Fat - Is it good or bad for you?

I decided to talk on something different than beauty today, since many have been asking me about this question. Its all about fats and cholesterol and the controversial studies that came out this year about the use of statins and whether they are actually beneficial or not and that fats are not the main culprit of disease, rather it is sugar.

So this is my personal opinion based on the observations and studies I have read.

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Is fat good or bad?

In the past, we were lead to believe that by taking fat you will become fatter as it only made sense that what we ate, stores in our body. However, over time, with advancement of technology, we have started to understand how our body processes really work and we discovered that this is actually not true.We discovered that sugar is the real culprit in glucose, galactose, sucrose and fructose forms -i.e. refined sugars especially. When we take refined carbohydrates or any form of sugar, it causes our blood glucose level to spike, and thus increases the amount of insulin produced to reduce the blood sugar level and keep it within acceptable range. This causes a contraction of the pancreas, that may lead to damage of pancreatic cells.When we lose the capability to normalise our blood sugar level, it means we have diabetes. So what happens to the sugar that is being taken by the insulin out of the bloodstream, it is sent to the liver and then later stored as fat. You read me correctly, the sugar gets transformed into fats. 

Fats are an essential part of our body as it is involved in the formation of hormones, regulating body temperature, as an energy store for the body, and important in the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals required to make your body function properly. In fact, most of the brain matter is built from fat, and fat also helps with the formation and growth of hair, nails,, skin and other organs.

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So does it means we should eat fat?

Fats also come in different forms. You have the unsaturated fats and the saturated fats. And nowadays there are newer fat types called trans fats. What are unsaturated fats? Basically, they are fats that remain liquid in room temperature, i.e. your oils. Mostly are from vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. They are divided into monounsaturated fats like olive, peanut, almonds, avocado, almond nuts, hazelnut, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds, or polyunsaturated fats such as canola oil, soy,flaxseed, and fish oils. Saturated fats are mainly animal fats and those from coconut and palm products. Although recent studies have shown that there is not enough evidence to associated consumption of saturated fats to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, there are studies that show switching saturated to unsaturated fats are beneficial to increase the HDL levels in the body, reduce LDL and reduce insulin resistance.

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What about trans-fat? What are they really?

Trans fatty acids are fats which has been hydrolysed into a more stable form i.e. from heating up of vegetable oils or hydrogenation process that causes them to harden into margarine or shortening. Some trans fats are naturally found in beef and some dairy products. Because of its stable nature, partially hydrogenated oils are frequently used in fast food restaurants and bakeries, as it can withstand frequent frying without breaking down. However, trans fat has proved harmful to our body, and contributes to the rise of LDLs, and increases inflammation. It reduces HDLs, and contributes to insulin resistance. There was a statistics that shows for every 2 spoons of trans fat, you increase your chances of cardiovascular disease by 23%. 

My take on it?

Personally, I have started to switch all my fats to mainly natural fats i.e. unsaturated or saturated fats only. Margarine is completely banned from my fridge, but I do keep butter and occasional sour cream. I use olive oil for light cooking, and palm oil for frying (scarcely). I have reduced my intake of animal fats and I focus more on healthier fats from vegetable sources. I have at least 5 different types of oils in my house namely olive, virgin coconut, flaxseed, hemp seed and palm. I avoid eating fast foods or preserved foods and I avoid all forms of trans fat as much as possible except from beef and dairies like cheese. On top of all this, I've also restricted my refine carbohydrate intake. Sugar is banned from the house and thus honey is usually used as a sweetener instead. I drink my teas and coffee sugarless, and fruit juices are banned unless freshly squeezed. There is the occasional commercial ice lemon tea for my kids but sodas are a complete no no. 

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Between sugar and fat, my concern is more on the sugar, as the usage is much more rampant and it is much easily absorbed by our gastrointestinal system. Fat on the other hand, requires a longer time for absorption and most of the saturated ones just past through. Sugar seem to have a more drastic effect on our metabolism compared to fats, 

The key is moderation, and also avoiding all the processed forms of foods and you would definitely feel a lot healthier.

So how to reduce sugar and fats? Talk to use today and we'll give you a run through of our weight loss, fat loss program.

For more information or to book an appointment, please contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or send a message to 012-9660852 or PM us through FB or Instagram. 

Weight Loss with HCG - New things we discovered along the way.

