The End of the Dukan Diet - Consolidation Phase Week 14

It's been months since I last updated on the progress of the diet. The good thing is, I have not put back on the weight. My current weight now hovers around 56-57kg. I have not been a good girl last week. Did not go gym at all. So maybe I am 58kg now. Scary to think how the weight creeps back on without you realising it.

I love being a size small/medium. Without sounding boastful hopefully, I think I now look good in almost everything I wear. Well, at least better than before.

I am into the LAST WEEK of the dukan diet. It has been a 6-month journey and I am amazed at how well I have grown accustomed to it. But that's really because this diet is wonderfully designed to make it achievable. By the time I reach the consolidation phase, I could start to eat the foods I craved albeit once a week. That and the pasta servings increase to twice a week by the half-way mark in this third phase. This diet is now easy to maintain as part of a normal lifestyle. Being weight conscious now has also made me observe women on the streets - and I am starting to see a pattern of overweight women. At any one time, walking down Robinson Road (the business district of Singapore with large concentration of office workers) during lunch time, I would see at least 2 - 3 Large to X-Large women. It is difficult to be a Small to Medium size here in Singapore. Almost every mall now has a basement food hall. Ice cream, donuts, confectionaries have set up shop here. Walking through the food hall, you will be attacked by tempting smells of freshly baked breads, waffles, pancakes and other gluttonous sins.

It is with certainty that I will put back on weight once the consolidation phase is over. So I have decided that the consolidation phase is what I will do for life. There will be no Phase 4 where I eat "normally" for 6 days and eat pure protein low-fat for one day a week. "Normal" in Singapore is way too high in calories. And I am not about to work-out 6 days a week at a gym. Especially not when I have cancelled my gym membership as part of my save-money drive (that's another story for another time). Having some food rules would help. That's essentially what the consolidation phase is: two celebration meals and two servings of pasta/carbs (preferable whole grain). Do I feel like popping one of those lemon cream cupcakes into my mouth? Sure. After all, I wasn't super sized before for no reason. Super size people like me are generally foodies. But on some days, I am not allowed to eat the cupcake. Every Wednesday and Sunday now, I have a celebration meal. On these occasions, I can eat a cupcake, or two...

"Food economy", as I would like to call it, has also helped me instill discipline in the consumption of other things. I now take bus/train instead of cabs and cut back on excessive clothing shopping. It's a powerful thing when you realize the level of determination you are capable of. I even took my success in keeping food away and applied to my bad smoking habit. Haven't touched a stick in three weeks now :)

Product in Review - Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil powder SUCKS

I have decided to start a new section on this blog dedicated to products which I feel are worth every penny spent and those which I fucking hated buying. Ok, you can tell in that sentence this would be more to slam the products I hate.

I will start with the product that inspired this new blog. The Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil face powder. I cannot believe that this product actually gets good reviews. On what type of skin will it go on well? It's the worst face powder I have ever used. The only reason I picked this up at Sephora was because I wanted to save money by going for a cheaper powder when my Urban Decay Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder ran out.

 

The bareMinerals Mineral Veil finishing powder by Bare Escentuals is a really bad powder. Usually I am not fussy on finishing or loose powder because most brands do a good one. So I got this brand thinking, I have heard good reviews about Bare Escentuals and loose powder is all the same. Well, I learnt that loose powder isn't all the same. The fineness of the powder actually differs from brand to brand. 

The Mineral Veil powder is coarse. When I put it on, it makes my skin look blotchy and by 6pm, the powder has worn off on my T-zone. When I touch my face, it feels "sandy".  It was horrible. I tried to put up with it but there is nothing I hate more than a bad foundation make-up. Pants can be held up with safety pins (I have to do that now since I have lost a lot of weight through the diet) but bad make-up you cannot do anything with it. And people look at your face when they talk to you. They don't always check out your pants.

