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Showing posts with label weightloss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weightloss. Show all posts

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Air, Air, panas, suam, sejuk, Hai! sedap rasanya!

Hai semua pembaca yang setia dan juga yang baru menaruh minat.!

Harap kamu semua sihat dan Happy hari ini.

Saya ingin berkongsi cerita, ilmu dan tips mengenai Air!

Ya, tidak salah baca, Air adalah topic kita hari ini.
kenapa saya pilih topic air? sebab ramai yang mengabaikan kepentingan air walaupun tidak kekurang an sumber. (yalah.. malaysia ni hujan cukup, kemarau jarang, bukannya gurun)



Ada berita baru baru ini, seorang pelajar mati disyaki kerana dehidrasi, atau kurang air. ada yang menyalahkan supplemen yang dia makan sebagai punca. akhirnya, punca sebenar adalah pendarahan dalam otak. kesimpulannya, kalau makan supplement pun, kalau air tidak cukup dalam tubuh, boleh membawa lebih padah dari kebaikan.

Ramai yang pernah dengar dan sudah tahu bahawa air itu memang bagus untuk tubuh,


tapi.... persoalannya adalah, kenapa ia bagus, berapa banyak itu bagus, bila ia bagus dan banyak lagi soalan soalan yang sering saya ditanya oleh pesakit/client tersayang.

Ok. satu saatu la ya.

Kenapa H2O atau air ni penting untuk manusia?




bukan saja manusia, semua makhluk hidup di dunia ini (dunia alien saya tak pasti lagi sebab belum ada org jumpa) memerlukan air. itu salah satu sebab terpenting kenapa planet kita ada hidupan dan planet lain yang kering kontang tak ada satu cengkerik pun.


so, air adalah asas kehidupan. 65% dari berat lelaki dan 55% dari berat wanita adalah dari air! itu lebih dari separuh. semua proses sel, bergantung kepada hadirnya air.

tak payah la cerita panjang lebar. kalau mau tau apa fungsi air ni... boleh la tanya Mr Google ok.
sepuluh muka surat pun tak habis kalau saya mau cerita.

cuma.. perlu tau.. air sangat penting untuk HIDUP. air harus cukup (bukan berlebihan juga) , air harus selamat (jgn minum air sungai mentah.. ni bukan cerita lord of the rings), dan air mestilah air (air merah ka, sirrap ka, air oren.. tidak termasuk dlm senarai).



barulah air boleh memberi kesan positive kepada tubuh. mengawal suhu, memastikan metabolisma lancar, membuang sisa kumuh dan banyak lagi.

Berapa banyak Air yang patut saya minum?

saya yakin 100 % mesti kamu jawab. 8 gelas la Dr.. atau 2 litre la sekurang kurangnya.


Tidak salah tapi tidak tepat :P

Kita semua pelbagai saiz dan bentuk. yang disarankan itu diambil dari anggaran purata saiz. dan saiz itu pula berdasarkan saiz orang eropah. tentu saja tak sama. lagi satu.. orang yang berada di cuaca panas, sedang berlatih sukan dan lain lain lagi... perlukan lebih banyak air dari kamu yang duduk di office dan baca article ni.

so bagaimana mau anggarkan keperluan air harian?

so ada tips


Ada caranya untuk mengira, tapi kena guna berat dalam pounds dan jumlah air pula dapat dalam ounces. tak payah lah susah susah keluar calculator, rujuk sajalah table diatas.

Faktor lain yang mempengaruhi jumlah air seharian.

Exercise - apabila kita melakukan senaman atau aktiviti sewaktu dengannya, perlu kita ingat bahawa tubuh akan kehilangan air dalam bentuk peluh. biasanya perlu ditambah jumlah air dalam 400-600 mls bergantung pada jumlah aktiviti. lebih kurang satu botol mineral yang kecil.

Menyusukan anak - recommendasi adalah sekurang kurangnya 3.5 litre sehari.

cuaca panas, kawasan pergunungan, keadaan sakit/demam - juga meningkatkan keperluan air seharian.

WARNING!

Semua yang bagus itu boleh menjadi bahaya jika diambil secara berlebihan. Begitu juga air, ia boleh menjadi racun kepada tubuh jika diambil secara berlebihan dan secara terlalu cepat.

Kenapa air berlebihan bahaya?

