Hmm... I think you're not taking in enough of the proper vegetables. A lot of people don't like eating them so they just boycott them totally. What they don't realize is that vegetables :

-provide the nutrients + trace metals that you need for healthy body movement
-insoluble fiber to help with your bowel movement. Insoluble fiber has no nutrients but it's just to help you shit more easily.
-Eat a mix of green and colourful veggies.

Also, cut down on guava. It has an enzyme that acts the opposite of papaya i.e. it hardens the stool. So try to limit eating it too much. Also, to improve bowel movement, take yogurt or yogurt drink.

Protein diet : well, technically, you're not on a full protein diet because you're still taking a lot of carbo from what you've written. Atkins is one of the more famous protein diet but even they do not advocate going carbo-less for too long (their stage 1 diet).

Wholemeal bread : Check the ingredients. If you see white flour, it's not 100% wholemeal. And sometimes, has a lot of sugar in. I bake 100% wholemeal bread once, it was dense and heavy and not tasty because I didn't put enough sugar.

Mayo : How much do you use and did you use the lowfat version? Use 1/2 teaspoon next time. It's still fatty.

Milk : Use lowfat milk and check out the sugar/carbo content. Carbo gets converted to sugar inthe body. Any unused sugar is converted to storage fat.

Watermelon : A lot of sugar in this fruit. Read up on the Glycemic Index and you'll find that Watermelon is on the very top.

2 teatimes : I tend to space out my meals to about 3 hrs to the next one.

Portion control : Are you practicing this? Use a 10" plate. I described it in this other thread about it : http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/978436
Note that portion control for normal people is different from athletes but even they watch the food that they eat.

Tau fu fah : SUGAR SYRUP!!! I would avoid.

Chicken Rice : The rice is made yellow from chicken fat.

Beef noodle : The problem with non-poultry meat is that it can contain fat i.e. streaky fat. Best to eat chicken - the fat is easier to remove. Or eat fish more - not only tuna but other types of fish, even local ones are pretty good.

Eating with parents : It's not too bad as long as you don't touch the rich food that has a lot of sugar, coconut milk curries. You can take small portions or wash it in a soup or bowl of hot water.

White rice : Bad bad bad for weight loss. I switch to multigrains to control my weight. And even then, it's only 2 tablespoon full per meal. Nothing more.

Fatigue : Take supplements. Multivitamins + antioxidants + grapeseed + calcium + fish oil. They will improve your body organs, processes and will help with digestion and overall health.

Morning jog : Do it before breakfast. Best time to lose weight is when you don't have food in your stomach. Your body will take it from the storage fat.

Dizzy spells : No lunch? Are you also drinking enough water? At least 8 glasses a day or more after your exercise. Also, careful when eating fruits - you could be spiking your blood sugar levels which can make one dizzy, especially when you're controlling your diet. Your body will become more sensitive towards sugar (and even carbo foods) as you reduce sugar + carbo intake. I can't eat a slice of cake without getting a headache.

---

Added on April 4, 2009, 2:58 pmHmm...I'm not sure about the exercise regime. It sounds like you're pushing your body hard and there's also a question whether you're performing the exercises in good form.

I'll let the others comment on it.

---

Added on April 4, 2009, 3:01 pmLooks like the mods are combining threads. My answer was to Kaerna. Not Clarkfann.

---

Added on April 4, 2009, 3:13 pmHmmm... I take a slightly different viewpoint from iamyuan because his diet is focusing a lot on protein, mimicking a high protein diet to force your body to use fat and protein as energy sources. Also, my stand about the bodybuilding community in LYN forums is that they need to take in more veggies and a bit more fruit into their diet else they may have health problems later in life.

There is a lot of benefits to eating vegetables that most ppl just gloss over very quickly. Some veggies are good, some not so good but the key is moderation. Some veggies you can eat as much as you like with no impact. Some you just can't.

I would also say rethink on eating fruits as a meal. Even though the sugar is fructose, it is still sugar and can lead to problems. Probably cut down on portion and balance it with some carbo, protein AND veggies.

I posted some tips to Kaerna so that should help too. Also, try taking some multivitamins + minerals + grapeseed + etc. Food may not have the amount of nutrition that it may have had during our grandparents days.

