Love, Lynette Tan

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Eat Fat, Fight Fat

On November 15th last year, I attended my first ever business networking session with Business Networking International (BNI) and met with business leaders from diverse industries. It’s amazing what this community does in helping people connect with each other and secure new business deals through the power of connectivity. Of the conversations I had, the most memorable was with a gym instructor who believes in skipping breakfast.

My curiosity was piqued.

I mean, aren't we taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? That we have to eat it like kings, lunch like princes and dinner like paupers? Haven't we read in magazines that when we skip breakfast we're actually slowing down our metabolism? That breakfast is essential for kickstarting our systems?

So I pressed further and found out that he actually takes only a tablespoon of coconut oil every morning. For him, that amount of "fuel for the body" was enough to last till noon.

Really? Can it be? Can life be made any simpler? Just a tablespoonful of coconut oil every morning? Did I really chance upon a quick-fix breakfast solution to crazy mornings when I had to rush for work?

I went back that day inspired to try out this same "prescription", to see how it'll work for me. I'm glad to share that ever since I started taking a tablespoon of coconut oil every morning, I've not been experiencing hunger pangs and the need to eat. And as a result, I've been able to maintain my ideal weight of 46kg.

Another added benefit I've discovered along the way is that the regular consumption of coconut oil helps take away excess belly fat. It's also got many antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti fungal, and antiviral properties that help to promote great health.

Coconut oil is also good for the heart, helps boost brain function, keeps your weight in check and prevents liver and kidney diseases. Besides strengthening your immunity, it's even a great fuel for exercise!

I've also experimented with coconut oil as an antidote on days when I wasn't feeling well. In fact, in a recent trip I made to India just over Christmas and New Year, constant changes in temperatures (it drops to about 17 degrees celsius when the sun goes down) resulted in me feeling a little under the weather. But because I diligently took a tablespoon of coconut oil every morning, I just kept on going and going and going! How awesome is that!

I literally nursed myself back to health with a tablespoon of coconut oil every morning, lotsa fresh coconut juice, plus the right food combo. And never felt better! Woo-hoo! But of course, if you have any pre-existing health conditions, do check in with your doctor before you begin a regular diet of coconut oil.

So, besides coconut oil, are there any other oils that are beneficial for you? Stick with me to find out more!

Love,
Lynette Tan

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Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Fibre Aids Weight Loss...

When you first cut out carbs, it may feel strange. And that's perfectly normal.
You might even feel hungry sooner than you think, and more often than you think (notice that it's all in the mind? LOL!!!). But here's how you get around that!

Eat fibre.

Fibre is what fills you up!

And get this, fibre is what keeps healthy gut bacteria alive and well. Fact is, these good bacteria not only fight off the bad ones, but also ultimately help us to lose weight.

But what is fibre? Broadly speaking, fibre refer to fruits and vegetables.

As a general guideline, it's always good to eat your fruits (first, on an empty stomach cuz they pass through your system really quickly) and juice your vegetables. And best to consume them as is - raw, unprocessed, as close as possible to its original state, and complete with all its natural nutrients and life-giving enzymes (remember you kill 'em when you cook 'em!).

But if you're still worried about fruits messing with your blood sugar, fret not!

Here's a list of low-sugar fruits that you can enjoy:-

Apples
Berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Watermelon

Smart Fat authors Steven Masley, M.D. and Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. encourage 10 helpings of fibre per day so it sounds to me like you can have as much fruit and veggies as you like!

Now if you have a habit of snacking, have as much fruit and veggies as you like. Raw carrot and celery sticks make great tea-time snacks. You could have them with salsa, guacamole/avocado dip, or almond butter (instead of peanut butter) for variety.

Or you could have a healthful handful of nuts - seriously as many as your big or little hand can hold. I would highly recommend raw almonds or lightly roasted, sea-salted ones. And these can fill you up like nothing else can and you can enjoy them guilt-free.

And if you're a chocolate lover, you can also enjoy dark chocolate guilt-free! Just make sure they contain at least 70% cacao.