Tubuh manusia bergantung kepada keseimbangan garam dan elektrolit, serta air. apabila terlalu banyak air diminum pada satu satu masa, garam akan menjadi terlalu larut dan ini membahayakan. kenapa dan bagaimana... tanya la Mr Google kalau berminat. Tak cukup space mau cerita biochem sni.

ini bermaksud. kalau dalam jadual diatas.. kamu kena minum 3 litre sehari.. bukan bermaksud macam telan ubat.. semua sekali gus! salah!

itu keperluan air seharian... maksudnya.. kena bahagi bahagi supaya sama rata dalam 24 jam. dan ia juga termasuk air yang kita minum dlm bentuk lain.. contohnya sup!

so pagi dua gelas (500ml), pagi sampai tgh hari satu botol besar (1.5litre), petang dua gelas (500mls) dan malam 2 gelas (500mls).. cukupla 3 litre. Jangan teguk sekali 3 litre tu. konfirm masuk spital!
(apabila minum teh ka.. sirap ka.. atau lain lain, juga termasuk dalam pengiraaan)

Jangan minum air berlebihan tanpa nasihat doktor jika mempunyai masalah buah pinggan atau kencing tidak lancar. 

Jika anda mulakan untuk minum air yang banyak bagi tujuan kesihatan, pastikan mula dalam berperingkat. kalau sebelum ni slalu minim satu botol saja sehari... mualan dengan dua botol.. kemudian selepas beberapa hari.. 3 botol.. dan seterusnya hingga capai jumlah sasaran harian. jangan secara mengejut. takut nanti buah pinggan merajuk.

Tip Tips minum air...

kepada yang biasa minum air, tentunya tiada masalah. Tapi kepada yang biasa minum air manis, kamu mungkin rasa air ini tidak sedap!

tidak apa... mari lihat bersama tips minum air..


  1. membuat Infused water- iaitu rendaman kepingan buah atau herba yang boleh memberi perisa kepada air tanpa meningkatkkan nilai kalori.
  2. minum sports drink apabila melakukan aktiviti lasak dan intensive. apabila kamu berpeluh sangat banyak, kamu kehilangan garam dan electrolit juga. 
  3. minum 500 mls air pada awal pagi sebelum mandi, cuci muka, berus gigi atau lain lain aktiviti. buka mata, first skalii minum air. ini akan melancarkan pembuangan toksin dan najis di waktu pagi.
  4. sediakan bekas dan tandakan target jumlah air yang kamu perlu minum. supaya kamu tahu berapa banyak air kamu sudah minum... bekas yang ada sukatan lebih mudah selain mengingatkan kita jumlah yang masih perlu diminum
  5. minum lah air .... tak kisah la air alkali ka, air rebus ka, air mineral ka, air tulen ka.. yang penting air yang tidak dicampur dengan gula atau kalori tambahan. minuman manis akan mengakibatkan obesiti, dan kemudian masalah lain seperti kencing manis.

Jadi Ingat, mulakan Hari dengan segelas dua air yang murni untuk kesihatan sepanjang hayat. Bukan saja pada waktu pagi, tetapi sepanjang hari, minumla air mengikut sasaran keperluan harian.




Friday, May 8, 2015

Exercise to Burn Calories??? You have got to be kidding me!

Welcome to another episode of fun filled facts.

This morning I was pleasantly surprised by a facebook friend who brought up the issue of Fructose and why its the mother of all evil in the fight against obesity and Metabolic syndrome.

Another day about fructose, I've only got a few minutes today to rattle down in this blog so I better make it nifty and quick.

Exercise... we all know it, we all heard of it and we know its supposedly good for you. It is.. no doubt, very good for you.

But do you know why exercise is good for you?




People always say... "wanna lose weight? go exercise". so does this mean that added activity means added calories burn... well.. yes  of course, but if you ever exercised to burn calories you would know that it takes about an hour to burn the calories of just one cookie!! pretty discouraging isnt it. Imagine how much you need to run to burn a big mac or a full serving of nasi lemak!

here are some examples on how much calories does common exercises burn off...


common food calories

You need to walk for 3 hours just to burn one roti John!
absurd!

But time and time again we still hear exercise is good for you. And especially important if you wanna lose weight. now why is that? if you follow math and the laws of thermodynamics...(what you put in equals what you burn.. and if you you dont burn you gain as fat) then the premise is flawed.

Humans are never as easy as 1+1=2... or 2-1=1... if only.

Its a whole bunch of metabolic issues that get screwed up in the first place. If you have a healthy metabolism, east balanced and live and average lifestyle.. chances are.. you wont be obese.

so lets take a look on how Exercise "fixes" your metabolic glitches and help you get that dream curves you always wanted.