A good loose powder should give your foundation a nice silky finish, and should last for at least till 6pm. Which is everything that the product below is - Urban Decay's Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder. It's more expensive than Mineral Veil. S$52 versus S$36. In fact, Urban Decay is really a good make-up brand. I also really like their make-up setting sprays. I use the De-Slick and my make-up stays put the entire day to nighttime. And my usual oily T-zone isn't so oily now that I use De-Slick. The "but" about the Razor finishing powder is the sponge applicator. It's hard to control the amount of powder that comes out through the sponge so there is a fair bit of wastage; and it is hard to remove to wash.

 Being budget-conscious however, I did not want to spend S$52 on another powder. so I went to Tangs, where I have some points accumulated on my Citi Tangs card and a $20 voucher redeemed from my Standard Chartered card, and got myself a Shu Uemura colourless matte face powder (S$68). In the end I paid only about $26!! I like that it comes with a velour puff applicator and there is a sieve-like cover that helps control the amount of powder so minimizing wastage. It's 3pm now and my face is still matt-looking. My skin also doesn't feel dry like when I used Mineral Veil. The coverage is sheer, which should be the way for loose powder and my make-up looks good, not blotchy. So I am back to happy on my make-up.

Ok, that's my first post on the products I have used or am using.
The conclusion: Mineral Veil sucks.

Rediscovery of the week: Elton John's I Want Love MTV With Robert Downey Jr

Because I am a million years old, I listen to Elton John (not like everyday, but once a year kind of thing). So I have been listening to the guy’s greatest hits. There is a song I really love called I Want Love. The MTV for this song is fucking cool, which I just watched again as I relived this song. One of my favourites (not like I have a lot of favourite MTVs in case you think I am “cool”). 

If you love Robert Downey Jr as much as I do, this kind of could make you sit up and feel a little like reaching into your monitor screen and touch Robbie’s tight bod! This is RDJ when he was still troubled with all sorts of sex, drugs and alcohol problems. So hot even when he was so fucked up. You gotta know this context before you watch the video. Then you can feel RDJ's soul. 

Elton John: I wanted to do a video that was mature. And [director] Sam Taylor-Wood said, “I’ve got an idea of just doing it very simply, one person, not you, lip-syncing to the song. An actor, maybe.” I came up with the idea of Robert. I thought, “God, the lyrics are very close to home. I wonder if he’ll do it?” He was very interested. It all came together in five or six days. We sent him the album, and he said, “Yes”…I love the fact that it is a one-shot video. He did 16 takes. They used the very last take because he was completely relaxed by then. ... It’s so pertinent to what he’s going through, and the way he underplays it is fantastic.

Other less meaningful thoughts that ran through my head as I watched this MTV again:

·         Robert Downey Jr was so gay looking in this mtv but so very ungay in real life. That's really hot. And was he on the road of rehab by the time he made this video? He looked in the pink of health!

·         His t-shirt was badly ironed at the back, like he scratched his back just before shooting the video. It really distracted me.

Dukan Diet Consolidation Phase Week 2 (12 - 18 March)

With the serving of bread and an apple everyday, it's plenty of things to eat actually! Sometimes I eat the bread with a slice of cheddar cheese for dinner or lunch, and have the food my mom packed for me for the other meal.

It's really great that now there is a celebration meal. And last week, I used it to celebrate the end of a very long and tedious project. We went to Wild Honey, an all-day breakfast place. I did not finish my food because I was genuinely full. But I was also conscious of not over-eating, which would have been the way I eat in the past.




Brioche toasts with Parma Ham and Scrambled Eggs


As I was quite pre-occupied with work, I only managed to work out at the gym over the weekends. This Without my trainer, I went back to an old Circuit Training routine which he did for me a few years ago when I first engaged him.

Saturday 17 March:
4 sets of Legs, 3 sets of Chest and 1 set of Triceps. That's a total of 8 sets and in between each set, I run for 2 mins on the treadmill at a speed of 9kmh. Ending off with 3 sets of abs. 

Sunday 18 March:
4 sets of Back, 4 sets of Shoulders/Biceps and 3 sets of abs. Run in-between sets. Because on Day 2 I work less of the legs, I increase the running speed to 10kmh.

I weighed myself at the gym too. Surprisingly, I was 58+ kg, as compared to my last weight check if 60.4kg. It could be water weight loss.

