Singapore

[BabyJJ]

Hi, i was thinking of starting a thread for pp from Singapore who's on Atkins so tat we can exchange ideas abt wat food is permissible while eating out and on induction and where to find LC products, ketostix here and so on.. :)

[Juliegilla]

Hi BabyJJ

This is the first time I've posted on this board, although I've been reading it for a while.

I started Atkins 3 weeks ago, and thought was the only one in Singapore trying to follow it!

I'm British but have been working here in Singapore for about a year now.

I find eating out in the food courts here a bit of trial - I tend to just buy 2 meals (because it's quite cheap) and discard the rice/noodles element of each.

Would certainly be interested hearing about any ideas you've got for a support group.

[sweetjane]

Hello!
Me Singaporean now livign in japan. I'm going back to SG in Jan 2003 & i'm wondering if they sell low carb products in the healthstores now in sg?
Kelly

[Juliegilla]

Hi there, good to be in touch with you.

I've found a limited range of low carbohydrate foods available in on of the more 'expat' orientated supermarkets here - Jasons.

I've been able to get a few low-carb items (bread for example) there. I also found Crystal Light in another supermarket here - Cold Storage

You can of course get the diabetic foods (chocolate mostly) in some of the health food stores, although I've not bought any personally.

There is no provision (that I've found anyway) in restaurants here for low carb eating though.

Julie

[sweetjane]

Hello There!

Thanks for the info! How abt Splenda have u seen it in SG yet? Here in Japan the Foreign BUyers Club does carry it but only sell by the case so alot of foreign women like me share the purchase but most of them r living in Tokyo & i'm on another island which make sharing quite difficult. They have make pancakes, cheesecakes, waffles with low carb flour substitutes & Splenda. I heard it was really delicious hee hee. I'm also a yahoo member of lowcarbinjapan. MOstly foreign wives married to japanese really. Sometimes we look for local alternatives.

Yes it's kinda difficult to low carb if u eat out alot huh? I'm a housewife so that's no problem. the only problem is cheating!I'm on my 8th day of induction, the weight loss is not substantial & i've only myself to blame really!! but i do feel lighter, firmer & perkier which is good.

Oh u know the health chain store GNC? I juz received a reply email, they got some low carb products like drinks & bars. will check it out when i return. i'm positively raiding the supermarkets once i get back!
:D
Kelly

[Juliegilla]

Excellent, thanks Kelly, I'll have a look in GNC!

Julie

[sweetjane]

Hi Julie

So did u find any good low carb stuff in GNC? let me know!

:)
Kelly

[Quiet Man]

Hello From Canada
I was in Singapore last year on vacation and just love your country.Good luck on your low carb ventures

Quiet Man

[sweetjane]

Hello Quiet Man

Oh u like sg? Cool! U have a favourite place?What food do u like? I havent been to Canada b4 hope to go there some day.

Kelly

[mushroom]

Hi all,

I'm another Singaporean doing the low-carb WOE. Failed once but determined to pick myself up and try again! :)

I'm not sure if this thread is still active..But anyway,just to let you guys know Splenda is available in Singapore! I got a box(100 mini-packets) for around $9 from Liberty Supermarket at Jurong Point(Near Boon Lay MRT). There's another branch at Plaza Singapura, but I'm not too sure if they sell it. I will drop by and check it out when I pass by in the future!

GNC carries a number of low-carb protein bars and whey protein. But the prices can be pretty steep...especially the protein bars. If you decide to have them regularly,maybe you can ask the salesperson for those that are going to expire soon as they are much cheaper! Don't freak out yet...I had a few before and they are still edible..I think :D

Hope these information helps!

Btw,Kelly,which part of Japan are you in right now? I was at Tsuruoka some time ago!

[sweetjane]

Splenda in sg???yippee! i actually order splenda from netrition & after adding in shipping cost it cost more than
S$9! yeah i heard not many low carb stuff in sg.

i'm from fukuoka kyushu (the southern island). actually i'm coming back for CNY 25jan to 18feb. definately am checking out liberty & gnc stores man!

:cool:

[mushroom]

I'm still wondering how did you manage low carbing in japan! Meat is pretty expensive there right? I remembered spending quite a bit on groceries while I'm there..

While you are in Singapore,try not to other food stuff/supplements from the internet. Somehow...I never received my orders! Perhaps the custom is too strict..Anyone else experienced the same headache?

CNY...another headache!All the goodies...yummie! But then again, I wouldn't trade my waistline just for some satisfaction again! :nono:

[sweetjane]

well i've been on & off the diet. the problem with me is when i see my weight drop, i get tempted to try normal food again!

yes meat can be expensive but actually it can be cheap too! it depends on where u buy them from. meat from famous department stores in the city tend to be more. supas in the suburbs r cheaper. there r supas that r known for their low prices.

the netrition site is safe & they work fast!! i got my order within the week. Yes perhaps singapore customs r very strict on what u can import, it's best u check with the customs b4 buying those low carb thingies! we were able to order vitamins,shakes, chocolate bars with no problems.

generally speaking those low carb pastas,chocolate bars etc can be a letdown. & since they r expensive it's best to find other alternatives!!

:rolleyes:

[mushroom]

I wish I had checked out these supas while I was there. My diet was mainly pasta and canned mackeral(Bought from 100 yen stores) then!

I think it's better to stick to real food since most are these bars and shakes are expensive and some taste really weird..and most importantly,they contain hidden carbs! I haven't tried low-carb pasta though. I don't see any in Singapore as yet. All I can see is Breadtalk(A famous chain bakery) opening store after store..everywhere here.

[sweetjane]

oohhh breadtalk huh? yeah some of the bread very nice lah. i miss char siew bao in singapore(HK style). the japanese bao taste like shit!! If i can mass produce char siew bao like what it's suppose to taste like i think good business for me here hahahaha

oh not suppose to talk abt high carb here!?!

yeah can understand the canned mackeral thing, last time when my father went to japan in early 1990s, he brought along many cup noodles for his training trip!

did u try horsemeat while u r here? taste good actually. serve with special soy sauce & grated ginger. but i think is only a specialty in kyushu region & nagoya. initially i very squeamish abt eating horse but now used to it. dun eat often lah. once in a blue moon really.

[mushroom]

Ahaha...I think we can still chat about carb stuff here! Except that we must condemn them..heh,just kidding :p

Bringing instant noodles to Japan was one of the advice given by one of the relatives too. I grew up eating cha kway teow,satay,laksa etc...so I got bored of the variety of food in Japan rather quickly.

Nope, didn't get the chance to try horse meat. Sure sounds good though! My favourite food then was the dessert of course! Forgot what it's called...but it's something like smooth, not-so-sweet red bean paste(Consistency not unlike that of soup's) with mini glutinous rice balls? Gee...thinking of that during induction is dangerous! :D

[mushroom]

Kelly,

Some bad news..dropped by Liberty at Jurong Point and can't find Splenda anymore! I'm not sure if they just ran out of stock or they don't intend to sell anymore :(

Hope they still have it at the Plaza Singapura branch!

[lngirl]

Hello to the folks in Singapore. Hope someone is still reading this thread. As you can see by my stats I'm a BIG person so don't quite know how that will go over in Sing. My company will be transferring me for about 6 months probably around June. As I am also diabetic I'm concerned about being able to get low-carb food. Not necessarily the bars and such, but equal or splenda etc. Should I bring some of that sort of thing with me? I'd appreciate any advice you all could give me as I am worried about it. I hear the food is quite good, but will have to steer clear of the noodles and rice dishes :( too bad, I could eat noodles every meal, which is probably part of the reason I'm in the shape I'm in. :eek: I will be checking back here and hope someone has posted. Would love to know the best places to shop for low carb. Will I be a total freak in Singapore? Are there any fat people there? Please don't be offended by my questions I'm just worried. Thanks so much. Ellen (aka LNGIRL)

[Fumih_81]

you are right Ingirl......i will never notice abt the existence of this singapore thread if u never mentioned it.....hahaha and discovered there are actually many singaporeans here in this forum........hallo sgeans!

i think for a start it will be good that u bring some of your bars or low-carb foods along....coz u will need time to settle down and know what's low-carb around you.

if you are game for pork rinds, go to Lucky Plaza (3rd floor and above) where they sell it for the filipino maids....but they are just plain ones....not that exciting as what your home country has.

for daily meals, as i suggested on the other thread it will be best that u cook your own meals ....but occasionally u may see some foodcourts selling western food......and there are many fast food outlets you can go to....Mac, KFC, BK....

i suggest u try sashimi in those sushi joints (e.g. Sakae Sushi) coz they offer them at cheaper prices....

Newton Centre is another tourist area due to its proximity to town area....though the prices are more expensive...but it's a place where u can eat a lot of local food....seafood too...

[lngirl]

Hi Fumhi
Thanks for the info, I do like pork rinds and hadn't even thought to ask about them. They sure help when you need a snack. I am looking forward to lots of good fish dishes, but sashimi isn't cooked is it? I'm a bit of a wimp about raw fish, but will get brave and try it. Thanks so much. Ellen :D

[fairday]

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie to LC --3 days -- in Singapore.. I can say it's not gonna be easy cuz of all the looks on my friends' faces when I discard the rice/noodles/fries! :(

Can somebody tell me whether those chinese rice stall dishes like stir fried chicken and veggies are okay? Cuz when u r outside and wanna eat on the cheap (ie: no western meals involving meat) these are the best options. I understand that a lot of "unknown" sauces go into these dishes.. so I wonder if they are ok. Also, the coconut milk that goes into the malay curries. I'll try to avoid the sauce, but the meat, issit okay being soaked in curry?

I can't really cook either :D So any good options in Singapore I can look forward to?

Thanks everyone.. happy low carbing!

[Debbie46]

I have just discovered this link and so hope that it is still considered active. This is my first time doing something other than reading posts by others. I am having my annual physical exam on Thursday and want to talk to my doctor to see about getting the excess pounds off. I tried Atkins some 20 years ago and had some great success with it. It's time to get back to what worked. Living in Singapore I find that I have been eating much healthier than ever before in my life with the exception of all the rice and noodles. Perhaps all of us living in the Asian cultures can be an encouragment to one another. I plan on getting starting officially one week from today with Arkins. I'll be seeing you on the boards!
Debbie

[fairday]

Hi Debbie! Great to hear from someone at last.. I've been on Atkins for about two weeks now and I definitely have lost some inches off my thighs, waist and arms! Woohoo! I've done all sorts of stuff before, like the Cambridge Diet.. that was pure torture n the pounds came back anyway.

So far I've gotten around the LC problem by ordering from places I can more or less cutomize my food. For example, in coffeeshops, I order a vegetable and fish soup telling them to cut the sugar (using the diabetes excuse yes). At restaurants I just get the meat dishes with a lil common sense.. at the uni cafeteria I'll get the western chicken chops and/or salmon without the sides. It's been great so far but my boyfriend is seriously alarmed at the amount of fried food I've been eating! But I don't have much other choice.. so issit okay?

I read abt all sorts of LC desserts etc on this website. Any idea where we can get that kinda thing in Singapore?

[jewelintan]

Hi Debbie and Fairday,

I've been trying to get in touch with LC'ers in Sg but doesn't seem like there's alot. Anyway, I'm happy to see your posts! I've been low carbing since mid April this year and even though initially I find it very trying, it gets easier after the first 2 weeks (Thank God!). I find that I am not really a carb addict. I don't crave for rice or breads or pastas or sugar. I think this makes it easier for me. Even when I have dinner with my family (at home or in a restaurant), I just eat the other dishes while everyone eats rice. I was never tempted to put rice into my mouth again (heehee).

I usually make my own meals. This way I know what goes in my food. Ohh, one good thing about LC is that I start eating (and liking) veggies. I think in this past month, I've eaten more veggies than I've ever eaten for the past 29 years! In the beginning, I eat salads, with dressings and stuff. But now I prefer my veggies raw (fresh and crunchy). I eat LOTS of fish and chicken moderately. I don't like red meat too much so I don't have alot of that (unless it's cooked in a nice dish). I'm a Muslim, so I don't eat pork. Below is my typical daily menu:

B: 2 - 3 eggs (scrambled, omelette or devilled), chicken/turkey ham/bacon, sometimes with cheese, Protein shake or sometimes black decaf tea/Chinese tea
L: Grilled/pan-fried fish or chicken, big cup of salad (raw)
D: Same as lunch or stir-fried shirataki noodles

I don't snack ('cos I'm always full!) and I drink ALOT of water.

Exercise: 4 - 5 times a week on average
Aerobics: 2 - 3 times a week
Weight training: 3 - 4 times a week
Cardio: 3 - 4 times a week

I join Amore Expressions (all-ladies gym and aerobics classes) and try to put in 2 sessions a week. Besides that, I try to spend an hour, 2 - 3 times a week at the gym at work. I drink the protein shake (~2g carbs in an 8oz serving) so that I can recover quickly from my heavy workout and also build lean muscle mass. Muscles burn calories even when we are not working out so it's good :). This WOE really gives me alot of energy and vibrance and I LOVE it!

Following Dr Atkins' recommendation, I also take a multivitamin (everyone should!). I got the one from GNC (Women's Mega). Don't be alarmed if you find that your pee is bright yellow, it's just the B Vitamins in the multivit (I was shocked the first time that happened). GNC also has a low-carb nutrition bar by EAS (Myoplex Low Carb, cookies 'n cream flavour). It has only ~1g net carb per 70g bar and tastes pretty good! I have it when I don't have time to cook but I try not to eat it too much.

