Lose weight for better health for the new year

Losing weight is about health and we make no apologies in encouraging our relatives and friends in losing weight healthily. Many people don't take it seriously that being overweight is detrimental and costly to their health and wallet in later life. We need not age with ill health.

Many Malaysians are having obesity related health problems in their 30s and 40s when it used to be 50s and 60s and Malaysia is one of the top Asian countries with obesity problem. Obesity can lead to problems such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney failure, stroke and heart attack. That is because, when we are overweight, our organs cannot cope with all the stress and will sooner or later give way.

Taking care of our health is an investment of the future.


John and his gang of friends are organising a weight loss challenge - the first for next year - on January 5, 2011. If you, or you know of friends in the Klang Valley who may need the motivation to lose weight for health reasons or for vanity sake or for a wedding, please do let us know.

Top winner of the challenge stand to win more than RM2,000. There are also prizes for winners up to top four and for every kilogramme lost.

Participants have to come in for weigh ins on Jan 5, Jan 12 and Jan 26 at Solaris Dutamas.

Some of you may have known that the products we are using are from an MLM company. We also make no apologies for that because we found the products to be of excellent quality and at reasonable prices compared with products in pharmacy outlets.

John and I are against pyramid schemes and will not go into such schemes. We have chosen a company that offers high quality nutritional products and they are value for money.

So if anyone is interested in nutritional products and not for losing weight, please do let us know.

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maximise Your Metabolism

By Luigi Gratton, M.D., M.P.H.


Exercise training helps you burn more calories both during the day and at night.

Total Caloric Expenditure is simply the total amount of calories that your body burns in one day. The vast majority of calories expended are used for the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or the "Resting Metabolism." This BMR accounts for over 70% of an individual's total calories used in one day. These are the calories your body uses to keep your engine running.

Your body is like your car. Think of turning your car engine on in the morning and just letting it run in the driveway. The car sitting in the driveway burning fuel is like your BMR. The bigger the car engine, the more fuel it uses. So a big truck burns lots of fuel and gets maybe eight miles to the gallon while an economy car uses little fuel and gets 40 miles to the gallon. If you pushed down on the gas pedal and revved the engine, you would be burning more fuel, which is basically what you do when you exercise.

The amount of muscle you have determines how many calories you burn everyday in a resting state. Each pound of muscle burns approximately 14 calories per day, so a big football player may burn over 3,000 calories/day at rest (BMR=3000). Meanwhile a tall and thin ballerina may burn only 1,200 calories/day at rest (BMR=1200).
When you exercise, you build more muscle mass and increase the size of your engine, which is a good thing. That means that even while you sleep you will be burning more calories because you have increased your BMR.
Imagine taking a small economy car and putting in a bigger engine that requires more fuel. That is the basic idea behind exercise training, fine-tuning your body's engine into a high-performance machine.
Herbalife® Inner Nutrition products help provide you with the best fuel for your high-performance engine. With a variety of delicious shakes, bars, soups and soy nuts, Herbalife offers a wide selection of fuel for your body. This healthy fuel will help keep your engine fine-tuned for maximum caloric expenditure–even while you sleep.

Tips for burning more calories:

Exercise to increase muscle mass.

Fuel up with Herbalife® nutrition products.

Rev up your workout routine to burn more calories.


Dr. Gratton also serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Education at Herbalife.

http://health.herbalife.com/health-articles/energy-and-fitness/maximize-metabolism

Less Sugar Better Health Campaign

This ad by the Health Ministry is useful for those who have not made any efforts to improve their diet. John and I are a few steps ahead. We generally don't put sugar in our drinks and do not add it in our cooking. We also hardly drink from bottled or packed juices but eat fresh fruits. We hardly eat fried food or food cooked in coconut milk and remove fatty parts of meat on most occasions.

Discovering high-quality household products with natural ingredients

Almost three weeks ago, John decided to add household products from the Melaleuca brand to our Herbalife range. That’s because Herbalife does not have household products (except for facial and body skin care products) or make up sets. We felt that the Melaleuca products complement the Herbalife concept for they are both made from natural ingredients. Both are made in the United States. The natural ingredients in Melaleuca are mainly from Australia and New Zealand.

These are the products that I have experienced significant results:

• Melaleuca oil
I had put a drop of Melaleuca oil on the tiny raised scar on my left thumb, where I had accidentally skinned myself while slicing meat a few months ago. The small scar is now noticeably smaller. I will keep putting the Melaleuca oil and see what comes out of it. The Melaleuca oil is a natural antiseptic and it also aids healing when applied to injured or wounded part of the body. It is useful for children since they often suffer from falls, scratches and wounds. Every home should keep one in the First Aid kit.

• Tub & Tile bathroom cleaner
All I need to do is pour a small amount into a spray bottle (as instructed) that you can buy with it. Mix it with water and spray all over the bathroom sink, toilet seat and bowl, and shower area. After leaving it for 15 minutes, all I had to do was spray the walls and floor tiles with water and shove the grime into the drainage hole. I need not scrub so hard like I used to with other bathroom cleaning products. I did not use gloves as I used to and my hands became slightly wrinkled, but they recovered quickly. My hands also did not become rough like they would when I use other cleaning agent without gloves.

• MelaMagic floor cleaner
After mopping the floor with MelaMagic, the floor seems cleaner than the one I had used before this. I also did not use gloves and my hands did not end up dry and rough. Anyway, I shall use my gloves again in my next cleaning task just to protect myself from germs.

• Fresh Mint Tooth Polish
I don’t need to use much tooth polish and my teeth feels so clean. Brushing my teeth with this polish is a totally different experience because it hardly produces any foam. It also did not leave my teeth feeling sensitive which I experienced with other tooth polish I had used.

• Renew
The range comprises Renew Intensive Therapy, Body Wash and Hand Wash. They are very effective in relieving dry skin. I also found out that this product range is very suitable for those suffering from eczema. The company claims that it helps relieve eczema problem.

• Harvest Pure fruit and vegetable wash
I only have to leave it in the wash for 10 minutes and then rinse and eat.

• Lemon Brite dishwasher
This is really gentle on sensitive hands. Although my hands are not too sensitive, it did not cause any dryness.

• Sol-U-Guard botanical non-chemical disinfectant
I have sprayed this on my kitchen top because I am told that it can ward off lizards and cockroaches. There are too many annoying teenage lizards hanging out on my kitchen top and leaving a trail of droppings which I have to clean up every morning. I shall update the results next Sunday.

There are many, many more products. Please check out www.melaleucareviews.com

Melaleuca products are value for money because they are highly concentrated. For instance, I need to pump the amount the size of a 20 sen coin for my previous shampoo compared with 10 sen coin for the T36 C5 Melaleuca oil shampoo for my oily scalp and short hair.

I also like the idea that the Melaleuca products are made up of natural ingredients. They are gentle on the skin and hands and safe for the home and environment.

Please contact us at healthpossibilities@gmail.com if you are interested in the products.

An interesting email sent to me

The article below has interesting advice on good health but it is in no way advocating that one should stop chemotherapy or whatever treatment one is undergoing.

CANCER SURVIVOR, DR TOM WU, HAS A RECIPE FOR GOOD HEALTH

Dr Wu and his wife Dr Janet Wu at the World Wellness Women's Congress in Chennai in March 2009.

(Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease can be overcome through diet. Dr. Tom Wu’s breakthroughs with Cancer and Diabetes have earned him the “Remarkable Contribution Award” from the American Cancer Society and the “World Famous Doctor Award” from The United Nations.)

At the age of 30, Chinese doctor Tom Wu was diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer, and was told he had only a few months to live. Not only has he survived, but the doctor has maintained a healthy life. The cancer is all gone, and he said he's never caught a cold or other illness for 40 years. He has stopped going for blood tests."My body and feelings tell me I'm well, that I'm truly in good health," says Dr Wu. His secret lies in the power of natural healing. Dr Wu always says that no wonder drug can cure diseases. But our own internal healing power, our immune system, can. And what can strengthen our immune system are simple foods from Mother Nature , and a healthy lifestyle. In his view, diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be overcome by changing the diet .Dr Wu says people get sick because they eat the wrong foods. Fried food, for example, causes blockage in the arteries, bad circulation, cholesterol, and heart disease. "Instead of taking a cholesterol lowering drug, I would urge them to stop eating greasy food.. My suggestion is to eat clean food, which is high in phytochemicals," he says.Phytochemicals are natural cleansing agents that will help rid plaque from your arteries. They come from natural foods such as vegetables, fruits with their seeds, and common garden herbs. Phytochemicals will nourish the body's cells so they can fight against any foreign substances that invade your body.

