Progress Update: Baby Steps

It has been 4 weeks since I started my quest towards a fit and healthy lifestyle. Although it was tough to follow the plan (I admit that at times the plan was thrown out of the window), now I feel GREAT! I can feel and even see the difference physically and emotionally. People are also noticing the change. Furthermore, numbers don't lie. My stats at the beginning was I weigh in at 90kg (BMI 30) with waist circumference of 41 inches (body fat percentage 12.3%). Today my weight is 85kg (BMI 28.4) with waist circumference of 40.5 inches (body fat percentage 11.9%). The weight reduction was more the first 2 weeks but then it seemed to slow down. Anyway, let me update you on what I have done so far.

Drinking More Water
I have been religiously following the recommendation on drinking at least 1 US gallon (=3.78L) of water per day. I always have a water bottle with me almost everywhere I go. In the beginning, my wife was worried to see me drinking a lot of water even before bedtime. There's always a bottle with a sipping straw by my bedside. Why with a sipping straw? They say if you use a straw to drink you tend to take a bigger gulp. Another advantage is no spillage.

My daily routine is to finish off a 1-liter bottle in the morning. I usually drink as soon as I wake up, during "wirid" after "subboh" prayer, during my workout, before and after breakfast. Then I would bring a 1.5-liter bottle to work to finish off before I arrive home. Subsequently, another liter in the evening before and after dinner. That would make 3.5 liter of water. Considering the amount of water in foods, I would have consumed more than 1 US gallon of water per day. Not only drinking more water will help me lose weight, it will also keep hyperuricaemia and crystallization of kidney calculus at bay. Kinda killing three birds with one stone!

Eat Healthy
I have also modified my diet tremendously. Although I did not totally change what I eat, it was still difficult. I don't change my Eastern diet to a Western one. Yes, I still eat my staple food, rice. I still eat my favorite dishes with the ubiquitous coconut milk. In contrast, my wife avoids eating rice almost completely. This the part where resisting temptation is hard. Temptations are everywhere whether at home, at work, during grocery shopping or when dining out. I managed to resist most of the times albeit sometimes I would succumb to temptation!

These are the healthy changes I have made to my diet and eating habit:

• Portion control - The fact is if you want to lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit either by cutting calorie intake (eat less) or by burning the calorie off (exercise). I have managed to reduce the size of my meal. Although I am not strictly counting calories per se, I still need to be aware of how much calorie I consume to prevent my body go into starvation mode. Moderation is the name of the game. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassalm has even advised us not to eat before you are hungry, and to stop eating before you are full. If you must eat fill 1/3 of your stomach with food, 1/3 with water and leave 1/3 empty with air.
• Avoid skipping meals especially breakfast - Initially, I plan to eat only 3 meals a day even though I know many nutrition experts recommend 6 meals a day. It turned out that when I have smaller meal for my main meals, naturally I will  feel hungry within 3-4 hours. So I snack in between meals. 
• Increase fruit and vegetable consumption - Now I always make sure the fridge is stocked up with variety of fruits (orange, apple & grapes) and vegetables (iceberg lettuce, carrot, tomato & cucumber)
• Avoid sugary beverages and sweet snacks - This is my greatest triumph. I have always had a sweet tooth. I love sweets and chocolates, basically anything sweet. I also love my cordial drinks like Sunquick or Ribena during meals. All these add up to the calorie intake without satisfying the hunger, I figured. Drastic measures need to be taken. So I got rid of all my sweets and chocolate stash at work. And now I only have plain water with my meals. 
• Snack on healthy food like nuts, fruits and even vegetables. Sometimes I snack on crackers and cheese (low fat soft variety) with vegetables. 

Exercise
This is hard as well, at least at the beginning. But once I get to the routine of it, it becomes much easier. First, I had to figure out which type of exercise routine that I can fit within one hour and which I can sustain for life, hopefully. After researching online, interval training - a type of exercise which consists of activity at high intensity for a period of time followed by low intensity exercise for a period of time - is in-trend. It would fit in my busy schedule too. Typically, I would do a 15-minute interval training on the elliptical trainer and another 15-20 minutes circuit weight training with dumbbells. Combined with stretching and cool down, it would take about 45 minutes. Enough time to have breakfast and get ready for work in the morning. Fortunately, my house is only 5-7 minutes drive to work.

I really hope I can maintain this healthy lifestyle for life. However, there's another factor to the equation - emotional well-being. I hope Allah will bestow me happiness and a prosperous, long, healthy life.