Numero UNO (number one)

1. Exercise leads to improved insulin sensitivity.

Remember i wrote an article back then (why you are not losing weight despite starving). what insulin does to you. how you dont want spikes... but instead a steady ooze.. spikes, big spikes, and many spikes lead to insulin resistance.. when this happens.. you need more insulin to get the same response. it burdens your insulin factory- the pancrease. sugar starts to saturate your blood... so... TADAAA.. you got diabetes. This is what you dont want



but with exercise...you get toned muscles and that leads to better insulin sensitivity

How? dont you worry bout the biochemistry stuff. just trust me that it works. if you really wanna know, google exercise  and GLUT4

This is good news... it means that even if you have fallen down the rabbit hole and got yourself in a metabolic mess.. there is still hope yet for you and everybody. exercise reverses insulin resistance. so sugar gets uptaked and processed into energy.


Numero DOS (number 2)

Exercise leads to stress reduction. 

Exercise reduces the stress hormone cortisol that is the culprit... how... Take a look at this


The following is a typical example of how the stress response operates as its intended survival mechanism:

1. An individual is faced with a stressor.

2. A complex hormonal cascade ensues, and the adrenals secrete cortisol.

3. Cortisol prepares the body for a fight-or-flight response by flooding it with glucose, supplying an immediate energy source to large muscles.

4. Cortisol inhibits insulin production in an attempt to prevent glucose from being stored, favoring its immediate use.

5. Cortisol narrows the arteries while the epinephrine increases heart rate, both of which force blood to pump harder and faster.

6. The individual addresses and resolves the situation.

7. Hormone levels return to normal.

Imagine the tiger is your boss!

The problem is.. we live a life of chronic stress. flight or fight response is constant. We stress out to finish our assignment, then we stress out to present the assignment, then we stress out bout meeting our boss, only later to stress out after work facing the traffic jam. and the list goes on.

as you can see from the description about, flooding of glucose and blocking our insulin is not favourable conditions. its suppose to be temporary..but it isnt.

so chronic stress leads to chronic elevated cortisol levels.. which leads to 

- insulin and sugar imbalance - diabetes, and increased appetite
-weight gain and obesity - mobilising fat from storage to under the muscles and into your abs.
-immune suppression
-gastrointestinal problems
-cardiovascular problems 
-fertility problems

But the good news, exercise can help tackle this problem.
Amazing, this shows that exercise cuts cortisol levels in half!

and last but not least TRES (three)

The one we like alot about exercise is that it increases our metabolism!

If you ever studied physiology or biochemistry, you know we get energy from the krebs cycle or.. known also as the citric acid cycle. 



in our cells we have alot of power plants called mitochondria. They produce ATP. the substance of life.

Mitochondria is a wonderful subject to talk about on its own.. but I will save it for another day.

anyways.. execise make mitochondria more effficient and work faster. so, you can burn off your energy before you need to store them as fat. how awesome is that!

Take Home message:

Exercise. Take the time to do some moderate to high intensity exercise to get this wonderful benefits of exercise.

when you are able to tackle the glitches in your metabolism, your body will sort the rest out. 

if you go on diets after diets, starve yourself, and binge. yo yo your diet. you will do more harm than good. because you are not fixing the problem. Its like when there is a leak in the pipe, stopping the water is temporary measures.. eventually you need to resume the use and when you switch on the water.. it will leak. better is to off the water, fix the pipe.. and life goes on smoothly.

but remember, just like my article - Exercise not key to losing weight by BBC, If you plan to lose weight.. you need to fix your diet! 

Good Luck! 

HOT is just an exercise away :)





Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Triggers! - and our Weight loss efforts.

The journey to get rid of a few kilograms of fat... can be a difficult and challenging one.

I know alot of you are wishing you have unlimited funds and that you can just step into a clinic and have the doctor just 'suck' it out of you. well... dream on. Not that its not possible.. but any invasive procedure is risky.

So today I would like to share with you how to change your environment to help you in your weight loss efforts.

For you people out there thinking.. "what would this bimbo know bout losing weight? she never had a kilo more than she needed!"

Well, let me tell you something... I wasnt always 47kg. once.. I was 65Kg!! It was a shameful moment in my life when I gave in to the lust of food. I gained from 45kg to 65KG in only 3 months!
I blame it on the endless delicious and high caloric food of russia! haha. good times :)

This is me 60+ kg. several years back.

This was one year later, about 55 or so, this is the dress that motivated me to lose weight. It was still a little tight, but hey, i could wear it again.

This was 2 years after, still alittle round. 

