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.

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.