Weight loss has always been a major concern for me as I remembered a time when I was more than overweight. The best weight I was ever in my life was when I was 18, at the weight of 52, I was as lean as ever. But looking back, at that time my assets were not fully blown and perhaps the best I could be now is perhaps 62 kilos. (I did this once last year and everyone was worried and thought I was sick because I looked too skinny, thank you for your concern, I was just experimenting on best weight).

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If I told people that I was a heavy 89 kilos, most of them would react by saying when? But yes, this was a reality to me in the years 2006 after the delivery of Bella to around circa 2009. I was struggling with weight loss. Until I stumbled across the hcg diet which was introduced to me by one of my sifus. I believed him because the first time I met him he was twice my size (and I was fat then) and now he is smaller than me.  I owe a lot of my knowledge to his mentoring. He could explain to me things that other doctors would not even bother to understand. And I needed to know, not just because I am curious, evidence-based and critical, but also for my patients. The worst thing to be as a doctor is ignorant to all the effects and complications of the treatment that you warrant to your patient.

Well, back to HCG. In the past, we use to just explain the role of the HCG hormone that acts like a catabolic hormone in the absence of insulin. What it means is that, when there is no insulin spike in the body, the HCG at 125-250mg level acts on the fat cells facilitating transport and metabolising fats into energy. This is why it is strictly prohibited to take any form of sugar or carbohydrate during the diet phase 2 and 3a as it would cause the opposite effect. Many can argue that if they go on 500 calories of protein and fibre they definitely will lose weight but how do you explain the fat percentage loss? Starvation leads to protein breakdown and usually the fats are the last ones to go. (We've measured our patient using a complete body scan and in 1 week, she lost 3kg of fat, her protein mass remained the same). 

It sounds simple, but I believe that as patients you require guidance especially in the first attempt and going through maintenance. There is a lot of explaining to do that some clinics do not bother doing, hence you will get a more yo-yo effect on weight loss which in the long run is not good for you as it can cause more harm to your metabolism. We are playing with hormones people.... Make sure your doctor knows what they are doing. It is not a quick weight loss program.

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Along the line, we've learnt a few things. We can use HCG to increase testosterone levels in men who are young and suffers from hypogonadism. It is safer than giving testosterone directly since once you introduce external testosterone, the natural factories will decide to stop production (like 91% based on latest studies done in China). It helps reverse the conversion of testosterone into oestrogen by the aromatase enzyme. The easiest clinical signs are the formation of man boobs and the pot belly hard tummy. So if you are a guy below 60, who is overweight and have gynaecomastia and an increasing pot belly, most likely you have reduced levels of testosterone. Some guys will say, so what? But in the long run it will effect your daily performance (not to mention the performance in bed). I envy my male patients on HCG, as they seem to loose weight faster than us ladies. They kill two birds with 1 stone, lose fat and increase testosterone levels.

I've also realised after being on the program for a few years, the best  is to slowly drop your weight, year by year, and then it would last longer. So usually after new year I would be on the program again, just to lose a few more kilos and maintain it. Since last year, I've succeeded in keeping my weight less than 70kg, and my silhouette has maintained. I've also discovered that muscle building during the second phase of maintenance helps to improve body tone and sustain weight loss results. I took a new liking to pilates, and I find that despite being off for awhile my weight easily jumps back to what it is usually.

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Other things we've discovered also is that the protein intake is super important. If you are a strict vegetarian, forget it. The most you are able to lose is 4kg in 23 days. Some vegans who wanted to try, had to be on egg whites daily that it caused them to be bored. Without the protein, the weight loss was reduced.

Other benefits of the HCG diet as observed is a better glycemic control for diabetics, reduced cravings for sugar and junk food in most people, sustained silhouette despite some weight gain, and change of dietary habits. But the set back is the strict regime during the diet and the maintenance phase. So at the end of the day, it is all about will power and determination. Like I always tell my patients, the diet is a detox sacrifice for 3 months. If you do it well, it may be the first and the last time you ever have to do it. It is a personal choice. If you are willing to commit and want to change, we will be here to help guide you throughout the process.

For more information or to book appointments do contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or send a message to +60129660852.

Post Raya Blues...... Its not all that bad.

It is the week after the Raya holidays and the kids are back to school. The adults have to get back to work despite Raya being a whole month of celebration. Yes, even though Eid arrived on the 7th of July, in Malaysia, Raya is celebrated till the end of Syawal with open houses, festivities and of course food and more food.