2 years ago. about 52kg

And just this year 47kg. and staying there! hopefully.


Now that you know I have fought my demons, and I have struggled through weight problems, I hope you take me a pinch more seriously.

what i have discovered in the effort of living healthy, is that you need not only change your mindset, diet and work out. but you practically gotta change your whole environment. everything that surrounds you must remind you of your aim, your promise, and your new lifestyle.

Healthy living is nothing more than a change in your habits. put to thrash the old nasty ones that made you go bad, and highlight the ones that can bring about a positive change.

So for that, Today, I wanna tell you about Triggers!

what are these triggers?



they are the little objects in and around you that little demons use againts you, to lure you into your old dingy habits.

What you need to do is scan your home, workplace, car.. and whatever for these little traps.

for example,


  1. a jar of sweets at the living room,
  2. a packet of chips in your study room,
  3. soft drinks in your fridge,
  4. fast food stickers on your car,
  5. tv shows about eating, food, 
  6. fast food magnets on your fridge,
  7. fast food call numbers in your phone...


all of those things and more can distract you from your healthy lifestyle change.

You need to encourage positive triggers in your environment.
Use triggers to your advantage!

you dont realise it but much of what you decide and do is influence by what you see and hear from your surroundings...

here are some suggestions.




  1. put a bowl of fruits for snacks in place of cookies or candy jars
  2. fill candy jars with roasted almonds or other healthy nuts. but beware, eat only a fistful per time
  3. lots of water, easily accessible.
  4. lots of fruits, vege, yogurt in your fridge
  5. if you dislike or get bored of plain water, make an infused water with lemon, grapes or any fruits to impart flavor but little calories 
  6. put your workout outfits in clear view everytime you open your closet.
  7. keep your workout shoes easily visible to remind you to get going
  8. keep you supplements close to where you should take them. like the dining table, so you remember to take them wif meals, next to your bed, so you take the ones for before sleep.
  9. put up a poster or picture of something that inspires you. like a picture a of a buff body, or a picture of you before you got pregnant. put it on your fridge, so next time you wanna grab something sinful, you will b reminded of your goals.
  10. make sure your home, room, car and surroundings smell nice. research shows that foul smell can deteriorate mood and health of a person
  11. subscribe to channels and magazines that promote health.
and the list goes on....

you get the idea right?

In the effort to be healthy its not just a flip of the switch in your head. you gotta go and do the ground work. there has to be sacrifices and negotiations made.

My motivater was a simple dress. a dress which was made for me when i was 45kg. I said, i need to fit into that dress again, and only then I have been successful. 

I did it, I wore that dress again when i was 55kg. I wasn't one who worked out much. ration control and food choices where much of how i succeded. I wish i knew of shaklee weightloss products and stuff back then. surely it would have made my effforts much much easier.


So take the right steps towards being healthy today. Once you are used to the new habit, its effortless.

Pick the right supplements, make sure its safe, effective and green.

Monday, April 27, 2015

"Excercise not Key to tackling obesity" - BBC news uk

Well well well,



This is not something new. Like I've written so many times in my blog previously, to have a healthy body, you need to eat right!

News in BBC UK today says that exercise is not Key to tackling Obesity. This doesn't mean exercise is useless, what it means is, you can't eat all you want even if you exercise.

complete news in the link -CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEWS

This is a scary statement, and needs to be told with some emphasis on what it really means.

It says that in the war against obesity.... you need to eat right. The enemy is excess CARBOHYDRATES and SUGAR.



"An obese person does not need to do one iota of exercise to lose weight, they just need to eat less" Dr Aseem Malhotra, Cardiologist





They said while activity was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal.

So you see, I haven't been singing a deaf tune all this while. I've always led you to the proper and right path to get a healthy body.

Eat right, control your calories. Diet is key to fighting obesity. 


So Join me today, pick the right supplements and diet plan for a safe and sure weightloss. Remember, its the eating thats the key. everything else is a help. If you dont fix your eating, you can run till your knees hurt and you wont shed a kilo.

Shaklee - Always safe, always works, always green


Just to add on... exercise is not bad.. not at all. its good and you should do it. but exercise alone will not help.





Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Why you are not losing weight despite starving!

Today I would like to share some basic knowledge on Insulin.



For those of you who suffer from diabetes that is beyond oral medication control, I am sure you are very familiar with the word and the need of insulin. For the rest of you, maybe you've seen it, maybe you've heard of it by chance or from formal education. There are of course some of you who might not know much if not anything about this very important substance.

I would like to share today on getting to know insulin, its main functions and how it can affect your diet and weight.