Someone from another LC forum told us that shirataki noodles are almost 100% carb-free. I was esctatic! (I love noodles). Shirataki is almost 100% fibre (made of tuber root) so it's safe to be used even during Induction. You can easily find these noodles in most supermarkets, especially the Japanese run ones (like in Taka). These noodles are kinda rubbery (but not nasty rubbery, just chewy) and has no taste of its own. It absorbs flavours VERY well so however you cook it, it's delicious! One thing though, make sure you boil the noodles for a few minutes and wash before cooking. The noodles is packed in some sort of liquid and it may smell nasty for some!

Geez, I've been chatty! I can't shut up about this wonderful WOE!!!! Please do continue this thread so that we can discuss and share our stories between SIngaporeans. It's always easier to interact with people close to you.

LC, LC all the WAY!! :D

[Fumih_81]

hey jewel........glad to know a new member that's based in sg.....

keep us updated.....you are doing really well and steady..... :thup:

[Rina]

Hi,

I am very glad to know these tips from you... i having been trying to find Splenda in Singapore... any ideas where to get it??

[jewelintan]

Hi Rina,

Nice to see more Singaporean low carbers. Hopefully we can share more stories, tips, recipes, etc etc. About Splenda, unfortunately we can't get it in Sg. I've searched everywhere to no avail. Forget NTUC Fairprice or Cold Storage. They don't carry it. I've been to Jason's & Liberty Market, both don't have it either. My boyfriend is in the US and he recently sent me a box of Splenda. I expect that he'd be sending more boxes regularly at least until he gets to Sg.

Recently I discovered diet Snapple (peach tea) drink which is really good and low carb (only ~2g per bottle, if I'm not wrong). I found it at Taka. Another drink I found is Swiss Miss diet hot cocoa drink. One satchet (add to ~7oz of water) has about 3 - 4g of carbs or lesser. Maybe it's not good to have these too much on Induction but sometimes they can be a nice treat :).

I find that exercising helps ALOT with the weight loss. That and drinking alot of water. It's good to change your workout routine often so that your body doesn't get used to a particular one and stop exerting. Challenge your body to a different workout but always remember to be careful and check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine. Stop exercising if you feel breathless, dizzy or faint.

Just want to check with everyone, do you notice how weird your sweat smells? Not really nasty, just weird. I guess that's just the smell of the ketones.

[Rina]

Hi jewel,

hmmmm.. I noticed this diet swiss diet recently also.. sigh..have been trying to find splenda but cannot.. Do you know abt soy flour??? wonder what can we do with it? Can't seem to get alot of Atkins products in Singapore.. have you tried ordering online? If yes, is it expensive to order it into Singapore?

when you say the sweat is weird, what do you mean?? I never go and notice my sweat smell so far... please enlighten me...

[Rina]

Hi jewel,

hmmmm.. I noticed this diet swiss diet recently also.. sigh..have been trying to find splenda but cannot.. Do you know abt soy flour??? wonder what can we do with it? Can't seem to get alot of Atkins products in Singapore.. have you tried ordering online? If yes, is it expensive to order it into Singapore?

when you say the sweat is weird, what do you mean?? I never go and notice my sweat smell so far... please enlighten me...

[Fumih_81]

pai seh....i do agree there's a whiff of ketones .....on the sweat. in fact i have to be more careful about it.....esp singapore has a very hot weather now! ermmm abt 28 degrees celcius nowadays...or even higher......literally hot still air.

i hardly take those sweeteners nowadays......probably i'll have some orange juice but not much......or occasionally coke light...or teh kosong.....

wow it will be great if someone residing in the States can send things over coz a lot of local foods here aint low-carb. i have a friend over there and i kept asking her for pork rinds. she doesnt agree to my diet and so she doesnt send. but she sent me beef jerkies and popcorns...i am hardly into popcorns and the beef jerkies have turned mouldy....whats worse....i can buy them at cold storage....

[jewelintan]

Hey Fumih, good to know that I'm not alone in noticing the weird ketone scent. It's not that I sniff my armpits all the time or anything (haha!) ... it's just that the scent can be pretty strong. Yes, especially now that the weather here is soooooooo hot! It's particularly stronger when you sweat alot (and I do!). SInce I can't find Ketostix here to test the ketones in urine, I use the strange BO scent as a sign that my body is in ketosis (I might be wrong, but hey, I've never smelt like this before LC ;)).

Actually, I don't consume alot of sweeteners either (and neither do I crave for it). In fact, the box of Splenda I've got is still unopened. I guess I don't need it for now. I like to drink Chinese tea or unsweetened decaf tea (I found one that is decaffeinated naturally, Lipton). I don't like coffee but I do enjoy an occasional Diet Root Beer or Coke Light. I found out today that the Diet Snapple drink has only 1g carbs per bottle (the regular Snapple bottle). I thought that was a pretty good deal except that it contains aspartame. The Diet Swiss Miss however is sweetened by Splenda.

Can't you find pork rinds in Sg? I thought probably you can find that easily. If I want to enjoy meaty treats like that, I'd have to make it myself. Hey, you can find popcorn here too, couldn't you? heehee :D

Rina, Atkins hasn't started exporting their products internationally so far ... well, I mean to retailers outside US. That's why we can't find Atkins products here. YOu can buy them directly from the website and they will send to you but you can guess that it's VERY costly. Firstly, everything is in US dollars, secondly, the shipping charges are pretty high. I was tempted to get some of the stuff, but I thought the better of it. We can make use of alot of food items here which is low in carbs. We just need to do more work than our friends in the US .... we need to research on which are the ones and find out if they are REALLY low carb. I know sometimes it's nice to have some LC bread or pasta or cookies, but I think the whole point of this WOE is actually to get our body used to eating better and stop craving for those food items totally.

After looking at some forum boards, I found out that many recipes for LC cakes and cookies and muffins use soy flour, or wheat gluten, or almond flour, etc instead of white flour (for obvious reasons!). I've never tried any of the recipes yet and they DO look YUMMY!. At this point, I just don't have the desire to make sweetie treats like that. I'd still like to train my body into adapting the healthier way of eating. But once I'm out of Induction, I might try some of the recipes!

BTW, Rina, have you read any of the LC books out there?

[Fumih_81]

jewel....

lucky plaza 3rd n 4th floors......those filipino shops do sell pork rinds...they will recommend that u buy their vinegar/chilli sauce coz it goes well with it....so far i have not tried their sauce....

i heard that golden mile complex (a thai workers' heaven) sells pork rinds too.....

think liberty is good enough, you'll find a lot of 'friendly foods'...but recently i am hardly into them.....back at the plaza singapura branch....there were a whole range...but ever since it has closed...only left jurong pt and bishan j8...but bishan NTUC only has a small American corner and Australian corner. Btw, i didnt know that the japanese corner is actually from Meidi-ya...aka the jap supermart at Liang Court.....

[Rina]

Haha... no problems... yah.. the weather is getting hotter now... simply cannot stand it...

You mean we can take popcorn??? I guess the only sugar we can take is Splenda rite?? I was thinking of honey... heehee..

Having a friend in US is fine but the problem is I don't have...Hence the thought of bring it in... but I think the shipping costs is higher than the cost of things I am buying... Really don't know what to do...

[Rina]

Hi Jewel,

Yup.. I actually found out about Atkins through website and later learn of Atkins book (Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution) and I have gotten a copy of that..

I thought making some low carb bread and cookies even be much more convenience then having to prepare my own breakfast & lunch which I am doing now.. :D Do you mind telling me the forum addresses that you have seen such receipes??

Regarding the sweat smell you mention, I didn't notice ... maybe its because I apply BodyShop body mist after bath and then went to work.. whole day in air-con didn't really sweat until execerise time..:D

Can I tak popcorn?? Are you referring to the unsweeten type?? how about those steam corn with butter??

[jewelintan]

Err ... Fumih ... I'm a Muslim, so I don't eat pork :p . I was just being a kepo, wondering how come you can't get pork rinds in Sg, that's all ;).

Dunno about popcorn, Rina. I guess the best way is to read the Nutritional Information at the back of the package. Anything that contains ALOT of carbs is a no-no. Simple rule of thumb. I think Atkins don't recommend popcorn on Induction. Maybe when you're already in Maintenance where you're allowed more carbs? I think corn is not on the list of acceptable veggie (higher carb than most leafy veggies). If you are still on Induction, you should stick strictly to the list of acceptable foods.

If you want to try making LC breads or cakes or cookies, you can try the recipes on this page:

http://lowcarbluxury.com

Good luck! Let us know how they turn out ;)

[Fumih_81]

hahaha did i say i cant get pork rinds in sg? i thought i said where it can be bought...? :D

popcorn is not actually on the allowed list.....but to me i dont mind taking a small bunch.....right now my own way of low-carbing is really very much 'relaxed'.....plus i am also taking thermogenics during exercise. but popcorn is not my fav food...so usually after some years of LCing.....naturally i will stop taking my bowl of noodles after a few mouthfuls.....so meaning during lunch my colleagues will ask me why is my appetite so small?

but they will never know that if the food is 'correct', i can even gobble 3/4 of a whole spring chicken....or maybe a meal of 3 chicken thighs, some nuggets and 2 small whip potatoes fr KFC...(the buddy meal if u all know.....for the price of $10 i can eat a lot on that)

btw has anyone of u tried Zantrex3 from GNC? personally i find it quite effective as xenadrine....but the caffeine does affect me a little esp i take 2 capsules (they recommended actually)...

[lngirl]

Hi there singapore folks.
I wrote a couple of months ago thinking I was going to be transferred but because of SARS that has been delayed. But I am still coming now probably the end of July. I see you are having a problem getting some supplies. If someone wants to write to me offline deanellus~yahoo.com maybe I can help out until I move. I'm in California so have access to many products.
Splenda is a little pricey, Atkins bars I can find for less than $2US each. And the canned shakes about the same. I think the shakes might be expensive to send due to their weight. I usually only use these products for emergency food when I'm traveling or being lazy about shopping and cooking. Here I can't find the pork rinds I like, I like the hard crunchy kind and mostly in the supermarkets I find the big puffy ones. Look forward to the adventure of finding stuff in SG. And BTW I think popcorn isn't too bad if you can stop at 1 cup. I can't!! Would love to meet some of you when I arrive, we can form a lc-club... :D Ellen

[Rina]

Hi Fumih...

Sorry ... need to clarify.. are you still on induction?? Does taking whipped potatoes affect your progress then???

[Fumih_81]

mmmm very good question.

i am quite relaxed on the carb intake...so whipped potato becomes an occasional treat......i think it is abt 20-40g per intake....

Ingirl I would like to meet you too....~ but do stock up more of your favourite LC food stuffs (things like splenda, pork rinds etc)...coz you will need some time to understand Singapore. And I just want to say, America is still very much a better place to LC. and Singapore is experiencing ultra hot weather (can be as high as 35 degrees during noon time)... :o

[jewelintan]

Hey Fumih, you said you asked your friend from the US to send pork rinds to you, so I thought maybe you can't get them here. Just a miscommunication, my bad ;). My appetite seem to have shrunk too! I used to be a big eater and I mean really BIG! If you "blanja" me to buffet, sure get your money's worth (heehee). Now I eat very little and I don't snack anymore. Well, I like roasted peanuts so I munch on them sometimes but that's about it. Hey, which thermogenics did you take? Xenadrine? I've seen Zantrex3 at GNC. I thought those pills are for those who doesn't have alot of weight to lose (I might be wrong here), just the last few pounds, I was told by the folks at GNC. What do you think of Xenadrine? Do you lose alot of weight while on it? I'd like to try it but I thought I'd just let my food (or lack of carbs) make me lose weight naturally ;). I might use it when I have only the last few pounds to lose.

Ellen, we look forward to seeing you in Sg. Yes, it would be wonderful to meet up! I must say it is quite an adventure to find LC food in Sg. Challenging but not impossible. Do you have Keto foodstuff (pasta, etc), DaVinci syrups, LC bread, ice cream, chocolates and other LC products there? Have you used any of them? You can't find such things here :(. Buying online would be too expensive. Some food items are perisable so it's not possible to have it sent from US either (sigh). I wish you could get all those stuff and start a store here (heehee). At least you know that we'd be your most loyal customers! Ahhh, we can always dream! :daze:

Rina, some food might not affect your weight loss, but some may. According to DANDR, we should stick to 20g of carbs a day during Induction (most of which should come from leafy veggies). 2 weeks is not too long, really :). After Induction you can up your carb a little. Sometimes I keep the carb under 20g, sometimes I over-shoot. Just be aware of your body's signals. Sometimes a single carb loading session can make you gain weight, sometimes nothing happens, sometimes you even lose weight! People are different. Just remember that if you put on a bit of weight after eating alot of carb, just cut down a little and analyse what you've been eating that made that happen. Drink lots of water, eat veggies and if you can, exercise.

BTW: I made LC chocolate fudge yesterday and I thought it tastes pretty good! :D

The recipe (all items can be found at Jason's except Splenda):

1 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate
1/2 cup natural, unsweetened/unsalted peanut butter
2 tbsp cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/2 - 1 cup sweetener (Splenda, Equal*) <--- depends on how sweet you want it to be

Melt the first 4 items in a pot on low heat. Add sugar and mix well. Put mixture in a shallow container and leave in fridge for a few hours. The fudge will harden a little but not as hard as chocolate. Cut into bite-sized pieces and enjoy!

*Equal contains aspartame and may slow down weight loss.

Wish I could share it with you guys!

