Singapore Personal Trainer|The Fitness Truth

If you and your loved ones enjoy eating out at restaurants, you may think that this lifestyle is bad for a healthy diet. Most likely you are right.. However, you can still enjoy restaurant menus once in a while and maintain a healthy diet. How do you do that?

Personal Trainer Advice:

Its all about making good food choices. That starts with learning about the nutrition you need to stay happy, physically healthy, mentally stable, and active.

When you scroll through the menu, start by avoiding the drinks section. Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many empty calories, which is not good for your body.(Read: EMPTY calories)

The exception to this rule when it comes to alcohol is wine, especially red wine, which can be beneficial if you have a single glass occasionally and can actually help prevent heart disease for some patients.

Also you might want to skip over the appetizer menu, unless of course it’s to over a side salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave even more high fat foods.

Examples of these are mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and wings. Instead, simply focus on your main course or, if you must indulge, share a single serving with the entire table of people. C’mon, don’t be selfish!

When choosing your main course, it is important that you look at the ingredients of the dish. Anything with cream sauces or high-fat high-sugar dressings should be avoided, and pass up the potatoes or onion rings. Instead order side dishes like green leafy vegetables or ask for just the main course if possible. (This shouldn’t be a problem)

Remember too that portion matters. Order off of the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie bag right away. Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing, which is usually enough for two or three portions.

At the end of your meal, ditch the desert , like you would with the appetizers. Again, you can share a single desert with the entire table if you feel compelled to order something, or split your portion in half. Many fancy desserts in restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waiter to put in an order!

Of course, on special occasions, it’s alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires lots of resisting temptation around you.

I have people from Singapore where I am residing now emailing me on where to get Shirataki Noodles locally.

You can find the noodles at selected NTUC(s). I know of one at Bukit Timah Plaza. One of my clients bought them from that place and cooked tom yam soup with it!

You can also get Shirataki noodles at the Supermarket at Isetan Orchard which is Japanese in Nature.

Other alternatives are Marketplace at Tanglin mall, Paragon or Raffles link and Cold storage at Takashimaya.

If all else fails, you can get it from me. However try the supermarket first.

Good luck and feedback to me on how you cook it!

As promised in Part 1, today I would be guiding you on the preparation of this Zero calorie noodle also known as Shirataki Noodle also known as Miracle Noodle and share two easy-to-prepare recipes.

Before I discuss this any further, watch this short 2 minute YouTube clip on the Health benefits of the Miracle Noodle.

I am sure this would certainly would help dieters around the world. Now you are able to lose weight with the joy of eating your “carbs”! Another plus point is that you do not have to cook it! This is especially convenient and a time saver for busy and lazy people out there. Go give it an honest try!

So how do you prepare the Miracle Noodle?

This Zero Calorie noodle are instantly ready. All you need to do is to drain the pack and rinse in a strainer or collander for a couple of minutes. In addition, you can be add this noodles to cooking dishes to absorb the flavor all the while retaining its consistency.

This is great and comforting news to everyone! Eating right does not have to be bland anymore. Shirataki Noodle is defintely an alternative with pasta in recipes.

So, What do you need to prepare the Miracle Noodle?

1. A strainer

2. Water to rinse.

3 A good family pasta recipe.

4. Family and friends to enjoy your new found health discovery!

Here are two cooking videos on youtube which guides you thoroughly on whipping a quick and tasty meal.

Mixed Vegatables Stir-Fry With Shirataki Noodles

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry with Shirataki Noodles

Above are just the minimal of recipes which you can add the zero calorie noodle. I have personally substituted my rice and noodles with this zero calorie noodle into my curry, chilli-based dishes, tom yam soup, sweet and sour chicken and also my all time favourite pasta lasagne.

I included this zero calorie noodle in all my 3 meals apart from my low-carb protein shake and I lost inches off my waist in less than 10 days. But of course you need to incorporate with at least 1hr of weight training exercise regime at least 3 times a week.

I strongly recommend the Shirataki Noodle.

It has changed lives and it has changed mine too. It’s YOUR turn now.

Click on the banner on the right hand corner of this page which has a picture of two chefs and start purchasing your shirataki noodles.

Otherwise, click here.

All comments are appreciated. Good luck on your weight loss!

Hi my friends,

Sorry for the 1 week hiatus. I was suffering from some sort of verbal diarrhoea and ate Macdonalds all week. *Sulks*

Bad news. I know. I swear I could see my well-defined tummy disappearing one morning and I freaked out! I bet many of you have this problem whereby due to stress, work or whatever mentally drained activity you may have, you eat and eat and EAT to your hearts content.

