Not really. If you know how to cook, it isn't too bad. ^.^

I studied recipes online and in cookbook. It's easy to put together a 500-calorie meal when you go easy on the heavy calorie carbs.

Here is an example : http://www.eatingwell.com/diet_nutrition_h...calorie_dinners

Also, when you stick to using raw ingredients and avoid processed ones, you feel better very very fast.

Thanks for the compliments guys. I will say that it hasn't been an easy journey (and it still isn't!). There are days when I give into cravings and atm, I'm still trying to work out a balance point.

If I didn't meet my PT currently, I don't think I would have been able to know how to get this far, especially with both high BP and a slipped disc reinjury. And sort out all the clutter that was in my head.

Cooking took a long while to get used to and I had all sorts of excuses to eat out. But the final result at my scale just didn't justify the eating out so I eat out less now. Although, I did managed to find a balance with beef. I buy it from this local restaurant and divide it into 3 portions that it's about the same cost as if I were to cook the beef.

I learnt the ugly truth about emotional eating but now, having acknowledged it, it's amazingly easier to just commit to a plan. I'm now more at peace than any other time. Eating properly is still a challenge but as long as I don't stray too far away from it, it should be alright.

U know, another way to measure the effectiveness of your diet plan/nutrition intake, other than exercise efficiency, is to check your stool (shit) length.

If you have in total 12 inches out daily and it's firm, not pungent (smelly), you're eating right.

How about you post up your eating habits? There could be something there.

Rather than switch to a different form of exercise, did you do the proper stretches?

Hmmm....another thing is diet i.e. the food you take in. Some foods will cause inflammation which can appear any where in your body including the knee pain.

A doctor may or may not help. Depends if he has the knowledge or not.

Hmm....I had a long rethink about my statement and realized that I have to take back the original advice I gave you.

Reason : It could be a nerve pain rather than an actual knee pain i.e. sciatica pain. If so, then you could be having a slipped disc. The best is to check with a doctor first just to rule out any back problem.

As for the stretches, I just realized that I never did any but I did do stretches to stretch out the big sciatica nerve. Hamstring stretches against a wall with one foot against the wall and the other leg straight behind. On the knee that was painful, I did nerve flossing, i.e. I bent my knee forward and then straightened, with eyes forward, 10x. Then I did it anotehr 10x but with my head noding up and down.

I also do a 90 degrees-90 degrees hip stretch to stretch out the buttock muscles that are clenching this sciatica nerve. That helps with a lot of my flexibility on any part of the leg and it's my favourite stretch.

True that. About the slimming centers. I've been to one and it's a pain.

The slimming centers are nothing less than 2K as a start, usually. And durations are usually for 2-3 months? Or less, depending on the package.

Just control portions and exercise.

And weightloss now on track. In past 2 weeks, drop 1.7 kg and 1% belly fat and no loss in muscle mass.

Actually, before we start giving advice, you guys realized that papayaman didn't post up his weight, height and age?

papayaman, can y ou post up your weight, height and age? That would then be used to get a rough gauge whether you're overweight or not, by the BMI calculations. Usually, people who are very obese can lose weight easily just by moving more regularly. Others, then don't lose as much because they are already either at their ideal weight or they are gaining muscle mass (you'll need a special scale to measure this).

As for chapati, it's a choice. Some people react badly to carbs, others less. And some ppl have problems with any grains so they completely avoid it and rely on getting carbs from vegetables.

U sound like me although I'm plateauing atm around 80 kg after dropping from 107 kg and I took a year to get to that low. Just had to change the amount I eat and more exercise because as I get smaller, in order to lose weight, i have to eat less and exercise more because my metabolic rate has change with a smaller and fitter body.

As for chapati, it could probably ok provided that it's cooked with less oil and also watch your portions. Although, if you want to lose weight, if watching your portions doesn't work, you would have to avoid grains then. But it depends, like I said. If it doesn't work, you have ot make changes : either avoid completely or don't eat as much.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Indian-Coo...n/dp/185626789X

I have this book at home and it was an interesting introduction to Indian Cooking. It certainly gave me ideas on how to eat properly. I bought the book from a local bookstore in Sarawak so you might get lucky and find it in either MPH or Times.

Depends on what you believe, tbh.

1. The most common belief is that since it's from a grain carb, it would be unhealthy. It also has a high Glycemic Index so it reinforces this belief. So, no matter what the portion or your body reaction to it, it's considered bad and unhealthy and blah blah blah blah.

2. Portion Control : Actually, if you watch your portions, you could be able to eat it. I go by the saying that "Breakfast and lunch, you eat like kings (within reason) and dinner like beggars". After dinner, your body slows down a lot, even if you did goto the gym in the evening. Reason : The circadian cycle of the body - we are most active in the morning and less active towards the end of the day.

3. Biochemistry of the individual person : Everyone is different, hence different reactions to different portions. Bodybuilders go by a simple philosophy of body size and you eat carb-protein-fat ratio. This is still not as good as the Metabolic Typing Diet method but I suppose it's a start.

4. Meat : Actually, eating a little bit of meat would help you out if you are feeling under the weather all the time. There are some nutrients that you can only get from meat and our body is design to handle meat. Just that it should be in the correct proportions. If you can find organic meat, that's even better. Reason : Less hormones and other chemical compounds injected into the meat.

Belated GXFC guys. Recovered from the CNY binge yet? ^.^

I'm in the same boat. I put on 5 kg but this morning, went down by 2 kg. Phew! Another 3 kg to lose. Started back at the gym and early morning walks this Monday. Wanted to walk this morning but a lot of thunder and lightning so thought may be safer to stay at home.

I'm going to brag.

After 12 months of losing 26 kg, my doctor finally agreed for me to go on a 2 week trial without medication to see if my blood pressure remains low. If yes, then I'm off medication for good!

Phew! Long journey but well worth the wait.

U probably have to do more than that. E.g. watch what you eat and build some muscles (not the massive ones like bodybuilders but enough to keep your body lean).

How much doy ou ahve to lose anyways? If you're already near the ideal weight, you probably just flabby and not fat. Flabby = muscles aren't tight

U guys should check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Some of the episodes are on youtube currently although not partially finish.

2 fish oil tablets (1000 mg each) x 3 times a day.
2 tablets (1000 mg each) of Udo's Oil at nite.

I take it everyday at the moment to help with inflammation of my backbone and it helps deal with my knees.

Anyway, hiyas, how's things?

Reason for peeled tomatoes : in bolognese cooking, the tomatoes are cooked until it's very soft. By that time, the tomato skin would have curled up and not everyone likes the texture of the bolognese.

I've used both bought-tomato-paste and homecook tomato paste. Of course, the tomato paste bought from the store gives a stronger flavour but the cleaner taste one was the homecook version. It's a lot of work though and a lot of tomatoes.

For recipes, I'm now cooking based on recipes by Jamie Oliver. The trick to his bolognese is chopped bacon which he fries until crispy and fresh basil leaves (daun selasih). The bacon is added to the minced beer and basil leaves after adding in the tomatoes.

Other added ingredients are chopped celery and carrots. Gives it an interesting flavour. I add grated parmesan on the day that I eat it.

I usually make a big batch of bolognese and freeze them into smaller portions. Then I just grab what I need for the day.