Beautiful song..

sorry, slightly off topic -- but i would like to share something with you all here..  this is the most beautiful song that hit me recently.. it is in Arabic - and i do not know what's the meaning of it.. i just love the overall tune.. syahdu..

See this below, and be mesmerised with the beautiful tune..

Been wondering what's the meaning of it... took me a while (few weeks has passed..)... but i keep on searching.. and suddenly I've found it (it was right under my nose).. in malay version... see below..

Subhanallah!

Get the Hadad Alwi's I'tiroof in MP3 version!! (for your phone/pc/car)

Astaghfirullahanaazeem!

Sher Khan.

Another superfood..

These days there are too many 'health' or 'miracle' food came about - that people tend to go searching for it like there's no tomorrow. Hoping that if they were to consume it soonest, they're able to reap all the benefits it promises..  we used to hear aloe vera, ginkgo bibola, ginseng, soy, phylium husk, and more recently promegranate juices, green tea, omega-3 and selenium compound, mangosteen juices, dark chocolates, acai berry.. the list goes on and on..

This weekend I had the chance to explore a new type of food that I've found. I've read it a few times on the web and various other publication, just that don't know where to get it locally..

So what is it? it's wolfberries, locally known as kei-chi (in chinese), or it's internationally famous name.. Goji berry!

Do give a quick search on uncle Google, and you'll be surprised the immense health benefits this little berry delivers! it's toooo maaaannyyyy out there that and i feel dumb not getting into it.

I stumble on it back then when I was exploring the ginseng soup (see my previous post on that), but didn't know it's excellent health benefits. I tend to put it into the soup only, and I didn't know we can just eat it raw. 

You can easily find them in any chinese medicine shops. I bought bunch of them, and been adding it into my bowl of oats or yogurts in the morning, and also eat it raw as a snack... yummy..

so what hv you tried today?

ps: an article you shouldn't missed - 10 Best Food You Aren't Eating

let's be healthy..

Sher Khan.

Bread - sabotaging your diet?

Do you know that wheat and wheat products (bread, wheat flour, pasta, wheat cereals, what ever product that list wheat or flour as an ingredient) are the type of foods that can really cause a sudden increase in blood sugar?.. hence I've been avoiding them to close about 2 years now, and been taking 'whole wheat' kind of breads, and it's the best way to maintain our health?

Yes and No. 

Yes - we need to take whole-grains into our diet to increase the amount of fiber you take and the benefits of 'whole-grains' itself - from the bran-endosperm-to-the germ (as opposed to the refined white flour that is mainly starch from the endosperm). Being 'paranoia' as I am - i don't even want to take the normal whole-wheat bread on the local baked shelf because if you were to look at the ingredient (see for your self, some of popular local brands - like hi-five, gardenia, etc). Take a look at the ingredient list, and you know why. Hence, I baked my own 100% whole wheat, and has been perfecting it now.. (hmmm I can still smell the bread off the hot oven.. heavenly!)

Having said that, I've discovered recently that wheat (even whole wheat) is one of the substance that people are allergic to it - normally to the special protein inside it, known as gluten. That typically creates blemishes and acne on the skin (due to the high insulin secretion to balance off the high glucose in the body).

I've also realised that flour and flour products are still processed food (even whole wheat). We're better off eating brown rice (closer to it's original form), and obviously other fruits and vegetables.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm a fan of bread. I love whole-wheat bread (took me months to perfected my own recipe) - just love the taste of it, topped with peanut butter, and dash of raisins and sunflower seeds.. yummy!

The problem is - even if it's whole wheat - you tend to eat more than 2 slices sometimes (that is a lot - considering it's affect on your blood sugar). It will definitely sabotaging your diet. carb-overload!