Ok, the boring basics. Insulin is an endocrine hormone secreted by the pancreas. It spikes in responds to high glucose (sugar) level in your blood. Glucagon is its opposite partner. when sugar lever drops... Glucagon spikes.

Insulin drives sugars into cells to be stored. and when insulin drops and glucagon spikes.. cells use up its glycogen reserves for energy.

But that is just the superficial part of it.

Actually Insulin plays and important role on the utilisation of our fuels for either storage or oxidation to produce energy. this includes glycogen, lipid and protein. Unsteady levels of insulin will cause derangements in the process of fuel utilization.

so lets break it down.

INSULIN AND CARBS


Carbohydrates will break down into glucose at the end of the day. Insulin in the key to allow sugar to pass through the cell door and get stored as glycogen. every cell needs insulin except for your brain,nerve cell and liver. But. Insulin stimulates the liver to bank in as much glycogen as it can.

This results in a drop in sugar in the blood. Hence, Insulin will decrease as well.
Decrease in insulin will trigger use of alternative energy. The liver will also start break down glycogen.

INSULIN AND FAT!



so you must be wondering. why then do i gain so much weight as fat.. even if I only eat food high in sugar and carbs?

Actually the liver can only saturate upto 5% of its mass with glycogen. Once saturated, guess what, it begins to churn glucose into fatty acids. This is then exported from the liver as lipoproteins. Lipoproteins (fat + proteins) will release free fatty acids in the body where it is needed. Mainly will be taken up by the Adipose(fat) cells. so there you go, there is the culprit after all.

What else does insulin do? It inhibits usage of alternative fuel. Alternative meaning anything other than glucose. Insulin signals glucose to be stored in Adipocyte (fat cells), converted to glycerol and with the fatty acid, insulin signals the fat cells to produce triglycerides. basically, producing more FAT!!!

So basically, Insulin in a fat sparing agent. Not only does it signal body to use our primary fuel source, sugar, but it signals accumulation of FAT. converting sugar.. into FAT!

bottom line, spikes of insulin is not what you want for your wightloss - fatloss ambition.

SO WHAT NOW?



well, it is obvious isnt it. keep your carbs and sugar intake low and steady and this will in turn produce a steady low level on insulin in your body.

This is why the Low carb, diet works. you can eat as much as you want provided it doesnt contain sugar or carbs in it. be aware of course, this diet can burden your kidneys in the long run.

If you must take carbs and sugar, take them on regular times each day, and take food with LOW GI. Glycemic index. These are foods that are digested slowly and hence release sugar not in a big pulse, but rather a constant slow ooze. avoiding the unnecessary insulin spike which will lead to the unwanted effects mentioned above.

Diet preparations, weight loss meal replacements or shakes are mainly rich in proteins and low in GI. This is for the sole purpose of getting your body to use its fat storage, the stuff you wanna lose. body isn't so clever when it comes to burning alternative fuel. It will tend to burn protein as well.

PRESERVE YOUR MUSCLE.



Why do shakes contain mainly protein? well, one, would be to make you feel full and curb the cravings. but more importantly it prevents muscle wasting. Muscles are the main fuel users. If you work out, you create a demand to burn more fuel and at the same time, build more muscle. Especially if you do strength training. cardio burns fat, pumping iron bulk up the engine.

HOW ABOUT MEALS?



if you are serious at losing those unwanted fats, then you have to be serious at keeping your food routine tight.

Eat same time each day. keep your diet LOW GI, and avoid as much carbs and sugar as you can. this include the healthy choices of delicious fruits. pick fruits with lots of fiber and low sugar. like apples, pears and watermelon. they make you feel full without the exccess of sugar and carbs.

drink plain water, throughout the day. to burn alternative fuel, your body needs more fluids.

CONGRATS AND GOOD LUCK!



If you made it this far and could digest more than half of the info than good for you. You now have the knowledge to change your body and health.

wether you use this knowledge to your advantage or not is beyond me. Your life, Your choice, Your happiness. succeed or fail its all you. no one else.

"do not stop when you are tired, stop when you are finished" I dunno who said that, i read it somewhere on fb. but it rings true you know.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE:


  1. Have a strict meal routine. keep your insulin levels steady.
  2. Eat food with low GI. spikes of insulin is your enemy
  3. If you can't keep up with meal demands, get Meal replacements, diet shakes. they are easy and fast.
  4. Exercise so that you dont waste muscle that help burn the fat. bulk up if you want to see faster results.
  5. Avoid taking  sugar at all cost. they are your primary enemy!