Today being the first day after the long Raya weekend, the streets of Kuala Lumpur still appear pretty much tranquil as most people would have taken an extra day off in case of the massive traffic entering back into the metropolitan city that may incur hours of jam. And of course, the finals of the Eurocup 2016 was airing at 3 am this morning with a miraculous win of Portugal over France with a score of 1-0 during extra time unexpected since their star player Ronaldo was taken off field for injury earlier on. For most Malaysian men, football is as loved as food, regardless of which continent it plays in, hence probably a quarter of the nation is at work bleary eyed from watching the game. C'est la vie.... Sorry France, you'll have to tie Spain some other year.

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Courtesy of Star.com.my 

With a long week of holiday after a whole month of fasting, the most common complaint you would always hear about is how a person loses a few pounds during fasting and then regains back what is lost (or more) during the raya spree. Ah, yes, but how can you say no the the most delicious wondrous food that come out usually only once a year of celebrations. It is rare to see a Malaysian turn down rendang, ketupat, sate and all the different types of food every state has to offer, not to mention the multiple open houses that invites people to dine from morning till late night. Yes, we love our food, we love festivities, and we really love Raya.

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But we are also the fattest nation in south-east Asia which was recently shown on recent statistics with a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) like diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, spine issues etc. Hence, the post raya blues.

There are many studies linked to obesity and weight loss which gives us a good picture of how to reduce weight and what works and what doesn't. There are also so many products and fads in the market that promises weight loss and slimmer body. Whether they really work or not? Well, its hard to say since there is not much evidence collected on them. And when I say evidence, it does not mean testimonials. It means controlled comparison studies between product A and a placebo (placebos are usually just water or sugar tablets mimicking the original product but have zero effect on the person) blindly randomized and given to an x amount of people and observed over time. Testimonials are flawed because some people are paid to write positive testimonials on a product. We have so many websites offering ghost testimonials mimicking real life people that anyone can create testimonials and put them on their site.

On the lighter side, eating is culture in Malaysia. It would rude not too. But we can still keep off the extra pounds if we are mindful of what we eat. Here are a few tips to stave off the extra calories despite having to be guest to the many open houses.

1. Stay off the carbs as much as you can. 

Omitting rice, bread and other carbohydrates would definitely help to reduce the pounds gained. But still, the delicious food can be so enticing. Instead of completely omitting the carbs, try to portion the carbs to be smaller than usual. For example, maybe just a small portion of rice compared to the dishes or limit your ketupat lemang intake to just a fistful.

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2. Watch out for additional sugars in the drinks.

Stay off the sodas and cordials if you can. Usually when I go to open houses, I would opt for plain water, sparkling water or coffee without sugar. All forms of canned drinks, soda, gas and fizzies are a complete no - no on my list. Cordials are minimally welcomed because usually they have been diluted in a lot of water. Fresh juices are acceptable but you barely get those in open houses. Teh tarik and nescafe tarik contains a lot of sugar from the evaporated milk used (approximately 182 kcal calories per cup). 

3. Kuih Raya are sugar culprits.

What is raya without kuih raya? We have a tendency to stock on these cookies during festivities. The problem is, eating these biscuits can be quite addictive and we tend to lose track of how many we take. Most of these cookies are sugar laden, margerine or butter laden, well you get the picture. They may look innocently small but 1 hari raya cookie can easily give you between 53-110 kcals of calories. Imagine taking 10?

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4. Drink More Plain Fluids

Malaysia is a hot and humid country and Raya usually falls in the middle of the year where it is super hot. Eating all the salty and sweet foods also leads to more dehydration and thus we need to rehydrate constantly with water. This also helps with our digestive system and bowels to avoid constipation. The more you eat, the more you need to drink to get it out of your system as fast as possible,

5. Local fruit are sugar menaces. Take in moderation.

We are always encouraged to take fruits in our diets and told to increase servings. However, our local fruits tend to have a higher sugar content due to the tropical nature of the fruits. Durian is a common favourite among Malaysians. It is tasty but 1 seed is roughly 50 kcal calories. Imagine eating a whole fruit? It can come close to 1200 kcals for a fruit. For those durian lovers, limiting to 2-3 seeds per day is actually the best way to go. Besides, you have other things to eat which are equally heavy in calories. Moderation is always the key.

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 Courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com

Well, of course if all else fails, you can always come in for a proper consultation on weight loss management and regimes to help get back that shape you wanted. For a limited time only we are offering 30% off our HCG diet programs and Mesotherapy spot treatment courses. Offer valid for the whole month of July only so book your treatments now.

Contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or send us a txt to +60129660852 for more information or to grab this deal.

Weight Loss Program that Works

Everyone wants to look good all the time. Everyone wants the perfect body. However, with all the different types of genetic make-ups and environmental influences, not all of us a born with that perfect silhouette. It came to the point that people take for granted the excess weight and obesity that is becoming a plague among us due to the modern sedentary lifestyle and our highly processed food diet that causes more of the unnecessary nutrients to be absorbed and stored.

I use to be really big. But growing up in a society where food was a culture, you do not realize how big you really are until you manage to lose the excess weight. Over past 4 years I have been experimenting and undergoing so many different types of diets from Atkins to blood group diet to soup diet and although a lot of them do give initial results, I do not find a long term benefit until I came across HCG diet. The HCG diet involves injecting the 125 units of the HCG hormone everyday for the period of the course and eating only 500 calories a day of only fiber and protein. There is a strict carbo restriction, strict exercise restriction and if done properly would allow fat loss without sagging.

It was not an easy protocol to follow. The first time I did it, I survived, 10 days before I felt like eating my shoes. And due to starvation, I was eating more and thus gained an additional 4 kg. Then I stopped and did more research ont he protocol and then realized, it was actually an internal manipulation of our own insulin and fat metabolism pathways. So I went through the protocol and started to follow it properly. I found that, after the 2 loading days, the HCG amount would have been sufficient to curb hunger as long as I kept my insulin level plateau down and no spikes. I also realized, you have to follow the eating times strictly initially until your brain gets the idea of the whole diet (usually after the first week) and then you can modify according to your lifestyle. But perhaps the most important component is the maintenance period where you stop injecting and go on 1000 calories of the similar diet, where the 1st stage strictly, and in the second stage starch is introduced. I also experimented on fasting and on exercise and on shorter protocols to cater busy people like me. Personally, I think that at least once in your lifetime, you should do a complete 40 day program and 80 day maintenance program in order to maintain all the weight loss and silhoutte. 

So now, after 4 years of tweaking, I guess our protocol is complete and more comprehensive. I really believe it benefits everyone who are not contraindicated to use HCG. It is perhaps the safest diet in the world as the hormone leaves the body completely after 72 hours.

Benefits of Our HCG Detox Program:

1. You get to choose between 3 durations of the program, i.e. 10, 23 or 40 days. You can even start low and add on by just adding onto the cost. 

2. There is real time consultation via sms/whasapp or email if you need to ask about what to eat or any restriction or if you need rest days. We are pretty responsive to all our HCG patients as part of the service.

3. We do not provide food for HCG because we want you to learn how to eat clean on your own. However, we do provide dining out options for really busy people.

4. Weight loss usually depends on your initial size and fat content. A person with more percentage of fat tends to lose faster and more compared to a skinnier person. Weight also depends on the size of your skeletal muscles hence why men find the weight loss to be more if they were gymming before.

5. We do not allow exercise during this program except for special instances where you are already in a regime or if a certain area of fat is being targeted then we will prescribe the type of exercise we allow.

6. If followed properly, you should lose 500gms every day for the first week, then 300gms, then 100-200 grams. 

7. The most obvious change will be your silhoutte. Some people do not lose much weight but the cellulites reduce and the silhoutte improves. The good news is, this will continue even up to 6 months after initial program or more if exercise regime introduced pertaining that the program and maintenance was done correctly and you don't suddenly start to binge eat.

8. 90% of our patients who succeeded realized that they have a much lesser craving towards sugars and are more conscious about healthy eating.

9. It trains your brain to be self-conscious about what you put into your mouth, the amount of additional sugars in drinks or foods and it is a good start for people thinking of changing their lifestyle into a more healthier one.

10. It regulates menstrual cycles for most ladies with erratic cycles because it does influence the LH/FSH pathways.

11. You don't sag on this diet, because you lose fat content not protein nor muscle. Hence the protein requirement of 100 gms per meal is important.

12. Saying all this, you can still enjoy a glass of wine, or your nasi lemak sometimes after you have completely finished the whole program and maintenance without fear of regaining the same size again. Even if your weight starts to go up, we can also advise you on how to bring it down.