If you've been dieting, and you're hitting the plateau - I suggest you look at your bread consumption. Hey - I'm not saying to never have bread again (it's life, you got to enjoy it rite?), just that I think we need to control it better - people are taking too much bread (especially the white kind - from the normal sandwich bread to naan bread to pastries to donuts to cakes). People are taking in 4-5 servings of some kind of bread type product every day that makes them gain weight. It prevents people from losing their unwanted weight, and worst, bringing about some diseases like heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

I've been testing this on myself - it has been close to 2 months now that I've stayed away from flour and flour products (even whole-wheat)... and I tell you.. I feel lighter.. my skins getting clearer.. and the best thing is.. the scale is moving downwards consistently!!

I know, it's not easy.. believe me. Yup I've even missed my bread making session - the kneading is so therapeutic!

With no bread around - I tend to take more oats, yogurt, brown rice, and fruits for breakfast (see my typical breakfast), and of course, my new juicing adventures.

what have you discover recently???

to your good health,

Sher Khan.

Creating Web Sites Just Got Incredibly Easy with PortalXpress - www.WebbingXchange.com

cardio vs weights - revisited

dear all,

Recently I got this note in my inbox and I think it's so appropriate to share.

It's from men's health..

------

Do you know what the most popular fitness goals have in common? Here are three to crank your thinking wheel: lose a few pounds, shave 2 inches from your belly, add 2 inches to your arms. 

Give up? You need to develop muscle to accomplish any of them. One reader asks: What's the balance between cardio and strength training to get the most muscle? 

Our answer: Spend more of your time in the weight room. 

Low-intensity aerobic exercise (jogging, biking, swimming) burns a heck of a lot of calories. But as scenic as it can be, it builds little—if any—muscle. 

Why? When you're working out for 20 or more minutes, your body eats its way through your immediate energy sources, like fat and glycogen, and rummages for the next power supply: fat-scorching, muscle-building protein. 

Lifting, on the other hand, won't burn as many calories as a run, but it will burn fat for up to 48 hours after your workout. For long-term weight management and muscles that pop, choose iron over the treadmill. 

-------

My comments:

I couldn't agree more on the above article. Some people they tend to do a lot (and I mean a LOT of cardio), to them if they don't do cardio, they don't do exercise - me included. At a point that's how I looked at it. Even if I've done weights/strength for a solid 45mins, I still insist to finish off with some heavy interval type of training either on the threadmill or running-off on the track outside at about 80 to 90% of MHR.

Well, I've learnt and I'm moving on, tested some of that and this, and I 100% agree with the above article. These days, I tend to focus more of my workout on strength training (..even a bodyweight workout is hard enough - trust me - try them yourself!). But the thing is, my exercise routine combines strength and cardio - instead of sitting down and doing bicep curls, I'd be doing dumbell-swings - it moves multiple muscles in your body, and left me breathless, gasping for breath.. tell me if that is not cardio.. and by swinging a 15kg dumbell is not hard enough to your thigh, quads, shoulder, arms, back, & overall core muscles??. See my previous post relating to this topic... and don't miss this other one.

However, if you're not used to exercising/working-out, my advice is - pls do start with something - a typical cardio (like walking/running/cycling) alone is sufficient (aim to use your body more, hide your tv remote).... until you're so used to it and looking for varieties or when you're hitting the dreaded plateau, or you feel like you want to lose more of that stubborn fat around your belly or butt.. then please go ahead start strength training combined with some interval, and i bet you see some results!... oh btw, you still need to watch your eating habits ya..!

all the best.

stay healthy.

Sher Khan.

My Progress So Far...

hey ya all..

Wanted to update all of you with my progress so far.

Let's take a look at my infamous weight loss chart.

As shown above, my weight has not moved as much since October last year - for over 4 months period (Nov 2008 till March 2009), my weight has been hovering around the range of 70-72 kg.. up and down quite a bit...the dreaded plateau? Am I worried?

Yes and no.

YES, is because I am myself struggling to lose that stubborn fat around me (at least I thought it was), and looking at the scales it looks like it doesn't go off... true?

Not so. 