Dukan Diet Consolidation Phase Week 1

Week of 27 March was the last week of Cruise Phase 2. Here's some of what I ate that week. 

On 2 March, I went into the third phase of the diet. For the first time in 2 months, since January 1 2012, I ate a fruit and two slices of whole grain bread with a slice of cheddar cheese. Going into Phase 3 means I can now eat vegetables with the proteins everyday. This makes it a lot easier for my mom chef!

The book asks that 100% whole grain bread is eaten but it is difficult to find whole grain bread in Singapore. And even if they are available, it is sold only in places that are largely inaccessible by me. So I bought Sunshine Enriched Multi-Grain bread. I don't think this is 100%. I will attempt at finding a bread closer to the fit next week. 

On Saturday, I had my first Celebration Meal. We went to Everything With Fries. I start off on the wrong foot with a restaurant that serves french fries! I forgot that french fries was forbidden in the diet, for good! Luckily I was cautious about eating too much of the fries so I left most of it untouched at the end of the meal. I also had a bit more than 1 glass of wine! I missed the taste of alcohol so much!

The book was right to say that when you start the third phase, you will feel quite reluctant to start eating carbs. I am so afraid that the weight will start to pile back on. I think what is very important is to make sure exercise is also put in place. I haven't been good at keeping to that now that I have stopped my personal training. On thursday, I went back to weights training and now my butt is hurting. Good pain. Hope that I can get some exercise in today.

Grilled pork chop with fries. I did not take any of that salad dressing. 

So stay tuned as I move into the third phase. Let's see if I manage to stave off the weight. 

The Missing Piece, Part two

One of my favourite hypothetical question is what shape would your life be, charted out on a graph? Given that there are two kinds of graph you can choose from:

1) One that has peaks and troughs, where there are moments of extreme highs and also moments of extreme lows. Life's full of drama, like a roller coaster ride; 2) One that does not have any extreme high nor extreme low. Life is largely uneventful and moderately happy and peaceful. Like a walk in the park. 

For me, it has always been the second graph. In order not to experience extreme sadness in my life, I would give up the right to extreme joy and happiness. The thing is, I have not experienced extreme highs in my life so I suppose it is easy for me to give it up. I have always wondered if I genuinely want a moderately happy-uneventful life. Recently, I was put in a situation where I am challenged on this theory. I met a boy. This addition to my life has upset the tranquility I have built around my world like a fortress for the last decade. I asked myself, if I could turn back time, and choose again, would I reset my life back to where it was without him. And I wouldn't, almost couldn't. 

It is indulgent. Like going from a commoner to a queen. From being nobody to somebody's somebody. 

Being the most single person for the longest time, I am not used to this privileged attention and importance that has been placed upon me. It feels awkward, unreal and almost... undeserving. I have heard how prisoners, who have been released from prison after being locked up for a long time commit crime so that they can go back to prison. They have been so institutionalized they cannot fit back into society. That describes how I feel now. A small part of me wants to sabotage this. This part of me wishes to go back to how things were. 

I refuse to see that my life is better now than before. There is a stubborn defense for Singlehood. I have never seen myself as a sad and charmless old maid. I have always lived my Single life with a fierce determination to get the most out of life, alone. Not having a companion has not stopped me from my travels, from watching movies or enjoying a good meal in a restaurant. My refusal to see a coupled state as better is also a defiance of societal norms. Love is overplayed in films, books and music; in the stupid commercialized Valentine's Day; and even in our social groups of family and friends. The virtues of the simplicity of Numero Uno lives in the dark shadows of the stupid, overrated talk of love. Admittedly, there are now more happy moments, happier moments, less lonely moments... but with love, the quiet beautiful tranquility is also shattered forever.

However, by not wanting to reset my life, am I inferring that two is better than one?? The answer is no. Best thing is, no sickening coupled people can accuse me of being sour grapes in this instance! Since now I am also part of a duo (HA!). While I do not think being in a relationship is better than being Single (vice versa), I do feel that having experienced being in a relationship helps to validate a later decision to stay single, should the I choose to do so. Or should love fades away before I want it to, I can at least look back at the happy days of being once in love and look forward to Single life once again. I just hope that when that day comes I will still be able to stand on my own two feet and enjoy singing the simple tune of One. Like the circle with the missing piece.

