but was thinking why in the world would someone remove the skin when 1)it's fully edible (I do make sure I wash it well to remove whatever pesticides or shit that might be on it), 2)in the time you take to peel the fruit, I would have finished my apple, 3)it contains vitamins and fibre as well. Oranges, I get asked by Vader many times, why I don't 'neaten' the orange before eating, as in peel off some or most the white fiberish stuff (what's it called again? Pith?) on the flesh. I don't know, never occurred to me. If I could eat the orange with the skin on, I would.

But you know what overrides all this laziness? When I prepare fish or fruit for my kids and I remove all the skin and bones and even extract the orange pulp for them to eat. Or when I fry prawns for Vader and I have to stand at the sink shelling and deveining a whole bloody pound of prawns until my fingers are bleeding. And no, I won't accept the peeled ones because I think they are less fresh somehow.

I'd like to say I do this out of love. But I think it might actually be out of fear. Fear that one day my damned laziness might get the better of me and affect my loved ones. Fear that if they inherited my laziness (wrt food that is), they might refrain from trying food that is so good for them.

Oh, I absolutely adore soft shell crabs by the way! Aha!

Cold

Damn you, cold virus! That's for causing my kids to have phlegmy coughs and blocked noses, for their labored breathing while they sleep and for making them lose their voices!

Damn you for causing my throat to hurt and for the fear you cause in me, that if I were to get worse, that I wouldn't be a cheerful and loving mother.

Damn! For being the reason I'd have to skip my workouts until I feel better. Hopefully I'll be back working out tomorrow.

I am insanely boring and I like routines day in day out. Feeling ill throws a spanner in the works and throws me off balance.

For that, I'm gonna visit my hair stylist today. Wahahahahaha!!!

Gastric pains

I've has gastric pains ever since I was a little girl. Even though my dad never lived with us, he was always the one who took care of me during a gastric attack. He empathized because he suffered from them too, and had an ulcer once. He empathized anyway, because I was indeed, daddy's little girl.

He bought biscuits, Milo, soyabean packet drinks for me just so I always had a filling snack on hand whenever I felt hungry. He stocked the fridge with ham and the cupboard with bread or raisin buns. He always reminded me not to eat spicy foods, glutinous rice or anything too acidic.

I remember loving the Milo, biscuits, soyabean drinks, the picnic ham and bread. I remember telling him one day I had had enough of raisin bread and not to buy it everyday. I remember ignoring his advice about spicy foods and becoming a chili fiend instead.

I remember that when my dad did stay with us, he always slept on a thin mattress in the living room. I was the earliest riser in the house and would run out of my mom's bedroom looking for my dad the moment I woke up. I would lie beside him and fall asleep again.

I sleep on a mattress in our study with Chris, because he still nurses at night and we're afraid he might wake baby elephant if we all slept in the same room. Baby elephant comes to our little mattress on the floor everyday, looking to snuggle and I indulge him because I know how good it feels.

Last night, I had bad gastric pains again. That was a few hours ago. They're almost all gone now, thank God. I need to stop the pains from coming back. I worry too much about the boys and how Vader will cope if I ever had to be hospitalized like my dad.

I miss my Papa. Fathers' day is coming right? I need to find some excuse to go out for lunch with him one of these days. It'll be much easier when I start work...

Family time

We don't get much family time these days. I usually spend one on one time with either Baby elephant or Chris while my helper (or Vader on weekends) takes care of the other child.

The boys are still on different schedules; Chris still needing two naps each day for a long while more. They eat at different times so mealtimes are also not family time.

I wanted so much to ask Vader if we could all go out as a family for dinner today, but I know Baby elephant will only wake up at 6pm from his nap and Chris's bedtime is around 7.30pm. That doesn't give us much time to change, travel, order and eat, then travel home again, even if it were at the mall nearby. Even if we could pull it off, it wouldn't be too enjoyable.

I'll need to wait a few more months to see if their schedules slowly shift to allow more time as a family. We'll get there soon!