Dr Wu's books on natural healing

The secrets of how he won the fight against lung cancer and maintains a healthy body are revealed in his first book, Dr Wu's Principle of Natural Cures , which has recently been translated from its original Chinese version into a Thai edition, Thammachart Chuay Chewit, published by Nanmeebooks Publications. It was launched in Thailand in March this year.Dr Wu had first studied Western medicine in France , and then furthered his education in alternative therapy, earning a doctorate degree.The turning point arrived when he was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 30. Modern medicine gave him no hope; it was too late to remove the damaged parts of the lung. The cancer had already spread to other organs, and the doctor told him he had only a few months left.He ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, drank clean water, and completely adjusted his lifestyle - his sleeping, breathing and exercise habits.Nine months later, he went for a check-up, and surprisingly no cancer cells were detected.He advised people in his family and in the neighbourhood about his discovery, and studied natural medicine until he received a doctorate degree in naturopathy and nutrition from the US .Dr Wu has been a frequent speaker at worldwide forums , spreading his knowledge on natural cures and the use of organic food. He advises people to use the most simple foods in the most natural way in order to fight illnesses and maintain good health.

The human body has the power to heal itself. The immune system has a self-defence mechanism to block and destroy bacteria or viruses that invade our bodies, while the self-healing mechanism will get us back on the road to recovery. When you have a cold and take medicine, the medication may kill the virus but your immune system will not fully function, and its efficiency will decrease. As a result, your body will be more vulnerable to germs.Dr Wu's principle is to strengthen the immune system, and avoid medication as much as possible. In his book, he offers the following guidelines to good health:
1. Have at least three bowel movements a day

Other health experts may advise one bowel movement a day, but Dr Wu says that's not enough. You need three to four bowel movements a day in order to excrete all the accumulated faeces from your intestine.. Your liver will not be overburdened and it also helps reduce cholesterol in your body.

2. Drink at least three glasses of fruit or vegetable smoothies each day
This is a way to ingest enough phytochemicals to strengthen the body's cells and immune system. Use not only the flesh, but also the skin and seeds of fruits and vegetables to make smoothies, as they are rich in phytochemicals. Most of the fruit seeds have small amounts of cyanide which kill bacteria and viruses without damaging the body.Actually the recommended smoothie diet is six glasses a day, two in the morning, one before lunch, two more in the afternoon, and one more before dinner. However, if that's too much, you may start with three glasses a day. Use a high powered blender (at least three horsepower) as it can release phytochemicals from the fibre. It's best to choose sour fruits like green or red apples, grapes, pineapples, kiwi and lime.

3. Sunbathe 30 minutes daily.
We often hear that the Sun's UV rays will damage our skin, and many people apply sunblock before going out. But Dr Wu says the opposite.. He says the UV rays will help convert cholesterol underneath the skin into vitamin A which helps moisten the skin andprevent skin cancer, and also vitamin D that helps prevent colds, osteoporosis, and certain kinds of cancer."Therefore, use the Sun. Expose yourself to sunlight about one-half hour a day, at noon or another appropriate time based on your local climate. The Sun will make you healthier," says Dr Wu.

4 . Exercise 30 minutes a day
Don't exercise for more than 30 minutes. If you go beyond that, your body will be overworked. "If you do it more than half an hour, that will become labour, not exercise.. Your heart and your body will be working too hard," he says.

5 . Shower with hot, then cold water
Try an alternating cold and hot water shower: Three minutes of hot water followed by 30 seconds of cold water, then repeat twice more. This process will bring a rush of blood and energy to your body. It helps increase your immune system, blood circulation, and metabolism..

6. Drink a lot of water, in the correct way
How much water you need to drink each day depends on your specific situation. If your office is air-conditioned, drinking six glasses of water a day is enough. If your work involves lots of walking, you have to drink 8-10 glasses a day. If you work under the hot sun, then 10-12 glasses of water are required.The way you drink is also important. The correct way is to sip it little by little, to give your body cells time to absorb the water. If you drink the whole glass down at once, your cells can't absorb it all, and the water will be excreted as urine.

7. Eat according to your blood type
Your blood type determines what you should eat. Eating the wrong foods will make you sick.People with blood type O have to eat a certain amount of meat. If they eat only vegetables for a long time, their body won't absorb all the substances they need to strengthen their immune system. The recommended diet for this group is 75% vegetables, 10% fruits, 10% meat, seafood and goat's milk (avoid cow's milk), and 5% grains.People with blood type A, however should avoid milk and meat, while increasing grains and fruits. People with blood type B should also avoid meat, while those with blood type AB should avoid chicken and beef.

8. Eat according to your biological clock
Every human being has a biological clock that tells us when to eat, sleep, and wake up. If you don't follow your biological clock, the organs will lose their balance. Toxins and wastes won't be excreted from your body, and soon you'll get sick.According to Dr Wu, the biological clock is divided into three phases.From 4am to noon is the time for bowel movements, so in the morning you should eat foods with lots of fibre. Fruit and vegetable smoothies are recommended.From noon to 8pm, your body will absorb food so lunch is the most important meal. A vegetable salad with grains is recommended. Fish or boiled eggs can be added to your lunch. Avoid meat at dinner as the amino acids in the meat will disturb your sleep. Try to finish dinner by 6pm. From 8pm to 4am, the nutrients and energy from food will be distributed throughout your body organs. The golden time for your sleep is between 10pm and 2am, as your immune and self-healing system will function at its best.

Footnote:
Dr Wu was in Malaysia in November 2008 to give a series of talks. His book "Smoothie Formula" is available at Popular Bookstores.

You can certainly add in Herbalife F1 nutrition into blended fruits or smoothies.

My skincare star product

I used to have dry and dehydrated skin and I am really pleased with the NouriFusion MultiVitamin skin (with vitamins A, C and E) care range from Herbalife. I am particularly impressed with the night cream. For me, the night cream is the highlight product in the skincare range while other users whom I know like the Radiant scrub or the neck cream.
Although I use the NouriFusion MultiVitamin skin care range such as the lotion cleanser, toner and day moisturizer, which I find really suit my skin type, it is the night cream that made a huge difference. I have been trying out so many skin care that claims to be hydrating but they did not work for me until I refuse to buy anymore unless a sample is given for me to try it out first.
I used to buy Clarins when my face was really oily but a few weeks after that, my face became very dry and the sales girl asked me to then buy the hydrating range which I refused because I had just spent more than RM500 not too long before that! I tried the sample but somehow it leaves more fine lines on my face like any other products that claim to be hydrating. But I must say that Clarin’s cleanser for oily skin really cleans my T-zone well and I now still use the normal skin cleanser to complement my Herbalife range.


I find the Herbalife NouriFusion MulitiVitamin lotion cleanser even better than Dermalogica lotion cleanser. I use NouriFusion MultiVitamin lotion cleanser to remove make up or just use it for cleansing in the morning. I find the NouriFusion oily skin cleanser too strong for my skin type, hence, I using Clarin’s cleanser for normal skin interchangeably with Herbalife lotion cleanser depending on the condition of my skin on different days.
Now back to the NouriFusion Night Cream. I felt the difference within first use and within a week, my dry and dehydrated skin felt good and in less than a month, my skin recovered totally from dryness. I still use it until now after 10 months and still loving it.
I would highly recommend the NouriFusion MultiVitamin range to those above 30s who suffer from dry skin. I would also recommend the night cream if you are travelling to a dry and cold country at this time of the year.
I also like the NouriFusion Normal to Dry day moisturizer because it has SPF 15. Its toner also effectively removes any residue or dirt and does not strip the skin.
I am also very happy that the prices of these products are one-third less than the price of Clarins

If you have any questions or would like to get some of these products, please contact us at healthpossibilities@gmail.com or sign up under MY192708 Chiam Kia Guan or Loh Foon Fong at the Sponsor and Supervisor columns of the membership form you can obtain with payment from the Herbalife headquarters in your country. Thank you.

Prevent dementia by being heart smart

Monday October 25, 2010, The Star


KUALA LUMPUR: Adopting a healthy lifestyle from young can slow down the onset of dementia in old age, said a neurologist.

“If people live healthily and keep vascular problem, diabetes, hypertension and visceral obesity at bay, it would help in the long term to prevent dementia,” said cognitive behaviour neurologist Prof Dr Bhaskara P. Shelley from the Father Muller Medical College in Karnataka, India.

