Escaping From Obesity: My Oatmeal Fast Experiment

I am honestly feeling a bit down for not losing weight on the Drop10 challenge last month. But it's ok. Like what I've mentioned in my previous post, real success is not having things, but having victory over yourself. The scale didn't move but I am one step ahead for being no longer jeopardized by mindless eating. I'm one step ahead of success for craving healthy foods now instead of junk foods!

Weight Loss Goals for May
Dear Lord May is almost over and I accomplish nothing this month. Ahhhhh I know procrastination is my greatest enemy! You see I didn't update for weeks because of this --- my diet went offshore. I still watched what I eat, tried to eliminate junk foods but  there are times when I feel like I messed up and my weeks are gone, not consistent with my workout and so. But I don't want to get this month completely wasted. A little bit late for writing a new goal for May but let's just say this is an early weight loss goals for June.

My weight loss goal for the next 40 day is to become OVERWEIGHT. My ultimate weight loss goals is to reach my ideal weight, and to be able to wear jeans again for the first time after 5 years. But I want to go step by step so I'll feel less overwhelmed with the amount of weight I have to lose. I stand at a cute 4'10" and  based on my height my BMI says that I am worryingly obese at 80kg (BMI: 36.5) If your BMI is greater or equal to 30 you are considered obese. I don't want to rush off the weight this time. I aim to ESCAPE OBESITY first and gradually move into overweight category 55 - 65 kg (BMI 25-29.9), and achieve my ideal weight later which in my case the number between 41-54 kg (BMI 18.5-24.9) is the right weight for my height.

The Weight Loss Plan
I will undergo my first 40 day oatmeal fast start yesterday May 25, 2015 through July 3, 2015.

But first, I want to make it clear that I am not a doctor, nurse, or even a nutritionist. This is just me tracking my own weight loss progress, sharing with you my journey, what I'm doing, and my opinions regarding the oatmeal diet. It may be for you or maybe not – you do at your own risk.  It's always wise to consult with your doctor before undertaking any new diet plan.

The oatmeal fast is a partial fast which similar to Daniel fast which abstaining from certain foods for a prolonged period of time. You can eat as much as you like – but only oat. Oatmeal fast is a milder types of fasting. It's easier to do than to water fast or juice fast because you ARE relatively eating something. Oatmeal fast does offer the same benefits of healing and cleansing of the body but the speed at which detox occurs can be slower, but that also means it will be more comfortable.

Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast - A half cup of oatmeal made with a half cup of skim milk, and seasoned with cinnamon or raisins. Take note, if you make your oatmeal with milk instead of water, you’ll add more carbs to your breakfast. Your small 8-tablespoon serving of oatmeal quickly goes from 14 grams of carbohydrates, all the way up to 28 grams of carbs if you mix in milk, honey and berries.

Lunch - Eat a half cup of oatmeal and top with half cup of flavored yogurt to make oatmeals less boring. Yogurt can also help your digestion stay on track.

Dinner - Prepare half cup of oatmeal and make it more colorful by mixing in fresh berries, a banana, dried cranberries, or sliced peaches. Try this oatmeal combinations suggested by Bryn Mooth, SparkPeople Contributor.

• 2 Tbsp dried cranberries, 1 Tbsp toasted pistachios, 1 tsp sugar (115 calories)
• 2 Tbsp raisins, 1 Tbsp chopped pecans, 1 tsp sugar (125 calories)
• 2 Tbsp dried cherries, 1 Tbsp chopped almonds, 1 tsp sugar (115 calories)
• 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts, dash of cinnamon (70 calories)
• 1/2 cup diced apple, 2 Tbsp dried cranberries (90 calories)
• 1/2 cup diced pears and 2 Tbsp dried cherries (100 calories)
• 1 Tbsp Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread), 1/2 a banana, sliced (150 calories)
• 1 cup diced apple, 2 Tbsp raisins, sprinkle of cinnamon (140 calories)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 Tbsp maple syrup,1 Tbsp chopped toasted walnuts (140 calories)
• 1/2 cup diced apple, 1 Tbsp raisins, 1 Tbsp peanut butter (165 calories)
• 1 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp raisins, 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts (175 calories)
• 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp peanut butter (160 calories)
• 1/2 sliced banana, 1 Tbsp peanut butter (145 calories)
• 1/2 cup sliced peaches, 1.5 tsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp sliced almonds, dash of vanilla extract (120 calories)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, dash of cinnamon (35 Calories)
• 1/4 cup apple butter, dash of cinnamon and allspice (or pumpkin-pie spice), 1 Tbsp dried cranberries or cherries (170 calories)
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh or frozen strawberries, 1 Tbsp sliced almonds, dash of almond extract (75 calories)
• 3 Tbsp of your favorite fruit spread or preserves (80 Calories)
• 1 Tbsp dry-roasted peanuts, 1 Tbsp raisins, 1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (150 calories)
• 1 Tbsp chopped dried banana chips, 1 Tbsp dry-roasted peanuts, 1 Tbsp raisins (120 calories)
• 1 Tbsp dried cranberries, 1 Tbsp raisins, 1 Tbsp chopped pecans (130 calories)
• Italian oatmeal: 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (125 calories)