Eating to your hearts content is PERFECTLY fine. However whenever we eat to our hearts content due to mentally and emotionally drained reasons, we tend to eat CARBS! BAD CARBS!

Your over-portioned rice, noodles, chips, Ben N Jerry’s, fried chicken and more sinful carb-fat laden foods are the cause of your slowly-disappearing flat tummy or sooner EXTRA FLAB, FAT around your waist. Yikes!

So, being so agitated with my defination slowly disappearing, I decided to google on low carbs, low carb noodles, low carb pastas and other substitute of carbs. Since I’m living in Singapore a country in Asia, it was all the more necessary for me to find alternatives which would replace the Asian staple of rice and noodles.

I wanted my definitions back and like you, I still want to have my noodles, pastas, rice and all the carbs in the world!

Often a time, it worries me to see my clients being so reluctant to part away with carbs in their diet. I had to literally scream at them to STOP indulging. Yes eating sinful carbs like abovementioned are all INDULGENCE. They are not necessary for weight loss - fat loss.

Anyway, since I finally could understand how my clients feel, I went on a strike!

I googled, brainstormed, made some calls and THEN…

I discovered a MIRACLE!!!

THE ANSWER TO YOUR LOW-CARB HEADACHES.

THE ANSWER TO YOUR LOW-CARB TORTURE.

YOU CAN FINALLY EAT ALL THE CARBS YOU WANT AND…

STILL LOSE WEIGHT.

PRESENTING TO YOU THE…

SHIRATAKI NOODLES!!!

Alright. I will cut my drama queen persona. But really, those of you who are on a diet will understand my excitement. Those of you who are seeing flabs-fats forming around your waist would also pardon my drama queen-ness.

Nutrition Information

Protein: 0 grams

Fat: 0 grams

Carbs: 3 grams (of which all 3 grams are soluble fiber)

In essence you are actually taking ZERO calories as soluble fiber gets passed out of your body anyway!

So how do you get Shirataki Noodles?

Well, I’ll tell you in the next blog post alongwith some lustful recipes. In the mean time, be prepared to do some grocery shopping, cook some new recipes and LOSE WEIGHT!

Till the next time.

Hi again and we’re back with the 3rd installment of the supermarket series!

If you haven’t read the previous blog posts, regarding protein and healthy fats sources, you can do so here:

• Part 1 (yummy proteins)
• Part 2 (good, healthy fats)

This post, we are going to talk about carbs.

In the past decade, carbs has lost popularity due to the fad low-carb diets, books and products that have swept the market. What used to be low fat diets in the 80’s has been challenged with this ‘new’ concept that was introduced by Dr Atkins. (well it’s no longer new because we’re in 2008 now)

Why do people shun carbs? The premise behind a low carb diet is that you’ll have better insulin control and rely on your bodyfat to be used as energy. All fine and dandy from a physique attainment standpoint. But do we need to resort to these restrictive ways to get fat loss?

Nope not really.

The trick is to get good carbs and consume it at certain times of the day when your body needs it the most. Like first thing in the morning and around your workout times. The so called ‘good’ carbs will be introduced below in this post.

‘Bad’ carbs are to be avoided. Anything that’s processed like refined sugar, white bread, noodles and white flour are considered bad. And especially anything that comes out of a box, it’s bad. Rule of thumb is, if your great grandmother have not seen or heard about it, it’s no good.

Here’s a list of the good ones that I recommend. Remember, timing is very important when it comes to carbs as compared to fats and protein which should be consumed throughout the day. Most good carbs have low Glycemic index scores.

• Lentils (some types have high protein content, up to 50%)
• Oats (all type as long as the ingredients state 100% oats and nothing else)
• Whole grain breads (don’t be fooled with ‘brown colored wholemeal’ breads. just because they are ‘whole’ and brown in color doesn’t mean they are not processed)
• Brown rice/ basmati rice
• Skimmed milk (post workout)
• Variety of fruits of all colors
• Variety of vegetables of all colors

Lentils:

Great for lunch or breakfast and you can cook it in many types of dishes.

Skimmed Milk:

For post workout nutrition, skim milk can be the best choice if you don’t intend to buy any protein supplements.

Brown Rice:

Superior choice compared to white rice due to lowered GI.

Basmati Rice:

For a change, try basmati rice. There are many recipes on the internet that you can cook up.