[Fumih_81]

jewelintan...

blanja to buffet ah? good idea....if the right foods are there lah. in fact if i am having a bowl of fishball noodles for lunch......i can bet that i wont finish up the noodles...so thats like abt 20g to 30g of carbs purely on that.....but the gist is that i wont finish up the carbs. :D

these days my family has been on buffet binges (oh well indulging a little bit :p .....at Plaza ParkRoyal Hotel Beach Rd)... and i esp pick on the salmon sashimi......you will never know i could take a whopping amount of salmon sashimi. usually at buffets i will eat a lot......in contrast to small portions of lunch at work....buffet places like seoul garden and kfc and hotel buffets...

mm lemme see....on last sunday i went there (plaza park royal hotel) again and took abt 6 plates and i specially wanted it to contain '2 servings' each. so that makes 12 servings...12 servings X 6 small pieces that makes 72 pieces. and i have no idea why the chef cut it close to 1cm thick...so it made me tired of the fishy taste.

but imagine Sakae Sushi sells one serving for S$6.50....silly me that means I may have to pay S$78 ++ for the whole meal ~sakae and not including the other soft shell crab, and goodie foods/desserts. the buffet is abt $30 per pax including tax....

and one thing, i regretted taking zantrex before i went for the buffet coz it shrunk my appetite! if not i could have taken more than 72 pieces haha :mad:

okie talking abt xenadrine vs zantrex. the very first thermogenic i took was xenadrine. the similar between both of them is they make my skin feel tight even without exercise.....and in fact that prompted me to try exercising to maximise the effect. yeah in fact i have taken various brands of thermogenics.....i shld say zantrex, xenadrine and synedrine are good. but synedrine contains chromium picolinate that may not be that good for the body.

difference between xen and zantrex...guess for me it is the caffeine.

i have irregular heartbeats and irritability when i take the recommended 2 capsules of zantrex before meals. but i dared to take 2 capsules before exercise coz i know it will generate a lot of energy for my body to exert it out. in fact it helps build stamina coz the caffeine ingredient in zantrex accelerates the metabolism rate. u will feel heat all over and sweat at least 1 n half times more.

basically xenadrine will be a so called "safer one" coz it doesnt contain caffeine. my body is rather sensitive to caffeine levels though i am still quite alright after having diet coke, tea...but if u tell me go drink up a cup of coffee from Mac Donalds...sorry but that will make me feel very terrible.... :spin:

i know that the US used to have this ephedrine (aka ma huang) version of xen and it may not be that good for the body though generates very good effects.

but u must try it urself coz some pple can tahan caffeine. me tak boleh lah...

choc fudge? when i first started lcing...i made my own vanilla icecream and i was trying so hard to poke my teaspoon into the hard surface of my 'ice cream'. since then, i have given up and occasionally grab one ice cream at the mama shop...note that i seldom do so.....maybe these days more coz singapore very hot.

[Rina]

hmmm... jewel.. can i safely said that after i have passed the 2 wks induction, i can be more prudence in my carb intake.. esp if it doesn't affect me?? when you say affect rright.. what do you actually meant by that?? Can try and be more specific??

I am going for buffet tomorrow night... and i am going to have lots of shushi too... :D my fav... Why not one of these days.. we meet out for a buffet dinner... heehee... what do you all think???

[Fumih_81]

mmm food......slurp! where are y'all suggesting? :D

rina, according to the dandr book...once u are over 2 wks u are allowed to up ur carbs......oh well now u've got a problem.....coz u need to find ur ur tolerance carb level (i forgot what they call it inside the book)...mm basically if u still want to lose weight steadily....u got to keep upping bit by bit till u dont lose at all (ie u stay there).

usually people take abt lowest 20g to highest 60g of carbs a day depending on their tolerance. i think mine is best below 25g...but i heard that protein power allows all pp-followers to go abt 55g a day (correct me if i am wrong)....so most of the time i am abt 60g...and can go quite high during festivals...heeee but coz i am abt just 10 kg heavier at then..now i dont know.......

i estimate abt 2 spoonfuls of rice can give u 10g. same as potatoes. drinks wise....erm one can may give u abt 30-40g at one can 300ml. unless u take oolong tea thats much lower. or simply go buy coke light......

but now i dont want to weigh myself anymore...i've got some muscles made from running 2X a wk on treadmill...i take note on my inches.

[Rina]

anywhr is fine with me... you all got any interesting n nice place??/

Jewel, the receipe that you gave us.. you mention1/2 - 1 cup of sweetener.. you are referring to liquida sweetener??? if it is not in liquid form but in powder form, how much do I need to put in?? any idea???

another thing.. I saw Sweet n Low is the new NTUC at Bishan... can I use that?? and the supplement that you mention.. the womenmega and xenderine... what are they taken for??? will it assist weigh lose???

[Fumih_81]

maybe jewelintan has got any good dining suggestions coz jewel only takes halal food...? i anything too~...wahahaha end up all of us go kopitiams...and Ingirl will be experiencing the real Singapore...having to sweat a lot eating good food... :D

Rina, though i live at Bishan but i never really looked at what low-carb stuffs J8 NTUC sells..u just check the carbohydrate contents. think sweet n low shldnt be a problem for low-carbers. i know YEOs chrysanthemun tea now comes with a lower sugar option...not much difference to me...

[jewelintan]

Hai girls!

Sorry for the long absence. Busy week for me *bleah*. Anyways, good to see that we are still talking with each other here! (YAY!). Hmm ... where do I start? I know some good halal buffet places. I used to frequent them alot but not now. Dunno if I can tahan seeing all the sweetie stuff (the tarts, cakes, puddings ALL look soooooo YUMMY!). One place is the hotel next to Lido (opposite Far East Plaza). What's the name now? Hotel Park Royal? They serve good food! YUMS! BTW, I'd attack the salmon sashimi too, Fumih ... heehee.

Rina, sometimes the "unacceptable" food we take may affect weight loss, or not. What I meant is, the DANDR book gave a list of acceptable foods so you ONLY eat what is on the list. Avoid everything else that is not listed. However, everyone's body reacts differently to food. Example, if you eat potatoes (which is NOT on the acceptable food list), you may not gain weight. But for some others, they may put on some weight after eating them. So, like Fumih, I practice discretion. Sometimes I eat more than 20g carbs a day. I'd monitor my weight/inches for a few days to see if the extra carb will make me gain weight. If I keep losing, I know that whatever "sinful" food I eat does not affect my weight loss. I do take note not to eat too often or too much of it though. Sometimes I indulge in some unacceptable foods, but I exercise alot too. I guess it's a win-win thing.

Fumih, I think you're talking about the CCLL ie. Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing which refers to our daily threshold of carb consumption. If you stay below this level, you will experience ongoing weight loss. If you go above it, your weight loss stalls. How do you determine this? You just incrementally increase the qty of carb you eat beyond the salad and one cup serving of vegetables allowed during Induction. Example, increase from 20g to 25g. As long as you keep losing weight steadily, go up another 5g the following week and continue until you reach a number at which you stop losing. That's your CCLL. Above it, you lose no more, or you BEGIN TO GAIN! Below it, you continue to lose. I personally think that if you incorporate exercise, you may be able to enjoy more carbs :).

Rina, the 1/2 - 1 cup of sweetener refers to powder sweetener. I use the measuring cup for baking. Sweet 'N Low, Equal, Nutrasweet are all aspartame-based sweeteners for diabetics. Splenda and Stevia are the same only that they don't contain aspartame.

Women Ultra Mega is a supplement. When you do LC, you have to take supplements. However, WUM contains iron. Xenadrine, Zantrex, etc are weight loss pills. Some contain caffeine so if you're allergic to caffeine, you should avoid them. On the whole, I think they work for some people especially if they exercise. The folks at GNC told me that Xenadrine makes your heart beat fast. I dunno if I want to go through that. Dr Atkins advised against taking weight loss pills when you're doing LC. I was thinking of taking them (like Fumih) but I'd like to hold it off and see if I can just keep losing weight by eating less carbs.

Cheers!

[want2slim]

Hi Everyone. i am from Sg and on my 5th day of induction.

I tried atkins a few years ago and i'm sorry i can't remember what i ate but lost 8 kilos in 2 weeks.

now i am a newbie starting all over again.

the problem here is they don't make it compulsory to list every can how much grams or carbs!

and the meat (cold cuts) like ham or sausagaes you don't know if there is sugar in there.

so many things not available here.

as for the one moving from California (i love it there) to SG,
pls bring some splenda, atkins bars are available here.
i am sure we would all buy some splenda from you =)

i use to throw away buns at fast food outlets but thought i look ridiculous doing that and feel sinful!

i don't eat at food courts, that makes me feel sinful too
atkins is VERY EXPENSIVE diet to do as meats are expensive

I NEED HELP
besides beef, fish, chicken, (i don't like pork altho i'm not a muslim)
eggs what else is there

all the dressing stated are not available here

is philadelphia cream cheese ok?
the one with sour chives, will someone tell me

i do remember on my atkins long ago, i use to buy whiped cream and just spray it into my mouth as i was desperate.!!!!

pls do contact me. we can always meet up for a cosy low carb meeting, only problem is is anyone expert here on low carbing?
not me for sure.

[Juliegilla]

Hi Want2Slim
I'm not an expert by any means, but I have been doing low-carb in Singapore for a while. It's not easy, but it is possible!

Well luckily I can work from home quite a lot so I try to eat most of my meals there. I just cook plain meat most of the time, and eat it with salad, or vegetables with melted cheese, etc.

Sorry, not sure whether you're local or expat in Singapore? If you're local then presumably you will be happy to visit the local wet markets, where you can get very cheap meat! Even if not (I don't go there personally because as an expat I feel I get ripped off!) you can shop at Carrefour or NTUC and still get some quite good bargains on meat.

Labels (or lack of them) are a problem here yes. Personally yI tend to just avoid things like sausages without a label, not just because of the lack of carbohydrate information but because without a label you don't have much of an idea of the quality. It could be 90% floor sweepings! Try to go to a big supermarket where there is a choice of brands and only buy the ones that can be bothered to use proper labels!

Alternatively for sausages if there isn't any choice, then just be aware that they might have carbs and have only one or two, on a day where you haven't already "maxed out" your carb allowance!

Other tips for low carb in Singapore are that at food courts, you can just ask for an extra large portion of chicken rice or whatever, with beansprouts, and just get rid of most of the rice. Or if you are on OWL just eat a few spoonfuls of the rice.

Don't worry about getting rid of the buns at fast food shops! There are people doing much stranger things than that! My personal strategy is to break off the bun in bits as you eat, and drop the small bits quietly into the wrapper. Then you aren't faced with a huge soggy beefburger!

Finally, if you want to venture into some of the 'false' foods, some branches of GNC and Watsons stock quite a good range of the diabetic foods. So you could have the odd bit of diabetic chocolate, cookies, etc. I don't do that personally but I know they are availalbe certainly in the Watsons at Raffles City Shopping Centre.

Good luck!

[want2slim]

HI I'm local AND WET MARKETS? NO NO, they scare me.
i live around town so markets are very far and everything near by is very expensive!
people say atkins you can be creative but i am not a cook!!!
and i get stumped JUSt by the metrics used, one cup, Ounce and all the suggestions of brands unavailable here.

oh by the way whoever that said they can't get the strips, i remember getting them from guardian few years ago.

[Juliegilla]

Well if you don't like wet markets (neither do I) then I would suggest Carrefour (you know, in Suntec city). If you don't have a car (neither do I) then you should be able to get a bus there from most parts of the island. Then you can either get a taxi back with all your shopping bags, or arrange for them to deliver it later (which I think is free)

Don't worry about all the measurements that people use (cups, ounces, etc) if you don't want to. Just get a cheap pair of kitchen scales and weigh everything instead.

Then you can use Fitday.com and enter your foods there to count up carbohydrates, etc. It does still insist on measuring a few things in American cups, but you'll just have to use your best guess!

My understanding is that an American cup holds 8 fluid ounces of liquid. So it's not too hard to estimate how much of a certain food you could get into 1 cup, on the rare occasions where Fitday really won't accept any other measure!

What I would say is just do the best you can. If you don't do the diet perfectly then who cares? As long as you are losing weight at some rate, evenly if very slowly, then don't worry. Bear in mind that by living in Singapore we have challenges that other people in other parts of the world don't (no labels, lots of low-carb foods not available, normal diet of rice and noodles, etc)

So give it a go and just do what you can!

[want2slim]

Hi Julie!
haha wet markets scare you too? too much blood.
yes i have been entering in fitday everyday, i have no idea if i am wrong when i enter coz of the measurements.

I just had a myoplex cookies and cream 3 gm carb for lunch . i know people say it stalls weight loss and not recommended for induction but i need it or risk busting my diet.

and salmon raw for lunch

we will see if it stalls my weight loss. i lose 0.5 kg everyday and if tomorrow i am not losing (its only my 5 day it shouldn't stop so fast yet) means bars are BAD BAD!

=)

how you doing so far on yours? Also you mentioned you eat veggies salad, HOW MUCH of that do you eat? the americans say one cup but i don't know how many leaves that is..heehhe seriously i need help! how many lettuce leaves?

[Juliegilla]

That's funny I had raw salmon for lunch too, with some cheese sticks and a few rapsberries.

Well I've just started doing Atkins again seriously in order to lose a bit more weight. I lost about 16 lbs the first time round, last year, in about 5 months.

Then I pretty much went on to Maintenance, with a few "off" periods when we went on holiday, etc. I kept most of ithe weight off, except about 3lbs.

