Jom Makan!

Seems like my body is adapting to the increased food intake, so I'm slowly getting ready to resume Operation: Eat.

On Sunday night I had: BBQ chicken drumstick, char koay kak, or chien (oyster omelette), yam cake, economy rice with 3 veges, steamed corn, and ham chim peng (deep-fried pastry with red bean filling). All washed down with a glass of warm barley. Before you freak out I shared most of the food with other people as well so it's not like I single-handedly tackled everything. Still, I had a filling meal and it definitely didn't cost as much as going for a buffet.

I proceeded to have a lovely time in the toilet on Monday morning.

BodyJam 49 Sizzler

[Note: Oh I've been waiting for the return of jazz for the longest time! Trash Jam (Good Luck) from 41 is still a playlist favourite!]

BODYJAM® 49 blurs the lines between dance class and studio workout. The authentic Latin styles in the Smooze Salsa, the long floating lines of Street Jazz, and the uplifting basic steps of House Dance are gonna have your class sashaying, swivelling and screaming like never before! Of course, now you get two options of funk you can drop on your class and when they start wanting more, you can deliver with the advanced options. Is there a better way to start a workout than with a seven minute Freemasons’ remix? Swing your hips, add some flava with a hand clap, then Rock it out in the chorus. The Smooze Salsa to Joy Enriquez’s classic Latin anthem will get the room sizzling before the high-speed Samba to Loaded introduces the Ricky Martin Revival you’ve been waiting for! Combining classic dance studio style with the hotness of Hip Hop is where our Street Jazz takes over. Kanye West, Keri Hilson, Lil Wayne and Beyoncé push us through one incredible fly-though-the-air, ‘please can we do it one more time?’ routine. Then we’re Burnin’ Up Ze ‘Ouse with authentic house steps which will take your class on a musical journey they won’t want to leave. The key is to keep it small – the steps are simple but the speed will create a little chaos in your class! New moves Freeze & Go and the Swivel Turn are added before you rip off the roof to the hugest Britney remix you’ve ever heard. You’ll feel like you’re sashaying across a BODYJAM® cloud of funk, like your feet aren’t even touching the ground!

I'm Officially Boycotting 2009

At the turn of this Year of the Ox, I read several forecasts by Feng Shui masters and Chinese Zodiac experts that 2009 will be a tough and challenging year for me.

Wow, I had no idea just how bad things will get.

I'm not even going to indulge the year by recounting all the mishaps that I've encountered, barely past March. From small to big, 2009 seems bent on taking its toll on me, and you know what? It's working.

So I'm officially boycotting 2009. I'm gonna block it from my mind and keep happy thoughts. Decades from now I'll make sure I subconsciously repress it. I don't mind recalling 2007 or 2008 in my golden years, but 2009 will be inconspicuously missing. I'll see how 2010 behaves before passing judgement on it though.

Damn it!!

A Boy Can Dream

Recently Dell Malaysia announced a VSS scheme for 500 lucky employees to take up. Although I don't work in Dell I also fantasized what I would do with all the money I might have gotten. A boy can dream, right?

And speaking of dreaming, I got an email being passed around regarding a vacancy for a Computer Science lecturer at TAR College, Penang. Hmm... I've always wanted to be a lecturer (one of my ambitions while I was still studying, I admit). So I just sent in my resume and see what happens.

If I was eventually offered that job, would I take it? That's a huge question that I don't know the answer to. My current job is pretty secure despite the economy tanking, but on the other hand there's my ambition calling out. Hmm, decisions decisions.

Even if I never get it, a boy can dream, right? *sigh*

Three Pronged Approach

I'm slowly bouncing back from my case of persistent diarrhea. I think my commenters were right is saying that I was probably stressing my digestive system with a sudden influx of FOOD.

Anyway, I'm still maintaining a steady stream of calories into my body, but I'm taking a few steps to help it along:

1. Chewing my food properly: I admit I'm a quick eater, gulping down food like I've been starving since 1985. But now I'm making a conscious effort to get at least 30 chews before swallowing it down. Why? Chewing breaks down food into mush that is easier to digest, and saliva contains important enzymes to begin the process. By rushing my chewing, I'm missing an important step in nutrient absorbtion.
2. Taking a probiotic supplement every morning: My Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) might be caused by unsavoury bacteria lurking around. The probiotics I'm taking have about 16 strains of beneficial gut bacteria that should help to keep my stomach healthy from all the food I'll be wolfing down. A common criticism of probiotic supplements is that stomach acid kills most of them before they reach the colon... I just hope my supplement is good enough to survive that.
3. Taking an enzyme supplement after certain meals: I'm guessing that my body has not been producing enough enzymes to deal with the sudden influx of food, hence it was unable to absorb many nutrients. I'm hoping this enzyme supplement goes a long way in encouraging my body to start producing more and also break down the carb- and protein-rich foods. Again, the questions with such supplements are: "Is the dosage enough to make a difference?" and "Is it effective when introduced artificially?" I can only hope.

Put on Hold

Well, barely 1 week into Operation: Eat and I have to suspend it temporarily. I'm still having diarrhea though I'm not (trying my best) taking any dairy products.

Chronic diarrhea can indicate any number of scary problems, so I have to go cure this before I strain my digestive system with all the extra food I'm planning to eat.

Lactose Intolerant?

I love milk.

In my formative school years, breakfast cereal was my staple food before going to class. My early favourites were Kellog's Frosties, Honey Stars, and Coco Crunch. As I grew into my teens I went for more nutritious cereals which had more natural ingredients like wheat and nuts instead of just sugared flour.

I stopped that habit in my college years but maintained my love for yogurt and cheese somewhat. Recently I'm trying to get back to cereals for breakfast as I can't keep eating instant noodles first thing in the morning!

Recently however, I've been having mild diarrhea throughout the day. I'm not running to the loo every 30 minutes, but when I do go what comes out is hardly.... firm? Substantial? Not sure the right word.

I have a nagging feeling it's the milk I'm drinking. As part of my efforts to increase my caloric intake, I turned to the ever convenient powdered milk. Whenever I feel a hunger pang, I can get 159 calories just by mixing in some hot water.

Anyway, I noticed that when I have milk I will get some minor stomach ache and am more likely to visit the outhouse. Suspecting lactose intolerance, I have ceased eating any dairy products at the moment to see if my condition improves. In addition, I'm taking a probiotic supplement every morning to try to hasten my recovery from diarrhea.

I don't have a definite conclusion yet, but I'll definitely be disappointed if I have turned lactose intolerant. Milk has been such a big part of my formative life, and though biologically speaking there's no reason for me to be drinking milk anymore it's found in so many of my favourite foods that it could become a practical problem.

3500

From my research so far, I need to consume an extra 3500 calories to gain an extra pound. Since my goal is to gain about 1 pound per week, that means I have to consume an additional 3500 calories/week on top of my maintenance levels.

3500 may sound like a small number but just see how much food one needs to take to fill 3500 kcal: Sample 3500 calorie diet. Granted, I'm supposed to spread that amount of food over the entire week, but here's the catcher: I'm barely reaching my daily maintenance calories.

So, on top of eating an extra 500 kcal a day (3500/7) I have to make sure I reach my maintenance level as well.

The first step towards that is to make sure I have six filling meal times a day: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, tea, dinner, and supper. On days that I workout or teach I may have a late dinner, so I must remember to compensate by having more food at 3pm.

I feel a little grumbling in my tummy - off to find something to munch on! Of course I know it's not just about calories, but where those calories come from. Clean and dirty calories will be a future post.