I once said I hate calorie counting but I'm taking my words back. I admit that the most basic way to lose weight is to slash calories so I am going back to basic - calorie counting. Even though on oatmeal fast I can eat as much oat as I want, but for this plan I would limit my calorie to 500 a day (totally sedentary lifestyle). One serving of cooked oatmeal (about 1 cup cooked) contains 150 calories, 3 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbs, around 6 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber.

Benefits of Oatmeal Fast

1. Oatmeal can help lower cholesterol level -  Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan. Since 1963, study after study has proven the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels. Studies show that in individuals with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%. This is highly significant since each 1% drop in serum cholesterol translates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease.

2. Oatmeal is a natural appetite suppressants - Not only does it stop cravings, oatmeal is also low in calories and makes you feel full longer thus boost your weight loss effort.

3. Oatmeal is high in fiber and protein - Medical experts often recommend eating fiber to ensure that you have healthy bowel habits and prevent constipation. Fiber can also lower blood sugar, cut cholesterol, and prevent colon cancer.

4. Oatmeal also help stabilize blood glucose - Oatmeal has a pretty high glycemic index, high in soluble fiber and complex carbohydrates which makes them slower to digest meaning it could prevent spikes in your blood-sugar levels. Stabilizing your blood sugar is crucial to increase your metabolism and help you lose weight. Much of the food we eat is converted into blood sugar that circulates in your bloodstream which is used by the body for energy or be stored for future use. Problems occur, however, when we are getting too much glucose, it leads to high blood-sugar levels, which your body can’t break down and stores as fat. On the other hand, eating too little glucose can lead to a low blood sugar level, causing your body to go into “starvation mode” where it burns your lean muscle instead of the fat. 

5. Oatmeal taste good! Oatmeal is not just a breakfast cereal anymore. Oatmeal is quick and easy to prepare, and it makes a perfect meal for lunch and dinner.

I am extremely so out of shape. I really need to help myself to get healthy! 

Drawbacks of Oatmeal Fast

Along-with benefits, oatmeal fast has several loopholes also. Let’s find out what they are.

1. Being a fad diet, oatmeal fast cannot be called a healthy diet program. Moreover, mostly nutrient dense foods such as vegetables and several other highly nutritious food items are forbidden in the plan.

2. In the beginning, it might be challenging for you to mold you with the fast schedule. You are likely to experience dizziness, nausea, headache etc. in initial days of the program.

3. No matter how favorite the food item is to you, when you are supposed to eat the same foods over and over again, you are likely to despise them.

4. You cannot continue your workout regime while abiding by the plan because you require calories and energy to continue with your workouts. However, oatmeal fast does not bestow you sufficient energy to go along with workouts.

5. Oatmeal fast like all other fad diets provides only short term benefit of weight loss. You will regain weight as you will revert to your old eating habits.

What diet plan have you done in the past? Does it work? How do you set yourself up to weight loss success? 

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Being Fat Sucks! 3 Critical "Focus" Strategy for Losing Weight

I seeks fresh start to lose weight as the month of March begins. I made a vow to myself that I wanted to be healthy, change my destructive habits and exercise more. I don't even reach Day 10 when I already have a cheat day. This is so frustrating! I needed to stay focused to reach my weight loss goal. Daniel Plan has a new twist on faith and motivation.

I'm currently reading The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren. The Daniel diet is basically a partial fast that is based on vegan diet. I post about Foods To Eat and Food To Avoid on Daniel Fast when I attempted the Daniel fast two years ago. Two years passed and still struggling. (-_-;) But that is just the basic idea about Daniel fast. The Daniel Plan book provide more comprehensive weight loss plan that covers not only about food and fitness but also faith and focus, friends, encourage you to deepen your relationship with God whilst you losing weight by making healthy choices each and every day.

The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren

Maintaining focus is very crucial in everything you do, weight loss included. I really encouraged by part of the book which discuss about focus, so I thought I'd share it here.