“If you modify your lifestyle and adopt healthy behaviours, it will help protect your brain,” he said, adding that when the brain is protected, the ravages of dementia will be delayed.

While ageing can lead to a healthy person suffering dementia, an unhealthy lifestyle will increase the risk and prevalence, said Dr Shelley in his paper on Healthy Brain Ageing and Preventive Neurology Strategies at the 13th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International which ended yesterday.

An unhealthy lifestyle depletes the brain’s reserves and precipitates dementia, he added.

Exercise can bring down the build up of amyloid plaques that are thought to contribute to the degradation of the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and the subsequent symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, the main type of dementia.

Dr Shelley also said that a good diet also serves as brain fertiliser and rejuvenates the brain so that dementia does not come too soon.

The idea is to delay the onset of dementia until one outlives one’s life before the disease sets in, he said.

He debunked the myth that Alzheimer’s Disease affects those aged above 65 and said it actually occurs 20 to 30 years earlier.

“The neuro-pathology that starts off (the disease) is very early but most drug treatments are done only after the disease is diagnosed, so that’s pretty late,” he said.

It was important for doctors to use the right drugs at that point of time, he said.

The physical symptoms of dementia at that age may not be clear but diseases like high cholesterol, hypertension and others could determine if one is in the high-risk group, he said.

Chocolate and Tropical Mix

This morning, John made a really nice chocolate shake. Here is the recipe for two persons:

Chocolate shake/smoothiesChocolate shake/smoothies recipe

4 heaping scoops of F1 Chocolate
1 heaping scoop of F1 Vanilla
1 banana
1 dragon fruit
1 Carrefour peach yoghurt (140g)
Ice water

Cut and blend the fruits in some ice water. Top up water until 800ml and then add the F1 Chocolate, F1 Vanilla and yoghurt. Blend until smooth.
To make smoothies, you need a blender with smoothies function:
Cut and blend the fruits in some ice water. Then, put in two mugs of ice cubes or more and blend a bit. Then add F1 Chocolate, F1 Vanilla and yoghurt. Blend until ice is fine. Serve in two big glasses.

This is the recipe that I tried out yesterday



Tropical Fruit recipe
1 Orange
1 Green kiwi
1 green apple
3 heaping scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
1 heaping scoops of F1 Vanilla
Ice water

Cut and blend fruits in some ice water. Top up ice water to 800ml and add F1 Tropical Fruit and F1 Vanilla. Blend until smooth. Do similar for smoothies as mentioned above.

Tropical Fruit

Ingredients:

3 heaping scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
One-and-a-half heaping scoops of F1 Vanilla
One heaping scoop of F3 (depending on need)
One green apple
One orange
One pear
Ice water


Remove cores and seeds and skin (for orange, and partially for apple and pear) and cut fruits into smaller pieces. Blend the fruits in some ice water. Add water until the 800ml mark and add all the F1s in. Blend again. Serve in two glasses!

You can do without the pear too but it seems to taste better with the pear.

For me, I still prefer mine with a slice of lemon. Gives you the “kick” in the morning.

Cappuccino and green apple

This is a recipe that a friend tried out with cappuccino for one-person serving:

Ingredients

2 heaping scoops of F1 Cappuccino
(alternatively, 1 heaping scoop of F1 Cappuccino and 1 heaping scoop of F1 Vanilla)
1 scoop of F3
1 green apple
Ice water

Wash and cut up apple into small pieces and blend in some water. Add ice water up to about the 400ml mark on the jug. Blend until smooth. Serve.

Why am I not losing weight?

Some of you may be asking why you could not lose weight. Well, for one, the company’s formula is 3-2-1 (3 teas, two shakes, 1 colourful meal a day). So if you could not reduce your weight with just one shake a day, you will have to stick to the company’s formula.

John and I could lose weight even though we took the Herbalife shake only once a day, instead of twice, on most days because:

1. We were very discipline in not snacking. And even if we did, it was bird size portion, just for the sake of pleasing our taste buds.

2. We avoided sweetened drinks. Our drinks were usually plain water or juice kosong (without added sugar) with our meal. We figured that if we don’t get enough exercise, we don’t deserve to drink sweetened drinks because we would be taking in more calories than our body could handle.

3. At tea time, we either had a shake, a fruit, or milo kosong or chocolate protein bar, muesli snack, and for me, once a week, either one goreng pisang or hum chi peng or a small piece of cake, if I wanted to break out of the regiment, to tie over until dinner.

4. We avoided deep fried food as much as possible and choose steam or grilled or gravy or soup dishes (the less oily ones).

5. We avoided coconut milk as much as possible. But when we decided to have a bowl of chendol once in a while, John and I shared one.

6. We have been eating half rice even before we went on the Herbalife programme.

What really helped me was that I found the ideal and healthy breakfast in Herbalife. I always wanted a big and healthy breakfast but could not have them unless I am away in a hotel where they would prepare salads and fruits and all the best choices available, which I don’t always have the time or energy to prepare them on my own in the morning. So, I had often ended up eating nasi lemak, roti canai, mee hoon goreng, porridge and milo. I believe that was how I kept putting on weight and it became unmanageable.

It was John who told me about Herbalife when I told him I had yearned for healthy breakfasts every morning and could hardly find it in the Malaysian diet. I could not take milk and cereal because it would make me sleepy and I found oats too boring although I did and still do, take it once in a while. Half boiled eggs and bread with butter was splendid but I was often hungry within an hour, so that was also not adequate for me.

It was through Herbalife that I learned we need to take adequate protein to begin our day besides adequate water and fibre, to maintain our blood sugar level. I thought the shake would not be enough since I need a big breakfast, otherwise, I might end up with hunger pangs and could not function well at work. So it was a total paradigm shift when I was told that it was the lack of protein and nutrition that caused me to be hungry and that was what I needed. It was initially very hard for me since I was so used to a high-caloried breakfast, but I soon found that I didn’t have hunger pangs anymore. I feel so alert every morning even on days I did not get enough sleep. I could take on the world. Nowadays, when I have nasi lemak in the morning, I find myself feeling sleepy, hence, I favour the shake more.

Some people think that they can lose weight through dieting, but more often than not, it is not sustainable. It is best if we can familiarise ourselves with the amount of calories that we take in daily and make a more conscious effort on selecting healthy food choices until it becomes a habit that we don’t even need to think about, rather than avoiding food to a point of starvation.

Some people said such careful eating habits is not really "living" because they don’t get to eat all the fried and oily stuff all the time. But we need to ask ourselves, would it be worth living if we end up being obese and with it, comes a whole range of health problems and our family members have to constantly take care of us if we end up with a stroke, heart attack or lose our kidneys or sight due to diabetes? We also need to take care of our health for the sake of our children. Basically, it should be about having a balance.

The yearning for oily food also indicates that our body needs healthy oil. There are always other options such as flaxseed oil or olive oil or taking fish oil supplements.

Here is a sample of a regular Malaysian diet compared with a diet during Herbalife weight loss programme.

Before weight loss (calories figures are just an estimation)

8am - Roti canai and teh tarik = 600 calories.

Noon – Nasi kandar or economy rice - one fried meat + two veges + teh ice limau = 900to 1100 calories.

4pm - Milo/coffee with sugar and kueh/snack = 400 calories.

7.30pm - Home cooked food rice, 1 non-fried meat, 2 veges and soup = 600

Total calories a day = 2,700 calories when one may need only an average of 1,500 to 2,200 calories a day depending on height, and less for women.

Programme while losing weight:

7.30am Wake up and take Herbalife tea

8am – plain Herbalife shake (two scoops of F1 and one scoop of F3 protein unless advised differently) = 180 calories (220 if blended with a fruit)

Noon - Colourful meal – palm size rice + one non-fried meat + two stir fried veges + plain water = 700 calories.

Herbalife tea

4pm – Herbalife shake without protein OR light snack with drink = 200 to 300 calories

5pm – Herbalife tea

7.30pm – Herbalife shake OR light meal/lean meat and vege soup = 200-400

11pm – Sleep.

While losing weight, you need to take less calories than what your body needs, but once you have achieved the ideal weight, you increase the calories intake and eat according to the amount of calories your body needs and not how much you want, otherwise, your body cannot handle it and will end up putting on weight again.

To calculate the amount of calories that you need to maintain your weight according to your height and gender, I have found this website that calculates it for you:

http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm

So if you need to lose weight, you should consume less than the calories that maintains your weight without starving yourself and ending up with gastric.

All the best to great shape and good health!