I also think that you may need to change how you perceive yourself. If you can't lose the 3 kg before July, it's not the end of the world. And when you shared that you were thinking of becoming anorexic last year, that tells me that you're not happy with how you look. Society is often cruel but that doesn't mean that it's something that you have to accept. Who will know the 3 kg just by looking at you as long as you're healthy? You could get to 50 kg in July but if you don't, it shouldn't matter to friends or family as long as you're healthy and happy.



This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 4 2009, 03:13 PM

Yeah, I know you're increasing her protein intake but it sounds so bland and boring lah. I can predict what the typical LYN BB diet mantra and imagine some ppl feeling like they are starving. Eggs, tuna, peanut butter. Sounds boring when taking with bread. Be creative. Food is to be enjoyed, to behold.

Come to think about it, maybe that's why I feel strongly about the food that LYN forumers something go when they recommend about protein. Sorry lah. I'm not against the eating of protein. I'm more against the thinking that that's all ppl had to eat, either boiled or straight from the can. That, more than anything else, will cause ppl to lose confidence in diet plans.

Clarkfann : You look good tbh. One thing though, to bear in mind. Since you're only 18, there is strong possibility that you will get even thinner by the time you turn 21. I don't know how to reason it out but somehow, girls who are still 18 will have a different body shape each year until 21. By then, your body shape would have stabilized and at the rate you're going, you should be fine.

Eating chicken is fine compared beef or pork because it doesn't have streaky fat. Fish is a better option. You can use your fist as a guide. Half your fist size is good enough and it wouldn't make you fat. You can go up to a full cup i.e. one complete fist size and it shouldn't be a problem. Note that the fist measurement is for cooked meat, not processed meat.

If you want to continue to eat bread, make it interesting with veggie so that it helps you out. Slices of cucumber and tomato helps and they can help you in the long run.

One thing about vegetables : if you're not including enough of it in your diet, you can run into health problems later on in life, especially colon cancer. Oatmeals is carbo, it's not veggies because grains are carbo. You're young so you don't feel the effect yet but it will come if you don't change it.

Fruits can be bad if you're taking it excessively. But since u're ok with crosstraining and having 3 hr session, then it should be ok. The only thing lacking in fruits is insoluble fiber which you'll need for bowel movements i.e. to make your shit move down to your shit hole. Fruits don't have it as much as vegetables.

Lastly, nice body. For your stretch marks, I suggest getting some shea butter lotion. You can easily find them in any pharmacy at reasonable prices. Buy the ones that is for pregnant mothers. The moisturizing effect of shea butter is simply amazing. You can use it in combination with a body scrub but don't use the body scrub everyday - maybe once / twice a weak to help promote new skin growth. Shea butter lotion can be every day.

---

Added on April 4, 2009, 9:15 pmHmm....Clarkfann, if you want to try to "shock" your body a bit since it's hard to lose to your target weight, another way is to try and go meatless and go vegetarian. But look for a protein source from vegetable e.g. tauhu. Although, egg is also good, just that can get a bit boring everyday.

A week of a vegetarian diet may help. Look up some vegetarian recipes and diet. I think there was one on the PETA site on being a beginner vegetarian. They also have meal makeovers.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 4 2009, 09:15 PM

Better to start using the lotion now because it's going to take awhile for the marks to go away anyway. Plus, it's not too late. Pregnant mothers can minimize their stretch marks a lot i.e. it's not so glaringly obvious.

TBH, stretch marks is something I don't worry about so much. Cellulite on thighs are more ugly. The orange peel is baddddddddddddddddddd...

And if I can look like Beyonce, I'd be happy already.

Hehe! Actually, look carefully at Beyonce from her early years to now. Yes, your description is correct but men still dig her. Her stature can be known as voluptous which is something hard for females to attain. Anyway, was watching one of her earlier videos years ago. I think it's called "Survivor" and noticed her thighs were big compared to the other ladies. Then watched the video on "Single Ladies - Put a ring on it".

Some stuff are recent. Others mostly from over the years. If I've counted all the fad diets and medicine I've done over the past 10 years, you could say that I have given my body a severe beating. Part of it is also mental conditioning from work so I tend to be slightly obsessive about things. Plus, having friends who like challenging ideas and family who are there to reign me in helps. I have a very curious mind.

And it's amazing what one can find in women's magazines. Ranges from motivation to positive thinking to losing weight, nutrition and better sex lives. Also dealing with taboo subjects like rape, awareness, etc. Cleo is still a favourite among college boys to find out how girls think, even after all these years. Haha!