Dukan Diet Cruise Phase (Week 5 - 8)

Work has been quite crazy the last two weeks and the little romance that has crept into my simple quiet life are all making me neglect my blog! More on the romance in another post!

I want to say it here that by now, the 26th of February, I have reached my weight loss goal of fitting into my Ultimate Two-Size down dress. It is a bustier dress and this is what it looks like. Haha, it actually looks rather shapeless in this picture.

My last session with my gym trainer ended last week. We did a fat mass analysis at the start of my training  in October 2011 and we did another fat analysis after the last session, And here are the results. I have jotted down the initial analysis back in October for comparison. My weight was 67.4kg in October 2011 and on 24 February 2012, I weighed 60.4kg. I did not lose weight from October right through to December 2011. In fact I might have gained a couple more kilos. The weight loss of 7 kg is largely due to the diet and it took 2 months. And what's interesting to note also is that my FFM (Fat Free Mass) remained at 41.3kg. FFM refers largely to muscular mass. This means through my training at the gym, i managed to maintain my muscular mass, which also means i have burnt 7kg of pure fat (and water weight, I am sure)

I had wanted only to do 5 weeks of Cruise Phase but i extended it to 8 weeks so that I can burn off a bit more before I enter Consolidation Phase where I might put back on a couple of kilos due to the re-introduction of carbohydrates into my system. Next week will be the last week of Cruise. By Saturday 3 March, I will be taking my first taste of carbohydrates after 2 months in the first Celebration Meal of the third phase. 

Here're what I have eaten for the last two weeks. These are mostly packed lunch and dinner from home. My fabulous mom cooked them for me. She uses a lot of seafood such as calamari, fish and prawns in her food. Also used lot of is bean curd and eggs. Without my mom, I don't think I will last this long in phase 2. 

Fishballs soup

Cold Silken Tofu with Soba sauce and wasabi. 

Steamboat at The Mushroom Pot

Sardines from the can

Dukan Diet Cruise Phase 2 (Week 3 and 4)

Ok, so I have really slipped on my weekly updates.

By now, I am already into week 5 of the Cruise Phase - what I have set as the final week for this phase. I want to say that this diet works! i was in Hong Kong in December 2011 and started this diet on 1 January 2012. In about 6 weeks, I have already gone down one and half dress sizes. My aim is to go down two dress sizes. Couple of days ago, I took out some old clothes, so unworn they had the wardrobe smell on them. I could wear most of them, and I love my old clothes. There is The Ultimate Two-Dress-Size-Smaller bustier dress which I could zip all the way up but could...not....breathe... in it. So I am not quite there yet. So I don't have to shop for new clothes for many months more, since I can now recycle my old clothes.

When I first decided to do the Dukan diet, I really did not know if I could pull through Phase 2. But now that I have gone to 4 drinking sessions with friends and stuck to my perriers and sugar-free pastilles, ok and cigarettes (can die but cannot be fat?!), I now know I can conquer this. I have even gotten used to the strict order of pure protein/pure protein veg routine. I have not touched sugar and alcohol in 6 weeks. The alcohol was a little hard to give up in week 3 but now I feel I don't miss it as much.

And people who have seen me at work are all amazed at how good I look now (note that the "how good I look" is due to the CONTRAST between the Before and After. Like a woman with a uni brow will look infinitely better once she trims her brows. So it's got nothing to do with inherent beauty). People can say all they want about not giving a fuck about being Plus Size. In the last two years when my weight rocketed, I did not feel good at all being Plus Size. I feel GREAT now being Normal Size. So celebs like Octavia Spencer should never claim she is not bothered being Plus Size. Look at Jennifer Hudson. It's just like s Single woman saying she prefers staying single to being in a relationship. You just can't say things like that. But that's another story altogether... getting back now to the diet.