People also ask me isn't 500 calories too little to consume in a day? Well, in the absence of any insulin spike in the body, the HCG hormone acts as a catabolic hormone to fats where it moves out fats and burn them as fuel thus producing between 2000-3000 calories a day. So if you eat more than 500, and do not expense the calories, it will restore as fats, or the metabolism will act by reducing the amount of fats burnt. The best part is that it acts on the excess fat areas i.e. chin, arms, tummy and later thighs as usually the thighs are your physiological fat storages. 

Before I ever tried this diet I was ranging around 86kg. After the second one (the first failed), I dropped down to 78 but went back up to 82 because I didn't follow the maintenance properly. Then subsequently i did 40 days and dropped from 84 to 72. Again the maintenance was not followed well, but I just gained to 76. I tweaked the protocol so many times and I got smaller and smaller. The last time I did a proper HCG course was last January where from 72 I dropped down to 63 and now maintained around 65. It has been a year actually and I feel like going on again just as my yearly detox. The best part maybe was the fact that from an XL size 14, now, I wear dresses size 0-4.

Don't believe me. Here are two pictures of me in Bali taken in 2008 and 2016. 

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For more information or enquiries concerning our programs feel free to contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or whatsapp to +60123301585.

Welcome Year 2016

 

It is a hot and fiery new year as we leave 2015 behind and enter 2016. Dr MM Clinic is my latest project and as of today has just reached the 3rd month of operation. After almost a year of planning and a few hiccups along the way, finally I've decided to take a leap of faith in changing the whole concept of the clinic to a more functional one.

Besides the usual aesthetic stuffs to keep you young on the outside, Dr MM Clinic also intends to focus on overall health and wellness of you as a patient. We have a few new investigative panels and also our new epigenetics hair profiler that can help detect problems and deficiency with just 3 strands of hair, within 15 minutes of sampling. With this new device, we are able to have a general overview of yourself, to guide you towards a more healthier and youthful you. We also have new stemcell products and supplements to give you the extra boost based on your needs and requirements. 

We have also perfected our aesthetic treatments to give you more solutions to your needs and come up with a comprehensive detox program to lose weight and change your perception towards dieting and healthy eating.

As for the blogs, follow us today and you will discover a lot more about the medical technology related to aesthetics and anti-aging. I will also be posting a few Vlogs that will play a good role of explaining the things I write about.

We also have a few alliance partners i.e. other clinics or parties who offer services that we do not offer and thus you can be assured of the similar hospitality. As for this new setup, Visit us today and take a nice selfie from our beautiful view. The clinic is inside an office building with valet facilities for working days from 9am to 9pm at only RM 5/hour. There is also a basement carpark or if you prefer by foot, it is walking distance from Monorail stations and very close to Pavillion KL and Changkat Bukit Bintang. We have equipped the clinic with toilet and shower facilities for the ease of our patients. There is a comfortable waiting room, and high speed wifi for your convenience. And, as our usual policy, appointment times are flexible to not just working hours, Saturdays, Sundays, Public Holidays, early or late based on the patient's preference but only with prior booking. Otherwise, most likely I am elsewhere sipping a latte and writing the blog.

I'm really excited with this new year and hope the clinic can give its best service to you. Happy New Year Peeps. May this year bring prosperity and good health to me and you.

For more information and details feel free to email us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or visit our website at http://drmarrfaceworks.wix.com/drmmclinic

Dieting tips for weight reduction and maintenance. (Part 1 - MYTHBUSTING)

Recently I posted on HCG diet and definitely, it is one of the most amazing diets in the world because you lose fat weight and you do not sag and you do not need to exercise much. The only problem is that it is a prescriptive diet, and the diet is super strict that you need to be under a care of a physician to ensure you are doing it properly to get the desired results.

So I decided to write this entry, for those who want to lose a few pounds and start eating healthy. The key to good weight is mainly the food you eat i.e understanding what you put in your mouth, coupled with some physical activity. First of all, let's unlearn a few things that we learnt when we where younger:

MYTH NO 1 : You will be fat if you eat fats.

Not necessarily. We need some fats to help with the function of the membranes of our cells. We also need fat for transport of Vitamin A,D,E & K in our body. In fact, you need to consume 3500 calories of fat to gain 1 pound of fat in the body. The general consensus on fat is - not to take visible animal fats and say NO to all forms of processed fats like margarine, vegetable spreads etc. If you like butter - take butter, it is much better. Cook with ONLY palm oil for high heat, olive oil for low and moderate heat. Do not use excessive heat with other forms of oils because the phenol bonds break and the biproduct can be precancerous. Low fat or No Fat foods can be more harmful because of hydrogenated fat contents, so it is safer to just take the fat. People who take good oils tend to have better skin hydration too. (Try takin virgin coconut oil/olive oil daily)

MYTH NO 2: Carbohydrates are a must in meals.