Irresistable apple-kiwi shake

Some days, I made the worst shakes. So bad that I had to force myself to finish it. But this morning, I made a shake that I really, really like and I think it’s the best shake so far. Here is the recipe for two persons:

Ingredients
3 heaping scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
1 heaping scoop of F1 Vanilla
2 small red apples
1 yellow kiwi fruit
2 tablespoons of plain low-fat yoghurt
Ice water

1. Remove the core of the apples and cut into smaller pieces. Cut the kiwi fruit into half and scoop out the flesh.
2. Put in half glass of water and fruits and blend.
3. Pour ice water until it reaches 800ml.
4. Scoop out 3 heaping scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit and 1 heaping scoop of F1 Vanilla into the blender.
5. Add in the 2 tablespoons of yoghurt
6. Blend until smooth.

Pour into 2 tall glasses and enjoy!

Next week – look out for calories count and how to lose weight effectively.

Eat adequately for better weight loss

I came across this article below, 17 Cheap Ways to Jumpstart Your Metabolism, which could help you increase your metabolic rate, which you can add to your good health or Herbalife weigh loss/weight gain efforts.

It is important to have a good metabolic rate, otherwise, it would be difficult to lose weight. Besides doing some exercises, it also involves eating adequately and that means try and eat adequate healthy food instead of not eating. Yes, crash diet doesn’t work.

On the caffeine bit, replace coffee with Herbalife Lemon and Hibiscus botanical tea mix. That’s because Herbalife tea has high anti-oxidants (miniscule caffein), keeps you awake without the heart palpitations and helps flush out some toxins.

Those prone to heartburn or suffering from gastritis should avoid coffee.

Also, I would caution on the advice (in the article) on snacking the whole day. One should have something in the stomach every four hours but not constant snacking. Here is a healthy example of how one should eat:

8am – Shake breakfast
12noon – Colourful lunch
4pm – Shake (without F3) or light snack
7.30pm – Light/decent dinner or Herbalife shake (for those on Herbalife programme to lose weight)
11pm – Sleep

Below is the article, 17 Cheap Ways to Jumpstart Your Metabolism:
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/17-Cheap-Ways-to-Jumpstart-usnews-651306142.html?x=0

Citrusy Delight

This morning John made a really nice citrusy shake for two.
Here are the ingredients he had added into the F1s:

Ingredients
3 flat scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
2 flat scoops of F1 Vanilla
2 tablespoons of plain low fat yoghurt
2 green apples
1 orange

Cut green apples (peel, if preferred) and orange after skin removed, into small pieces. Blend them in some water.
Top up the blend with ice water until you reach the 800ml measurement and add in the F1s and yoghurt and blend until smooth.
Serve in 2 tall glasses. The delicious breakfast is ready!

A friend had also introduced us this recipe with F1 Tropical Fruit which I thought really perk me up in the morning. Here’s a recipe for two:

Ingredients
3 flat scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
2 flat scoops of F1 Vanilla
2 tablespoons of plain low-flat yoghurt
2 green apples
2 slices of lemon (thickness 0.5cm each)

Cut green apples (peel as well if preferred) and cut two slices of lemon. Blend them, including lemon skin, in some water. Lemon skin is good for liver cleansing.
Top up the blend with ice water until you reach the 800ml mark and add in the F1s and blend until smooth.
Serve in 2 tall glasses. This will surely wake you up!

I never use to like F1 Tropical Fruit but have come to love it with the combinations above. Enjoy!

Funniest joke of the year

Nine months ago, relatives, friends and strangers alike had come up to me and asked if I was pregnant. Yes, when several people ask you the same question, it’s time to take note. My fat-filled abdomen had become big enough to be noticed. Unfortunately, I had inherited such a body frame from my mother’s side of the family. My maternal grandpa had it, my late mum had it, an aunt, an uncle and two brothers, including the fittest, have the pouch.

Now after nine months, just the past Thursday while queuing up at our office cafeteria, a colleague I hardly knew asked me, “You delivered already, ah?”

I was stunned but decided to tell her that I’ve lost more than 7kg of fat and she remarked, “Oh, you did very well after birth.” At this point, I was not sure whether it was the café operators who were more stunned or me. The aunties at the café had a few weeks ago said I looked good these days and asked what I had done to lose weight.

I didn’t realise the drastic change until many people had come up and asked me. I haven’t expected such overwhelming response.

The next time anyone asked that, I think I should say that I had delivered more than 7kg of fat. I am now at seven-and-a-half month on the Herbalife nutritional shake. I thought I could not lose anymore weight after losing 5kg at the third month. All I did was just change my breakfast by taking low-calorie, healthy and delicious shake.

Now, relatives, friends and some acquaintances are on it to lose weight. I am glad to play a part in reducing their health risks and contribute to one less or delayed diabetic victim, busted kidneys, blindness, clogged arteries and hypertensive person.

Please email healthpossibilities@gmail.com if you have any questions. Sorry, I have not allowed comments because I don't have the time to monitor this blog constantly.

Enjoying durian again

More than a week ago, John and I ate five whole durians within a week. That was a record for us, although it might not be much for others. I had not eaten so many durians for many years and in recent years, it was usually just two or three seeds at any one time. That was because each time I ate, my body temperature would rise quickly and my hands would hurt from arthritic flare-ups. It was literally having fever in the hands.

The pain and suffering did not deter me from eating, hence, the very limited amount. Fortunately, I did not miss it too much although I enjoy the fruit tremendously. The only time I had eaten the fruit a bit more was when we managed to get hold of jungle durians from an orang asli who sold the durians by the roadside when we travelled to Cameron Highlands the year before. That was the only time I did not seem to suffer from any symptoms or pain in my hands. It made me wonder if the pain had to do with the amount of pesticide residue in durians since hybrid ones would definitely contain more of it.

Anyway, I had five durians with John this time, and the rise in temperature in my hands was so insignificant that if I had not observed it, I wouldn’t have realised it. I had quickly down the Herbalife tea mix each time I had durians and it helped a great deal in busting heatiness and inflammation in my hands. Oh, it was glorious to be able to enjoy durians without hurting. I would not normally eat this way. It was a sudden urge to eat durians. I sometimes give in to the sudden desire to eat certain food because I believe that there are times the body needs certain nutrients. After all, I seldom have a lot of uncontrollable cravings for oily and sweet food anymore since taking Herbalife. So, if it happens on rare occasions, there is always room for a little indulgence.

There will be no excuse if there are cravings every other day or week. If that is the case, it can be a sign that the body lacks nutrients, as in my case, because since getting enough nutrients from Herbalife supplements (from natural food alone is not enough), I hardly suffer from much cravings for oily and sweet food.

If people still have cravings and uncontrollable appetite to eat more than they can burn up their fat despite feeding themselves well, this will be sheer gluttony and at the root of it, greediness. It warrants repentance from God or perhaps counseling to correct the disorder:)

While in Penang for a short break (July 24-26) and for my grandaunt's 90th birthday celebration, we had the Red Prawn besides D8 and another hybrid I could not remember. The Red Prawn had excellent texture and not too sweet. The slight bitterish taste suited me fine.




Back in KL, an uncle treated us to Musang King and D24. I tried Musang King for the first time and this was the best durian I've ever eaten. I like it better than the Red Prawn, although I like both. The D24 we had were really good as well.

Back on my journey with Herbalife, I have also noticed that a tooth ache that I used to suffer from for a year, is now gone. I used to get intense pain on one of my big molars whenever I accidentally slurp in hot soup (not too hot) onto that tooth. It would hurt so badly for awhile and then would follow by a dull ache throughout the day. The dentist had asked me to do a root canal and I had planned to get it done. But now that I did not have any more pain in the last two months whenever I had similar hot soup, I am now thinking if I should still go ahead and get a root canal done.

I wonder whether the calcium in Herbalife F1 had helped strengthened my tooth. Perhaps, with better sleep after taking the product, coupled with all the 55 types of nutrients, the body now has less problems. I feel better each day.

I thought I would give up on taking the product after one month since I thought I could not live without nasi lemak and roti canai. Moreover, I had always thought I could not live without starting the day with savoury food after my fruit. But surprisingly, after seven months, I always miss my shake every morning and want to take it and I do not crave for savoury food like before. I am not sure why I am not bored with the shake. But one thing is for sure. I feel so alert and energetic after taking the shake while high-carb breakfast makes me sleepy. It makes a big difference in my energy level.