Truth is - natural, safe and permanent weight-loss is achievable. All it takes is a mind shift. A complete change in lifestyle habits. If you'll only cut out carbs, you can eat as much as you like and not have to worry about putting on a single pound.

In my upcoming posts, I'll talk about effectively fighting fat with fat and what else you can eat more of to help you lose... even more weight!

Stay tuned...

Love,
Lynette Tan

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Tuesday, 24 January 2017

The New Natural Diet & Weight Loss

Talking about friends...

A friend and ex-colleague of mine was all of 28 when she died. News of her death sent shockwaves through out the secondary school we were both teaching at.

We were all gobsmacked because not only was she beautiful, incredibly talented, and intelligent. She was also very popular amongst students, especially the boys. She hid a tiny tattoo on her ankle well beneath tight-fitting pants, that would "unconsciously" show whenever she got onto her motorbike to ride to or away from the school campus. She was hot!

Word had it that she was taking slimming pills to a point where her liver completely shut down. And along with it, the rest of her body.

Not long after that, another familiar face, a girl I went to school with appeared on the telly. She too had acute liver failure and was awaiting an immediate liver transplant from her then boyfriend. She thankfully survived the ordeal, but I
doubt her life was ever the same again.

But what was most unsettling about these two stories is the fact that neither of them was fat by the world's standards.

I'm a woman too, and agree with you there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look good, feel great and be slim and sexy at the same time. But there's everything wrong when you're taking pills and short cuts and hurting or killing yourself in the process, albeit unwittingly.

How about taking some simple and effective steps to cut down the excess weight, naturally, without having to fear the side effects and spend excessive money on dubious supplements or drugs?

I mean, think with me for a moment, if you're still eating the same amount of food from before you were 18, chances are you WILL surely put on the pounds. After all, fact is that our metabolism generally slows down with age. And besides, what's causing all that extra weight gain?

I'm telling you, carbs is the culprit. And you really don't need an expert to tell you that.

Look! Carbs-cutting works for me. If it can work for an ordinary person like me, it can work for you too!

So if you're not happy with the way you look - the way I was back in 2014 - and you'd like to get back to how you looked when you were younger then I'd suggest the safest, most logical thing to do - cut out the carbs, period.

You may not feel this immediately but overtime, you'll feel your energy coming back. You'll find a new spring in your step, a zest for life you never had. You'll actually turn back the clock on aging (provided you don't smoke or drink). Best part is, in the long run, you'll get to spend more quality time with your family and loved ones. So, why not?

Speaking of loved ones, maybe at first they'll notice that you're eating differently. But after a while, they'll get used to the idea and cutting out carbs is really no big deal. If they do ask, just take it as your chance to educate them about the obvious disadvantages of carbs. Maybe you'll end up inspiring them to do the same so they'll lose weight and get healthy too!

Bottom line is, over time, your friends and family will get used to this idea that you are doing all you can to stay healthful and leave you be. In fact, most people will be too engrossed in their own conversations and too busy filling their own tummies to notice what's on your plate.

But say you're already cutting out the carbs from your diet and you've successfully socialised your family and friends to this new natural diet, will you still be allowed to snack when you feel the urge?

The response is a resounding, YES!!! And I'll talk more about this in my next post, watch this space!

Love,
Lynette Tan

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Tuesday, 17 January 2017

Food Combo & Weight Loss

Along with the struggle to maintain my ideal weight, I've always had trouble with digestion.

Even as a kid, I'd be enjoying my food one minute, chomping it down heartily, and then I'll be retching and crying my lungs out the next. It was just awful! And this went on for years!

It wasn't until I read about proper food combination in Anthony Robbins's first book Unlimited Power when I was a teenager, that I got out of this vicious cycle.

Without getting too technical, just remember that carbohydrates and proteins require different enzymes to digest. So eating them together may cause...?

Indigestion!

And that's how most people at work fall into a food coma right after a heavy lunch, because they mixed proteins with carbs!

So in order to aid digestion, foods from these two food groups ought to be eaten separately. Got it?