Although the old food pyramid puts the portion of carbohydrate as the lowest and most intake, studies have shown that over consumption of refine carbohydrates (i.e. white rice, white bread, pasta, mee, beehoon, white flour, processed sugar, etc) is the major cause for obesity leading to diabetes, hypertension and heart problems. YES - EATING REFINED CARBOHYDRATES LEADS TO FAT. That is why nowadays most diets focus mainly on protein and fat. We can survive with minimal carbohydrates. In the past, the carbohydrates were not as processed as it is now. When carbohydrates are processed and refined, it increases the ability of absorption into the body and leads to a quick increase in blood sugar level, which triggers high insulin release to stabilize the blood sugar level, which leads to storing of the sugar into liver and fat cells. 

MYTH NO 3: Eating Cereals and fruit juice is good.

It really depends on what type of cereal you eat. Most children contains corn syrup and colourings which studies have shown to lead to child hyperactivity. Even in fresh juices, there is a very high sugar content as a preservative as well as to give it a good taste. These are all refined sugars and get absorbed easily. Corn syrup is actually one of America's biggest bi-product because of excessive corn and studies have shown it to be highly associated with obesity. As for juices, most of the fiber content has been destroyed. Furthermore, it makes it too easy to consume more fruit sugars compared to eating the fruit itself. Some fruit juices were also reported to have traces of arsenic. So if you are craving for some juice, go for freshly made ones minus the sugar.

MYTH NO 4: Meal Replacement Drinks are the only way to keep my weight down.

Although I do admit, the meal replacements do help, but understanding what you eat is more beneficial in the long run, plus minus the cost of buying the expensive meal replacements. Imagine spending between RM 500-800 a month for meal replacements which after awhile bores you (who wouldn't be bored taking a shake drink everyday) - when you can actually spend less at a grocery store buying healthy food or eating at a healthy diner. But then you will need to know what to buy, that topic will be covered in my next blog.

MYTH NO 5: Multivitamins makes my appetite increase and hence will make me gain weight.

Although some vitamins causing appetite increase, we need vitamins and trace minerals in order for our body cells to function properly. This leads to better metabolism. Take multivitamins on an empty stomach as it will give the best absorption. Some nutritionists even recommend splitting the vitamin into two and taking it twice instead of once a day. Some people do not believe in supplementing vitamins and minerals but in view of how our foods are cooked and processed, most of the vitamins and minerals  disappear or damaged. Try to go for organic based vitamins and minerals as there is less chemicals involved.

MYTH NO 6: You Should NOT eat late at night because it will just turn to fat.

It is not what time you eat, its how many calories you consume within a period of 24 hours. A full grown adult needs approximately 1200-1600 calories a day depending on sex and body built. However, in Malaysia, a lot of us tend to over eat because we are not aware of how much calories we take in a meal. A simple plate of nasi lemak is 680 calories, a roti canai is 360 calories, lasagna is 390 calories per serving, a KFC snack plate minus the drink is 890 calories. Despite this fact, I would still not recommend people to sleep late because when you stay up at night, you tend to consume more food that is required i.e. munching snacks, teh tariks and you don't really notice because you're hanging out. 

MYTH NO 7: I Can always do a Crash diet when my weight goes up.

Although crash dieting is one way of getting the weight down in the short run, it may stop weight loss in the long run. Most of the time, crash diets involve completely abstaining from foods hence you not only lose some fat, but also your protein mass and connective tissue. In fact, when you starve yourself, you lose your sugar stores first, your protein stores break up and fat is the last to go. This leads to lesser lean mass and thus less energy is needed to sustain your body functions, so less calories are used. Losing weight fast also causes your skin to sag more because of the loss in connective tissue. The best way to lose weight is to target long term, by changing the way you eat, understanding what to eat.

MYTH NO 8: I Can eat anything if I exercise.

This may sound right but it is still not true. Depending on what type of exercise we do, the calories burned are just a few hundred for 30 minutes, compared to the intake we take in a day. Therefore, even though we go to the gym, we still need to watch what we eat, as sometimes easily in 1 meal, we can be consuming 1400-2000 calories (especially buffets). Too strenous exercise breaks down protein stores more than fat, so we should make sure we keep our heart rate only between 40-60% of the max heart rate allowed for our age. Even athletes are very concern about their diet and their main focus would be on high protein and good fats for better muscle building, not high sugar foods that leads to more adipose and cellulite. (Yes, all those sweet sugary things leads to more cellulite - that's why when you are skinny you also have it).