Type 2 diabetes hitting children

Sunday Star July 25, 2010
Teens with Type 2 diabetes need to change eating habits
By NG CHENG YEE
newsdesk@thestar.com.my


PETALING JAYA: Like most teenagers, Nurul Rahimah Abu Bakar, 14, loves ice-cream, cakes and chocolates.

Once, she would have these desserts after dinner with her family.

However, such times are no more and the family now has more salad and vegetables on their dinner table, said her mother, Zalilah Selamat, 49.

The family had to change their eating habits after Nurul Rahimah, the youngest among four siblings, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (T2D).

The condition normally hits those in their 50s.

When Nurul Rahimah was 11, it dawned on Zalilah that her daughter could be a diabetic as she was constantly feeling thirsty and going to the washroom to ease herself at least twice every night.

Zalilah, a diabetic since she was 35, said her daughter was going through the same symptoms that she had previously gone through.

Zalilah, whose late father also had diabetes, said Nurul Rahimah’s blood sample was sent to a laboratory in Australia for a detailed diagnosis.

The tests confirmed the teenager as a T2D.

“Since then, we have reduced the intake of processed food as Nurul Rahimah had to lose some weight,” her mother said.

Zalilah said it was difficult initially for her daughter to follow the new diet “because my family just love and enjoy all types of food”.

“However, she is now inspired to be more disciplined in controlling her diet after seeing good results in her blood sugar.

“As advised by her doctors, she has a more balanced meal made up of rice (25%), protein (25%) and vegetables (50%).

“She no longer takes sweet drinks and tries to avoid fast food,” said Zalilah.

Another young patient, Muhammad Ridzwan Rodzi, 13, was overweight by 15kg when he was diagnosed with T2D in March last year.

“He was very much into playing video games and hardly spent time playing with his friends outside of the house,” said his father Rodzi Mashor, 53.

“When he was diagnosed with the disease, his blood sugar level was very high.

“However, with oral medication and the injection of insulin three times a day, his condition has stabilised,” Rodzi said, adding that his son also controlled his diet by eating less to lose weight.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai advised parents not to let their children eat unhealthy food round the clock as it could lead to T2D.

Parents should prepare nutritious food instead, he said.

He was commenting on The Star’s front-page report on the increasing number of young T2D patients.

“Children enjoy fast food, so parents should educate them on cutting down burgers, nuggets, fries and carbonated drinks.

“Parents should inculcate a healthy diet from young,” he told reporters after opening the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association Scientific Conference here yesterday.

He said the National Health and Morbidity Survey conducted in 2006 showed that Malaysian adults with diabetes had increased from 8.3% in 1996 to 14.9% in 2006, while hypertension cases had increased from 29.9% to 43% and obesity from 4.4% to 14%.

The Star, Saturday July 24, 2010
Diabetes among children on the rise
By LEE YUK PENG and LOH FOON FONG
newsdesk@thestar.com.my


KUALA LUMPUR: More young people, some as young as seven, are suffering from Type 2 diabetes (T2D), a disease that generally hits those in their 50s.

Doctors say more primary school students have been diagnosed with T2D in the last decade, a fact that is alarming since the disease is usually linked to those much older.

The doctors found that the young diabetics were usually obese, and their condition could be traced to eating too much unhealthy food and having a sedentary lifestyle.

They said the disease was not just about having excessive sugar in the blood system but could also affect the patient’s vital organs like the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.

“The children’s bad dietary habits of eating burgers, nuggets, fried chicken, fries and carbonated drinks are also contributing factors,” Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre senior consultant paediatrician and paediatric endocrinologist Prof Dr Wu Loo Ling said, adding that long hours of homework, watching television and playing computer games added to the problem.

“Cases of children and teenagers with diabetes are increasing at a faster rate,” said Dr Wu. “Between 30% and 40% of children in Western countries are overweight and the problem of overweight Malaysian children is also on the rise.”

Endocrinologist Dr Lim Soo San said T2D was more apparent in people aged between 18 and 29.

“We even came across children who are below 10 years old and have T2D ,” Dr Lim said.

The Registry on Diabetes in Children and Adolescents (2006-2007) showed that 56% of the 42 T2D cases involved obese individuals.

Dr Lim said parents continued to feed their children with “junk food” due to their lack of awareness of the disease.

Dietician Mary Easaw-John said apart from bad eating habits, irregular eating hours had also contributed to the rising trend of T2D among younger people.

“People tend to eat out instead of packing food from home nowadays. And fried food is common in eateries,” said Easaw, who is Dietetics Food Services of the National Heart Institute senior manager.

The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey, conducted in 2006, showed that there was a high prevalence of overweight primary school children, and over 20% of them were obese.

Statistics pointed that Malaysia had the fourth highest number of diabetes cases in Asia, with 800,000 in 2007. The number is expected to jump to 1.3 million cases this year.

The recent survey also revealed that more than 43% of Malaysian adults were overweight or obese, twice the figure a decade ago.

Act Fast Before It Is Too Late

July 21, 2010 16:09 PM



By Melati Mohd Ariff

The recent sugar shortage and the hike in its retail price leaves many questions unanswered. What is so great about sugar to the extent it prompts the so called wise consumers to behave like ants each time there is a run for sugar?

This three series article highlights the views on sugar. This is the second of the three series.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Bernama) -- Zairul (not his real name) is in his late twenties. His favourite game is football but that is in the past. From being a football player he has been reduced now to a mere spectator.

His once stout body has weakened, all because of the dreadful disease, diabetes that has wrecked his youth.

Still this young man should be thankful because his kidneys are not badly affected. Nevertheless, he has to strictly follow the doctor's prescription besides keeping an active lifestyle.

When the doctor confirmed he is a diabetic, Zairul recalled his mother's repeated plea to go easy on carbonated drinks.

A bottle of such drinks is said to contain between 11 and 12 teaspoons of sugar!

By right Zairul should have been extra careful in his sugar consumption as his own father breathed his last due to diabetes.

HEREDITARY FACTORS

If you have the genes for diabetes, taking sugar, putting on weight, and sedentary lifestyle encourages diabetes to appear earlier in life.

There may not be anyone in the family with diabetes but this does not mean there is no diabetic genes in the family, said Prof Datuk Dr Ikram Shah Ismail, President of Malaysian Diabetes Association (MDA).

The trend now show teenagers developing the adult form or Type 2 diabetes (either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin).

"It is probably that the earlier generation had a healthier lifestyle so that the diabetes did not appear in their lifetime, but would have been present had they lived longer.

"In our generation, diabetes appears much earlier because of our unhealthy lifestyle," he said.

GETTING WORSE

Speaking further on diabetes, Dr Ikram who is also the dean for University of Malaya's Medical Faculty said that the situation is getting from bad to worse.

Dr Ikram pointed out in the mortality and morbidity survey carried out every 10 years by the Ministry of Health, the diabetes prevalence increased from 6.3 per cent in 1986 to 8.2 per cent in 1996.

"At that time, we predicted that the prevalence would exceed 10 per cent by 2020, the year when we are supposed to achieve developed nation status. Unfortunately in the survey done in 2006, we have already achieved 14.9 per cent. As far as diabetes is concerned we have surpassed the target of a developed nation 15 years ahead of time," said Dr Ikram.

What is more worrying is that 5.4 per cent of the people do not know that they have diabetes.

He pointed out that not only the prevalence has been increasing rapidly, the level of control is very poor.

"More than 70 per cent of the people with diabetes have poor control over the condition, that further leads to other complications including heart disease and strokes," he added.

THE SUGAR EFFECT

Dr Ikram who is also the director of University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) cautioned Malaysians on excessive sugar consumption.

According to him, certain parties have equated sugar to poison simply because of the effects it has on the body.

"Many studies in the last 20 years have conclusively shown that the damage to our body from diabetes is a direct effect of sugar in our blood.

"This includes damage to blood vessels in our eyes, kidney, heart, brain etc," he explained.

Dr Ikram said the studies have also found that if we reduce the blood sugar level to normal, we can avoid all these complications of diabetes.

Thus, he said having high blood sugar damages our body.

MORE DANGER

Taking excessive refined sugar is dangerous to our body especially to people with diabetes, said Dr Ikram.

He explained that people with diabetes do not have enough insulin, and cannot handle sugar very well.

"After refined sugar is consumed, the blood sugar level goes up very high and very quickly, and it takes a long time to return to normal.

"While the sugar level is high, it damages the body. That is why people with diabetes are advised to avoid refined sugar. Malaysians simply consume too much sugar," he said.