After knowing a little more about proper food combinations, I'd eat my steak + salad/steamed veg and then wait religiously for precisely three and a half hours later (approximate time taken for each condensed food type - carbs or protein - to be digested) to eat my baked potato + salad/steamed veg. That worked well for a start.

But after a while, not only did I find this way of eating highly restrictive, it was also very inconvenient. Plus, I noticed that the weight loss resulting from this method of eating was only effective up to a certain point. Beyond that, I'd reach a plateau. *GRRRR*

What I found even more effective and convenient was to cut out carbs altogether!

In my previous post, we've already established that carbs are converted to sugar in our bodies. And that they bring little or no benefits but add heaps to our weight and waist, cause "inflam-aging" and feed cancer cells. Given the obvious disadvantages, why not just cut out carbs?

Now, before you conclude that I have gone completely mad, I challenge you to cut out carbs completely from your dinner (no carbs after 6pm daily) for 30 days and see if your weight comes down. If you follow this diligently, trust me, it will come down!

But what CAN we eat then? Well, simple! You can still enjoy tasty foods like:-

eggs + salad
chicken + salad
pork + salad OR pork knuckles/ribs + salad
beef + salad
lamb + salad
fish/lobster/prawns + salad

(If you love curries, go ahead and eat it to your heart's content + salad, just NO rice/bread/potato/pasta/prata and its various permutations and you'll do just fine! Winks!)

Masala Jumbo Prawns with fresh salad. [Photo Credit: Jedidiah Tan]

Notice they're all with fresh, raw salads and not cooked vegetables, because most vegetables turn to starch when cooked and you'll end up eating what you're trying to avoid in the first place. Besides, vegetables are live foods, so it's best to eat them as is, with all of their life-giving enzymes and nutrients still intact! Exposing them to heat above 47 degrees celsius would thoroughly destroy all their natural goodness.

Lemon Garlic Butter Lobster with salad, Rosemary & Thyme White Snapper with salad.

But what if I get hungry easily you say? And how can I make the switch just like that? Carbs has always been a big part of my life! How do I explain to family and friends, especially at family dinners and get-togethers?

Fret not! Answers are on their way...

Love,

Lynette Tan

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Tuesday, 10 January 2017

Cut Out Carbs, Lose Weight and Become Younger

I've just come back from a relaxing and rejuvenating trip to Goa, India where there're stretches and stretches of long beautiful beaches, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets just minutes away from our resort at Morjim.

House Boat along the Chapora River, Goa, India. [Photo Credit: Jedidiah Tan]

When we first got there, the locals thought that I was only 28! Can you imagine my glee...hehe (oh no it's bubbling up again, haha!)

And then, when my husband and I were out celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary on a house boat cruising down the amazingly calm Chapora River another couple on board said that we looked too young to have been married for a decade!!

Ah... what bliss! *G-R-I-N-S*

Celebrating 10 years of marital bliss. #familiesforlife #marriedforlife

Truth is, you can lose weight and reverse aging naturally when you cut out carbs. That's because carbs and sugar cause "inflam-aging" = inflammation + accelerated aging - a term coined by health experts.

Along with cutting out all manners and forms of sugary drinks from your diet, cut out carbs also because,

CARBS = SUGAR

So simply put, carbs and sugar do nothing but add to your weight and waist. Worse still, carbs are converted to sugar and they AGE our bodies like nothing else! In fact, some studies have shown that carbs and sugar feed and grow cancer cells in our bodies.