Update:
Guess what? We went out for dinner as a family today and enjoyed ourselves! We had pizza, even Chris, yes! Baby elephant didn't eat much of it probably because he wasn't used to the thin, hard crust or maybe it was the cheese. Perhaps it was the break in his routine, he's always had all his meals at home or we would bring out his homecooked food. Poor boy. We then went in search of banana yogurt at Coffee Bean but they weren't selling it at the West Coast plaza outlet. Again, poor boy. But we got him ice cream and he was satisfied.

Chris managed to stay awake and was jovial throughout dinner and dessert, only beginning to get grumpy on the ride home.

Vader also kept me guessing about our outing next Saturday. I spent the entire evening guessing and finally got it on the way home. Yippee!! I'll share more after the outing then. Yay!

I love Sunday evenings spent with my three boys.

Trust

A highly sought after commodity. Just ask anyone whose trust has been betrayed one way or another or who's been disappointed before.

Even between people who love each other dearly, there are always trust issues to work on. Here are some trust issues I face:

1. I find it hard to trust someone fully with a fretful baby when I've seen them rattle a bottle in a baby's mouth previously.

2. I can't trust someone who's told her own child that she's given up on her.

3. I can't trust someone who's taken out her frustrations on her child while using a belt to beat her and then fucking forgets all about it years later.

4. I can't trust someone who treasures saving money/ convenience over values or quality or my child.

5. I'm unwilling to trust someone who tells me they support breastfeeding but on the side, criticizes children who are nursed over a year and labels them mamby pamby. I think these people need to grow up and deal with their insecurities or jealousy over the mother-child bond that's IMO impossible to break.

6. It's also hard to trust someone who tells me long term goals are more important, but judges the child's behavior by how long the child can sit still and shut up.

Yes, I mean you, you know who you are. Actually just 2 people lar.

I'm sure people also have trust issues with me. Oh well, isn't all fun?

Exorcism

Working out unleashes and rids me of my inner demons. Or perhaps it tires me, so on those occasions i feel like beating the crap out of some adults, my body actually feels too relaxed to even get up.

God help me when my helper goes on home leave. I'll try to work in short ten minute sessions.

Killer workout

On the spur of the moment, I decided to do a ZWOW today. It doesn't require an interval timer so it's cool!

Almost died though. Here's the workout sequence and my timing:

Dive bombers 10 reps
Burpees 5 reps
Squat leg lifts 20/20 reps
Burpees 5 reps
Side plank lifts 10/10 reps
Burpees 5 reps
Pistol squats 10/10 reps
Burpees 5 reps

3 rounds of above circuit for time.

My time: 21:03 minutes.

I also cannot squat for the pistol squat. Mad good! I have a new challenge to conquer!!

30 Day Shred - Reflections

Cutting to the chase here.

Is it difficult?
Hell, yes. Even level 1 was a challenge when I began. I don't think it'd be a walk in the park even if I returned to it now. Level 3 still had me cursing under my breath at day 30.

Is it effective?
Yes, I would say so. I don't weigh myself anymore, but I can tell from how my clothes are hanging off me now. My tees and jeans are all loose, maybe even looser than before i got pregnant with Chris. My butt no longer fills the pants so maybe, just maybe I need a size smaller. My arms, thighs and calves all feel way toner, no more flab there. I feel my abs under some flab still, but if I continue working out, I'm sure the flab will eventually melt away.

Overall satisfaction:
Very satisfied. It's tough and it stretches you, but you change circuits before you actually collapse, plus the entire workout lasts only 20 minutes. Jillian pushes you but I must say she comes across as really encouraging in this DVD. At the end of the day, it produces results, so I'd say it was definitely a good buy!

30 Day Shred - Day 30!!!!

Done! Day 30!!!

I've officially completed the 30 Day Shred! I'm mighty pleased with myself :)

But I've decided to carry on with level 3 until my interval timer arrives. Then I'll move on to Bodyrocking for 12 minutes a day. Exciting times ahead!

30 Day Shred - Day 29

Done!

Goodness! One more day left! I've actually done it:)

Man, my right shoulder hurts!

It was a night workout again this time. I realize I'm huffing and puffing quite heavily, only that during the day, I can turn up the DVD volume so my heavy breathing is masked ahahaha!