Sugar is present in drinks like 'teh tarik', coffee and others. In addition, sugar is present in 'kuih' and cakes.

EDUCATION IS VITAL

He admitted that it is difficult to control sugar consumption as it is linked to culture and habit.

"Children are often rewarded for their good behaviour with sweets," he pointed out.

The Government, he said, tried to control smoking by increasing the tax on cigarettes but if it does the same for sugar, there would be a political backlash.

Hence it is very important that the public be continuously educated on the dangers of consuming too much sugar and fatty foods.

"That is where non government organisations like the Malaysian Diabetes Association can play its role.

"Our association has membership all over the country and is in a better position to reach out to the members nationwide," said Dr Ikram.

NUTRITION EXPERTS

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has announced recently the deployment of 300 nutrition experts at government health clinics.

Their mission is to provide counseling to about 43 per cent of the population who suffer from obesity.

Initially 51 nutrition experts would be placed at selected health clinics including the 1Malaysia clinics this year.

Some claim overeating particularly foods that contain high calories, fats and sugar leads to overweight and obesity!

All these contribute to chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure and other health problems.

For this reason, think deeply. Do you want to continue with "live to eat" or "eat to live"! The choice is actually in your own hands. If you simply ignore your health, it is you own body that will suffer the full consequences, no one else!

-- BERNAMA

More changes

It’s now more than five months since we went on Herbalife weight loss and nutrition programme. I have lost 5.5kg, from 63.3kg down to 57.8kg. I lost the most amount of weight in the first three months of the programme – 5kg.
Actually, that was considered slow, because I only took it for breakfast and half the time I did not take it for dinner but have a light-to-moderate dinner. But I am really happy with the results. I was fortunate to be able to lose weight despite taking it only once a day because my metabolic rate was good. If the metabolic rate is low, it would be difficult to lose weight.
My close friends said I now look superb while acquaintances thought I was in my late 20s or in my 30s. I really didn't expect that because before the programme, I thought I often looked tired.



John too has lost similar amount of weight from 82kg to 76.5kg. However, he seemed to have lost more inches than I have and his abdomen had shrunk to half the size.
We feel a lot lighter and healthier these days. My clothes are all now so loose. Well, in John’s words, the “disadvantage” of consuming Herbalife is – we have to start looking for new clothes! John actually managed to fit into a pair of jeans that he had not worn for five years. Yeah, it is a bit old-fashion but he doesn’t care. I guess we can’t be picky for now.
What I really did not expect was a good control of arthritic symptoms. Until now, I have no more pains in my fingers. I used to cry out in pain if I happened to wake up in the middle of the night and found myself sleeping on my hand or see my hand above my chest. Recently, I did the same, but found that there was no more pain. The memory of the pain was so deep in the subconscious that it has not yet accepted this new reality. In the past, I also could not sleep on my sides for my hands would hurt. And if I ate any fried food, my hands would feel like they were burning from inside at the end of the day. (More of this could be read in my earlier writings).
I still have no idea how the tea mix helps me but it does like no other premium teas I have taken in the past. The only reason I could find is that the tea contains a high level of anti-oxidants and the 55 types of vitamins and minerals in the shake nourished my cells.

Here are other changes I see in myself after taking Herbalife products for more than 5 months:
1. More alert and focused.
2. No more cravings for oily or sweet food.
3. Do not have cravings and hunger pangs or suffers from the blues during menstruation.
4. No more bad breath especially when without food for more than four hours.
5. Flatter abdomen. I recalled passing out a lot of “waste” on the first three days.
6. Better complexion and less water retention.
7. Offers me a better alternative than fried food outside (which I can now eat in limited amounts). I believe the oil had been recycled so many times. Sadly, people don’t know how toxic/carcinogenic that is and one wonders why there was no enforcement on recycled oil.

Here are the changes in John:
1. No longer sleepy in the afternoons.
2. When John started on Herbalife on a consistent basis, he initially had sinusitis attacks that were worse than before. He took nasal spray which has steroid sometime ago and his problem subsided but triggered again when he moved into a different place after marriage. When he first took Herbalife shake and tea, the attacks seem to worsen for over a month. But since then, it had subsided. The symptoms might be aggravated at the initial phase when the body is going through healing crisis. Then again, we are also not sure if the condition in my apartment had triggered it because he said he started getting it when he moved into the apartment.
3. John had also started taking Aloe vera concentrate and that seemed to help his often bloated stomach. The shake and tea have helped to shrink his abdomen a lot but it is still big because he doesn’t exercise, which we need to start doing again.
4. Less sickly.

We cannot imagine how a simple product can help regain our health and shape.

Extravaganza (May 14-16)

John and I went to Singapore for the Herbalife Extravaganza Meeting, a meeting for Asia-Pacific Herbalifers. We were told that it was a life transforming meeting and a “must-go” event. We travelled there by bus with the rest of the group after midnight on May 13. There were 18,000 people attending the conference at Singapore Expo!

John found the rags to riches testimonies of the Herbalifers from several countries inspiring. While I do find the stories encouraging, I also found it disappointing because it was all hype and very little learning experience for me. I had heard that Chairman of the Herbalife Scientific Medical Advisory Board Prof Dr David Heber would be coming all the way from the United States and I was looking forward to gaining some technical knowledge from him and even ask some questions but nothing like that happened.

It would also been helpful if the speakers shared about how they overcome certain common questions or challenges.

I found the Spectaculars meeting in KL in January this year a lot more interesting than the Extravaganza.

Anyway, at least I have learnt more about the company and the holistic values it promotes and totally liked it.



Lining up to register for the Extravaganza. Malaysia counter has the longest line.

May 14 - On the first day of the session, we were not entitled to enter the meeting. So we joined the crowd and sat outside Hall 1 and listened to the talk from a radio reception.



May 15 - Session for General Training



Lining up to get in. Massive crowd! Sigh! I dislike crowds. Makes me go crazy.



Main speaker Dan Waldron.

May 16 - This is how it looked like during break outside the hall. Since this was our first Extravaganza, we found it really colourful. There were a lot of bartering going on with Herbalifers from different countries exchanging t-shirts, badges and products that they could not get in their countries. Some people also sold some products or souvenirs.





A young man requesting for "Lift-Off" for an exchange for his products.









At the Exhibition Hall where Herbalife products were also sold.

Financial health journey

An acquaintance had not had a job for three years and I had wanted to help her get started on the Herbalife business. It is unfortunate that, often, employers do not want to hire a worker after a certain age, and she is not too far from retirement age.
And so I decided to help her the only way I knew – get her self-employed through Herbalife.
Pix showed our first weekend at a flea market at Summit, Subang Jaya, me backing up Ai Yim and her brother on a roadshow, and helping her kick start her business in a serious way while educating the public about basic health.

Please email healthpossibilities@gmail.com for information.

Chocolate and Mocha shakes

Over the past week, I felt like having chocolate or Mocha drink. So here are a couple of very simple shakes recipes.

Mocha shake
Pour 200ml of ice water into shaker cup. Pour 200ml of Soyfresh (green and white pack) soya milk into shaker cup.

Put one scoop of F1 Dutch Chocolate and one scoop of F1 Cappucino into shaker cup.
Put one scoop of F3 (optional).

Shake it for one minute and the breakfast is ready.

Orange chocolate shake
Cut one orange into four and remove the flesh from the skin. Put the flesh into blender together with 150ml ice water into blender and blend.

Pour 150ml Soyfresh into blender and put it two scoops of F1 Dutch Chocolate (and F3 optional).

Blend until smooth and pour out content and drink.

Banana chocolate shake
Peel one small banana and cut into small pieces one red apple and blend with 150ml ice water.

Pour 150ml Soyfresh and two scoops of F1 Dutch Chocolate into blender and blend until smooth.

RM50m fine for pyramid offenders

From The Star, Thursday April 15, 2010

ANY company or society found guilty of a repeated offence in promoting a pyramid scheme can be fined up to a whopping RM50mil under a new Bill by the Government to plug loopholes in the direct sales sector.

The proposed amendment to the Direct Sales Act will also see individuals, including those working in companies or societies, fined up to RM10mil or jailed up to 10 years or both for repeated offences.

The Bill – which will also see the Act renamed as the Direct Sales and Anti-Pyramid Act – was tabled for first reading by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The minister later said the second reading of the Bill was expected during this meeting.

The maximum fine for a first offence in promoting such schemes is RM10mil for companies and RM5mil for individuals in addition to a possible five-year jail term.

