Weight Loss Challenge: The Weekend No-Dinner Diet

Christmas is less than 20 days ahead! Losing weight for Christmas is not my goal anymore. 2 weeks is too short a time to achieve a significant weight loss. But I still need to lose weight for my health. That's my ultimate goal and that's the reason why I never stop trying to lose weight even though the weight loss deadline is almost or already over.

Last weekend I decided to challenge myself to do another tweak to my diet. At first, I want to do the weekend detox but I'm not mentally prepare for it because there's always family outings on the weekend and dieting while outing is CHALLENGING. So I tried the less extreme diet plan - the weekend no-dinner diet. I am actually not new to this. I've tried to go to bed without dinner many time in the past. Not because I want to lose weight, partly yes. But the main reason why I skip dinner was because I was lazy to cook. :‑Þ

The No-Dinner Diet
The no-dinner diet is not exactly a diet btw. It's more like a pattern of eating that reduces your eating window. I know some friends who skip dinner and lose weight. I think the logic is pretty simple. Skipping dinner may lead to weight loss because well, skipped meal means skipped calories. Choosing to omit one or two meal a day will make it easier to restrict your caloric intake over the course of the week thus will give your body a chance to lose weight as you're simply just eating less calories than you were consuming before.

Why the no-dinner diet? Because it's an easy hack to simplify your day. You don't have to worry about meal planning and food preparation every 2-3 hours. Since you simply skip a meal or two, you just need to focus about eating food in your eating window.

The Drawbacks with The No-Dinner Diet
Feeling hungry and miserable.

When you eat every 2-3 hours, your body will becomes used to expecting to it and then your body will start to get hungry at that hour. The transition to skip to one meal a day might shock the body into changing for a little while but from my past experience I've found once you get locked into your routine, your hunger hormones will adapt.

How to survive the No-Dinner Diet
1 - Distract yourself from thinking about food.
I made the no-dinner diet last weekend! I avoid dinner by treating myself to a massage, thanks to Mr. hubby for taking care of the kids while I'm enjoying my spa session. There are many ways we can distract ourselves from eating. Read a motivational book, paint your fingernails, exercise or calling a friend on the telephone.

2 - Sleep early.
Late sleepers equals more eating . Lack of sleep also increases hunger and slows down metabolism making it more difficult to maintain or lose weight. Studies show that the metabolism may actually increase during sleep. So get a good quality of sleep for a healthier metabolism.

3 - Choose your lunch carefully.
Aim for a mix of lean protein, whole-grain carbohydrates and healthy fat that will fuel your body until tomorrow's breakfast.

4 - Chug a couple glasses of water.
Water does not have some magical property but staying hydrated could help you reduce appetite and make you burn more calories. A small study says it may help you burn about 50 calories per liter or quart of water, or about 25 calories per water bottle-full of water. Always having a water bottle around will make it easier on you to drink more water.

A challenge will push you far outside your comfort zone. What challenges you have set for yourself lately? Share in the comments. 

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Does Pooping Actually Help You Lose Weight?

I believe that I'm not the only one who used to think that you'll lose weight if you poop as much as you eat. The irony because apparently most weight loss products and slimming tea in the market promoted their product with the same concept, or at least I think so.

My husband is very supportive of my weight loss effort. I try my best not to keep unhealthy food in the house and my husband is totally supportive by not brings junk food home. But yesterday I asked him to buy me curry maggie, my favorite junk food. I haven't had maggie in a pretty long time, a non-scale victory I'm so proud of. But yesterday I just have to give in. I have a strong cravings for this food, blame the monthly hormones. And I am feeling so guilty now to confess that I have tried fiber drink to...I know this is sounds ridiculous but I've resorted to fiber drink to stimulate the need to go to the bathroom. It just gives me a peace of mind to know that I can 'take care of the big business' after I eat a meal. I have this theory that when I'm emptying my colon after a meal I'm basically pooping the calories back out. HA-HA. #myth

I quit taking fiber drink last time because I realized that I have became dependent on it. I was at the point where I can't poop when I skip the drink. I have became so obsessed with it. But recently I start taking a fiber drink again to ease constipation. Only now I won't drink it regularly, only when needed though as to avoid dependency on that. Constipation happens to me sometime especially in the week or so before my menses and causes headache. And when I had a bad food choices or eat something that I am not suppose to eat, it's just so comforting to think that I can probably undo the bad eating with a sip of fiber drink. #anothermyth

How does fiber drinks work
I don't have the exact idea how it works for weight loss but from my general reading (got info from the leaflet and their website), fiber drink are one tool for adding fiber to your diet, usually contain soluble fiber extracted from vegetables and fruits and to be taken before meal. When you eat your food, this fiber drink will work like a blocker that block the binding process of enzyme alpha-amalase (produced in the saliva) with starches so the carbs will move quickly out of the body without being absorbed. Fiber also act as laxative where it works by increasing the water content and bulk of the stool, which helps to move it quickly through the colon.

NH Vege F'bre Plus Review
I am currently drinking NH Vege F'bre Plus by NH Detoxlim. (FYI, this is not a sponsored post) This drink does not contain preservatives and chemical additives, no synthetic coloring and flavoring. According to the label, NH Vege F'bre Plus is made from all-natural ingredients - Soluble fruit fibre (ananas comosus, scientific name for pineapple), soluble vegetables fibre (brocolli, spinach), fructose, wheatgrass, vitamin C, chlorophyll and semen plantago ovata.