Oats (various types):

Not the instant cereal variations. Those are no-no’s because they are actually breakfast candies in disguise!

Whole grain breads:

As mentioned earlier, don’t be fooled for processed breads which are ‘labeled’ as healthy and wholesome. Read the ingredients. The first that should come out is whole grain.

Vegetables: 

What can I say. Eat ‘em all the time and as much as you want!

Fruits:

Consume in moderation too because fruits contain sugars called fructose and fructose will be stored in the liver. The liver has only so much space, the rest goes to your dreaded fat cells.

All right folks. This is the 3rd installment and we have covered protein, fats and carb sources? What’s the next macronutrient?

There’s none! Because those are the only 3 macronutrients around.

The 4th installment, and the final one too will be posted soon. It’s a surprise so stay tuned!

Onwards to part 2 of the supermarket sequel..

In my last post, I was touting the benefits of incorporating good, healthy proteins in your diet. Today, I’m going to introduce more on healthy fats. Normally, when someone hears the word ‘fat’, they would be thinking like …”are you sure..?”

Actually not all fats are bad and in fact we need dietary fats (the good ones of course) to survive! Yes, in order to live the body needs proteins and fats and we can actually survive without carbs. Anyway, that’ll be saved for another topic altogether.

This post is about healthy fats! So here we go:

• Mixed nuts
• Flax seeds or flax oil
• Fish Body Oil (not cod liver, never!)
• Olive oil

That’s it? Is there all to it? Healthy fats… Only those outlined above?

Well, try consuming all of the above on a frequent, daily basis and you’ll know what I mean. If you can do it, bravo! Good for you.

All right, the above 4 is not the be all and end all of fat sources that you should take. It is just a summary of the better monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that’s beneficial to your body.

What about saturated fat? Is it bad? No, it’s not. I’d skip all the scientific mumbo jumbos and save you the trouble of scratching your head.

There are bad saturated fats and there are the good ones. The good ones comes from things like eggs, meat, cheese, coconut, etc so you don’t actually need to add anymore into your diet. By just concentrating on the monos and polys, you’d do just fine.

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Mixed nuts:

I’d say walnuts are the best  as they have highest concentrations of omega 3s but please, you’d get sick and tired of eating the same things everyday right? Most mixed nuts are OK but try to get those from the baking section and not from party nuts section as the latter would have vegetable/cotton/rapeseed oils added to it for texture. Also if you’re dieting down, avoid peanuts and cashews as they have higher carb content.

Flax seeds:

Flax seeds are great source of fibre and omega 3s (yet again!). You can mix it with anything actually and has a nutty taste to it. I prefer the ‘golden’ versus the ‘brown’ as the latter taste quite bitter. Make sure that you don’t consume the seeds whole. What I mean by this is, you’d have to grind it if you buy the ’seeds’ version. Another option is to get milled ones. But make sure to store in an air tight container and in the fridge.

Flax Oil:

Flax oil has the highest omega 3 concentrations compared to any other foods out there. But to take it on it’s own can be quite nasty. Can be easily solved though. Mix it with soups, salads or gravies to reap it’s health benefits. Soon enough you’ll see improvements in your skin. Try it!

Omega 3 Fish Oil:

The oils are derived from the bodies of deep, cold water fishes. The ones that our lovely moms fed us when we were young was actually cod liver oil. Inferior, low quality source of oil. (Blame the ads, love your moms still all right). These normally come in capsules though there are cheaper, liquid oil alternatives. You can get your omega 3s from normal food like fish and nuts but you’d normally fall short of the minimum requirement. So a minimum of 6 capsules or 1-2 tsp per day should suffice.

Olive oil:

These, like the flax oil can be poured onto salads, soups and gravies too. A great source of monounsaturated fats.

OK folks. Start adding some good fats into your diet and start feeling and looking a lot better! See you soon for part 3.

Cheers!

Stock up on these foods!

Lean proteins, veges, fruits, nuts and ‘miscellaneous stuffs’ that could actually help you eat healthier. In this first installment of the above topic (out of 4), we’ll cover on the protein foods that you should have in your fridge. When you do exercises by resistance training, your body needs protein to repair the lean muscle tissues.

The more lean tissue you have, the higher your metabolism and guess what? You burn body fat more efficiently. Yup. That’s right.

So here we go folks, lean proteins that’s gonna help your body look good and/or sexy!