Among others, the Bill will define a pyramid scheme to include features such as having no buy back policy or refunds, the promotion of bonuses or benefits through the recruitment of participants rather than the sales of goods or services, pressuring members to buy goods to qualify them for bonuses, and disallowing them from withdrawing from the programme.

Such a scheme will also be defined by requiring members to buy goods or make minimum payment in order to be eligible for participation, and to force them to buy more stuff than can be re-sold within a reasonable period of time.

The Bill aims to protect those giving information to authorities about pyramid schemes and other offences by disallowing any disclosure of their names or addresses during court trials.

Under this clause, no witness in civil or criminal proceedings is obliged or even permitted to disclose the names or addresses of informers or the nature of their information and any documents bearing their names will be concealed from view.

Malaysians getting obese

Article from The Star, Sunday April 11, 2010

Malaysians getting obese - by eating too heavily at night
By FLORENCE A. SAMY
newsdesk@thestar.com.my



PETALING JAYA: More Malaysians are keeping awake till late to indulge in what is becoming a top national pastime – tucking it in at 24-hour eating joints.

Yes, we are practically eating round-the-clock. If you are still not convinced, take a look at the goings-on at mamak shops close to and way past midnight.

These shops have sprouted up all over the country to satisfy the cravings of Malaysians who are gorging on calorie-packed late night meals with hardly a care – and getting obese in the process.

Statistics show that the prevalence of obesity among Malaysian adults increased by a staggering 250% over a 10-year period from 1996 while the number of overweight has increased by 70%.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 showed that two out of every five adults or 43%, were either overweight or obese and an alarming situation where the number of obese adults had more than tripled over a decade, from 4% in 1996 to 14% in 2006.

Besides that, about 38% of youngsters aged between 12 and 18 were classified as overweight.

A recent survey involving 10,000 students showed that 24% of those aged between six and 12 were either overweight or obese.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is obviously a very worried man, with more Malaysians at risk of being seriously ill due to uncontrollable eating.

“It has to change ... an unbalanced diet and eating late at night,’’ he cautioned. “In the past, we used to have two meals. These days, we are eating five to six times daily with late-night suppers at mamak stalls,’’ he said after launching the Malaysian Council for Obesity Prevention (MCOM) here yesterday.

MCOM, which comprises 13 professional bodies and NGOs, was set up to help the government counter the problem of obesity in the country.

The minister, an avowed vegetarian, spoke of another worrying trend – meat is fast becoming a staple-diet here. A diet rich in red meat causes high cholesterol which leads to cardio-vascular disease.

“Available data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity indicates that the problem we face may be more serious than those in other countries of the region,” he added.

Being overweight and obese, he said, would lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even cancer.

According to statistics, 14.9% and 43% of Malaysians aged above 30 suffer from diabetes and hypertension respectively, with 20.7% of adults over 18 suffering from high cholesterol.

Liow said 300 nutritionists would be employed to serve at government clinics nationwide to help tackle obesity problems by creating awareness on the dangers of unhealthy eating.

Malaysian Council for Obesity Prevention (MCOM) president Jong Koi Chong echoed the minister’s concerns, saying the unhealthy eating trend was becoming a major problem.

“Our metabolic rate is very low at night making it easy for fat to accumulate in the body.

"Most 24-hour restaurants serve food that is high in fat, calories and cholesterol. Sadly, more of our young are picking up bad eating habits from adults,’’ he added.

Overcoming the odds in weight loss

Some of you have expressed to me the challenges you face while taking Herbalife shakes. Here are a few tips that I hope can help you achieve your targets.

Hunger pangs
A few of you may experience hunger pangs while taking the shake. I did when I first started to consume it but not John who is bigger in size than me. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that the body is taking less bulk and hence, you would, initially, experience hunger. Usually this is overcome within three days as the body gets adjusted with less bulk. Although there is less bulk, the body is receiving adequate nutrition with Herbalife F!, so you don’t have to worry thinking that you are starving yourself because you are not starving yourself.

Each shake (2 scoops of F1 and 1 scoop of F3) should last you three to four hours. That means, when you take it for breakfast, it should last you until lunch.

In the event that you feel hungry within an hour like I did (one of the rare ones), add another scoop of F1 to the shake or plain Nestum. Or you can make another 200ml shake with another scoop of F1 with sugarless or extremely low sugar soya milk after a couple of hours if you are hungry.

I was told that when the body lacks nutrients or protein, it tends to be very hungry. So that could be the other reason for the hunger. I had mild dizziness and hunger pangs for three weeks but they subsided and vanished after a month. I understand that the mild dizziness and hunger pangs are part of healing crisis. Not everyone experience this. However, different people may experience different symptoms depending on the lack in their bodies. Most people I know don’t have any problems.

These days, I seldom feel hungry until my main meal hours and I eat colourful meals of decent portion (minus oily and fatty food). I eat three to four times a day, including having a shake.

Difficulties due to travelling
If you have difficulties having a shake because you are a sales person and on the move, it is understandable that you cannot not find a suitable place or time to have your shake. Actually, there are creative ways to work around that. When eating with a client, you can order juice of your choice without sugar and put the juice into your shaker cup and add the F1 and F3 and shake it and pour it out into the same glass and drink it. So there is no excuse that we have to eat unhealthy food.

Some of you may initially feel as though you need to go to toilet all the time because the body is in the process of removing toxin. Moreover, you may not have drank so much water before.

Well, if there is a will, there is a way. Petrol station and fast food chain outlets are places you can visit. So that could help, until your body gets adjusted and you don’t need to go pee so often. Nevertheless, we should do it once every three or four hours.

Constipation
Remove F3, drink lots of water, eat one or two fruits a day and sleep before 12 midnight. No chillies, fried or oily food because that will aggravate the condition. Papaya and prunes help relieve constipation and I think yoghurt helps too. And so does exercise - at least brisk walking in the park or in the gym for 20 min to half hour a day.

Dizziness
Reduce the amount of tea mix until a comfortable amount. Then gradually increase it until comfortable amounts. Initially, I had mild dizziness even when I took only one teaspoon a day but now I have no problems taking up to two teaspoons a day. For those who are more well-endowed or tall and have visceral fat, three to four teaspoon a day in three or four mugs/glasses of water is recommended. Alternatively, you can put two scoops in a big water bottle and drink it while at work.

Please consult a doctor if you have other underlying medical conditions or when symptoms persist even when you don't take the shake/tea.

If there are any other problems, please email me at healthpossibilities@gmail.com

citrus mix

I tend to like Cappucino, Dutch Chocolate and Vanilla shakes but did not quite like the Tropical Fruit flavour and Strawberry. Unlike me, John loves the Tropical Fruit flavour. Anyway, I decided to make a more citrus flavoured Tropical Fruit shake for John and I myself over the weekend and love it!

Shake for 2 persons:

F1 Tropical Fruit 2 scoops
F1 Vanilla 2 scoops
2 passion fruits
1 small orange
1 small red apple
3 yellow tomato cherries
Ice water

Cut apple into small pieces. Cut orange the usual way and remove flesh. Cut passion fruits into half and scoop out content into blender. Put all the fruits and tomato cherries into blender and pour 150ml ice water into blender and blend.

Add blender with ice water until the water level touches 800ml. Then add the 4 scoops of F1 and blend again till smooth. Serve in 2 tall glasses.

Enjoy!

Herbalife University graduation

John and I attended a short course to learn more about Herbalife. It was held every Tuesday night for nine weeks. We could not imagine how we had managed to go through it all without missing a single session. It seemed impossible for us since our work loads were heavy and schedules unpredictable. But, we made it! It was an achievement even though it was just a certificate that we received yesterday evening at Maple Suite restaurant just next to Herbalife headquarters.

We received a certificate from Jeff Fiore who was from Herbalife headquarters in the United States at the end of the course and were treated to a barbecue dinner.

Recipe for French Vanilla

I normally take my shake plain with ice water and it is already tasty for me. I take it for breakfast, as the ideal breakfast because I read that the ideal breakfast should be high in protein for this ensures that our blood sugar level remains stable and not dip too low. And I like the idea that Herbalife's protein is plant based.

The Star newspaper recently reported that to beat the sugar craving, we should have protein in our breakfast.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/24/focus/5537327&sec=focus

The article says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. "Your first meal must create blood sugar stability that will carry you to the next meal without sugar cravings. You are also advised to eat protein with each meal as it keeps your blood sugar stable throughout the day."

I read elswhere that a good breakfast coupled with consistent eating time help reduce the risk of diabetes. Of course, there are other factors too such as reducing stress levels, exercise and getting enough nutrition, sleep and water.