You look at it again closely...focusing on the the red dot with green line above. That is my body fat percentage (BF%) that I've been monitoring. The moment I saw the scales doesn't move as much, and knowing I've been maintaining my diet, and exercises - I realised the weight loss tracking is not effective anymore. I started to measure my BF, and the result revealed something interesting --- it's a proof that tells me.. while the weight is not loss, the FAT does!

During the 4 months period, while my weight is stabilising, my BF% is going lower... from 14.4% when I first recorded it back in Nov 2008, now it is about 12.7% - that's about 1.7% of BF lost in 4 months..  a lot? i don't know... but one thing for sure, while my weight doesn't lose as much, my pants is getting even looser by the month!!! 

and NO, it's because, I know my muscles are growing!

Am I happy? of coz...! 

I'm closing in to my target of getting the 6-pack abs!  - I've read that to get a ripped 6-packs, you need to be below 8% of BF%.... hmm that's about 4% to go!

if 1.7% in 4 months.. looks like by end of the year... I'll show you my 6-packs then!!!! ;)

To your good health.

Sher Khan.

Creating Web Sites Just Got Incredibly Easy with PortalXpress - www.WebbingXchange.com

skip the fat, you'll lose the fat

----i have revised this post with more details explaination....

Skip the fat, and you'll lose the flab.. the saying goes. Hence the low-fat diet being so popular out-there. Infact, that's what the old food pyramid is telling us. Eat a lot of grains, and take fat sparingly. We know now that eating lots of grains, especially refined types is disastrous coz its spiking your insulin level too high that leads to you eat more and ended up not using the energy created, and later the body store the unused energy as a storage - and guess how our body stores it as?.. yup.. FAT! 

Well I say this based on my personal experience, and I've learnt that don't go low-fat or low-carbs, but eat the right type of fat/carb, and avoid the bad ones. (see 2 most evil food to avoid)

As I've been saying over and over again here - work with your body, not against it, and you will lose the fat!.. automatically. no kidding.

You asked - how to work with our body? well, our body was designed to process the food we eat.The process where your body uses the energy you take (the food) and combined it with the oxygen you inhaled is called your 'metabolic rate'.. i.e. the efficiency of your body metabolism. The higher the metabolism, the more efficient is uses the energy in your body (even from excess food), and it left with no excess storage. 

If you were to take 'processed food', you've left your body with nothing to process. If you were to take a LOT of refined food,it  increases the energy so fast in your system (which input is more than the output), that easily lead to excess storage..the fat!

The other problem with processed food is that - the healing nutrition (the enzymes, vitamin, minerals) is almost non-existence - that made the food manufacturer has to fortify it (with added vitamins! - that is not natural) or tend to diminish from the date it's being manufactured to the date you consume it.

ok, sorry.. enough on that...too much science you say.. 

Here's a quick tips to shave off the fat (typical malaysian diet):

• go slow with the bad and ugly fats - the saturated fat and trans-fat (avoid if you can) - that means, go slow on full cream dairy products, red meat, anything cook with refined cooking oil, fast-foods, deep fried foods - yes those fried chickens, ikan goreng, pisang goreng, popia goreng, karipap, keropok, kerepek ubi etc etc etc. 
  
• move from refined carbohydrates to complex carbohydrates - white rice to brown rice, white bread to wholegrain bread, white potatoes to sweet potatoes, white pasta to wholegrain pasta, roti canai to capati, no bihun/kuehteiow/laksa (processed).
  
• take lean protein like chicken (without skin), fish, nuts and seeds.
  
• stick with plain water only - no teh tarik, carbonated drinks, teh ais limau, kopi tarik, milo, etc
  
• last but not least ... you think i'll skip this one?.. pls do regular exercise!! (no time? see this)

see other post on more of these tips. 

also here's a good article I read recently on webmd's - good fat vs bad fat.

Well.. if you can do the above 90% of the times, I'm sure you will lose the fat... guaranteed! There you go.. sher khan's fat loss prescription!

Look at how I see food these days.

You can't?? then consider your goals again - what do you want?