MYTH NO 9: If I Quit smoking I will be fat.

Biologically it has no relation but psychologically, most people who try to quit smoking, tend to use a comfort food as a replacement and hence leads to weight gain. They choose things like sweets, chewing gum, biscuits, asam jeruk, etc. as an excuse to curb cravings. I have a simple technique for people to quit smoking gradually and avoid cravings. I usually tell my patients to buy a cigarette holder, and only smoke what's inside the cigarette holder for the day - and no asking ciggies from buddies. After 1 week, drop down by 2 ciggies and continue for a week, before dropping down another 2 every week. If that week you feel okay, we continue, but if not then stay on the amount of ciggies of that week for another week. Other supporting techniques would be to take coffee with no sugar, sugar free chewing gum, nicotine patches and if you have an urge to chew, then chew on healthy nuts (low sugar not fried) or vegetable sticks (carrots/celery) or fruits (apple/orange/plum).

MYTH NO 10: It is really water retention, not fat.

Fat is fat. If you really want to know what is water retention, weigh yourself in the morning and weigh yourself again in the afternoon. The weight difference is due to water. That is why when dieting, we advise you to measure your dry weight in the morning. It is the most accurate - i.e. after more than 6 hours without water, likely the body is in a mild dehydration state. Similarly when you go to beauty salons, and they measure, weigh you, wrap you up an heat you up in a warm blanket, the weight you lose is the water weight dehydrated from you which can be anything from 400gms to 2 kg. The few  centimeter lost is due to cells being dehydrated, thus becomes smaller. (Plus the fact that they wrapped you, so the body retains some of the shape for awhile before bouncing back to normal).

These are but a few of the dieting myths I have compiled. Feel free to comment and if you have any other myths that need clarifying, do email me at drmarr@faceworksclinic.com. Let's work in understanding and changing the way we think about food. 

For a more intensive prescriptive diet, please come in for a consultation at my clinic. CAll 03-21440080 for appointments.

HCG diet - My experience.....

I am definitely a foodster - I love food, I love eating, and experimenting with different tastes. Friends on my Facebook see all sorts of delicious food being posted which definitely makes people drool. Unfortunately, like any other person, I tend to gain weight a lot on my excursions. The price for great food, is it so? So I decided (or was rather forced into) trying out the HCG diet - Personally I call it the anti-social diet because you have problems eating socially. When I first started, a lot of my friends and colleagues said I would quit half way... but hey, its the 26th day and I'm still on it, and I have lost a good 9 kilos which mainly is fat, I'm down at least 2 dress sizes, and my butt looks smaller. Yippee....But honestly, it requires good motivation, high discipline and consistency.

So since everybody is curious about what I have been doing, I'll explain as simply as possible.

1. What is the HCG diet?

The HCG diet was founded by Dr Simeon who discovered that low levels of HCG hormone (the one that goes up in pregnant ladies) has effects on fat metabolism and facilitates fat usage as fuel when the body is in semi-starved state. He came up with a figure, i.e. 125 iu per day and coupled it with 500 calorie diet a day. However, this effect only works when there is no increase of blood sugar level or rather insulin - hence why no form of carbohydrates are allowed. The diet is very strict and you are only allowed to eat the food on the list and that is it. Dr Kevin then made a modified version which enhanced the effect and lead to maintenance.

2. What is the real purpose of the diet?

Although reporting fat loss in grams daily is perhaps the best thing about this diet, the real function of this diet is to retrain our hypothalamus to eat properly. One of the reasons people become fat or obese is because of cravings and lacking of self-control when it comes to food. They eat regardless they are hungry or not and tend to overeat so much. Foods high in sugar, preservatives and other forms of chemicals in food nowadays causes the brain to not be able to register how much food has entered the system hence the person just keeps on eating. When you abstain from carbohydrates, junk food and fastfood, the brains receptors in the hypothalamus will resensitize again, so that you do not have much cravings. That is why, once you complete the 25 days of 500 calories diet, you have another month to slowly introduce more food with simple refine carbohydrates being last and complete ban on fast food or junk food. If you don't do this, that is why you see people on this diet acting like yoyo's and at the end, think it is just a short term treatment.