So about 2 weeks ago I decided that I wanted to re-lose the 3 lbs and also lose another 16lbs if possible. Then I would be at the absolute ideal weight for my height. So that's what I'm trying to do now!

At about 40-50 carbs per day I seem to lose about 1lb a week. I know I could lose more if I cut down the carbs to a lower level but I'm happy doing it this way.

And yesterday I walked round most of Marina Bay so I'm doing okay on the exercise front for once!

Keep in touch!

Julie

[jewelintan]

Hello want2slim & Julie!

It's wonderful to see more people in Sg on this thread (YAY!). Seems like both of you (esp. Julie) are oldhands at LC (Fumih too, if I can recall). I only started in mid-April '03 so I'm a newbie ;). Anyways, as I am a little "kiasu" (local slang for "don't want to lose out"), I try to keep close to Dr Atkins' book. Also, I have a feeling that I will have a tendency to cheat, so I'm strict with myself. In fact, I cheated on Induction a few times (HAHA). Well, eversince I incorporated exercise, I found that I continue to lose weight (or inches). So as I've said in my previous posts, I eat more than 20g of carbs some days but I don't worry too much about it. I agree that it's hard to do LC in Sg, but I'm gonna hang in there. It's great to have buddies to share stories/tips/inspirations with :).

About wet markets, I don't like them either, but my mother does the "marketing" so I'm spared of the daunting task. She gets me fresh and cheap fish, chicken and beef. I don't really like beef so I always end up eating lots of fish and chicken. When I first started LC, I used to eat salads with dressings but now I eat veggies raw (YUMS!). I just love the crunch of raw lettuce. I don't bother too much about cups and such. I just use a medium sized bowl and dump as much leaves it could fit. I usually have 2 of such bowls a day together with my fish/chicken. I'm not creative with cooking either (though I often envisaged myself as the World's Iron Chef ... HAHAHA). To make life easier, I'd pan fry marinated pieces of fish or chicken (I use PAM). I love dory, it's SOOOOO good .... salmon, tuna, I like fish ALOT. My mom sometimes makes chicken meatballs for me or I'd whip up a quick chicken dish (I normally use chicken breast meat). Just a question, when you guys said raw salmon, is this what you get from Cold Storage, sliced into thin slices, drenched in lemon juice and eaten raw? I often wonder what people mean when they say they had raw salmon. I love salmon sashimi ;).

want2slim, if you're losing around 0.5kg a day, looks like you're doing well! I love the Myoplex cookies n cream bars ... they are good! I use my mom's baking cups and spoons for measurements. They are in American measurements so as Julie had said, 1 cup is ~ 8 fl ozs. Maybe you can get those. It's easier than using a weighing scale IMHO ... but still I think most of us can guesstimate.

WOW, I'm happy that there are more Sgeans here talking about LC! Yes, let's all keep in touch here :). It's good to hear from the "veteran" low carbers!

BTW: I throw away the buns from burgers too but I don't feel too bad about ;) ...

One last thing, where did you get the sticks? That was a few years ago? I found something in Guardian a month ago. It's a stick for diabetics but I forgot the name. Not sure if we can use it for the same function. ANyway, I think it's not the most essential thing to me. As long as my body changes, I know that I'm doing the right thing. How about a meet up sometimes?? ;)

[want2slim]

jewelintan, pardon me being kpo are you a chinese muslim?
as for the sticks, I just bought it today. They are out of stock in many places but centrepoint guardian and the guardian pharmacy at..emmm..beside planet fitness (the one where you can stand at the window and watch people exercise)

it cost $28 + for 100 strips so you can test it every time you go pee.
mine was good , it was almost the last 2nd heavy loss of ketones
BUT BUT PLEASE NOTE IT IS NOT A EFFECTIVE INDICATOR OF FAT!
It may mean you are DEHYDRATED.

ITS Called "KETODIASTIX" just ask them "do you have ketostix for a ketogenic diet".maybe it is also for diabetics and the same one you saw as long as that is the namec"ketodiastix" it works fine , for testing ketones in urine!


i'm old 30+ but i think (think only) i have high metabolism because i eat a lot.

breakfast is usually (THIS IS BEFORE ATKINS)
breakfast king meal with a sandwhich, hashbrowns, coffee or orange juice

lunch usually fried stuff like fried chicken and rice (the one at LIDO VERY NICE GARLIC RICE and lemon chicken or teriyaki chicken or sea bass fillet) with a soft drink

Snacks about ONE BIG TUB (a pint of) Haggen Dazs which can last me for 2- 3 daYS THE MOST, Some days i finish one a day. (everyday for 3 days i buy one big tub, after that no money so stop)

Dinner is emmmmmmmm usually rice with some meat

supper is some nice buns or pizza with snickers bar

So you see I EAT A LOT A LOT A LOT for a day so maybe thats why my metabolism is ok but i don't wish to speak too soon. it may die today...

Happy to meet you too and also very kaisu and kaisee. I MEAN if I have to give up my carbs I want to make sure i lose weight and not stall on my atkins you know!

and raw salmon yeah in the japanese section where the sushi is sold, they have either one big chunk or presliced raw one where its prepackaged with soya sauce and wasabi and has a big of radish in it. But if you don't like the look of the presliced raw ones, take the big one, pass it to the chef and tell him 'can you prepare this" and he will prepare'slice it for you, dress it up, and package it and give it backto you nicely. too costly tho.

oh and watch out for the fish. fish is mainly protein. your fats should be double than protein for a good ration.. too much proteins turn into glycogen in the body - thats what "THEY" say.....

too bad you don't live in malaysia or you can buy halal turkey bacon or halal turkey ham. (not real pork of course)

AND JULIE, if you live/work around town like me, that supermarket at Paragon, Marketplace i think is selling blue cheese dressing at $2.10 expires in july but well $2.10 for dressing is cheap. I see you are a financial analyst , then you should be good with numbers and maybe conversion of us standards to ths standards here..hahaha and ooh you are also same age as ME! and same height, well i'm slightly shorter than 5 ft 3.. and oh..anybody like "sex and the city" sitcom, me got season 3 (not the latest but oh well) still something

[want2slim]

copied from a LC forum, haven't tried. very lazy
:daze:
-------------------------------------------------

"Ziploc" Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipe By :RLP1
Categories esserts

1 tablespoon artificial sweetener
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
6 tablespoons Table Salt
3 cups Ice
1 Sandwich Sized Ziploc Bag
1 Gallon Sized Ziploc Bag

(No Ice Cream Maker Needed. It really works, trust me!!)

In the sandwich sized ziploc, combine the sugar substitute, vanilla
extract and heavy cream. Seal the bag and shake lightly to mix ingredients.

In the gallon sized ziploc bag, add 3 cups of ice (or fill half the bag
with ice)and add 6 tablespoons of table salt.

Place the seal sandwich sized bag into the gallon bag and seal the
gallon bag. Shake the entire contents for at least 4 minutes (shake longer
for harder ice cream).

Once desired hardness has been achieved, remove smaller baggies and
rinse throughly with cold water (if you miss this step, you may wind up with
salty ice cream!)

Recipe makes about a 1/2 cup of ice cream.

I have doubled the recipe and it still works well. I am also sure that
you can add additional ingredients (cocoa powder, etc) to create different
flavors of ice cream. Lastly for our friends and relatives who aren't
on low carb diets, they can use milk and regular sugar rather than the
cream and sugar substitute.



417 Calories (kcal); 44g Total Fat; (92% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 163mg Cholesterol; 41924mg Sodium

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

if it works for you, let me know.

[Rina]

Hi want2slim... nice to meet you... I am also quite new to Atkins.. i am 1month old liao... I have been packing lunch to office.. Dinner will be yong tou foo soup if i am lunching out... Juz learn that the salad at coffee bean is quite nice but abit ex.. :D

I have been trying to do some baking using Sweet n Low... have failed. sigh... the artificial sweetener doesn't taste very good.. ;P

Jewe, you mention stevia contain the same ingredient as Splenda is it? Any idea where can I get hold of it?

So when are we going to meet up for dinner or are we waiting for ingirl to come 1st??

[want2slim]

HI Rina, Anybody coming to town (orchard) can send me a mail anytime!I was thinking, maybe it sounds rather foolish or kiddish but maybe we could all go tot he supermarket together and together check out what is low carb. coz seriously one person, becomes forgetful , see something remember, see something else forget.

Maybe we can go to the supermarkets, make notes, show each other what we are or are not missing/ have a day trip visiting certain supermarkets, but PLANNING IN ADVANCE, where to eat for a low carb meal.

Something like that. (sorry I'm not too great with organising things, never have been)

I can't cook or bake, i'm a fast food junkie so i will appreciate expert expertise. :roll:

[jewelintan]

want2slim, it's ok to be kepo, sometimes that's the only way to find out about things (heehee). No, I'm not Chinese, I'm a Malay Muslim (do I look like CHinese in my pic?) ;). Thanks for the tips on the sticks, I'll be looking out for them (just wanna see if I'm spilling ketones ;)). Y'know, I can get halal turkey/chicken bacon and ham here in Sg. At the Cold Storage at Causeway Point, they even have a section of halal meat, cold cuts, even BBQ-ed meat. I've been eating turkey/chicken bacon & ham for breakfast :). Like you, I'm a BIG eater too!. I was telling Fumih and Rina that if anyone blanja me to buffet, sure won't rugi (heehee) ... cos I'll be eating your $'s worth! I love ice cream too! Especially Ben & Jerry's *drool!* ... YUMS!!! Thanks for the LC ice cream recipe. I might try it sometimes ;).

About eating fish, I'm not too worried about over-eating it 'cos fish is chock-full of healthy omega3 fatty acids. There are many reports stating that people who eats more fish (like the Japanese and Eskimos) have lesser risk of heart disease ;).

The idea of going to a supermarket together sounds wonderful! I LOVE supermarkets (heehee). Shall we make a date??? We can then go for a nice lunch together and talk about LC. Anyone game? I go to Orchard frequently because I am a member of Amore and I work out 3 - 4 times a week. Do you gals wanna join Amore too? Exercising is fun when you are with friends :). We can motivate each other!

Rina, you can't get Stevia in Sg either :( ...

[want2slim]

yeah who wanna go supermarket and join amore?
(not me amore) i haven't exercised for as long as forever.
but i did walk around the neighbourhood (got to start small)

and i made enquiries for indoor tanning yesterday
when i lose weight i wanna go for indoor tanning to get a nice new look before i can go outdoor tanning

i can't ever let anyone see me in my swimsuit until i lose weight .
i am fair and wanna be bronzy!and my hobbies are typical movies watching, cosmetics, shopping (ok frankly just LOOKING at nice clothes coz the sexy ones too small for me) etc etc

jewlintan, i just thought your nick sounded chinese haha.do you wear those sexy baju kurong made famous by those women like paula malai ali (dunno how to spell), you know NOT those straight type but got shape type, sort of like the singapore airlines type? well you can when you lose all the weight you intended. how far have you come? :wave:

[jewelintan]

want2slim, walking is sooo good if you are starting to exercise again. How many km do you walk and for how long? Sometimes I walk to and from work. The distance is about 2.4km (one way) and I walk really fast (brisk walking). I normally take about 20 - 25 mins. But nowadays the weather is SOOO hot, I skip walking when the sun is out (pant pant!). Do you think that your sweat smells a little weird? It's not stinky or anything ... just weird. I guess that's all the ketones ;). Hey, maybe you'd consider joining a gym (Amore is fabulous because it's all-ladies, it's good for me 'cos I can take my scarf off when I work out ;)). I find that after about 3 - 4 weeks of LC'ing, I have ALOT of energy. I join a lunchtime step aerobic class at work on Tuesdays and try to go to the gym at work 3 times a week. On top of that, I'd go to Amore (normally for an aerobic class and weight training) once or twice a week. Before LC'ing, I'd be totally exhausted, but not anymore. I feel like I could do more! Oh, and I drink LOTS of water! ;) ...

Wah! Indoor tanning! I wonder what it's like. I am bronze (more like golden brown) all year round ... heehee. Heck, I don't get sunburned anymore, I just get browner. Have you seen Xmen2? I think I must be the only person in Sg to not have seen it :(. No friends to go with and my bf is in the US *sigh*. Well, I'm a stay at home girl anyway. I spend alot of my time reading, watching TV, chatting with my bf on the net, drawing and one of my passion is henna painting. You can see my work here http://www.sito.org/cgi-bin/egads/segads?idonly=jwl

I have those dresses! They are called sarong kebaya. I have the loose ones and the fitting ones. Yes, if you have a good figure, it's a really sexy thing to wear. But since I started wearing the scarf, I don't wear anything too tight anymore ;). How far have I come? I started Atkins on 17 April 2003 weighing 186 lbs (~85kg) and now (as of this morning) I weigh 170 lbs (~77kg). Inches loss is around 18 - 20 all over (maybe more, I haven't been measuring). I stand at 5'5" (~ 167cm) and I have a big, strong frame. If you see me, you'd probably won't think that I'm THAT heavy, I'm just big boned. My goal weight is 130 lbs but that's just the ideal weight for a 5'5" tall girl. I think it's a little unrealistic because if I go lower than 140 lbs, I'd be too skinny. I think I'd be happy to get to 150 lbs. I'd work to lose another 20 lbs for now and see where I'd go from there :). I don't want to be too skinny. Girls should be fleshy at the right places and voluptuous don't you think? ;).