It's either YOU DO or YOU DON'T - it's all within your control.

Let's get healthy..

Sher Khan.

Let's Juicing !

I've recently has explored and started 'juicing'. When I said juicing, it's not fruit juicing, but Vegetables Juicing. Go and read on the net, you can find about 2,830,000 info on it. Read to your hearts content, especially on the immense benefits of making it as a habit.

Initially, the thought of drinking vegetables juicing is way too much.. I would not get near it.. let alone drinking it.. eewww!

Well, things change, people change. I've changed. Since a month ago, believe it or not, juicing has been almost my daily breakfast routine...! even my wife is wondering what's up with me..

I stumbled upon some video on youtube's talking about eating RAW food diets.. read and followed the famous RAW food evangalist - David Wolfe.. one thing leads to another and the last thing I know, I'm blending vegetables, and drinking the juices!

With the health benefits promised by juicing - how can I ignore?

To start - my advice is - start slowly, veggies such as celery, cucumber, carrot can be for first try, and adding more to it as you go along. There's tons of recipe books and websites devoted to these.

Start with this site. Good overall intro on veggie juicing.

I'm enjoying mine, and have been adding other types of veggies into it. Normally, i just take watever there is in the fridge, and just pop-it into the blender. no sugar or honey added. Just some raw blended veggies with water.

so, what have you been up to?

let's be healthy.

Sher Khan

Creating Web Sites Just Got Incredibly Easy with PortalXpress - www.WebbingXchange.com

some questions, and tips..

hi.. had an email chat with some colleagues, and I thought, to share with you all..

-----------------

Bros.. to start.. don’t do drastically.. would be difficult.. then you’ll turn-off, at the end.. failed miserably... do something you can stay for long-term.. it’s a lifestyle change really… focus on leading a healthier life (by eating healthily and do regular exercise).. the losing of weight/tummy shall come naturally…

 To stop the intake of rice just like that can be tough, and by replacing it with whole meal bread won’t help as much (if you take more than 2)– still glycemic load is way too high – need to regulate your insulin level much better.

 I suggest, to start, you still take the rice, but.. small portion. As a rule, always divide  your plate into 4 quarters – rice, veggie, chicken/fish, fruit/veggie.

No second helping pls… portion control is a must.. best if you can change the white rice into brown rice (refined into complex)..  so you shall feel full longer… it helps with that hunger pangs. Do eat 5 mini meals a day, not the typical 3 big meals (it shall rev up your metabolism – the key to weight loss!) 

Having said that - the most important is to make progress – in yr case, instead of everyday and every meal you take rice, try this - today no rice for dinner, but esok like usual, then.. slowly move into selang sehari.. today rice, tomorrow no rice, etc.. this week 5 times, next week 4 times, so on.. adding new food into your menu that is high in its nutritional value, and dropping the bad ones…  The key is progress… if you’re really serious, please have a log of what you’re eating daily (no cheating here – be honest). After a few days, you can revisit what you’ve eaten (and what you should have avoided).. then make that progress..  it’s a lifestyle change.. (share with me your log, I can assist you to improve what you’re eating).

 Also, keep note on your weight every other week (have a log also) – timbang at the same place, same time (lepas subuh before breakfast – in your birthday suit). The timbang log and the food log are the records that motivates you to improves yourself as you go along.. the challenge is all within yourself. Bak kata Sir Edmund Hillary -  "It's not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."

Don’t starve yourself. It shall slow down your metabolism – eat something every 3-4 hours (hence you keep seeing me eating fruits or nuts.. right?), and drink LOTS of plain water. 

Btw, go slow on the fruits.. too much fruits is not good also.. too high in fructose.. leads to weight gain (fructose doesn’t metabolise as efficient as glucose for energy). Need to avoid certain fruits for now.. very sweet ones like watermelon .. need to normalise your insulin level first… so it won’t hit you with that binge, that increases your appetite level.. 

Whatever it is.. the key is moderation.. and like nabi said.. stop eating before kenyang.. it’s all true.