3. Is this diet safe?

According to all studies and reports, it is the safest diet in the world. However, because we prescribe hormones, you MUST be under a doctor's follow-up. It is not just for the injections supply, but also motivation, weight tracking, diet tracking and to tackle issues like ketosis and hypoglycaemia symptoms . (Yes, sometimes you get it). Some doctors also prepare the food for you to eat from their clinic with some additional charge whilst on the VLCD (500 caloric diet).

4. Is 500 calories a day enough?

Yes. The reason is because when the body utilizes in-store fat, it produces 2000-3000 kcals of energy. If you eat more than 500 calories a day, some of it will be stored hence weight loss will be affected. This is also another reason why people gain weight on this diet - it acts like a double edge sword. If you eat too much, or cheat on carbohydrates, it will restore into the body hence making you bigger. (Yes, I've tested this theory on myself).

5. Since I'm producing so much energy, should I exercise?

Despite the energy produced, we do not recommend you to do strenous exercise during the course of the injections because it can speed up ketosis symptoms and you will feel hungry. Furthermore, if you do exercise during this period, you need to continue even after the diet if not your weight will go up. Even for myself, I limit my jogging activities and I reduce my weight lifting regimes to half just to keep my exercise freak bit happy. However, after you stop injecting, I would recommend a more frequent exercise like walking and weights ideally everyday.

6. Since I can only take 500 calories a day, can I fast?

The answer is no. The reason is because, you have to eat on this diet at least between 4-6 hours if not you will go into ketosis - and have symptoms like headache, nausea, disorientation etc. Another reason is that you need to be well hydrated for the burning process to be optimized, i.e. 2-3 liters of water daily. I've tried not eating for almost 8 hours and I was so disoriented I almost hit a lamp post. I've also been dehydrated (testing) and there was reduced weight loss the next morning and I felt lethargic.

7. Injections or drops?

I would have to say injections. With injections you have an option of 23 or 42 days but with the drops you definitely must do 42 days. In terms of weight loss, the injections are much more predictable compared to the drops, less plateau if you do not cheat on the diet. But not many people like the idea of jabbing themselves everyday. Even for myself I felt exhausted of jabbing my own butt for 23 days. For my patients, some of them come to the clinic daily to get the jab. So if you are not keen for injections, which drops to take? I have my own medical pharmaceutical drops provided - so not sure about the rest.

8. What are the things I need to have at home to start this diet?

Simple things. A weigh to measure every morning after your first pee with minimal clothes on. (This is your dry weight). A kitchen weighing scale to measure your 100gms of protein a meal. (I prefer you to measure your own meal and decide what proteins to take). A non-stick pan to cook the protein. 

9. Should I be on supplements?

Yes and no. I would only recommend a multivitamin in the morning with water. Because you are going on a strict diet, you require to supplement this because if you fall sick, you cannot take much medication. I would also recommend calcium - ideally coral calcium, because you will get some cramps after the second week due to lowering levels of calcium in the body. A colon cleanse before you sleep is recommended although I only took one every 3 nights since I couldn't stand the diarrhoea I get the next morning. L-carnithine supplements before you sleep because L-carnithine make the fats more available as fuel to your body. Be careful of supplements that have a lot of sugar in it because it will disrupt the diet.

10. I'm on the diet and I have the urge to cheat - can i cheat with 1 spoon?

No. Even 1 spoon is hazardous. I was preparing lasagna for a function in my office and I took 1/2 spoon of red sauce and 1/2 spoon of white to taste. The next day, my weight went up by 400gms, and the next day it went up another 300gms despite adhering to the diet, so I drank more water and went on strictly white protein and salad - and it went down 400gms, then subsequently another 500gms. I would have lost an extra 700gms or more if I did not taste the sauces. Another time was at a dinner and I ate extra angus steak, maybe 50gms more and my weight went up, stayed up for 2 days. It takes about 2-3 days after you cheated to get back on tract. So ask yourself. is it worth cheating?

11. With so much weight loss, wouldn't I sag?

The best thing about this diet is also the fact that you lose the fat, but the hormones keep your skin tight, so you do not sag.

This is a prescriptive diet and I would recommend those interested to come in for a proper consultation with me in my clinic. For those who find me to far, you can also visit my friend Dr Kuljit at Damansara Height Wellness Clinique - the guy who actually put me up to it. He also provide food for you during this diet.

For those interested, do call my clinic at 03-21440080 for a consultation.