I hope you have been following my slimming journey with Halley Medical Aesthetics. If not, you can scroll to the bottom of this post to read all the posts on CoolSculpting and Active Slim Program which has helped me to sculpt slimmer thighs, reduce weight and get back my confidence.
Active Slim Program provides nutritional counseling and adds on meal replacement for healthy weight loss. I learnt the right ways to cut down my excessive weight to a healthy BMI, all thanks to Jean Tong, my nutritionist at Halley Medical Aesthetic.
So far my statistics have been satisfying. From the first visit to the last, below are some encouraging numbers, nothing drastic but steady and healthy numbers:
● Weight – reduce by 3kg over 6 months (without medication)
● Muscle weight – increase by 0.8%
● Body Fat – reduce by 3%
● Waistline – reduce 7cm
One may expect that weight loss is the obvious indicator of slimming success, but it would be more accurate to take in the holistic numbers like muscle weight, body fat and final BMI. In fact, from Active Slim program, my waistline actually decreases by a whopping 7cm, which I think is really amazing! I am happy that muscle weight has increased, body fat has decreased and hence I am not so bothered about my final weight. The truth is that my target weight falls short of 1 kg. However, 4 months after the program has ended, I am still able to maintain my weight 4 months ago, and I think this is an incredible feat to celebrate about!
Below are the ways that I want to share with everyone how I managed to reduce weight and most importantly, maintain the healthy weight!
1. Meal Planning
Here is how my typical day meals look like. This helps me to achieve a healthy diet of 10 CHO (Carbohydrate Exchange).
Breakfast at 730am: Half a cup of low-fat milk (I used to take Milo but it is high in sugar level compared to Low fat milk), 1 slice of wholemeal bread with cheese (no sugar-added jam)
Lunch at 12pm: Salad with 2 tbsp Quinoa with palm-sized chicken breast meat and bacon bits with 1 tbsp Yuzu Soya sauce at least twice a week, plus an Apple.
Mid-afternoon snack: one cup of red date with wolfberries drink or a cup of low-fat yogurt or a serving of fruit
Dinner at 7pm: 3 tbsp of mixed brown with white rice, one serving of stir fried vegetable, one palm size of stir fried or steamed fish, 1 palm size of steamed egg, 1 serving of orange or watermelon.
The above helps me to achieve the needed nutrients in a day. Choosing a healthy mid-afternoon snack is good to ensure that I am not too hungry to eat more than what I need for dinner.
For days that I do not take salad and choose to eat out with my colleagues, I will ensure that I walk more that day or cut down calorie snack for mid-afternoon snack.
2. Taking care not to take empty calories and it is OK to indulge in SINFUL Foods once in a while!
Jean told me that we should avoid empty calorie food such as desserts, sweets, food that has no nutritional value. However, in order to be able to sustain on the weight loss journey, it is also alright that we indulge in our favourite but sinful foods once in a while. It does not have to be a strictly boring diet. Sometimes, due to social reasons, it is perfectly alright to eat out of the normal meal foods.
3. Reading Labels
Do you know how to read labels and beware of how marketing tactics can mislead consumers?
Some food for thought:
Zero fat = healthy? Not really if it is high in sugar.
Trans fat free = healthy? Not really, one serving of the food can contain up to 0.5 grams of trans fat, according to the law, and still be labeled trans-fat-free. In fact, there are healthy fats such as canola oil and olive oil, which taken in moderation, do no harm to our health.
Cholesterol = fats? NO, cholesterol is not a type of fats. There is good and bad cholesterol. Don’t be misled by labels that say Cholesterol free! In fact, we should aim to eat foods that provides high HDL (High-density Lipoproteins) cholesterol to get rid of bad cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. Foods with high HDL cholesterol includes fatty fish, olive oil, beans, whole grains, flax, nuts, chia seeds, avocado, soy-based products. We should take more of these!!
When you read labels, you should be comparing against the 100ml nutritional list instead of a per serving list. The highest composition will top the list. Hence, if you see sugar high on the list, it means that the product contains high sugar level.
Beware of different names that mean sugar, for example, fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup solids, galactose, carbitol, etc etc etc… 100 over names to represent sugar!
Try choosing the healthier choice labels, it helps in your decision to consume a healthier option. Take note that it doesn’t mean that the product is healthy, but rather it means that it is a healthier choice compared to another brand that does not carry the label. So, you can even see the label on ice-cream! It does not mean that ice-cream is healthy, but it may mean that this product contains a smaller percentage of unhealthy ingredients compared to another brand.
4. Exercise
We can’t avoid exercising when it comes to nutrition and healthy eating. We need to ensure that we have Calories Out after we consume Calories In! Otherwise all In and no Out, in no time, we will be growing in size! A rule of thumb is 150min of high intensity exercise level per week. I know, I know this is difficult. Well, we need to start somewhere. Perhaps start by brisk walking 2-3 times a week, add on swimming or light jogging. Certainly, it beats NOT EXERCISING at all, isn’t it?
5. Cut Down on Snacking
I find that removing unhealthy snacks from my work desk is very useful. No biscuits, no crackers, no titbits. There are no distractions for me to munch unnecessarily. I keep healthy snacks like fruits and low fat yogurt in my office. I drink plain water when I am thirsty. I try not to think of drinking coffee, milk tea or hot chocolate. If I really want to, I will add less or zero sugar to the tea or coffee. Such intentional lifestyle habits help in maintaining my weight.
So far, the above tips have served me very well. Occasionally, I gain 1 or 2 kg after an overseas trip. But as long as I keep to what Jean has taught me in the Active Slim Program, I am able to return to my weight quickly. I really benefited lots from this educational program. It helps me to be self-sustained in eating healthily, and even planning healthy meals for the family. I am glad that from now on, I have this blog post to show whoever wants to slim down the healthy way.
Thank you, Halley Medical Aesthetic, for the wonderful slimming journey and the chance to gain back my confidence in carrying myself!
Join me on my CoolSculpting Journey with the below posts!
1) Achieving Slimmer Thighs With CoolSculpting at Halley Medical Aesthetics
2) My CoolSculpting Journey – What to Expect on Day of Treatment at Halley Medical Aesthetics
3) Active Slim Program – Losing Weight by Nutritional Counseling at Halley Medical Aesthetics
4) My CoolSculpting Results of My Thighs
More information:
If you are interested in the Active Slim programme, please click here.
Price of Active Slim Programme – $800
Price of a box of Optifast of 7 sachets – $18.50
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Orchard Gateway Singapore 238858
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