Exercise? It’s important, but to me, you need to start by improving your eating habit first – then we talk about exercise.

Ok bros.. all the best..!! 

Ps: I use online BMI calculator to check mine.. normal bmi is between 18.5 to 24.9. But then again, sometime people can be within the ‘normal’ bmi, but other vital health signs, like the lipid profile is all borderline cases or even high-risk level.. so kena jaga la… so that you’re free from health risk (heart attack, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, etc) – the most common diseases and killer!

Eh.. panjang pulak tulis..  sorry.. a bit passionate on this subject these days.. let’s do lunch.. can talk further.

Sher Khan.

-------------------------

From: DIN 

Hmm.. Ahmad is damn serious.

 Aku pun dah tak makan nasi since “that day”. Aku tak lah rasa lapar, but instead rasa energy quite low lah..

 My current status:

Weight = 73kg
Waist = 34”
BMI = 23.8

In 4 mths, to reduce to:

Weight = 65kg
Waist = 31”
BMI = 21.2

Aku rasa the most ideal BMI shd be around 20-21. Betul ka Sher?

Tqvm.

------------------------------------ 

From: AHMAD

Sher,

Rosli made a challenge to me, Din and Wan to get in better shape. Alhamdulillah, we have started our ‘diet’ Monday 2 march lepas. Anyway, need tips....

Current status: 1 March 2008
Weight : 74 kg
Waist: 34’
BMI: 26.2

Goal – in 4 months
Weight : 65 kg
Waist: 32’
BMI: 23

Anyway, aku dah stop eating rice and hopefully boleh istiqamah le.... I am supplementing it with roti wholemeal and lots of fruits.... Damn... Right now, aku rasa lapar gila!!! Ni baru 2 hari ni.... Exercise, I take 30 mins power walk after subuh.... At least 3 times a week. Okay, let me know what else I need to do....

Mmm aku rasa aku nak add to my blog ni...... Hahaha, golf blog aku pun silence aje...

Ahmad

the 2 evil foods - pls avoid them!

I want to touch on a subject that I've been talking on this blog for a while now - but it seems people still just don't get it!

Let me say it again here - the 2 most evil foods in our food supply are:

1. Trans Fat - aka the ugly fat

2. High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) - aka supersugar

Try as much as you can to avoid these evil foods (I said try is because I know for a fact it is difficult - this stuff is so abundancely found in our foods these days).

So, what are these 2 stuff.. and why I called them evils?

If you're really concern about your health, and especially to reduce your ever expanding waist. Please please please do some readings on these 2 evil stuff.

Do a search on Uncle Google, and you'll get to see tons of info on them. Facts after facts, study after study has proof that it's evil. The info is a LOT, that you're better off reading them from the sites, rather than me trying to explain them here.

Then, after you've read them. You'll understand why I keep myself away as much as possible from processed food, and focusing on a more natural real whole food way of eating.

Ok ok, I know doing Uncle Google can overwhelmed you sometimes..  So here's I'm cutting and pasting a good article for your reading pleasure...

this is a note on HFCS... from Men's Health website.

--------------

Here's how this little bugger was born: About 30 years ago, food manufacturers figured out that they could make sodas, cereals, yogurts, and some 40,000 other manufactured foods taste sweeter -- for a lot less money than with simple sugar. They did it by developing HFCS (which is derived from corn).

 

Sounds fine in theory, but here's the problem: When you eat any type of carbohydrate (like bread or fruit), your body releases insulin to regulate your body weight, pushing those carb calories into your muscles to be used as energy or storing them for later. Then it suppresses your appetite. Those carbs are the signal for you to stop filling your tank.

 

But HFCS doesn't stimulate insulin, so your body doesn't register it the way it registers simple white sugar. (That's why you can drink a few Big Gulps and never really feel full.) So what are you left with? You eat the HFCS-containing foods that are high in calories, but, like a band that stops after one set, those foods leave you wanting more. So you eat more foods with HFCS, stockpiling those calories like they're savings bonds, and the cycle of eating -- and storing fat -- continues.