[Rina]

Jewel.. No stevia in Singapore either... sigh.. how to o baking then... :(

I am basically i town most of the time cos I am having night lesson there.. especially Centre point... & lately I have a great passion to shop at supermarkets hoping to find those things... but ...sigh.. not very rewarding....

I am on for the supermarkets and lunch date... but I am working... how about dinner instead? heheeh... I only exercise during lunch hour at my off gym... after that got to do assignments and go for night lesson so i guess amore is not for me.. :(

Btw, want2slim, you mention that we can get KETODIASTIX at Centre point guardian... I went oer today but the only one they got is called labstix and it cost arounf $53 for 100 strips. Where did you exactly get it and how did you tell the counter girl??

[want2slim]

I told the pharmacist i want keto-diastix. "For testing ketones in urine" "for my ketogenic diet"
it cost $28, 100 strips.

I am looking at it now. Brand is Bayer
says "reagent strips for urinalysis"
for ketones, glucose.


I called up centrepoint yesterday they said they have it but i didn ot go to the one at centrepoint found it at the one next to planet fitness. labstix, is not it.
I am pretty sure centrepoint has it because she went to check for me and came back and tell me yes she has it. I even asked her when is the expiry and she said year 2005.

try calling and asking for pharmacist and ask her to reserve one for you. maybe those counter girls don't really know.

[Fumih_81]

fwoah guys!

sorrie manz i didnt notice there were already 2 new pages after my previous post in this thread...

these days i have been spending a lot of time on my new notebook bought from the PC Show at Singapore Expo (currently using it to type this msg)...doing the ethernet networking etc...woah buay tahan.....made me so pissed off...

so anyway i am game for a makan outing...

maybe wanna compile an outing list? then maybe correspond thru email/icq/pm ??

Makan/Supermarket Outing

1. fumih_81




mmm just want to know do most buffets have the halal cert? or which places definitely not halal?

anyone has recommendations for salmon sashimi/low-carb buffets? i know breeks buffet restaurant at marina sq is actually one good place for lowcarb...it is abt 17 bucks per person...i never tried it but my brother did. can eat unlimited portions of meat, potatoes etc...blanja everyone to buffet this place also not bad.

woah jewel, you are very active. sometimes the most i go is 2X or 3X in one week for gym exercising...normally i hang out either at my office gym or bishan public gym... now becoming 1X ...sleepy and busy ah...tak boleh tahan...

jewel are u a full time artist ?

anyway anyone care to do an intro...other than our own low-carb history?

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

Fumih_81 intro

Currently i am working full time as an Interactive Media Designer but mainly taking care of print design. Anyway i am 22 this year hehehe and been low-carbing since 1998. you can say low-carb is on/off always.

since young i always been big...other than inheriting my grannie's endormorphic shape. so basically i am always the odd one out...

my interests include art, music, movies, gym, ktv, sleep, surf web...and prob some IT stuffs ...

mmm in future hope to have the opportunity to study overseas and marry ...wahahahah sorrie currently no bf so i cant think too much abt it.

:wave:

[jewelintan]

Hi hi! Count me in for the outing. When??? Anyway, you guys can always email me. I used to use ICQ but not anymore. I have Yahoo Messenger. Feel free to IM me. My nick is jewel_intan.

Fumih, there are a few halal buffet places here. I don't know there's a Breeks at Marina Sq. I know that the ones in Wisma and Tampines are halal. I'd like to try their food someday. I'd be happy to help myself on the meat and veggies. No potatoes please ... thank you ;).

No, I'm not a full time artist (wish I was!). I have a day job (one that I'm getting tired of) ... but hey, it pays the bills and my school fees ... I'm starting my advanced diploma course in Multimedia Devt in July.

I try to keep myself motivated with exercise by envisaging myself with a slim, sexy, tight body (heehee!). Well, let's just say that I love to exercise. Being fit and healthy is really more important than looking slim and sexy (Thank God that's what you also get from exercising! ;)). I try not to go more than 2 days without exercise (I find that I will start to miss it!).

[shawnee]

10 days into Induction in Singapore

Down 4.5Kg
Blood Sugar dead normal

Any body know where to get low carb pasta or bread in Singapore

I've taken the hint on Shirataki noodles from this thread
Thanks useful info

[Juliegilla]

Just thought I would say that you can get low carb bread in Jasons in Raffles City Shopping Centre.

It's German, so it's called "Diabetik" or something like that.

I bought some once though, and personally I didn't like it at all! Quite tasteless and chewy!

You can also get rice crackers in Jasons, which aren't too bad for carbohydrates as long as you only eat 1 or 2!

[shawnee]

Jason's has Melba toast w/ 2 Grams Carbo's
but never saw the diabetic bread, but I go to Jasons
at Orchard Towers, thanks the tip I'll look

By the way check out thread
'Diet' under 'Social & Entertainment' message
board at www.expatsingapore.com
You'll find it interesting

[jewelintan]

WOOHOOOO!!! Way to go Skank! Congrats on the loss and normal sugar level! I had mine checked 2 weeks ago and it was dead normal too. My doc was on a diabetic diet herself (even though she wasn't diabetic). She was very encouraging of LC (though she said that a little bit more than 20g of carbs a day is ok as long as it's not ALOT more).

You're an inspiration! I think I lost only 6 - 8 lbs in my 14 days Induction period (must be mostly water). I've lost 16 lbs so far. I know that I've not been very good with keeping the carbs low so my weight has not gone down since 1.5 weeks ago. I've been exercising hard too and that might be another reason why I've not lost anymore weight (muscles are heavier than fats). Ohh well ... I hope to see more inches/weightloss in the next couple of weeks. OK, ok ... I will try to keep the carbs below 25g too.

In my endless hunt for lowcarb food, I've still not found any LC pasta or bread here :(. I found some "diet" bread in Marketplace (Jason's?) at City Hall but the nutritional information is all in Swedish/Belgian/Dutch ... some European language .... so I have no idea at all what it says.

Do try Shirataki ... it's really good! Not as tasty as pasta, but good! Could you post your typical daily menu here? If you don't mind! ;) ...

Welcome!

[jewelintan]

WOW .. gotta love that forum ... seems like there are more active lowcarbers talking there ... thanks for the link!

BTW, if anyone wants to get anything from GNC, I will be able to get a 40% discount on all items in July (they have this Birthday month special for members, one time purchase only though). So if you guys want to get anything a little cheaper from GNC, let me know.

Cheers!

[Fumih_81]

jewelintan, where are u taking that multimedia devt course? NP ?

anyway congrats to those people who have managed to shed some kilos off their shaping figures... you go girls!

my bdae is in october, so dont fret for those who miss jewel's july gnc discount hahahhaha... but sickening that gnc doesnt allow members to use the points to minus some dollars away... we got to use the points to exchange for products...so far my amt cant change a decent pdt that i want.

btw i dont like those protein bars ....tasting whey protein seems so weird....

[Rina]

Hi all,

Seem like long time never talk in this forum...

Hmmm... okie... let me introduce myself... I have been working full-time and studying part-time at Inland Revenue Authority of S'pore and uni of Western Aust.. life has been kind of hectic for me ever since I start takg part-times courses... i am curently single and available.. heehee...

So when is our dinner outing on??? Do you think we can arrange it on beginning of jul??? cos my exam ends on the 28th...


Makan/Supermarket Outing

1. fumih_81
2. Rina

fumih.. how much did you pay for your notebook?? what brand izzit??

[Fumih_81]

Rina, you ~ IRAS ah? I'm working quite near you, over ~ MHA....

So you must be checking out often ~ Novena Square....kekek

i am using compaq presario 2100, i bought it at 2299 and with goodies such as hp printer, mini thumb drive and 256mb ram.

[Rina]

fumih.... wat does MHA stands for??? yah lor.. have been hanging out at Novena Sq and United Sq lor...

Wah... tats abit expensive leh... is it better to use a laptop then a desktop??? wat makes you decided to buy a laptop..

[Fumih_81]

mha is ministry of home affairs...

sekali you may look familliar as both of us hang around at novena square often... :p

laptop...first is space constraints...2nd i believe their power is about on par with desktops with regards to graphic creation...and also when i go for courses if they need a laptop...i can grab my home 'puppy'. last time a colleague had to bring his IBM thinkpad for me...quite troublesome for him ah.

[debbie16]

hi everyone! finally found a group of people who are lc'ing in singapore! i thought i was the only one! phew.. finally some people i can relate too. i'm doing something like a modified version of atkins just that cut out some of the fats. and i see other people say lidat can lose weight faster.

so i'll tell everyone abit abt myself la. i last time 57kg that exercise until 48kg. but then old eating habits come back then now i weigh 54. very sad and disgusted about myself now. so decided to eat healthy now. haven't start exercising but going to. 1st few days feeling all the carb withdrawals so abit no energy to work out. will be starting soon.

i also want to join amore leh! but i want to lose a bit more weight first. hee. anot like go there the people will like EEE so fat still come. i want to join pilates. anyone interested in that?

[Rina]

hi debbie..

wah... u motivating me leh..how u managed to change abit of the original atkins???

I abit sianz liao.. so anyhow mix.. heehee.. any tips for me??

btw, u got any idea wat does 1/4cup of watermelon mean???

[Fumih_81]

1/4 cup of watermelon? that is if u chop em into bite sizes n put into a measuring cup...and it makes up only a quarter...think abt 2 tablespoons of chopped watermelons...

but leh cheh lah!!! :cool: anyway usually i just allocate from 10g to 20g per consumption ...those sizes u buy from fruit shops... when u finish lunch with colleagues...

debbie, i am not afraid of the fats. but i do fear fried food nowadays coz it can give me cysts.....i used to love KFC chicken...eat the buddy meal...

hey i heard abt pilates and in fact tried to read what is it abt. but later on hmm guess the interest didnt last that long. i think gym is still quite ok...

salmon salmon i still love you....hahah been sometime since i ate raw salmon fish :D do y'all know that the cold storage at raffles city can help u slice up the item if u choose to purchase a "big" chunk of salmon (sashimi)? i mean usually at the japanese raw food corner u can choose between buying raw chunks and been-cut-nicely-ready-to-eat? i didnt know seriously and i pictured using my little kitchen knife to cut up the chunk in front of my tv. then suddenly there was this chef who 'broke my dreamland' and asked if i need to have the chunk cut. of course i am happy that they do this even if we buy the chunks. and in fact he packaged it nicely just like the ready-to-eats....and much more fish meat compared to same priced ready ones....

i love having big tablespoons of butter into my cream soup... cheese... milk all dump inside...my parents say i ang mo....haha

next week i am invited for a pizza hut lunchie...oh no......

btw anyone planning to study in America? particularly in Columbus, Ohio?

[debbie16]

half cup watermelon? wah lau. half cup eat wad? half cup very little leh. :D

Rina, actually is not i modify the atkins is got this diet existing already. called Stillman's. they say will get into deep ketosis damn fast. then u wun be hungry and normally eat ard 700 calories a day only. its something like low fat low cal low carb. lol. hope lidat can lose the weight faster.

Fumih, u going to study in America? good for u leh if lidat. america seems like a better place to lc. got all the sugar subs and everything. so gooooooooooooood.

[Rina]

fumih... if u going to sudy in America, then can help me get those low carb food like splenda and the baking mixes anot??? i very much wanted to have them but couldn't bear the transport charges.. sigh... btw, are u a muslim or u can eat anything under the sun??? Cos i been to breks. the one at MS is not halai... I am look forward to our meetg where we can shop and eat togther..

hey, since we worked so close together maybe we can meet for lunch someday.. heehee.. wat do u think??

Debbie... u in novena area??? can join us also.. :D

[debbie16]

no la. i not live in novena. i live in pasir ris. :) ya lor. fumih, if u go there also help me leh. i always want to get those splenda, atkins bake mix, da vinci syrups and pork rinds. eh, rina, if fumih send den we share the transportation cost leh. cheaper leh.
ivery jealous of those ppl in US leh. so unfair. so ez for them to low carb there. how come they got all the things we dont haf? :mad:

[debbie16]

hey. how come nobody 1 huh? all disappear? i come at night den always see no one in this singapore forum leh. all u guys come at night or when? tell me leh den i can come join also or else only me leh. very sian.

[Rina]

Ops... i usually ome during night time cos got to work during day time mah...

[debbie16]

then the rest of the people leh? i read the last time all the posts den like here very crowded leh. now like so quiet lidat.

[anouska]

i'm moving to m'sia and i'd love to know where i can get turkey bacon and ham in KL. apparently they're not readily available in supermarkets. (a friend actually told me she's only ever seen beef bacon on restaurant menus, and the only bacon she's seen at supermarkets is pork bacon.)

thanks in advance. :)

[shawnee]

Had my 1st major setback since starting this diet one month ago over the weekend & it should be educational for anyone reading
I went to the "Brazilian" party on the East Coast & Sat night & consumed only water. On the way home we stopped by Newton to show my brother-in-law who is visiting & going home soon anyhow based on this diet I thougt I was safe having some grilled chicken wings w/o using the chili sauce & some soda water. WHAT A MISTAKE.

The next morning even after about a 3KM early morning brisk hike at McRitchie my weight was up one kilo & blood sugar reading highest since I started the diet.

The damn things must have been basted over & over whole grilling w/sugar based sauce. Today is Monday & I've almost pulled the weight back off by being careful what I ate & exercising like hell yesterday but the blood sugar is much slower coming back down.

Moral of the Story: WHEN LOW CARBING DON'T TRUST HAWKER FOOD.