3 Critical "Focus" Strategy for Losing Weight 

1. Attitude Toward Failure
When you make a mistake just make a U-turn. When you make a wrong turn while driving a car the GPS device in your car doesn't call you an idiot. It just tells you where to make the next legal U-turn. Likewise if you pay attention to your mistakes, like failed to plan, skimping on veggies, or lack of sleep, they can be your best teachers. How do you learn to become a success? By learning what doesn't work and not doing it anymore.

Failure can also be motivational. Failure builds your character when you respond to it correctly. "What didn't work here, and what can I change?"

Failure can even reaffirm your faith. Admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith. King David said, "I believed in you, so I said, 'I am deeply troubled, LORD.'In my anxiety I cried out to you." (Psalm 116:10-11 NLT) No matter how you feel or what circumstances you are in, focus on God unchanging nature - His goodness, His loving kindness, know that He has a good plan for your life.

2. Creating SMART Goals
Just like prayer and spending time alone with God, goal setting is a spiritual discipline. Goals can be an act of stewardship where you say, "God, I give you back the life you've given to me, and I want to go in your direction."

Specific goals usually answers five "W" questions:

• What: What do I want to accomplish? To lose 20 pounds? 30 pounds? Or 50 pounds? 
• Why: Specific reasons, purposes, or benefits of accomplishing the goal. For example to get truly healthy, or have better energy. 
• Who: Who is involved? Example, me, but it will also involve those closest to me. 
• Where: Identify a location. For example, at home. 
• Which: Identify the requirements and constrains. For example, food, itness, focus, faith, and friends. 

Energy that is focused has enormous power as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:26, "Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

3. Mind Renewal
If you think you are a failure, even though you have had many successes, you are more likely to give up easily. Just by thinking that you have no control, you given yourself permission to eat anything you want at anytime you want. The next time you hear yourself thinking, I have no control, write that down and ask yourself, "Is it true?" If you think, I have fat genes, to blame your weight loss issues, write that down and ask yourself, "Is that thought really true? Is this really doesn't have anything to do with how much you eat?"

When you stop believing these lies and replace that negative thought with accurate thinking and God's truth and promises, your response to life events will shift and you will feel more hopeful on truths such as Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know the plans I have for you,'declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Other Books Related to Daniel Plan 

1. The Daniel Plan Study Guide: 40 Days to a Healthier Life
2. The Daniel Plan Cookbook: Healthy Eating for Life
3. Daniel Plan Journal: 40 Days to a Healthier Life (The Daniel Plan)

 It's hard to stay focused when your goal is so far away. How do you keep your (career, weight loss, fitness, financial, etc) goals on track? Share your thought and experience in the comments.

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Fasting for Weight Loss: 4 Options for Intermittent Fasting

27th day on Slim-Possible-April Challenge. This is what I had for breakfast today. Dim sum. This is my all-time favorite after pasta. No, not really. My favorite food is food.

I'm a stay-at-home (SAHM) and sticking to diet plan is hard when your entire kitchen is at your disposal 24 hours a day. As a SAHM, I have a completely sedentary lifestyle, I can't get dedicated to my workout so I tried to focus more on my diet. I tried to create a calorie deficit for weight loss. First, I tried water fasting. But after one success and millions failure, I tried juice fasting. But I can't get rid of thought on foods, so I resort to low carb diet. No potatoes, no white rice, no white sugar, or white flour. To avoid drinking sugary beverage maybe easy but it's hard to cut rice out of my diet completely because I'm Asian and rice is a staple food. So to be a bit flexible, I allow myself to eat anything I want, including white rice and white flour (products made with it such as bread, cake, cookies, crackers, pretzels, doughnuts, bagels, and muffins) but no more eating after 2 pm. I've decided to do a daily intermittent fasting throughout this Slim-Possible-April Challenge, which is no solid food after 2 pm. But again, this diet plan deliver no success so far. I can't stop eating and I'm not even hungry. Feeding the kiddos little snacks and tasty treats is hard. I often end up eating what they eat! And other time it started with food cravings which when I allow myself a small bite will eventually evolve into overeating or maybe worst - episodes of binge eating. 

I know it's so annoying to hear me rant about failure after failure. Even to the hubs, he's already tired to hear about my diet plan, this diet strategy and that, but to see no success. He thinks my major failure is lack of discipline. He advised against fasting. Fasting leads to overeating, according to him. But fasting has always had a special place in my weight loss plan. Fasting cleanse out your body and most important I believe fasting can help break your unhealthy relationship with food.