 

Today, you can find HFCS in things like ketchup, pasta sauce, and crackers -- it's everywhere. Now, you don't need to eliminate it completely (though that's the ideal), but you do need to treat it like a manipulative ex and find ways to kick it out of your life. 

--------------------

here's on Trans Fat...

--------------

"Trans fats" may sound like the name of a cross-dressing pool hustler, but the reality is even more bizarre. Artificially made fats, trans fats are like wigs in shower drains -- mammoth cloggers. They gunk up the works by increasing the amount of bad cholesterol in your body. (Trans fats have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.)

 

You can understand why when you realize how they're made. Trans fats are created by combining vegetable oil (a liquid) with hydrogen to create partially hydrogenated oil, or trans fatty acids. Once infused with the hydrogen, the liquid vegetable oil turns into a solid at room temperature.

 

And the food industry loves trans fats, because they are cheap and seem to stick around forever. Plus, you can add trans fats to all kinds of foods in a way you can't add regular oil (for instance, normal vegetable oil in a cookie recipe would ooze out when the weather gets warm; with trans fats, the treats stay crisp and solid). So now trans fats -- like HFCS -- get added to chips, fries, muffins, and all sorts of on-the-shelf products.

 

But the real evil is what trans fat does to you on the inside. Remember, these fats are supposed to be liquid but have turned into solid. So instead of melting, like they would in their natural state, inside your body, they try to revert to their waxy, solid makeup -- inside your arteries.

 

Tips: Scan the label and eliminate. Like hotel bars on business trips, little good can come from them. Some tips for total avoidance:

• Check ingredients lists for aliases like "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated." The higher these ingredients are on the label, the more trans fats they contain.

• Pick high-protein breakfasts like eggs and Canadian bacon over waffles. If you have toast, skip the margarine. Processed bread products and margarine are two of the most common forms in which trans fats find their way into our bodies.

• At a restaurant, ask what kind of oil the chef uses. You want to hear olive oil, not shortening (another code name for the transfat).

• When eating out, stick to soup or salad and avoid the bread, which can be filled with trans fats.

--------------

You get the idea... now, I'm asking you.. are you serious in your quest to lose the fat?

Then, what's stopping you?? 

let's get healthy,

Sher Khan.

Away on the road, at the beach

Went to the beach recently with my family, just to spend some time with them, and trying to get some time-off over work (spent 2 nights there).

People say it's difficult to maintain our healthy diet while on travelling. Yes, it's difficult if you do not plan.... but even if you don't, there are still other ways to eat properly.. you just need to look for it.. it can be hard, but it's well worth it.

When I said plan - I packed my own cooked brown-rice, some fruits, and nuts/seeds. So that I won't eat anything and everything while on the road. But even then, I've run out of my packed-stuff on the second day, but then I still won't settle for anything common, unhealthy food around - like nasi lemak or roti canai for breakfast (that's the only thing available around the place we stayed!!). I still ordered from the stall, but only cucumber and boiled eggs (that's all that they have that I can eat!). For the rest of the family? - all the works! with an extra sambal and teh tarik of course (while i brewed my own green tea).

Call me crazy, or whatever - i just don't feel like putting junk food into my body.. anymore.

At the beach, besides the usual sun-bathing, and swimming, I also added that extra boost of cardio running along the beach (interval sprinting on the sands), and doing some bodyweight workouts. As expected, people have that weirdo-look at me, but who cares. 

See this pic, I'm doing the 'bird-dog' routine at the beach..

I got my niece trying to follow me, and gotten some weird looks from other beach-goers.

I did jumping squat, bird dog, prisoner squat, lunges, spiderman pushups, split squat, burpees, plank, side plank, mountain climb pushup, etc, and interval sprint along the beach. I also added a sprint towards the sea, and back - that's a tough one.

get more details of the exercise routines from my other posts here.

let's be healthy..

Sher Khan.