I have been able to eat out w/Caesar Salads (w/o croutons) Steaks, even a bunless Grilled Chicken at BK w/o any adverse effects but the hawker food was like deadly poison.

Live & Learn, Never Again

[debbie16]

wah skank, u sound very angry leh. like screaming at the top of your voice. :eek: ya. hawker centre those bbq wings confirm got sugar 1 ma. u see the skin brown until so nicely. they got brush honey over it one. i also don't eat in hawker centre, not until i reach my goal weight then slowly add back rice and bread because i think in singapore its impossible for me not to eat rice forever.

anouska, i am in singapore so i've pratically no idea as to what turkey bacon or ham they have in KL. maybe u want to ask those i malaysia. good luck!

[Fumih_81]

eh oh sounds like the words here are getting more and more singaporean...dont play play ah...hahahah :nono:

anyway to me hawker food or any food that is not cooked by you yourself (yes you! then who else lah....) is not 'safe' ....i mean yeah do take note about the carb content, but take it easy when you knew you made mistakes.....just tahan for a wk with stricter LCing and you will see yourself off the plateau.

in fact right now i am very relaxed about carb contents on my plate. just like what debbie said, it is rather impossible not to have rice in sg. but i mean all of us when we get more experienced we know what to do 'in the face of emergency'. btw, today i was treated to pizza lunch at united square....

in fact, i am very famous for leaving carbs behind and my colleagues knew that i will always leave behind a handful of noodles or rice when i order laksa, or vege/meat/rice....no matter how small the portion is. one time i was lunching at a kopitiam and the serving was small....my colleagues must have a lot of ????? when i seemingly couldnt 'finish my noodles'. later on i grabbed a piece of honeydew.

heyy skank, now the reservoir attacker incident is hot...so be careful when u go running or brisk walking at those ulu areas.

with regards to a meet up...these few wks i shld be busy... what about in August?

[Rina]

Fumih... aug is fine with me... how abt eating buffet at merchant court hotel??? heard that they serve sashimi also and as a hotel, i shld be halai certified... btw, r chinese or muslim huh??

[debbie16]

ya lor i agree with fumih. skank, u go jogging better becareful. but anyway, the macritchie so dark and so ulu, why the girl jog there? she don't think dangerous meh?

i feeling very low todayy...... i think i ate 1 year worth of carbs today! my friend got party, then eat cake, eat some chips, nuts, then drink soft drinks. NOW SO BLOATED! helpppppp... :cry: but whats done cannot be undone.. so strict induction from thursday onwards. next wednesday going to my friend's condo's gym. going to weigh in and record. hope i can lose weight! very sad. can see my stomach so bloated. so bloated until can't drink water. :Party: feel like my stomach like the balloon going to burst anytime. :lol: its time to :stop: loading on on carbs already.

You all going to meet up in August? can i go? post the time and date and i see if i can go also. :D

[Fumih_81]

rina, i ate once at merchant court. oh well not bad for the durian paste and the crayfish.. but i was rather disappointed with the salmon sashimi... it was also not cut in the right way...just bits and pieces cut by an inexperienced or non-japanese cuisine chef. talking abt hotel standards! and the wasabi is kinda weird that it doesnt taste good on the overall. and one thing, i kept drinking water after it. my family members too...

if y'all dont mind keep going back to the sashimi chef in the buffet booth...i suggest plaza parkroyal hotel at beach road....so far the best i have ever ate...though it is rather costly at $26-$28 per person for dinner...

i heard the roxy hotel at marine parade is now managed by an ex-mgr from merchant court hotel...abt the same foods...sashimi and it is cheaper. but i never tried it.

i am chinese...last time i used to avoid beef only at home coz my dad told me we are Buddhists. Since then i have decided to be my own free thinker...i ate beef again...basically i dont have any food limitations. but i tend to have skin breakouts when i eat those heh bee (dried prawns).

debbie, i can guarantee that u can get out of the so called one-year-worth-of-carbs plateau so long you spend one wk religiously into induction. :doah:

hmm what abt 10th August ...after the National Day holiday?

[Rina]

Hi fumih n debbie.. tentaively 10 Aug is fine with me.. :D i went merchant court once but tat was quite long ago... so cant really remember things in details... I also went to this parkroyal once.. n its nice.. although abit on the ex side.. but i guess since its our 1st time meetg up... maybe price shouldn't be tat much of a consideration... iso.. i am fine with tat idea... :D

Debbie... how abt u?? wat u think??? Tat one yr of carb tat u have consumed.. i guess u must really go back on the induction ... abit hard but no choice lor... :D

[lngirl]

:) Hi ladies, I've been away awhile and it's so nice to see you all are getting together. I guess I will have to learn some new words, because after catching up on the posts I had no idea what some words even were. This is going to be fun. Looks like I'll arrive in Sg about August 8 or 9. Seems like everyone likes sashimi especially the salmon. Oh no, I like my fish cooked :cry: Someone wrote and asked me about bringing over some supplies. I have an interview next week with my relocation advisor and will see if that's allowed. I know I offered and will try, but have to follow their rules so they don't throw all my stuff out. I live near Sacramento in California and it's hot here, but not so humid. But I was reading about the "odors" and I was experiencing the same so changed to Mitchem deodorant and it seems to be helping. Am looking forward to this new adventure. Don't worry about throwing out the buns, I do it all the time. There is one burger place here called In and Out and they make burgers protein style and use lettuce instead of buns. Love them.. When I eat pizza I just eat it all but the crust, some people think it's wasteful, but I tell them it helps me control my blood sugar which is true. I'll try to check this forum more often, it's great to see all the suggestions. lngirl (aka ellen)

[debbie16]

Ingirl: if you're coming on the 9th of August its going to be our national day! LOL. great timing. err.. could you help me bring over some splenda and da vinci syprups? TIA

[Fumih_81]

sing song....mari kita rakyat singapura sama sama...~ happy National day in advance

oh well Ingirl, keep us updated so that we can have a meet up =)

[frogger]

Just want to say hi!

A bit about me, I tried low carb last april (for one month only) with promising results but somehow just could not keep it up b/c of lots of traveling. Anyway, have decided to start again today. Hope to hear from others doing LC in singapore, Thanks.

-mm

[debbie16]

good to hear you had good results on it. keep up with the good work.

[RabbitLee]

Hi. In case u've got trouble looking for Keto-Diastix.
You may find them at the Guardian Pharmacy ~ IMM.
S$28.40 per box/100 strips.

[debbie16]

wah rabbit. u so skinny still need to lose weight? how long have you been low carbing?

[RabbitLee]

Hi Debbie,
Officially I just started LC diet yesterday (21/7). Past weeks, I have taken the wrong food, I have included grapes/watermelon/honeydew in my dieting list, which I later found out that I am not supposed to do so. SOoo..gotto start all over again.

I am not extremely skinny..abit fleshy at certain part and anyway like most girls/ladies I don't mind to be very slim!

[RabbitLee]

Can any1 share with me what's the feeling like during induction period? Weak? Dizzy? etc?

[debbie16]

when i was on induction 1st few days very tired. den always very sleepy. after that should be okay.

how old are u ?

[Fumih_81]

hey rabbitlee...dont get too skinny...not that good too...i mean everyone knows not to go to the extreme of being perfect looking....or to fit into ur bf's ideals.....heck care them lah!

last time my goal is to look as slim as possible. but as time passed by...i want to stop chasing after the ideals....i want people to know that i am an individual...i dont look like one of the barbie dolls on the shelf. (if y'all saw the nikon girls contest on magazines, you will understand my theory of 'barbie dolls')

yes i am still overweight...yes my waist is still at 31...yes....i still look rounded.... but i mean i grew to like the way i am....and i am proud to say this is ME. i am on LC because I want to be healthy... beauty isnt the top priority though i also wanna look presentable...

eh ....anyone still interested in August meet up? Any date and venue suggestions?

[RabbitLee]

Hi Debbie and Fumih,
Thks for replying and pleasure to know both of u!
I'm 27 (abit old lah)...kekee
Sure, I will not go overboard and starve myself, not to worry. I tried to do diet the healthy way, I have been taking up cardiomix (aerobic + boxercise) and body sculpt! Very fun!!
Btw, can we take grapefruits during induction period? How about the black Melon Seeds that we normally eat during Chinese New Year?

[RabbitLee]

Btw, how is 'stillmans' different from 'atkins' diet?

[debbie16]

no. no fruits allowed on induction. but after that you can have them.
stillman's is different in that you don't add fats into your food. so u kind of like eat hard boiled eggs instead of fried eggs. steam fish instead of fried. u get the picture? also, no vegetables and fruits allowed too.

[Fumih_81]

ewww i didnt know abt stillman's ....but i definitely need some butter with my foods...

currently anyone a gym member? any good gym reccommendations?

[debbie16]

i not gym member but i thinking of joining amore some time in aug or sept. its a ladies gym so i think its better. nice meh butter? i know atkins can have butter but i still can't accept the taste leh. hahaha.

[Rushamonie]

Hi there everyone,

Just an introduction of myself. I just started the Atkins diet yesterday. Was looking for a support group of sorts. I have to admit that it is not easy. I have a terrible sweet tooth and give in to chocolates easily. Praying for will power to stick to the diet.
I have been following this forum for sometime and am amazed by the will power that some of you have. It even seems fun to some.
Oh I do go to the gym regularly. I started about 2 months back and go about 4 times a week. However going to the gym did not result in any weight loss. That is why I decided to start on the Atkin's diet.
I have tried all sorts of diets before. From slimming gels, to slimming pills and even the cambridge diet. They all do not work as I snack too much.
Do you have this same problem? How do you get over it?

All the best.. =)

[debbie16]

okae, let me introduce myself too. u're toking to a big time snacker here. i used to have a eating disorder. many people didn't believe that eating disorder happens in asian countries but i used to be a compulsive overeater and anorexic. i would buy lots of chocolates, potato chips and hide them in my room and when no one is looking, i'll eat and eat. i didn't know when i was full. i tried to make myself purge but i couldn't so i became anorexic. everytime i binged i would 'fast' (starve) myself for 2 days and the cycles begins again. also, i took laxatives but i know i wasn't losing fat but just water weight but i became dependent on them so i'm still taking them. i can take up to 6 pills a day. well, dats basically my story. i've been on and off atkins because of my compulsive overeating disorder. my family doesn't know of my eating disorders because i guess i hide the food well. lol. because i know i've ruined my metabolism, i decided to try atkins out. when i don't do atkins, i at least try to stick to the carbohydrate addicts plan. it has a reward meal which i can eat everyting i wan in a n hour. tomorrow is wednesday, and i intend to start fasting again. (not anorexic but trying to detox)

Rushamonie, i realised we have something like the same goal, so maybe we can encourage each other or something. good luck.

[Fumih_81]

i have tried various ways too...and trust ourselves...Atkins/Low-carb is still the best way to curb the problem....

the weirdest form of weight loss i tried is using this kind of slimming patch that sticks to my skin....it said to help slim down with adequate exercise. i gave up.

anyone noticed and tried this new slimming water endorsed by kym ng? anyone tried extrim? i think extrim is quite similar to the thermogenics sold at GNC stores. i never bought extrim, but i saw the ingredients....agar agar figured out...

do y'all realize that each time when u go off n back on the low-carb wagon, y'all find it harder to lose? now i rather up a bit more, make myself less restricted...rather than going for a carb binge.

wow debbie, you could tahan for 2 days? think if i missed a meal, the next meal i can swallow a cow =P

[debbie16]

hahahaha. i will do anything to lose weight but not to the extent to chop off my arm or something.

and about going off and on the low carb wagon, ya, i think after sometime it becomes more difficult to lose.

tomorrow is sunday and i going to start fasting. all water and nothing. lol. must have the will power!

[Rushamonie]

Hi there again,

Debbie, thanks for the support! The thing is that I think we should start thinking more in terms of healthy eating through the atkins. I think it is the best way to get out of our various eating disorders. It is amazing how you managed to fast for 2 days. I would be walking around like the living dead.

As for going on and off the low carb wagon, I have not been able to stay on it long enough to consider my attempt a start. I crave for a bit of crunch and sweet so much. It's tough. Sometimes I resort to taking one biscuit just to make myself happy. It works for my mood but not for the diet though.
So as you can tell, I am going to start with the diet on a clean slate all over again. =p

About Extrim, I have tried it before. The first few days I went to the toilet so much, my bum hurt. Then after a while I think my system got used to it. Is Extrim a thermogenic? I was thinking of getting Hydroxycut from GNC since I have been exercising everyday and think it would help. But I have no idea whether how effective. It does cost quite a bit. I was reading about it on some other website. It warns against consuming it if you have a family history of heart disease and thyroidism. My family history has both that is why I have been hesitating. Do any of you take it even though you have a family history of heart disease and such? Do thermogenics work?

I just had dried dates for lunch (so much for low carbing yah?). But I will be disciplined for dinner!!

[debbie16]

well don't be so hard on urself. be thankful its dried dates and not something else like i did. lol. i ate a bun and some chocolates. den i took laxatives again. tried to make myself purge but couldn't so i'm drinking alot of water now.

[Fumih_81]

hydroxycut isnt that effective. xenadrine shld be better.

[cute_buppy]

Hi

Just started my LC program today.

Did not it was so hard!! esp. to avoid carbo! outside food is all carbo...rice, noodles...

How do you do it? Practically impossible unless u cook yr own food.
Any advice? What hawker food is low carbo?

Hope i can stay on to the induction for 2 weeks!