Plantago ovata containing product is already taken by many people world-wide to control bowel function, may be a useful supplement in weight control diets as it affects fat intake, and may have some effect on the subjective feeling of fullness.

NH Vege Fibre Plus: It is formulated for Asians with hectic lifestyles, imbalanced diets and weight problems.

Natural: NH Vege Fibre Plus is made from 100% natural ingredients

The label also reads, taste nice and refreshing. But in my personal opinion, it taste a bit yucky. Actually it taste like green juice made from raw leafy green vegetable, well because it is green vegetable. I have tried green smoothies before but the taste is not really pleasant to my taste. This fiber drink has the similar taste, I had to hold my breath and finish the drink at one go!

Green drink: Empty one sachet (5 g) NH Vege Fibre Plus into a glass of
lukewarm water (about 250ml to 300ml). Mix well and enjoy!

NH Vege F'bre Plus can have some effect within 5-8 hours, so I always plan my schedule and make sure I am in a comfortable place 6 - 8 hours, or be close to a bathroom cause the effects will be immediate. There will be a light stomach cramp but it usually doesn't last forever. That's just the way it works. NH Vege F'bre Plus continues to work in the system, so I always keep in my mind to limit my eating or I'll increase the number of trips to the bathroom. Drinking plenty of water is a must. What I like most about this drink is how it makes me feel lighter. It is definitely cleaning your system and much better than salt water cleanse.

So does emptying your bowels after every meal help you lose weight?
Pooping is imperative to a good cleanse, de-bloat and helps flush all that extra water weight from your body.

1 - YES you might see the number on the scale swing up a bit after you have a bowel movement. 

2 - ...but it DOESN'T COUNT as actual weight loss.

According to dietician Alexandra Caspero, R.D., founder of Delicious Knowledge, our body's weight fluctuates throughout the day and it's typically normal. Constipation links to water retention and if you haven’t used the restroom before weighing yourself, it'll affect the number on the scale. Going low carb diet is a natural way lose excess water weight.

Water weight isn't as "real" as weight from muscles and fat, it tends to magically melt away as your kidneys restore your body's salt/water balance. But here's the thing - water weight is still weight, right? Losing 5 kg or 10 kg of (water) weight may look or feel different -- and there are health choices we can make to keep it at bay.

I will be updating my progress after I start seeing more weight come off. Have you tried any home remedies for weight loss to get your diet off to the right start? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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Weight Loss Battle: Why Bad Habits Are So Difficult to Kick?

I have decided to stop trying to lose weight.

NO, actually not.

It's already December and I AM STILL FAT! ☹ I can't commit to exercise regularly so I tried to focus on eating healthy instead, but even so I still fail in this department. I've tried to wean myself off white stuff especially white rice and white bread over the past few weeks, I tried to quit sugar but my unhealthy habits keep breaking my weight loss effort.

Why bad habits are so difficult to kick?

Our daily behavior runs on autopilot. For example when your phone rings, you naturally go to answer it. If someone throws you a ball, you catch it. Other habit-forming activity like brushing your teeth and exercising are formed through repetition.

Psychologists have begun to understand that a lot of our everyday behaviors are often caused by circumstances or related to specific situations. For example, you eat pretty healthy at home but you can't do that at a social gathering. You might bite your nails when you watch TV or when you concentrate at work without thinking about it. You might find that you eat a large dish of ice cream whenever you get home in the evening.

Five Ways to Developing a New Habit

Dr. Arthur B. Markman, the member of Dr. Phil Advisory Board provides these strategies focusing on breaking bad habits and how to replace them with good ones.

1- Define Bad Habit and Commit to Change
You need to identify the habit you want to change. If you decide to arise early and exercise each morning, commit to act in a specific way 100% of the time, and never make excuses or rationalizations during the process until this becomes automatic.

2- Disrupt the Habit
Disrupt the specific actions that make up the habit. An obvious way is to avoid the situations in which you usually do your bad habit. For example, if you want to stop drinking alcohol as part of a move towards a healthier lifestyle, you should avoid the people and places where you used to drink.

3- Replace Bad Habit with Smart Habit
Sometimes you cannot change environment. If you often bite your nails in bed, then you cannot stop going to sleep just so that you can quit biting your nails. When you cannot change the environment, try to replace your behavior with something else. For instance you are trying to quit biting your nails in bed. Try doing something else that will keep your hands busy when you get ready to go to sleep. A manicure before bed, or maybe do a crossword puzzle before going to sleep.

4- Create Habit Diary 
Regular writing make you feel good. Writing down positive things that happened to you or tracking your mood can help you identify good patterns in your life which you should make time for and identify bad patterns that should be eliminated.

5- Reward Yourself
When you successfully devote some time to your new habit, give yourself a reward. Each time you reward yourself, you reaffirm and reinforce the behavior. But make sure your rewards don't compete with your new behaviors.

I have tried food journaling before, but the habit journal or mood journal thing is something new to me. Keeping a mood journal sound so much fun. Perhaps it is a better way to understand my mood and tracking my daily goal.

It's now your turn, share in the comments: 
- What bad habit you have successfully dumped recently to become a better person? 
- What major step you have taken to ditch your destructive habit?

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