There are several option of intermittent fasting suggested by Rob excerpt from his blog Fitness Through Fasting. You can practice this right away to build experience, strength and confidence. 

 Intermittent Fasting options are as follows:

1. Daily Intermittent Fasting

As in Catholic Lent Fasting and Muslim Ramadan, here you would fast from sunup to sundown – approximately 12 hours daily. The fast is broken each night with a light meal, preferably of lean fish or poultry, small portion of carbs (4oz baked or sweet potato, brown rice, multigrain pasta) and steamed veggies. The eating window remains open until dawn, but for most of that time you will be sleeping.

Twelve hours to eat, twelve hours to fast… and so the cycle continues each day. I strongly recommend that you do NOT eat anything after 10PM. Just because you have twelve hours daily to eat doesn’t provide license to overeat. You can get up in the AM, have a light breakfast (oatmeal with skim milk, three egg whites and four ounces of ground turkey is my personal favorite), and then fast for the next 12 hours.

Remember this motto: Progress, not perfection. In other words, certain days you may feel great and want to fast for another few hours. That is fine. But try not to exceed 16 hours of fasting each day, so as to not interrupt the Daily (IF) cycle. 

Estimated Weekly weight loss: three to five pounds. The key to successful weight loss with Daily IF is to eat clean meals; keep the consumption of fat and sugar low.

2. Every Other Day Intermittent Fasting

Another form of intermittent fasting is to go for an entire 24-hour cycle every other day. Example: You fast from 8AM Monday morning to 8AM Tuesday morning. Eat lightly on Tuesday. Wake up on Wednesday at 7:30AM and have breakfast. Start the fast at 8AM until the same time on Thursday… and so on.

Estimated Weekly intermittent fasting weight loss: two to four

3. Half Week Intermittent Fasting Information

Fast for 3.5 days weekly. Example: Fast from 8AM Monday to 8PM Thursday. You can return to regular eating for the rest of the week.

Fasting would resume the following Monday at 8AM – repeating the same cycle.  This system requires caution, however. Since one does not eat for 84-hour periods, it will be necessary to follow the breaking a fast instructions, listed towards the end of this book.  

Estimated intermittent fasting weekly weight loss: three to five pounds.

4. Seven Day Intermittent Fasting

Fast for an entire seven days, return to your regular diet for seven days, and then fast for another seven days. Similar to the Half Week method, you will need follow the breaking a fast instructions.  

Estimated weekly weight loss: Five to 20 pounds during initial 7-day fast and five to seven on subsequent ones.

These are some interesting books on fasting. Do check it out!

1.Toxic Relief: Restore health and energy through fasting and detoxification by Donald Colbert, MD
2. Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for Life by Cherie Calbom MS
3. The Fast Diet by Michael Mosley
4. The Fast Diet Cookbook byy Mimi Spencer
5. FastExercise: The Simple Secret of High-Intensity Training by Michael Mosley
6. The Green Smoothie Bible: 300 Delicious Recipes by Kristine Miles
7. How to Lose 40 Pounds (Or More) in 30 Days with Water Fasting by Robert Dave Johnston
8. Water Fasting: A Comprehensive Guide & 40-Day Water Fast Personal Journal by Jennifer Thompson
9. 7 Lbs in 7 Days: The Juice Master Diet by Jason Vale
10. Master Cleanse 10-day Organic Kit with Book; The Complete Master Cleanse

When my willpower fail, it's very easy to say that dieting is not worth it. It's very easy to give up completely, very easy to call it quit. But it's OK to fail. Just like Zig Ziglar once said, "You clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person, that yesterday ended last night, and today is your brand new day." 

If you are in the same boat with me, let me tell you this. Your weight loss momentum might gone, your weight loss plan maybe failed, you screwed up your eating plan, your exercise plan gets all messed up but we have only two choices: First, keep walking backwards. This will surely take us even further away from our goals; Second, to accept our lack of perfection as normal. Learn to forgive ourselves, and take two positive steps down the path that brings us closer to the future we want. So I choose to keep working on it! I believe it will get easier over time. 

Tomorrow will be a brand new day. Good night for now.

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The Master Cleanse: 6 Quick Guide To Breaking a Master Cleanse Diet Safely

Beyonce made Master Cleanse diet popular. The diet then nicknamed after her name.

Master cleanse became extremely popular after Beyonce promoted the diet in Oprah Winfrey shows in 2006. She dramatically lost 20 kg in 10 days with master cleanse. As a matter of fact, Master Cleanse also known as lemonade diet isn't new. This detox regimen was developed in 1940 by Stanley Burroughs who then published The Master Cleanser, first distributed in the 1950s. Beyonce diet is a nickname for the Master Cleanse diet after Beyonce made it popular.

