Many friends of mine commented that I have put on a lot of weight in recent years and this is rather true! Although I used to have the belief that I will never put on weight no matter how much I tend to eat, the extreme weight-gaining experience totally changed that perception of mine.
I would say, my weight was in the healthy range during my National Service [NS] days and back then, I was very proud of my physical fitness although I can never seem to jump far for my standing board jump. Due to an aggravated injury that I sustained during training, I was put Out-Of-Course [OOC] from the Officer Cadet Course [OCC] and that caused me to lead a sedentary lifestyle where I was carrying out desk-bound duties. Switching from a combat vocation to an admin support vocation saw me having very little exercise and everyday without fail, I would have a plate of Nasi Lemak for breakfast!
This was me [on the right] during my OCS days.
To be honest, I never really thought much about what I was consuming and eventually, I gained a couple of kilos. When I OOC-ed from the OCC, I was 65kg and after the switch to an admin support vocation for half a year, my weight was an astounding 70kg! A few months went by and I had to go for a surgery which made me rather immobile and by the time I was Operationally-Ready [ORD] and left NS for the workforce, I weighed 80kg! Again, I didn’t put much thought about leading a healthy lifestyle but I know that physically, I have grown wider and my thighs and arms were becoming rather flabby. My stomach was bulging and I even had to purchase new clothes for my wardrobe! My waist size was an initial 30-inches and it was 36-inches when I finished my service to the nation! That was how bad it was and coupled with the number of food-tastings I attend as a Blogger, I was in for a disaster.
This was me [on the left] on the the day I ORD. See the huge difference?
By the time I realised that my unhealthy lifestyle has to go for the sake of my health, it was a little too late and gaining weight is much easier than losing weight. I tried all sorts of ways to slim down and that includes taking slimming pills. At the initial start, there seem to be some progress but they were short-lived and finally, I decided that enough is enough and I changed the way I eat.
I started my strict diet regime at the beginning of July and every week, I consume only two meals a day. I know Nutritionists or Dieticians have better dieting plans but my current diet regime is what works best for me. In my meals, I literally cut down the amount of carbohydrates that I consume and rice, which used to be my staple food is somewhat eradicated from my meals. In my meals, I also consume more meat, vegetables, and fruits, and I cut down on the junk food that I take in as well. Whenever I feel a little hungry, I would down a cup of Milo or eat a fruit/nut bar and it eases the hunger pangs a little. By the end of July, my weight stood at 78kg and now that its mid-August, my current weight stands at 77kg. Although my ideal weight is 65kg, I am intending to let it drop to 75kg and then tone up my muscles from there. Then again, I hope that ultimately, my weight will drop to 70kg by the end of the year! On a positive note, my waist size has gone down from 36-inches to 33-inches and I can now fit into my old pants/jeans/bermudas!
This is more-or-less the current me, after the PowerSlim Impact Treatment @ The Spa Artisan [Fullerton Hotel].
Now, you probably might be wondering what has my weight loss got to do with the title of this blog entry but really, it has got everything to do with my weight loss!
I met up with Mr Tai Seng Yee, the Executive Director of Zenxin Agri-Organic Food Singapore last month and I went down to his store at Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre to see what he has to share with me about his business. Before meeting Mr Tai, I arrived early at Zenxin Agri-Organic Food and I went to check out the products that were available at his store.
I was rather impressed with the huge selections of organic products that are available at Zenxin Agri-Organic Food and I was even more amazed at the rather affordable pricing as organic products are usually more expensive.
When I met up with Mr Tai, he was very friendly and he shared with me about Zenxin Agri-Organic Food Singapore.
They have organic beverages…
They even have organic sauces and condiments too!
During the insightful sharing, Mr Tai explained to me the difference between the conventional way of farming and the organic way of farming. He also shared with me that he hopes that through Zenxin Agri-Organic Food Singapore, consumers like you and me can also be educated and be made more aware of the benefits that organic produce can bring to our lives.
Mr Tai was indeed very hospitable and generous that he gave me a bag that was full of organic groceries for me to bring home.
Most of the fresh organic produce at Mr Tai’s store are grown at their organic farm in Malaysia and during the September/December school holidays, Jacqueline and I will be making a trip down to Zenxin Organic Park [in Malaysia] to experience what the farmers do daily. Yes, we will be getting our hands dirty and we will be documenting our trip with lots of videos and photographs!
Here’s what inside my bag of organic groceries…
Fresh Organic Vegetables
Fresh Organic Fruits
Organic Black Rice & Organic Mulberry Leaf Tea
With the bag full of organic groceries, here’s what they were used for when I got home! Due to limited time, not all of the organic groceries were used but eventually, we used up the rest of them over the next few days.
We stir-fried the vegetables after washing them. Turns out crispy and crunchy!
We steamed the leek with the fish and the whole dish turned out fragrant!
We boiled the radish with some pork and the soup was extremely refreshing!
Ever since the meeting with Mr Tai, I am now more aware of the health benefits that organic products can bring to my life and now, all my snacks/tid-bits to satisfy my hunger pangs are all organic and contain very little calories! This has really helped me in my dieting plans and even as I type this blog entry, I’m snacking on an organic peanut bar that contains very little calories!
In time to come, we will be introducing a couple of organic-related blog entries where we will share with you our favourite organic products and how we use them in our cooking or daily lives.
Meanwhile, eat healthy and stay healthy!