Yeah, think I have to get back to pilates. Told ya I'm a lazy bum.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 4 2009, 11:34 PM

TBH = to be honest

Hmm...I think the BBers here can say more about the different body types.

And for ladies, I guess it's a choice on what ppl want. Some folks may not like Scarlett even and want to go for the supermodel look.

But remember, you're 18 and your body may still change in the coming months i.e. your body may become more curvy just from the fact that you're still growing. It usually stops around 21 years old.

U look good.

Well done.

I can imagine where your stretch marks are though, since I went down that road of 20kg lost a long time ago. Shoulders, stomach, hips, upper thighs....

Yeah, you look good.

One thing about weightloss is that once you get to your target weight, the rate that you lose weight also decreases.

Did you take any measurements? If you find that you're losing cms and not weight, you could be developing muscles.

Don't worry so much lah. Enjoy life.

pennee86 : can you list out what you eat? breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks?

And your muscles are in pain because you're using them more than before. Years ago when I took up aerobics, the first week I went everyday and pain like hell but kept at it. Although, I've sinced stop thought.

Just take a hot bath soak, then rub some deep heat into it. Eventually, once the muscle is used to exercising, you'll get stronger.

breakfast : drop the milo and take either low fat milk or plain water. 3-in-1 light has white sugar which is refined carbo. Your bread is wholemeal i hope or better yet, sugar free high grain. For tuna, look for Ayam Brand, either the no salt version or the mineral water version. Don't take the oily one or the ones with mayo.
lunch : don't skip but control portion and fat + carbo intake. sushi may be fine but just be careful.
dinner : maggi mee is made out of yellow noodles = high carbo. change to complex carbo and add in some veggies + small amount of protein.

Eat veggies : there are some that will never let you put on weight e.g. green leafy veggies.

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/978436 : I wrote a post about portion control

Aerobics tend to help buiild cardiovascular and not so much toning. Strength training needs to be included - best to ask the guys that.

Actually, what is your weight currently? Because the further you are away from your target weight, the slower the rate of weight loss. And what is your BMI?

---

Added on April 5, 2009, 10:51 pmMy dear, you're only 18 lah. Of course you still have fat atm. I told you, wait until 21 when you finally stop growing lah.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 5 2009, 10:51 PM

A lot. Just compare the labels for fat and carbo + sugar content. Those are the main sources of fat in milk.

All low-fat milk have some sweetener in them. True low-fat milk tastes horrible without the sweetener.

HL tastes unnatural because they added in vanilla flavouring.

The other option is switching to soy milk. Just look for unsweetened ones.

fullcream no but once u take out the fat to make low-fat milk, it doesn't taste as good.

She is young. Younger folks have higher goals than older ones.

Older ones are good at comforting themselves. Younger ones more driven lah.

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 8:37 amHmmm.... it's not really necessary to drop all the way down to the lower end of the Normal BMI range.

http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/GallagherBodyfat.php

use the link above. Was given by another poster. 18 - 25 is the normal BMI range.

Hmm... are you sure that it's losing fat or just toning up muscles so that your body looks slimmer and fitter and less flabby? A lot of ladies out there think that they are fat but they are in the normal BMI range (although using the BMI is for an estimate or agak-agak to gauge whether you're on the right track or not) but it's not to set a specifc target. As long as you reach the range, that's fine.

Now, about toning. Toning is about making your muscles tighter and sleeker instead of the flabbiness. Toning is done through cardio as well strength training and flexibility training (stretching, pilates, yoga).

You might find that you're losing weight but if you're losing inches around your body, that's fine. Plus, if you're planning to drop 10 kg to 48 kg, you might be scrawny.

Hmm...why do you want to lose 10 kg though? And what areas aren't you satisfied with? Be specific - the BBers are better than me when it comes to focusing on problem areas of the body and muscle.

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 8:37 amHi Felice,

How goes the tummy reduction project?

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 6 2009, 08:37 AM

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/978436

This is the US recommendation for balanced diet.

The UK way has too many slices on the plate that hard to remember. The US one easier.

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 9:30 amhttp://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=24637801

The above is a long post about trimming the stomach. There probably are more abdominal exercises around.

48kg is on the lower range of the BMI for normal. You go lower and doctors may start thinking you're anorexic (if what I read on wikipaedia is correct).

