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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

weight loss and supplements...

i've been dealing with weight problems for the longest time. i used to be this scrawny girl who could eat practically as much as i like and not gain weight. those were the days. once i hit puberty my weight began it's glorious increase up til form 5. fortunately by mid-form 5 i was beginning to lose weight somehow (i took dance classes for 2 months) and returned to my slimmer sillouhette by year end. it stayed that way for about 3 years - well, kinda. i did gain during my uni semester breaks - until that unfortunate gastric attack during the end of my 2nd year's 2nd semester. who knows whatever meds the doctors injected into me while i was laying in the university's health centre emergency ward (thanks to the help of my buddies, muax babes!). all i kno is from then on weight loss was no longer a breeze. my weight escalated and all efforts to slim down was somewhat hampered. *sigh*

here i sit now at my highest weight to date still trying almost everything under the sun to reach the ideal and healthy weight for my height and frame. days gone by and my target still eludes me. i enlisted in the then new gym in town - y fitness - which recently went "kaput"! i did manage to squeeze some good out of the membership so not much regrets there for not going as regularly as i'd hoped. anyways, the reason for this blog entry is this. sharing my experiences with slimming products currently in the market. *smile*

this is a product i absolutely love at the moment. oriyen's corn fibre plus chewables. it contains corn fibre (duh!!) to bind and flush oil out of the body, green tea to prevent digestion and absorption of oil and fat and garcinia fruit which prevents fat synthesis and increases metabolism. you can take it before, during or at most 30 mins after taking a heavy or highly fatty/oily meal. gotta love that flexibility. seriously, you can literally see the oil in your stools!!! i kid you not. it's yummy too (orange flavour). there's absolutely no discomfort for me or frequent motion passing. it really helps alleviate the guilt of eating your fave foods!!

nn's apple juice drink with l-carnitine is delish! since l-carnitine is highly found in red meat (which you shouldn't be taking a lot of), this is a great alternative. i drink 15ml mixed with 1/2 glass of water twice a day. what it does is converts your fat deposits into energy which is great cos it helps make me feel less fatigued hehe. as far as weight loss results, i can't vouch for its efficacy yet. omg! yes, i do have a cellulite problem and i'm not proud of it. anyhow, since it's already there, i might as well find some way of improving its appearances right? enter nn celluease caps. that's 1 cap twice a day (as recommended on the box). i've ony just started on this so i can't really say it's working because i'm also doing some kneading with l'oreal's pro-massager (i'll talk about it in a bit). this is gonna sound so cliche but because cellulite is a result of poor circulation, it's recommended to consume at least 2 litres of plain water (about 8 8oz glasses that is). but mind you, this really varies on the individual though. some people might need more than 2 litres daily depending on your own body water composition. you can check with a nutritionist on this. i was watching dr. mehmet oz on oprah last night and he mentioned the importance of fibre in our diet. so here's what i've started taking recently: nn fibre plus (main component: psyllium husks). it's sugar-free and absolutely yummy (orange flavoured again). of course we all know fibre helps for those who experience constipation and anyone with high cholesterol problems. this product is said to have a higher fibre potency than oats. so if you're not really into the whole oatmeal thing, here's a nice alternative to look into. just 1 heaped scoop (scoop included in can) with 1/2 or 1 glass of water. if you take this in between meals, it helps to fill you up to curb cravings too! but i take it for it's fibre benefits. *wink* no, you won't be rushing to the bathroom with this one.
as a breakfast meal replacement (on most days), i take nn thermo trim drink either in vanilla or choc flavours. the easiest way to prepare this drink is mixing 1 glass of water (i use room temp water) with 1 tbsp nestle nesvita non-fat milk powder and 1 sachet of thermo trim - all in a shaker. i like it simply because it doesn't taste like a meal replacement. it's like having milo or milk for breakfast. anyways, i'm pretty filled up in the morning after a glass of this, the apple juice and fibre drink. i don't recommend drinking the choc version sans milk though. i personally didn't quite like the taste. if you don't have nesvita non-fat, use any low-fat or skim milks instead. plus, you can get creative with the preps - make smoothies and fruity shakes. alternatively, you can take this between meals or replace breakfast and dinner. *smile*
i may be a bit biased (i love l'oreal) but this is a wonderful product. unlike any other slimming or firming lotions out there, this one has it's own massage head. and it only takes 1 to 2 strokes on the intended areas! first massage, then use the post-massage lotion on the other end. simple and not messy. no intense massage sessions required. i definitely saw improvement with my gigantic thighs. the cellulite is less visible and skin texture is smoother. i actually tried this before buying the celluease. hehe. and to think i'm only on my first bottle!
now here's a product i'm still waiting to try but am still waiting for my iou's to arrive. oriyen's mixed vinegar tabs i said to contain the beneficial acetic acid content of a whole lemon. contrary to popular belief that lemons are bad for you if you have gastric problems (like me), it's actually recommended to stabilize the acidity in the stomach (as per my mum's doctor's advise). ok, so i'm not just interested to try this supplement because of it's neutralizing properties but also because of its many other benefits (read: apple cider vinegar) including promoting weight loss. did you know that if your body is acidic, it holds on to more fat to protect your internal organs?!?!?