Carbs here refer to stuff like (this list is by no means exhaustive):-

bread - white, brown, wholemeal, wholegrain, multi-grain, corn, puri, bagel, baguette, pita

rice - bryani, rice cakes, glutinous, jasmine, basmati, paella, risotto, sushi-rice

noodles - all kinds, including bee hoon/vermicelli, tang hoon, yellow/laksa noodles, mee pok, kuey teow, kuay chap, mee tai mak literally translated to mean mouse or rat tail (I think you get the idea! And it doesn't matter if they're fried, steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, whatever!)

prata and its equivalent - in all its forms of cos! Thosai (dosa), tissue, chapati, naan

pasta - linguine, spagetti, angel hair, penne, fusilli, fettuccini, macaroni, lasagne, farfelle

potatoes - unless they are purple or sweet potatoes!

cereals - (yes, you heard me right) wholemeal, cornflakes, muesli, honey stars, fruit loops, granola, oatmeal squares, oats (unless it's steel cut oatmeal)

popiah skin (doesn't matter if they're fried or steamed. Even though it's very thin, it's still carbs nonetheless)

soon kueh/peng kueh/orh kueh or yam cake/fried carrot cake (includes both black and white)

cakes - layered, nonya kueh kueh, coconut, gula melaka, cheese, coffee, carrot (carrots become carbs when cooked so I only eat them raw!)

biscuits - salted or cream crackers, jam sandwiches, vegetable-flavoured

pastries - financiers, madeleines, macaroons, macarons (and all of their fancy names)

waffles/crepes/hot cakes/pancakes

pretzels, crackers (including nachos and tacos), and chips

The list goes on and on so broadly carbs include anything and everything that's made from flour! (Might also be useful to note especially since Chinese New Year is just around the corner!)

But I hear you, those are staples! And leaving out the carbs is counterintuitive to the typical Asian diet where we usually eat a lot of rice or noodles with meats and veg. So instead of total abstinence, would it help that we just ate less carbs? And if really carbs are not good for us, what do we eat? What about the famous food pyramid, and the suggested food comb0 of proteins and carbs and all that jazz about balanced meals that we ought to have?

Answers to these questions and more in my upcoming post, winks!

Love,

Lynette Tan

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Thursday, 5 January 2017

Weighty Issues

Believe you me, I've always had a weight issue. I'm serious.

I started dieting when I was 14.

It was Chinese New Year and one of my aunties, those you see only once a year (and for good reason cuz of their toxic tongues), said to me, "Aiyoh, girl! Why you so fat?"

Mind you, I weighed only 50kg at that time. But those words weighed a ton on my mind.

Self-consciousness took over and I was never the same.

Coke was the rage at that time but I didn't give two hoots about how I wouldn't fit in the crowd. I was on a mission. So, I first began by cutting out all sugary drinks in all their forms - sodas, fruit-flavoured juices, water chestnut, soya bean milk, chin chow, bandung, etc.

And after keeping this up for about two weeks, I actually lost 2kg! Just like that!
I haven't drunk sugary drinks since.

Then, I stuck to only three meals a day and cut out all snacks - potato chips (Jack&Jill, remember?), corn chips, including my all time fav - tapioca chips with chilli, mamee, along with biscuits, cakes, nonya kueh kueh etc. And I remember bringing my weight down to a healthy 45kg (I'm petite, so that's quite ideal for me).

Over the years, I've tried many other diets - Atkins, Paleo or Caveman, Blood-type, Macrobiotic, Liquid or Juice Cleanse, Okinawa, the all-carbs Starch Solution, Daniel's Plan and I was even a hard-core vegetarian for three years!

My weight would always hover between 45-48kg so I took it for granted that it'll always stay that way. But as age caught up, I started getting lazy. I stopped exercising, watching my weight, plus I ate to my heart's content!

I was just so fulfilled, everything was going great in my life and I was rewarding myself with good food, fine dining, great gourmet cuisine. I didn't realise that I had put on so much weight until I found a lump in my right breast - don't worry, it's benign, I got it removed and I've been given a clean bill of health!

But THAT, was my wake-up call to relook at what I'm eating and how I'm living my life!

At that time, I weighed 56kg! I totally filled up my jeans. I felt clumsy - always kicking over things or tripping over myself cuz my reflexes were somewhat slower, I felt I had little or no energy, my clothes were getting tighter, I was getting sick all the time and overall I felt really lousy about myself.

So how on earth did I get back in shape?

I'll tell you exactly how in my next few posts so stick with me! Winks!

Love,

Lynette Tan

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