Healthy Recipe Number One

The healthy eating begins with dinner tonight.

The previous post, I mentioned that I would personalize a diet plan. This is the start. I plan to do a lot more. But, like I said, this is the start.

Any dieting site would tell you about the many benefits of protein and fibre. Both keep you full and increases your metabolism. Fibre also aids in digestion. Protein helps to build your muscles and helps recover muscle fatigue.

Introducing a simple recipe I just created on the spot: a chicken breast tuna salad.

Photo taken by my lovely sister

Ingredients (Servings for 2):

• 1 chicken breast fillet (approx. 150 kcal)
• 1 serving of canned tuna (approx. 50 kcal)
• 1/2 slice of low fat cheese (approx.25 kcal)
• 1 cup of shredded lettuce (approx. 25 kcal)
• 4 small tomatoes (approx. 25 kcal)
• 2 spoonfuls of mixed vegetables (approx. 35 kcal)
• Various condiments (approx. 45 kcal)

TOTAL CALORIC AMOUNT (FOR TWO): APPROX. 355 KCAL

Recipe:

1. Marinate the chicken breast fillet with salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper. Leave it for at least an hour in the fridge after cling wrapping it. 
2. Meanwhile, wash the lettuce and tomatoes. Slice the lettuce and soak it in water to get rid of any chemicals of insecticides. Do the same for the tomatoes. Soak for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat the over 10 minutes prior to grilling the chicken. 
4. Put the chicken in the oven to grill. Meanwhile, boil the mixed vegetables and drain. Cut the tomatoes into bite sizes.
5. Put the lettuce, mixed vegetables and cut tomatoes into a bowl and mix.
6. Cut the slice of cheese and add it in the bowl along with the tuna.
7. Add a tea spoon of soy sauce and sesame oil and stir well.
8. After the chicken breast fillet is done, cut it into bite sizes and add it to the bowl and mix well.
9. Your salad for two is ready to be served. Bon Appetit!

This dish is great for those who would love to lose weight. It is low in fat, due to the ingredients chosen. The chicken and tuna provides for the high amount of protein, while the various vegetables provides for the fibre. I purposely did not boil the lettuce and tomatoes to keep its original nutritional value. Due to it being high in protein and fibre, this dish is guaranteed to keep you full. Also, it has a low caloric count, so it's great for friends who are dieting!

For the info of friends and family who wish to know my successful weight loss techniques, I give this site a lot of credit:

http://www.healthycalculators.com/calories-intake-requirement.php

This site tells you how much you need to eat if you need to lose weight, down to the rate of losing. However, don't be too obsessed with calorie counting. Eating the correct composition of things is important too.

Happy dieting, people! :)

Long term goals...

As I have stated, I would be on a fitness mode after ORD, when I would actually have my own time and freedom.

To succeed, you need to state what you really want, and specify steps to attain the goals. So it's goal setting time!

Long term goals:
1) Six Packs Abs
2) Lean body build
3) Able to finish a full marathon in 4 hours
4) Maintaining of IPPT Cat X Gold all the way till end of NS reservist.
5) Body mass to be strictly at 67-70kg

So let's go through the goals one by one and decide what to do for all of them.

Goal 1 and 2 are linked with each other; in other words, other from the workout regime, a healthier diet is required. From various research of various healthy diets, I have modified the Paleo Diet to my own convenience for testing. This means:

• 2 days of cheat days per week to eat other stuff. Fast food only permitted once per month
• 5 days will include healthy diets consists of salads made from lean meat, fish and plenty of vegetables, wholegrain products, nuts and fruits. Only sweet drinks allowed will be herbal tea, fruit juice, milk, coffee, tea and soy products.
• 5-6 meals per day, consisting of 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks in between.
• Meal will vary from 2000-3000 kcal per day depending on intensity of workout.

As for workout regimes, to support the goals, will consist of:

• Monday: 7km run + statics
• Tuesday: 8*400m intervals. 3-6km -> Gym
• Wednesday: 6km run
• Thursday: 10km run + statics
• Friday: 6km run
• Sat: 16*200m intervals. 3-6km -> Gym
• Sun: 1hr urban run + statics

This regime is meant for supplement current weaknesses and to boost my stamina. Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays' runs will be a no stress-type; in other words, they'll be leisure runs with no timings to meet for rest and to burn off excess lactic acids in the legs. Other days will be serious training days. 2 days of gym per week will be implemented to get my body leaner.

The above training program is still a first draft. Swimming might be added in, and also, the trainings might be adjusted when objectives needs to be met, such as for IPPT periods or marathons.

Doing this won't be easy, but I hope to see results eventually, and for it to go well. Discipline will play a big part.

What this blog is for...

Alright. Here goes.

Humans are never satisfied. I was once a fatass. Back then, I would have just been content at the thought of losing weight.

Back then, I had just wanted to lose weight based on BMI measurements. I saw that the Ministry of Health's definition of a normal BMI as 18-22.9. And I vigorously trained just so I could be in that range, losing weight like a mad man. It was to such a point that dinner was a single apple, I lived my life counting calories, and I ran 7-10km daily. I did. ultimately achieve my goal.

Aloha, people! Greetings from 3 of me!

The complacency then stepped in. I had never known in my life what was classified as "normal" eating. To me, it was the extreme side of both ends. Fat Zi Hao would've vacuumed 5 packs of instant noodles AND a Double McSpicy the same day and have seconds. Anorexic Zi Hao would've counted every calorie and stuck to a 2000 kcal/day regime. Once both turned into Fit Zi Hao, I was at a loss. So what classifies as a normal healthy meal?

Initially, after I lost weight, my 6 pack abs started showing. I was happy, but at the same time, I sought even harder for them to appear more. However, part of me was way too content. After I got my IPPT Gold for both NS years, the complacency increased, and I started saying goodbye to Tiffany, Lara, Jolin, Krissy, Kara and Alicia. Just kidding! I obviously aren't crazy enough to name my abs after girls' names. *rolleyes* But yeah, they started to appear and disappear at random, and I know why.

I maintained my weight due to the heavy workouts I'm still undergoing, but performance-wise, it's been fluctuating. And it's all because of the way I am eating. I need to start eating healthily if I want my abs to show again. And I need to start as soon as I can.

So for me, it's time to start planning. After ORD, to be healthier and fitter. This blog will be documenting my workouts, both success and failures, from IPPT trainings, running, gym and diets. Hopefully, results will eventually show. Adios. ;)