ok. for what didn't quite cut it for me: nh detoxlim and nh detoxlim plus. i know the package says no side effects and all natural ingredients and all, but unfortunately these aren't the products for me. i had acute stomachaches and at times it became so bad i could barely walk about and end up resting on the bed. i tried both versions on two separate occasions but with the same results. in fact i got similar effects with putri binari's pijut perut xlim (previously known as susut perut).another -xlim family is beauxlim. i know the ads are very inviting. it enticed me. lol! but i really didn't see any results whatsoever with this product. i bought the 2+1 value pack (2 in fact) for a 2 month programme. no stomach pain with this one though (thank goodness!!). nothing extraordinary with this experience. it's pretty much as described on the box except maybe the part where they say at one stage your body no longer absorbs fat or something like that.

here's a product that has garnered rave reviews but i'm thinking it's probably only meant for those not so big peeps out there. maybe for someone who needs to lose the extra buldge (a small buldge i presume). plus the massaging part is such a chore!! but then again, if you're really interested in this, there's always the watson lotion massager unit to the rescue. just fill up the cylinder with the wonder shaper and squirt squirt, you can start the battery-operated massager. *smile*

all this talk about products and meal replacements and what not, don't lose sight of making sure your body gets the proper nutrients. the best and easiest way to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals is an all-in-one (pretty much) tablet. after scouting around for the best brand to provide this need for me, i've settled with gnc's women's ultra mega multivitamins. if you're a member (i think it's rm30 - don't quote me on this cos i'm not too sure) you could get it at a discounted price. but if you're lucky, and you tell the salesgirl you'd like to try out the product first before considering membership, she might be able to give you the member's discount as well. *wink* for better value, get the bigger bottle (90 tabs) which should last you about 3 months. the best thing about this particular multivit is you only have to take it once a day (i.e. at breakfast) and the vits are time-released so you don't have to break it in half (as recommended by dr. oz on oprah) to make sure you don't waste the benefits. for a detailed look at the vits and minerals list click here. so far after much comparison, i have yet to find a rival to the list of goodies packed in this one.

hhmm. calcium is also important. we don't want to have to go through osteoperosis in our golden years now do we? my one-a-day tab only provides half the recommended dosage (but our bodies can take up more) which is why i've added the nesvita non-fat milk powder to my thermo trim (apart from improving the taste of the choc flavoured version). according to the nestle website, 2 glasses of the milk product accounts for 100% of the recommended dose. so there you go. there's also magnesium and d3 vitamin in the multivit and those are important for calcium absorption as well as making sure your stools aren't too loose/hard.

if you're lactose intolerant or you just plain don't like milk, try citrex cal-mag-d3 then. these are choc flavoured chewables and best part is unlike most other brands, it contains not only calcium but both magnesium and d3!! and because these are chewables, it's just so convenient.

i wasn't at all interested in taking supplements before this. especially not on a daily basis. but end of the day i came to a realization that it isn't easy to fulfill our recommended dietary dosage of vits and minerals. and more often than not, in this day and age, there's just way too much processed foods and food lacking in nutrient which makes it even harder to stay healthy proper. i'm also taking bio-life's 1000mg epo 1 vege cap a day. epo helps balance out hormones and if you experience pms (i.e. cramps, mood swings, etc) this is a great help.

7 comments:

  1. Wah! Adel! Didn't know u blog as well. Alaaaaaa... kenapa ndak tegur me that nite XD...

    Uish! Banyak juga stuff u ambil to lose weight dear... Been there Done that. I tell you what. Right now, what I did to lose / maintain weight and tone is by playing squash and frisbee. You can join me if you interested.

    As for sidelines, I drink Green fit only which is good and it's not pill. Senang pergi tandas lagi XD --> http://www.blowig.com/bobidom/blog=185

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  2. I sorta just started.. I tried before but got bored and restarted... Hehehe.. I didn't bump into you again that nite... Just saw you from far.. ;p

    Well, trial and error.. Some of the stuff I blogged was taken some time back... And OMG you totally slimmed down loads dear!!! So skinny now...

    I'm trying Herbalife now.. No more of the other stuff (except the Corn Fibre.. heheh).. I've heard it's good...

    Ooo squash.. I've never tried it actually.. When and where do you play? Would be nice to have a sport to play.. :)

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  3. hey. just stopping by to say hello. i love your blog. it's a good read. :) kudos to you. xxx

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