Recently, I decided to try out a recipe to go with the Herbalife F1. And I only take this for breakfast. It is a complete meal by itself because the F1 contains 55 types of vitamins and minerals and it fills me up until lunch. I modified the recipe from a book on juicing and blending that a friend gave and the shake turned out truly delicious.

F1 French Vanilla - 2 scoops
F3 Blended soy and Whey Protein Powder - 1 scoop (optional)
Soya milk (Soyfresh brand - contains the lowest sugar in the market) - 200ml
1 small red apple (remove seeds and core and cut into small pieces)
Nestum - one scoop

Put in 100ml cold water into the blender and put cut red apple into the blender and blend well. Then pour the soya milk, two soops of F1 and one scoop of F3 and Nestum into the blender and blend. Pour out and enjoy.

Yummy!

John's hardly sick now

We are reaching our third month soon from the time we started on our shake and I noticed that John had not been sick since. He used to fall sick every two or three weeks once and has to go to the doctor and take medicine, otherwise, his condition would worsen and he would be terribly ill for five days to a week.

Before the shake, John had been taking multi-vitamins tablets of a well-known brand which we bought from pharmacy. I would say that it did help with his health to some extent, otherwise, he would be tired all the time due to pressures and long hours at work. But he still fell sick every couple or three weeks then. I am not surprised because on a regular day, he leaves home for work at 7am while I am still asleep and does not get home until late at night. Basically, he works 10 days a week even though it is a five-day-week. Sad to say, that's the kind of stress and low wages that many living in the city have to cope with.

When I knew John more than four years ago, he told me that he took anti-biotics each time he fell sick, which was frequent. I cannot imagine how much damage that can cause his kidneys or liver. Anyone who knows me knows that I am anti anti-biotics and only use it sparingly. And as the result, John had to suffer for a week at one point because his body took longer to recover without anti-biotics. Then I stopped telling him not to take it but he had adopted my habit.

So the change to our health had been significant since the shake. The improvements were many and more significant than any supplements we had ever taken. For me, I am totally alert at work. I could concentrate totally well. I wish I had this when I was a child/student because I recalled how tired I was at school and found it hard to concentrate. I would have excelled in my studies instead of just doing ok. I also recalled battling with fatigue even when I was doing sports. I was a little malnourished, like many kids then in the '70s in Malaysia.

The joint/arthritic aches I used to suffer from continues to be under control. I have been avoiding fried food as much as possible because I was afraid that if I take too much, I may intoxicate myself again and my fingers hurt/burns and I had to take lots of the tea again to remove much of the toxin in my body.

Compared with the spirulina that I used to take for 12 years, and which also helped reduced the aches and swelling in my fingers and helped in my concentration, the Herbalife shake seems to give more goodness than that. Also I can blend fruits with the shake while I cannot eat fruits with spirulina for I will get a stomach ache after that.

However, currently, I have one issue. I am not sure if I am constipating but I am going to toilet less often. One of the reasons could be that I have been eating less because I don't have anymore cravings for oily and sweet food. Yes, I do know that when our bodies get enough nutrition, we hardly have cravings, hence, we don't simply eat and put on weight. Instead of going daily, it is now once in one-and-a-half days and the stools come out in one solid piece, sometimes a bit too hard but most times, if I don't eat the wrong food, just right. I haven't seen that since I was a young. I understand that the hard stools could be a sign of healing crisis since I have certain existing health conditions. I have removed the F3 whey protein and only take the F1 and I did not constipate. But I have started to add soya milk (which also contains protein) in place of the F3 and started to go to toilet less frequently again. Maybe I just have to just stick to F1 and the tea. Well, we shall see what happens a few months down the road.

A friend who has started to enjoy the shake has also started to lose inches and has become more energised and alert.

Healthier us

This was posted on February 22, 2010 at our personal blog.

About a week before Christmas, John and I started to consume a certain nutritional shake for health reasons and to lose a few kilos, especially around the abdomen. He had recommended the product to me since he had taken it for two months before our wedding in 2008 and became rather trim. He then stopped since I complained, thinking that it was expensive and that he too wanted to maintain his weight by just going to the gym or taking walks in the park. But with his long working hours, he hardly got to do either. He had gone to the gym possibly less than five times a year.

So after our wedding, we both ballooned again to the weight we were before marriage. At our age, it was difficult to manage our weight. I could lose half a kg or a kg on my own but it requires a LOT of effort and discipline. It is difficult to lose weight because it is almost impossible to find healthy food whenever we eat out.When John told me about the shake that I could take for breakfast to replace my usual breakfast, which was either fruits followed by fried bee hoon, roti canai or nasi lemak with Milo, or if I make my own breakfast, it would be a fruit, my favourite half boiled egg, bread with butter and Milo, I wanted to try it out because I often yearn for healthy breakfasts.

I know that if I could have a healthy breakfast every morning, half the battle is won. So I gave myself three days to try the shake because since it is soya based, I feared that I would suffer from joint aches as I sometimes would when drinking soya milk or eating tofu. I thought if I do not experience any bodily discomfort, I would take it daily. That’s because all processed food do cause some discomfort to my body. My friends told me that my body is like a barometer that gauges how “clean” a certain food is. It works better than the “halal” certification because even with halal food, they were not “clean” enough for my body.

This is how my body suffers when I take processed food:

1. Fried food/animal fat/cooked santan – this is the worst culprit for me. My hands will feel an intense burning sensation from inside within half hour after eating and that includes KFC, which I wish I can sometimes enjoy. A small pus will emerge on my face. Then my fingers will swell and the joints hurt the following morning.

2. Black tea – sore joints in the fingers, knees and sometimes toes and sleepless night even if I take it in the morning.

3. Coffee – sharp joint pains in the fingers, knees and toes and heart palpitations. Also sleepless night despite consuming it in the morning.

4. Burgers/sausages/cheese/canned food – fingers swell and joints ache

5. Milo – laboured breathing

6. Ajinomoto and other monosodium glutamate – shoulder aches and breathing discomfort

7. A sweet - put me to sleep or knock me unconcious within 15 minutes.

8.Soya/tofu – sometimes have joint aches.

A specialist said I suffer from arthritis while Chinese physicians said I had poor blood circulation and toxin accumulation.

Whatever it is called, I often dread eating, especially when I have to eat out, because I would suffer after a meal. So for three days I tried the shake and I did not have any symptoms. I was intrigued by the product. I thought: What is this processed food that is as good as nature? So I decided to consume it daily.Today is the second month I took the shake and I have lost almost 4kg. That’s a feat considering that we only took the shake for breakfast and hardly took it for dinner because of all the dinners John and I had to attend during Christmas and Chinese New Year. I was 8kg overweight and friends and colleagues had been asking whether I was pregnant, but I haven’t had such questions asked for more than one month:).

More than the weight issue, my joint aches and swelling have subsided and I hardly have any of the symptoms anymore. I am not sure how the products have helped because I had only intended to take it as an ideal breakfast and to reduce my big abdomen. Amazingly, I now sleep well every night, unlike before. Several years ago, doctors had advised me to take medication. I did for a short while and then stopped and tried various alternative medicine which didn’t work out. I had even gone for faith healing. While I could after that stood and walk for long periods without pain, the morning swelling and stiffness in my fingers would not go away. Finally, I told the Lord three months ago that if He was not healing me directly for some reason I might not understand yet, I had asked that He bring something to me to help me keep my symptoms under control. The good effects from the nutrition and special tea mix on my joints were totally unexpected. I consider my prayer answered. I can even enjoy a glass of wine now without my joints hurting. John has lost more inches and his alarming visceral fat level has gone down two notches after drinking the tea mix daily. I cannot believe my eyes how it had worked so well with him. Mine, which was considered healthy but not excellent, had also gone down by one notch. So we have less fat around the vital organs now, which is considered more dangerous.

Our skin texture too have also improved. I have 4kg more to go and if all goes well, I should achieve my target in a month’s time since CNY is almost over and it is time to be serious about weight losing and being healthy. It’s not that I have not tried to be healthy. It is very difficult when we eat out most of the time. John has another kg to go but his abdomen is still big although it has shrunken to half its size. It is best to couple the weight loss effort with exercise... We are now enjoying a better quality of life and I no longer think that the product - Herbalife – is expensive. I would say it is value for money. For me, I have in the last 15 years put health as a priority and spent less on clothes, accessories and electronic gadgets, hence, am willing to spend more on nutrition.