I am so motivated by the success of this diet that I have decided to stretch Phase 2 till end of February. I figured that moving into Phase 3, I will experience some weight gain since carbs will be introduced back into my diet albeit gradually. I take personal training at the gym and that could also have helped with the effectiveness of the diet. I am contemplating extending the personal training into phase 3.

Cheers to my future hotness!!

Here're some of the meals I had over the last two weeks. Last week was Chinese New Year so there had been some steamboat feasts, which works great for this diet because it's all steamed, fish and stuff.

Brunch with friends at Roadhouse, Dempsey. 

Mom braised a chicken for the Reunion dinner

Mom's famous steamboat and that fish over there was awesome. It was fried though, so I had only a little. 

Pan-fried fish fillet, with black beans, onions, cherry tomatoes

Can't do this diet without my mom. She made this dish of sliced lean pork, mushrooms and szechuan veg which was so tasty. 

A similar sliced lean pork with szechuan veg. 

The prawns leftover from the Reunion dinner  cooked with tofu. 

Stir-fry prawns

Salad with leftover roast chicken and sautéed mushrooms. 

Mom made this cold seafood platter for the Reunion dinner. It had scallops, mini abalone, Octopus. All can eat! 

Steamboat again just last night (4 February). Perfect. 

Vegetables and fish cake

Soup with cabbage and seaweed

What is the expiry date to love?

Jennifer Lopez' breakup with Marc Anthony was kind of expected for me, looking at her track record I was surprised it even lasted this long.

The pair that disappointed me is Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradiz. I hope he doesn't go for some 20 year old model as his next.

And then blogger Heather B. Armstrong broke up with her husband Jon. I am a new follower of her blog but by reading her About page, she seemed so happily married to the "charming geek Jon" as she so lovingly described.

What I find a little hard to understand sometimes is how people who are so glued together by having children un-glue? I mean Children are the super glue of a marriage, right? And with every new additional baby, I always feel "this couple is going to stick for a long while".

I can see how people grow sick of each other, grow to only see the bad in them and not the good that they fell in love with. The beginning stages of love is like going to some soul changing place like Nepal, and the rest of it like going back to the mundane work life in the city. The "life changingness" of Nepal soon give way again to constant cursing of the traffic and office politics.

If the question of "Am I happy?" is taken away from the consideration set of a marriage, how long can it last? Once two people commit to each other, should they be thinking in more fatalistic, doomsday terms? After all, the vow does say "till death do us part". If two people prepare for the worst to come, instead of expecting the best, would they be less prone to discontentment?

The other thing people can try is to not make a big fuss about their love for each other. All these big wedding celebrations is like jinxing yourselves. Look at Elizabeth Hurley and her super rich Indian husband. Get a humble ring, throw a small dinner. Take less happy shots of the wedding day. The less happy things you do, the more you prevent jinxing it. I still remember the day my idiot boss popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate the selling of an advertisement concept to a client. I knew then that she had jinxed it. True enough, it was a bloody train wreck.

When I was in Kerala staying at a home stay in Alleppey, I asked the owner of the home stay what is his recipe to staying married. Motty, the owner and his wife Lali, have been married for about 40 years from an arranged marriage. Motty replied, "give and take". And when I asked further, what was Lali's recipe to the marriage, he said "Lali has learnt to give and take of my many flaws." I agree that "give and take" is very important and not something that you can necessarily expect both parties in the marriage to do. Sometimes only one person has to bear the cross, be the one to give and take. Maybe this role falls more on the shoulders of the woman than the man. In a long standing marriage, isn't it true that more often than not the wife is somewhat of a virtuous woman?

The fragility of modern marriages should make us all treasure the limited time we have with our spouse even more. I am not an advocate for marriage as I do not want any children. But I am a cynic who wants to be proven wrong. I want people who attempt marriage to succeed. I want to see a revival of old-fashioned love.

Post post post Golden Globe red carpet review

Here's my take on some of the gowns I have seen from coverage of the Golden Globe. I put this together to have a discussion with a friend about the dresses and she suggested that I put it on my blog.