• Lean chicken breast (no skin!)
• Lean beef (get rid of the fats)
• Egg Whites (who says they are bad? seriously?)
• Omega 3 eggs (eat them whole)
• Fish (deep water preferably)
• Cottage cheese (good for bedtime)
• Variety of Cheese
• Beef jerky
• Low Carb Protein Powder/ Meal Replacement

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Lean Chicken Breast:

One of the most common sources of protein and it’s popularity stems from the fact that it’s relatively cheap and very versatile. one of the easiest and quickest way to prepare is to roast the breasts in bulk and add them to dishes later.

Lean Beef:

Because of it’s high saturated fat and cholesterol conten, beef has been shunned by the health conscious but it need not be this way! Lean cuts of beef can actually be lesser in fat than chicken. Look for ‘loin’ or ’round’ when buying beef as these are leanest cuts.

Egg Whites:

Are high in protein and zero in fat. Need I say more? When buying non organic, non omega 3 eggs, you should separate the whites from the yolk.

Omega 3 eggs:

Whereas for organic, omega 3 eggs, you should eat them whole due to it’s high quality omega 3 content and quality protein.

Fish:

Deep water fish like salmon and cod is great, again due to it’s omega 3s. But it can be quite costly. So don’t fret, you can still have tuna, mackerel or sardines. Just be sure to vary your protein sources!

Cottage cheese:

Good for night time meals due to it’s slow digestibility. Keeps your stomach full and keeps you away from the fridge. haha.

Variety of Cheese:

Not really a 100% source of protein but still a great addition to your meals (and your taste buds) . On the average 50/50 source of protein to fat.

Beef Jerky:

‘On-the-go’ protein. Not really that ‘healthy’ due to it’s nitrate content. But then again it’s still better than fried chicken or fries. Eat them only when you need to OK?

Low Carb Protein Powder/ Meal Replacement:

Another ‘on-the-go’ source of protein. Very convenient, portable and easy to mix. Get the low carb/ low sugar versions and take note of the sugar content per serving. The brand below is BSN Lean Dessert but there are other quality brands that are as good or even better.

OK, there you go. A variety of protein foods that you should stock up in the kitchen. Do these and watch your you body change. Good luck!

Have you ever routinely experienced irresistible and sudden food cravings for junk food like ice cream, potato chips, cookies, french fries and the likes? Well…You are not alone.

Is it normal for us to crave as a natural part of our relationship with food. However, there’s a difference between cravings and hunger pangs. When you’re hungry, you would tend to eat everything in sight! Where as when it comes to cravings, it gets specific. A lot of people crave for things like pizza and chocolate (yup, that’s me all right and for some even to it’s particular brand.

Though cravings can be paralyzing at times, you know… when you just can’t help it but succumb to it, they are actually very predictable and come at particular times of the day (or most likely night). Fret not, because Diana comes to the rescue!

OK. We CAN actually control our cravings. There are ways to counter it and below I’ll give a couple of tips you could try out for yourselves (do give feedback!) when the cravings hit you. Firstly, I’ll address the problems and then I’ll present to you the solutions.

Problems:

• Skipping meals or eating at irregular times
• Lack of ‘good and healthy’ carbohydrates
• Not enough protein and good dietary fats
• Too much salt
• Too much processed/refined carbohydrates
• Too much sugar
• Chronic under-eating (thinking that this would lead to weight loss)

Solutions (overview):

• Eat mini, palm sized meals every 3-4 hours
• Make sure there’s lean protein, generous serving of veges and a dose of healthy fats in each mini meal
• Eliminate sugary/processed foods from your diet
• Minimize salt intake
• Find healthier alternatives to satisfy your sweet tooth
• Explore non-food ways (walking, jogging) to prevent emotional eating
• Exercise more
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night

Solutions (more detailed):

• Supplement with zinc, magnesium and chromium as these deficiencies are the common reasons for cravings
• Brush your teeth and the ‘minty’ after taste would actually kill your junk food thoughts
• Keep bad, bad foods out of your way. Throw it our from your pantry!
• Stock up on fruits and nuts instead
• Keep a small bottle of vanilla essence and sniff it every time you crave for something (try it, it works!)
• Have a ‘lighter’ version of the bad stuff but not all the times. Only for treats yeah.
• Drink more water.
• Reward yourself with something that’s not food.
• Look at yourself in the mirror.
• Drink a low carb protein shake and have a handful of walnuts/almonds
• Prepare yourself a sugar free gelatin dessert
• Mix up some Crystal Light drink mix and drink it up!

Try these strategies out first and see which one works for you and which doesn’t. I’m sure you would at least gain from some of it.

Good luck!