I haven't decided what I'll do after day 30, but if I'm repeating any of the 30 DS levels, I probably won't post about them daily, otherwise it'll get old real quick.

I've to remember to do a short write up on my reflections and of course, results. May be part of day 30's post or a separate one. We'll see.

About cravings, I think it really is true that if you cut out junk, you stop craving it. In my case, I think the cravings have slowly subsided. How cool is that! But I've decided I'll have maybe a cheat day a week, it'll make me more human haha!

On my mind

Dear Baby Elephant,

I need to record this before I forget all about it.

Last week, mommy made you a 'tent' in the study with 2 chairs, my blanket and pegs. We were reading in our tent using our flashlights. You chose the super bright one and gave mommy the black one which gives of relatively dim light haha! So I had to keep asking you to shine your torch on our book so I could continue reading to you.

I explained what we could do while camping and while I moved on to reading the children's encyclopedia to you, you kept repeating the word 'camping' to yourself. Haha! I could almost hear the fascination growing in your head as you looked around, felt the breeze of the fan blowing and cuddled with mommy under the cushions. I had told you that it would be cold if we camped outdoors and would need to keep ourselves warm in the tent. Also, that we usually sit n crouch a little in tents as they aren't high enough for us to stand up in.

So then we continued reading about nature, plants, manmade inventions and animals and mommy forgot all about the time, until grandma and Aunty A started calling you out for dinner.

I crawled out of the tent and told you we could set up camp another day. That was when you started crying... You refused to come out of the tent! Argh!!! So I sat down and talked to you a little more from outside the tent and after you calmed down a little, I switched on the room lights and told you I needed your help to pack up. You started crying again and when I unpegged the blanket, you started sobbing uncontrollably.... Not the insistent, insolent or whiny type of cry. It sounded to me like a genuine cry for help.., because you loved the experience of 'camping' with mommy and having attention lavished on you. I would have continued our camping but there are things that need to be done everyday. There is a time for play and a time for other things like meals, baths and naps. Be assured that mommy knows how you feel even when we don't do everything you want right there and then.

Mommy loves you, my baby elephant!

30 Day Shred - Day 28

Done!

Strangely, it's getting tougher. By the middle of circuit 1, I feel like stopping. But by the time I'm through with circuit 1, I know there's no turning back since there are only 3 short circuits.

You know what, my tummy looks almost flat now, especially in the mornings! Although when I'm doing crunches or sit-ups, I see the flab:(

Just ordered my interval timer! Woot!!! So I think I might repeat level 3 until the interval timer arrives, then start on Bodyrock! Yay! However... my mom will be traveling soon, so for that entire period of 9 days, I won't have time during the day to workout. Hopefully I can manage some night workouts then. Fingers crossed!!!

Some thoughts on my diet:
Optimum results could possibly be achieved if I were to clean up my diet totally, that's for sure. However, at the moment, with 2 kids to take care of, I'm a little time strapped when it comes to food preparation. I've made some shifts in my diet though; cut out as much processed food as possible, afternoon snack is yogurt with granola and fruits, divided my lunch (tingkat) into two portions so half is eaten for dinner. I also share some of Chris's food that I prepare - mainly fruits, veggies and a steamed or grilled meat. So I ensure I'm still eating sufficiently to nurse him and also increasing my total fruit intake. I must confess it feels good actually.

Sweet Revenge

After the poop drought over last Sunday and Monday, it's been like the revenge of the poop since Tuesday.... Argh... I'm getting a bit tired of changing diapers cos of the struggling.... Argh....

Chris... You pooped down mommy's leg while I was showering you this morning....

It's not diarrhea and definitely not constipation over the drought season. It was just storing up....

30 Day Shred - Day 27

Done!

All pooped out today (pun intended), probably because of the break on Sunday and yesterday. So I gather that breaks aren't good. Continuous and unending torture is haha! There must be some truth in that; after all the working out, the kinks in my neck and shoulders have all worked themselves out :)

I'm beginning to feel sad that I'm near the end of the level again, and this time, the entire workout. But there really isn't any sense in that, since I can do it all over again, or I can repeat level 3 for another 10 days once I'm done with this cycle. Silly me! I think I fear the void of an exercise plan.

On to day 28!