Look at strength training for toning, not body building.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 6 2009, 09:30 AM

Any new sort of training takes time for muscles to adjust. But do it often enough, and you'll find that you can do it. Just be careful to know when the pain gets too much that you have to stop else you pull a muscle.

BBer = BodyBuild-er

Cook your own brown rice and keep in the fridge. I cook a cup every 3-4 days and scoop out 2 tablespoon of rice for meals. And I live with a Grandmother for the past 10 years and I'm 31. You think you have it tough, try eating with a Granny who gets very upset if I don't eat at the table.

Errr..what is your weight, height and age atm?

History of high BP is usually a bad sign. How high is high and have you seen a cardiologist about it?

I think I need to be careful when I say certain things. I always have this tendency to assume that ppl who ask about weight loss are overweight people and instead, find out later that they are ok and it's just that they have a negative outlook about their figures.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 6 2009, 04:43 PM

Errr...to be honest, my parents started first before me. It started with my Mum's heart due to high cholesterol that weaken her heart. Then my Dad was diagnosed with mild hypertension and then had to have a bypass. They went saltless first and cooking at home and watching what they eat. So when I got it, they had relax a bit and I'm now more strict. Hahaha!

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 11:00 pmLOL! Actually, it's harder to lose weight when one is older. It doesn't go down that fast as when we were your age. Metabolism slows down. So we "comfort" ourselves.

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 11:02 pmThanks. Although I will kinda stop after 2 years. Maybe. Everything I've done is like 2 years, then something else distracts me. Food blogging for 2 years (1st in Malaysia but never maintained after those 2 years). Then 2 years gaming. Then another year online gaming. Then another 3 years intensive online gaming. Then got hit by health problem so got into health.

So see what happens in 2 years lah... maybe no more active here. Kek!

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 11:03 pmErrr, no lah. Only success story was me so far. Cannot claim to be pro.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 6 2009, 11:03 PM

Talk about a sharp bite. Heh!

ClarkFann : Weigh yourself in the morning before eating and naked. It's more motivating that way. After makan, so depressing. Just careful when u go too low of the normal BMI range. Maybe too bony. And below 18 BMI, doctors use that as an indication that a person is anorexic.

Post up what you ate today and yesterday. Include snacks, cooking style, quantity (approximate), location of dining.

---

Added on April 6, 2009, 11:21 pmYeah, woke up. But just have this bad habit of shaking the guys up a bit too much.

This post has been edited by myremi: Apr 6 2009, 11:21 PM

Hmmm....

Meehun : Made from white rice. Not good. Better to eat tanghoon (the glass noodles - think they're made from green bean or something). Also, fried is bad. Portion should be 1/4 of a plate.
Hot Dog : The sausage only or with the bun? Sausage meat is usually the unwanted cuts which is fatty or the offal bit (internal organs). The bun is made from white flour which is simple carbo which can be converted into sugar for energy and later fat if it's not used up.
Bread : White is bad. Go wholemeal.
Mee : wheat flour that is processed. Bad carbo.

Hmmm...what's your budget like for eating? Trying something new to see if can give advice with budget limitations.

Sandwiches is a good way of doing it if you aren't tired of eating bread.

You can toast the sandwiches but after the filling and you eat at lunch, the bread maybe soggy a bit.

Or get one of those toasty bread things - no need to put butter on the outside. Just toast it. To clean, just wipe with clean cloth + soap and then wipe again just with water until all soap gone.

Tuna is an option but you can also use sardine or mackerel. Just don't put the tomato sauce that comes with it.

Peanut butter ok lah but can get boring.

Cooking an egg is an option. Omelette. Scrambled. Or hardboil it and mashed it all up.

Cheese is fun. Can even put mozzarrella on toasted bread and watch it melt. Very nice. Or use the toastmaker thingie to seal the cheese in the bread. Yum.

Veggies : tomato and cucumber are most common. You can add in lettuce (different types out there). Slice them round or chop them into small bits (nice with cucumber bits mixed with tuna) or strips. If you can tahan raw onion, can also put in a few rings.

If eating out, try to get a bowl of soup to rinse out the oil from stuff. May be slightly tasteless but less fat. Cut down rice and noodles - small quantities of say half bowl? Or less. Eat more veggies (potato is not a veggie and watch corn intake) preferably leafy one.

Afternoon snack : fruits

Hmm...note that the first few days, you're gong to feel hungry and maybe some sugar withdrawals. That's normal when you reduce carbo a lot.