[Fumih_81]

cute_buppy. welcome!

to be frank, it isnt easy. in fact it worked for me best when i was waiting for poly entry. i lost the biggest amt of weight during that time coz i could afford to eat at home.

i feel that after induction (if this is possible)...dont deprive urself too much carbs. basically it is better to up bit more rather than getting i-cant-stand-it-i-am-going-to-binge-now...

i find myself addicted to meat and fats. and seems like every meal i will need em...~ if not i wont feel right...

so how's Extrim right now? is it really effective? hmm actually to say, i upped my carbs quite a bit and thermogenics mainly stabilize my insulin levels. not much on the inches. but i wont like a pdt that eliminates any fat...~

[debbie16]

so hows everyone? happy national day!

fumih, u're looking great! you've come a long way and u go ger!

[alfred_62]

Hello guys i am from singapore too!
Can you guys pm me the list of food that you eat everyday?
I am a newbie here :yay:

I have only found some foods that i can eat.
eggs
cheese
ham
corned beef
tuna
salmon

By the way can i have soy sauce?
I need it for fish, chicken or pork.

Also i can i eat those starch, corn flour that my mom use to fry foods

[debbie16]

corn starch, flour all this cannot. and becareful when your mum fry vegetables. cos sometimes maybe got add sugar to 'balance' the taste. my mum last time fry den add sugar and i was thrown out of ketosis. BEWARE. hahaha.

hmm.. all kinds of fish, seafood, sashimi, some like to cook with butter so maybe get that, olive oil, frozen chicken wings. OMG. deep fry them. yum yum. finally realised deep fried chicken wing won't make u fat but remember don't put breading, ground beef, mayo. try to get hellmann's or best food. the sugar is negligible so don't worry it'll throw you out of ketosis. don't forget vegetables.

good luck on your low carb journey.

[cute_buppy]

Aiyo... i ate all my food with breading.

Oh no.

Anyway I also cheated on my induction. Had some rice and noodles. Can't really avoid them if u eat out. Even if eat western food, they also got put sauce and there might be sugar in it.

So i am restarting this week. But will be cooking all my food. Hope i can last out the 2 weeks again....

But weekend got my fren's baby full month buffet....
In such cases, how do you all avoid the "bad" carbo?

[debbie16]

when u eat western food can tell the person dun put sauce jux fry the beef steak or smthing. when i eat western food outside i also tell the person jux deep fry the spring chicken and don't put breading. dey don't really bother (it saves them money) hahah.

when i'm invited out i eat at home b4 going so i know everything i eat is 'legal'. but if you like going to buffet i think they will haf chicken wings dis kind of thing but i think got breading so maybe can peel off the skin or smthing. jux try not to eat those food wif sauce, they probably got sugar and corn starch

oh ya. coleslaw all got sugar 1. so becareful when u eat outside. kfc one also haf.

[cute_buppy]

even if they dun put breading, i suspect they will put flour one... otherwise the it will splatter big time when put into hot oil.

good idea...may be makan at home first. What if the chicken wings they marinated with some sugar in the marinate liquid?

sigh....hard to go on low carb. I love veges somemore....thats makes it even harder....tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, brocoli, onions, peppers...i love to eat lot of those.

I read from somewhere that some pple on the low carb diet might get gout. Is that true?

Last time i went health check up, i have on a slightly high uric acid....this means i eat too much protein. This is bad as it might lead to gout for me.

Does it mean this diet is not for me? I am a bit concerned here....

[debbie16]

ditto for the chicken wings, dats y i try to eat those fried food outside taking away the breading. also, i try to avoid eating those char siew, stewed duck, the roasted chicken from hainanese chicken rice cos i think in the marinate dey got add sugar or else wun brown so nicely when roasted.

i'm not too sure about gout but i've read forums about ppl with gout and none complain atkins caused or worsened their problems. plus, for so long, ppl haf been bad mouthing atkins saying too much protein can be fatal for you liver or kidney but it has been proven untrue and does not do any damage at all, if this were the case so many americans would have died of atkins.

but if you're scared i think its better to check wif ur doctor. safer also. tell him u're on atkins or a ketogenic diet and see what he has to say.

[Fumih_81]

good day guys...how's your National Day wkend? :dazzle:

Alfred, welcome. Anyway if you are beginning to list down what you can eat...it is going to sound very restrictive...why not make it this way....have a bit of those slight higher carb foods...but make it little.

foods like soy sauce, corn starch is actually not too bad....just note on how much is added and how much you take...to say, I am actually quite thankful even if a party serves marinated chicken wings...thought laden with some sweety stuffs...at least it is the best thing I can have.

cute_buppy...it is a goood thing that u love chewing veges! in fact i dont really like veges...so just go more for non-starchy veges....it is ok coz other diets such as protein power advises to minus the fibre carbs away...and u get little carbs for chewing lotsa veges! way to go!

debbie...i will never go into details with the western food seller....all i tell the seller is that 'no buns pls'.....breading, fries....heee i admit i am quite relaxed now about such...

last time i went for my friend's baby one yr old birthday party...there were indeed lotsa "dangerous areas". but fret not....i mean just try to focus on those proteins...no one can force u to take rice/noodles at a buffet! and u can take as much proteins you like! yeah....maybe birthday cake no excuse....mmmmm just finish half or finish it if small enuff... and tahan for the next week hahahah to be back into ketosis.

talking abt mayo......i find that except for jap mayo....all other mayos SUCK! my fav Kraft mayo had been sweetened that i didnt wanna touch it anymore! :cry: today i was browing at Bishan NTUC Liberty section. found this garlic mayo and noted that sugar isnt one of the main ingredients. hmm not too bad tasting...anyone knew of non-sweet mayo????

so anyone still keen for a low-carbers meet up?

[cute_buppy]

Yah, Fumih, i bought the garlic mayo also from NTUC too !!!
It is quite nice esp. with lettuce and japanese cucumber, + pieces of butter pan fried chicken + herbs + onions + green pepper. Yum. That was my lunch today. :)

Dinner however, i cheated....again.... :P

Getting tired of chicken however. Mayb tomorrow will be tuna + salad.

keke....

I dont think I can go through the induction phase though...like u say Fumih, i have adopted the eat little carbo (eat 1 or 2 mouthful of rice etc) but more protein + vege.

Hope that with this way of eating, i dont get fatter though...its like neither here nor there.....hahaha

By the way, what do u all eat for breakfast? I think the only think i can eat is eggs.... what else can u eat as breakfast? I am always stuck and ended up eating nothing...which is not good. Any recommendations?

[debbie16]

cute_buppy, actually i think if you're not hungry why eat? hahaha. jux eat lunch and make sure u dun go wifout eating for 6 hrs upon waking. i dun eat when i'm not hungry. i probably only eat 2 meals a day since school has reopened. i eat lunch in sch, jux some fried eggs and chicken meat and dinner is chicken meat and some veggies. :P

[debbie16]

yea. i'm still keen on the low carbers meet up but i think i can only meet up at the end of september. is that alright? thats the only time i'll be free. :(

[Fumih_81]

yeah usually when i buy beef cubes and some lamb from NTUC, usually i will chop them into bite size cubes...split them into meal portions...and i will cook them in a simple way for breakfast and even lunch...just that if u fear ur colleagues are watching you....add more veges around the meat...hehehe

hmm other than meat, can try nuts (i dun like nuts)...mmmm seaweed, mushroom crisp snacks, ikan bilis, meat jerky.....

i think all my colleagues knew i love western food...i ate chicken chop again for this week.

[Fumih_81]

oh btw anyone into 'extracting' the meat from any hamburgers? got any interesting techniques to share?

usually i will just take the non-sticky/cheesy part of the burger...place it over the other half of the bun...try to cover it up as much as possible, before my teeth sinks into the meat pattie....

used to kena 'ketchup nose' ...whenever i do that...or maybe 'mushroom swiss nose'....

KFC just came up with many many coupons...yumm!

[debbie16]

lol. i'm loving the straits times nowadays. i've kfc, burger king and macdonalds coupons. heh.

when i go macdonalds and buy those double cheese burger i tell them dunwan the ketchup. den after that i'll look around, if nobody watching den jux throw away the bun. anot i use the bun to cover myself from jux eating the meat. hehe.

[cute_buppy]

its great that they have coupons ( i have all of them too... AND I LUV BURGER KING!!! YUMMY BEEF PATTIES ) ... but den they always come with soft drinks or fries which is a waste....

keke...now i just buy the food back home and push the drinKs or fries to my brothers.... hahaha :P

[alfred_62]

guys how do you eat the chicken?
take off the skin and crispy part?
btw can eat burger king's mushroom swiss?
are there any hidden carbs?

[debbie16]

:bash: :rolleyes:

[fairday]

Hi everyone!

I don't know abt what goes on in Singapore, but I read some posts on the American threads, seems like KFC chicken is marinated with sugar (it's one of the secret ingredients) and even if u remove the skin the sugar has been absorbed by the meat. Guess it's not safe to eat it..

I think chicken chops are a better bet.. I always tell the pple I only want fries and no sauce, so i dont get this gooey mess i have to avoid when I'm eating only the chicken.

Burger techniques.. hmm. Tricky if u r eating w friends, but otherwise, who cares, I just dump the top, scrape of the tomato sauce and use the bottom to hold my patty.. I won't usually suggest a burger place when w friends tho.. eating at Long Johns' is alrite.. cuz now they have this grilled fish n salad set and I can easily avoid the fries.

For marinating I've been getting garlic salt and some chicken spice blend from mckormick. Think those work fine!! Been adding cheddar cheese (those sold in a block) to my veggie/meat soups and it is really good!

Other goodies I love include the house brand sausages at Jason's.. checked the ingredients, no starch or sugar and very nicely fatty.. and yummy of course..

And what do u guys use for sweeteners? I dont care been using aspartame (seems to b alrite for me) and been whipping up the mock danish recipe. It will curb any cravings really.. and is incredible with lots of butter.

Till then..

[fairday]

Btw just went to Breeks buffet yesterday.. thought it wld be a good idea but NO! The meats like beef n lamb taste good only w the sauces, which looked like they've been thickened w cornflour or smthing.. :( Ah well... I could deal with it but watching my friend have those sinful brownies w fudge and ice cream nearly did me in! Bad idea, Breeks!

[Fumih_81]

Alfred, I guess we gotta be glad, at least we can scrap off most of the carbs that's laden onto the fastfoods here...so it's ok to have the mushroom swiss patty (note: i am talking abt the patty)...

chicken-wise...if you eat it with the crisps...it should cost you like 30-40g of carbs in just one piece...thats according to a carb counter book I bought.

Fairday, we cant avoid the carbs even if the meat is marinated with just soy sauce...it has got slight carbs in it as well...I didnt really have much problems with KFC (without most of the crisps if possible)...

Lots of butter? Thats my favourite too...so what brands do y'all like? Currently I am using SCS butter...it's cheaper...but my ultimate favourite brand has got to be this Danish butter but right now i cant recall its name... I know it sells for $2.50 and has either salted or unsalted versions.

My brother likes Breeks Buffet...I have not tried it myself...hmmmz and he said the mash potato was really wonderful.......slurp~

[bunni]

hi everyone, im new here :)
tried to start atkins but erm cheated after 3days !!
feeling so demoralised ... jus not used to not having carbs ..
shall start again tomorow!
yeah i find it hard to LC in SG, coz buying meat is so expensive and erm not much variety , its like chicken or fish , beef is expensive .. and i dont really like pork ..
and i wld like to know how long does it take to get into ketosis? i think i was getting impatient after 3days heheh that nothing is happening so i faltered!
im studying n working so i do not have much time to exercise =(

please help!
thanks =)

[cute_buppy]

Hi everyone

i went for my fren's month old baby lunch yesterday.... arrrrr....not that I cannot resist the carbs...but my fren's parents made the glutinuos rice and the "angkukueh" and was proudly announcing to everyone and asking everyone to eat!!! some more they know me from very young....

So .... u know what happened...
If dun eat, old pple sure not happy. then when u want to just eat a tinsy winsy bit also cannot, bcos they are watching and they might get offended if u do not finish it....

so, there goes my diet....

oh well....

Anyway, had my major leg cramp last sat. read that pple on atkins get leg cramps. I had never had leg cramp and that was my major leg cramp.
Anyone had this too? ( up til now still pain )

terrible weekend, huh?

[Fumih_81]

nvm lah buppy, if the elders ask you to wolf that ang ku kueh down...bo bian...just go back on induction for a wk to get back on track...it is ok...last time i used to freak out about having to wait for one wk...but it is better that i end up not low-carbing.

i made a big mistake last time when i tried to reset the ketosis process by taking lots of carb..because i reached a plateau and i couldnt lose on the scales. and Atkins actually warned abt this method that low-carbers can go haywire, though this was suggested if nothing else worked. indeed, that made me a non-lowcarber for almost a year and it affected the rest of my efforts (the next few years to say) :angel:

despite low-carbin on/off for so long, i still have soft spots for bee hoon, potatoes...but i will only take them occasionally now. a few mths back i was really relaxed on the carb count and i bought myself a pkt of bee hoon every wkday morning.

i will only get leg cramps when i swing my left leg too hard in the swimming pool. or when my room air con gets too cold, my leg will get cramps when i toss around on my bed.

oh yah forgot to say, now i find myself thinkin less of salmon sashimi... i am now on higher protein intake. today's lunch i only took a small puff of rice for 'show'...my colleagues were like huh????, and end up that puff wasnt eaten but 'played around with' (pai seh) ...so to look as if i have taken some rice. :lol:

[Rina]

Hi frens...