Master Cleanse is basically a liquid diet used for detox and weight loss. No foods during the program. You just drink lemon juice which mixed with maple syrup and cayenne pepper the whole day for 10 days, and nothing else! Naomi Campbell is another celebrity swear by Master Cleanse to attain her stunning figure. 

Naomi Campbell remarks on Maple Syrup Diet: 
It's good just to clean out your body once in a while.' 

Master Cleanse may sound appealing for a drastic weight loss. For me it's actually a great kick start to break bad eating habits and start eating healthy. Stopping the master cleanse properly is highly important. A sudden overload to the digestive system after a long inactivity may acute attacks. This is a quick guide from Freedom You to help you adjust yourself, especially to your organ to return to normal activity gradually after Master Cleanse program ended.

Six Quick Guide to Breaking a Master Cleanse Diet

1. Increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet. 

Taking raw fruits and vegetables for the first five or six days will allow the body to gently wake up the digestive system. To break a fast and gorge on meat, bread or junk food will be disaster.

2. Eat slowly and chew your food well. 

Saliva has enzymes that assist in digestion.

3. Do not overeat! 

Discover the amount of food that your body needs to live a vibrant, healthy life.

4. Make juices during the breaking period. 

Juices are gentle nourishment to the body. Most continue to include juice in their daily routine, for the rest of their lives.

5.  Educate yourself on how to begin a lifestyle of healthy eating. 

Fasting is a wonderful new beginning, a foundation for a lifelong, healthy diet.

6. Never feed your emotions. 

Discern the difference between cravings and hunger.

Final thought
Master cleanse is not for everyone. I've tried it but only survived for 2 days. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher add to the growing list of celebrities who have also tried the infamous Master Cleanse. But they both quit before the 10 days period is over. This diet plan can be quite a battle of willpower, I know.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher do Master Cleanse but they failed to complete it to 10 days

 Has anybody tried the Master Cleanse? 

How did you feel before, during, and after the cleanse?

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How Beyonce Lose 20 Pounds in 10 Days

Beyonce in Dreamgirls (2006)

Beyonce reported to have lost 20 pounds in 10 days for her role in movie Dreamgirls (2006). In the "Dreamgirls" she portrayed herself as younger, more slender self. She announced on the Oprah Winfrey show that she had lost 20 pounds on the Master Cleanse.

RELATED: Master Cleanse 10-Day Organic Kit with Free MC book

So here it is, the Maple Syrup Diet, also known as the Lemon Cleansing Diet, the Lemonade Diet or the Master Cleanse which can supposedly be used for 3-10 days safely. This diet isn't new. The naturopath, Stanley Borroughs, developed it back in the 1950's. Be forewarned: a "cleansing reaction" is often noticed in the first two days. (That's diarrhea to you and me.) 

Beyonce at the premiere of DreamGirls in Cannes

RELATED: The Lemonade Diet / A Master Cleanse CD

Take a clean one-gallon jug and pour in the following:

• 3 Quarts of Water
• 1 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1 Cup Pure Maple Syrup (not maple flavored, but the REAL stuff) or molasses
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne

Shake it all up and drink 8-12 glasses a day.

Warning: You will experience cravings, aches, pains, mental irritability and fatigue. These are symptoms of your body's detoxification.

Beyonce with Dreamgirls co-star

If you really want to flush your system, proponents of the Master Cleanse recommend doing the following:

1. Go to your local health food store and get a herbal laxative tea that contains senna. While you're there purchase about 1 cup of non-iodized sea salt.
2. Every morning, before your lemonade, mix two teaspoons of the sea salt with a quart of water and chug. Make sure you are near a toilet and have about an hour to spare. You'll need it.
3. Every night, drink a cup of your laxative tea.

RELATED: The Complete Master Cleanse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Maximizing the Benefits of The Lemonade Diet

This fast should not be used for more than 10 days and you should wait at least four weeks before repeating it. Supposedly this fast dissolves toxins and is great for breaking up mucous. (That much lemon and cayenne will clear anybody's sinuses!)

Beyonce at the 2007 Oscar Red Carpet

RELATED: Beyonce True Star Gold by Tommy Hilfiger

Whatever you do, do not go directly back to a rich diet after your time on this fast. In fact, the best thing to do during a fast like this is to start setting your mind to healthy eating so that when you go off the fast you can start fresh on a healthy nutrition plan that will keep you body clean and strong. 

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