Long time no see... Have been real busy... and don't know for what reason, I seem to have stopped receiving emails notifgying me that you guys have made some posting on the forum...

Fumih.. I am becoming more like you liaoz... less calculative on the carbs... I will give myself some 'rewards' hahaha... esp peanuts.. which is my fav... luckily.. my weigh does not goes up... :D

So confirm that we are meetg up in end Sep?? or if you all don't mind, we can meet once this month and another nxt month...

Btw, I talked so much... you all still remember me anot???


Regards
Rina

[cute_buppy]

Hi bunni

Honestly i also dunno if i got into ketosis or not.
BY right if u follow the induction diet in Atkins, u should be in ketosis by 2 weeks. Unless you are one of those terribly "hard" ones.

This is my third week into the Aktins diet. So far I have not been super strict, except on the sugars part...I still eat quite alot of vegetables in the allowed list( even if it is supposed to be restricted to 3 cups). So as far as i know, i do feel better, more energy and less cravings.

I read in the previous postings that u can check if u are in ketosis by buying those strips that can test in Guardian. Mayb u can check that out.

another lapse today....ate potato cake in mee hoon soto... cant resist it...arrrggggghhhhhh ( but luckily mee hoon can still resist )

[bunni]

thanks buppy =)

but i hv yet to stay on induction for 2 weeks =(
super lack of discipline!!

n i cant seem to find the atkins new diet revolution book anywhere!
but i jus gotten my hands on the south beach diet book from the library .. sounds much better than atkins, coz its less restrictive =)

ohwell ...

[Rina]

Hi bunni...


I happen to saw Atkins new Revoluntion Dietbook at Kino... the one at Taka.... Its near to the escalator (the one opp Zara)... think its selling $17plus....

[bunni]

oh great! =)

thanks rina! i shall go check it out !

[Fumih_81]

ello everybody...

yeah hopefully we can arrange for an outing this Sept...

south beach diet...hmmmz in fact i think for those pple more relaxed on atkins and not taking high fat are considered under south beach diet grp...but i am not coz i still want my butter.

i admit manz..yday and thats saturday. i purposely went to eat bee hoon for breakfast in office. thats one of my soft spots..kkekeke but i wont regret it ....anyway today i just went for a ktv session and had more illegal carbs hehehe....later on i went over to Chomp Chomp ~ sgoon Gdns makan....had stingray, hokkien mee (a few mouthfuls), chicken wings and carrot cake (a few mouthfuls as well)....

i had some chicken wings for takeaway...and none of my family members is interested in it...right now 2 wings are lying on the kitchen table..prob later i will finish them. sigh monday blues...

bunni, have u ever realised if your breath had began to smell different? thats one good indication of ketosis.

[lngirl]

:wiggle: Hello all,
Well I've been here in Singapore for two busy weeks, trying to find my way around and exploring a little. What a nice place to visit. What a hard place to low-carb..... :cry: How have you all been doing it? I've been low-carbing very well for a long time now, but in two weeks I've blown it more than any other time. The only thing saving my blood sugar is I'm having to walk a little more. :lol: Went to the wet-market in Little India on Sat ooooh, vegies were great, but didn't buy any meat, will have to continue with the grocery stores for that. Laksa is really good, but hard to leave the noodles. So many things I don't recognize, what do you all think about eating the many varietys of tofu? I'm thinking it's not too bad, but it seems most everything has sugar. And guess I've been spoiled because I can't find any caffeine free diet sodas. So have been drinking diet coke. I'll have to go thru the whole caffeine withdrawl thing again. Well it's good to be here, sorry I wasn't able to include any sugar free syrups and substitutes, they told me no food import, but then I go thru customs and no one checks at all. But better safe than sorry.. Where is Jasons? Sounds like they have good meat variety from someones post I read. I've been to Media under the Otani, really nice, but really pricey it seems. Mostly been shopping at Shop & Save but looking for ideas. Nice to be here...
Ellen

[bunni]

i jus bought the atkins new diet revolution book from kinokuniya today!
the latest version cost 6 bucks more than the prev one!
kindof bored reading it! coz most of the info could b found on the atkins website..
i find the south beach diet book more interesting to read .. less wordy .. the recipes are definitely more delicious than atkins!
but other than that .. both are based on the same low carb premise ...

fumih .. just how bad is bad breathe?

[debbie16]

:cry: :cry: :cry: yesterday i went off low carb! my colleagues bought mooncake and i love the sticky texture of the lotus paste. cannot resist! ahahaha. :nono: but nvm, learn from my mistake, not worth getting out of ketosis for a piece of mooncake and it didn't really taste all dat good. :daze:

bunni, the bad breath isn't all dat bad (at least mine isnt) hehe.. when i 'HAH' i know it stinks. lol. dats a good indicator for me.

Ingirl, singapore is not called a food heaven for nothing. lol. but if i were you, (not trying to stray u away from atkins) but i would maybe go off carb a little and try the good food here. like the hainaese chicken rice (jux maybe take a few mouthfuls of the rice would do), prawn noodle, char kway teow.. omg, i'm surprised when i'm typing this, my mouth isn't watering. :lol: KETOSIS, i love ya!

so how's the meeting on september? i'm all ready for it.

[Fumih_81]

a bad sentence to say, that ultimate bad breath smells something after you deposited into the toilet bowl... :lol: hahahaha it depends on individual too...~

today i had some chicken rice....tried not to finish up the whole bowl of rice. maybe i had 1/2 bowl...

Ingirl, actually for my opinions, I think NTUC is much better than Shop N Save...btw, how are you coping with the weather here? probably for most pple, we dont like the hot n humid weather here.

I remember seeing Jasons at Orchard Paragon...around Basement 1 if i am not wrong. Ingirl, if you patronize Cold Storage supermarket esp in areas such as Orchard, City Hall...they are catered more for expatriates like you....they sell a lot of things similar to the US...those sugar free stuffs. Plaza Singapura (off Dhoby Ghaut MRT station) used to have this American Supermarket...but too bad it has closed down.

You went to Otani for an international buffet? I think hotel buffets are really pricey. except for the plaza hotel at beach road, where it costs like S$33 per person with all tax included is so far the best i found ...it serves japanese buffet with salmon sashimi!

today my colleagues were talking about this 'top of the M' at Marina Mandarin...it has all the good foods including my favourite sashimi...but it is $60 per head with taxes. shangrila hotel also cost that much but i dont like their variety...becoz i worked there before. :rolleyes:

anyone tried genghis khan buffet at ngee ann city 5th floor? my dad heard abt its positive feedback and he's bringing my family there this wkend. heee...but to me it is not cheap as it will be S$40 per head with taxes.

anyone into dancing? recently i signed up for a intro level belly dancing course....i have always been interested to go for dance classes...but i will choose more exotic stuffs such as belly dancing and perhaps balinese dance (if anyone teach me)...

Sept....make it last wk of Sept for meal outing?

[debbie16]

hahahaha. i kinda like dancing also but never really got into it cos scared pai seh and i not that flexible. :lol: den shake my belly? LOL. will be those 3 layer pork. :) :lol: :p

i tinking of joining pilates but nowadays not so free. i'll probably be only free at the end of september or october to really get things going again for me.. :(

so hows the meeting of september? i should be able to make it. wad do u guys intend to do or eat?

oh ya, do u guys tink that dis thread is getting very quiet? last time like got more pple.

[cute_buppy]

food, glorious food....

yum....

Been to the Gengis Khan. I dint really like it becos the quality is not that good.

I like the triple 3 at Mandarin Hotel. Expensive but quality very good.

recently just went for 2 quite good value fro money buffets - one at Riverside Hotel ($33+) and one at tanjong pagar area ($14++ if 4 pple gp ) Both are japanese styled restaurant.

The one at Riverside Hotel is quite good esp. it includes teppanyaki ( go king prawns, yum ), tempura ( of course ), yummy sashimi ( only fatty tuna and salmon), chawanmushi...etc Quite good esp. the sashimi.
But I prefer the one at Shima Restaurant at Goodwood Park hotel...very very ex $55++ but the thin beef slices which u barbecue yrself is good and u get to eat all u want. Thats my personal fav....beef....yum

The cheap one at tanjong pagar is quite ok for that budget. U however dont get the sashimi in the buffet ( but u can order alacarte). But u get other stuff like tempura, california roll, chanwamushi, fried beef slices with teriyaki sauce etc. quite value for money and quite nice....

YUM......

Heh heh, next month me going Japan for holiday!!! :)) So that will be a plenty of delicious food for me!!! ( but guess i have to put Atkin aside for a while..... hee hee )

[Rina]

wah... buffet... its has been long time since i went for international style buffet.. that time Ritz Carlton got this promotion where they serve int'l buffet at $25.40 aft taxes... dinner somemore.. but the promotion ends liaoz.. its wonderful man... :D :nono:

I heard from lots of my frn that genghis Khan is nice lah.. never try before coz i think its abit high for my budget... :cry:

End of sep is fine with me.. want to decide on a date now or later??

[bunni]

fumih .. the "bad breathe indicator" really that horrible huh?

ok im on my 4th day of induction... really getting a headache over planning wat to eat each meal.. and its a real strain on my financial re$ources!

i went to GNC the other day n they said they dont carry atkins advantage anymore.. so i tried myoplex, horribly expensive for one pathetic lowcarb bar! 'cookies n cream' flavor.. doesnt taste fantastic .. wonder if the "2gm net carbs" claim is true ..

i would like to ask , is soya milk allowed on induction? couldnt find anything abt it in the book.. anyway its quite low carb =)

went to the NTUC n found out coconut milk has very low carb (1g/100ml)
.. and agaragar has very high dietary fibre so the 'net carbs' are less than 0 !

anyone know anything abt seaweed? no mention of seaweed in atkins book either

=) cheers

[Fumih_81]

seaweed is a very good low-carb food....i used to eat that for some time...but later on grew tired of it.

soya milk is not that bad if unsweetened...i always allow some milk into my low-carb diet.

yeah agree that low-carb is restrictive and financially depriving...hahahahah then i will rather eat fruits....you can take siew mai, vege salads, western food (Hans?)...if you want to eat economic rice, just tell the uncle u only want 1/2 bowl of rice. because i feel that they charge more when u dun wan rice at all. nobody ask u to touch the rice anyway...just half bowl....at the most maybe have 2 tablespoons of it.

eeee i will never touch those protein bars anymore. they really very pai jia (taste weird)! usually i will buy thermogenics from GNC....I am abt to finish my Zantrex 7 pills....maybe i will go back to Xenadrine.

anyway if u not sure abt carb count in foods, go get a carb counter book. i bought mine fr kino last time. less than $20.

[bunni]

yeap i shall add more seaweed n soy into my induction phase..
getting tired of chicken n more chicken .. running out of ideas wat to do with chicken ... haha

i bought myoplex low-carb bar to satisfy my sweet tooth.. im considering buying some atkins products from netrition.com

also, im having a hard time finding suitable sweeteners, only can find apastarme in most supermkts but atkins does not recommend.

any suggestions? and erm any idea where to get "carb-friendly" products? maybe health food stores or organic food stores?

thanks thanks =)

[Rina]

bunni.... you are buying from online?? What are the shpping charges like?? Had wanted to buy online too but think its abit ex if i were to take into consideration the shipping charges and not to say the conversion rates... haiz... GNC lorz.... as far as i know.. :D

[bunni]

rina...

i've changed my mind abt buying from netrition! the shipping charges are exhorbitant! but they have got a HUGE range of products ..pity the sky-high shipping.... haiz ..

the cheapest i found so far is bodybuilding.com i think .. ard 10USD shipping for a box of atkins advantage bars(~25USD) .. but the product range is very limited .. but if i work it out .. stil cheaper than buying myoplex/xenadrine low carb bars from GNC ... =)

i might seriously consider ...

[Fumih_81]

i used to think i shld turn to low-carb bars and aspartame....

btw, personally i dun like those protein whey bars....they taste quite weird to me.

of all things low carb, i am still sticking long n long to the occasional lemon coke light, zantrex 7 (going to revert back to xenadrine), meats, butter, cheese... but of course i admit that i still take some carbs like bee hoon, potatoes, corn starch, sweetened drinks and recently a little bit of yucky mooncake.. moderately.

actually it isnt a bad sign to get tired of eating chicken. dont you think your appetite becomes quite small whenever u think of chicken anytime? haha a good way to suppress appetite.

___________________________________________________
anyway time to review genghis khan....i went there for dinner yday and so happened today is teacher's day. even my taxi driver forgot abt the holiday because we wondered why we were caught in the jam.

out of 10, i give in general (place, food, svc) 6.5/10.

when i stepped in, there was this strong sea aroma (yaya i know they serve seafood) in the restaurant...felt weird. actually svc not much lah...a lot of self svc except when they clear ur plates. but the place seems to be like a war torn area where everyone so kiasu snatching for food...imagine those kind of food rationing scenes...woahh in no time.. less than 5 minutes the jap chef has to dish out new plates of salmon sashimi.... this is esp esp popular among the other 3 sashimi (got tuna)... hahaha the restaurant must have purposely given us a small tong that so we cant hold much fish slices at one go...think much faster if i use my hands. :doah:

it's quite bustling, you'll find urself eating in a stressful environment. other than pple peeping from the window panes, you will have to jostle with those quickie aunties and uncles along the cram displays...but as the crowd ate their fill.. you see lesser people going for the dishes...my mom thought the restaurant was going to call it a day early becoz they stopped dishing out salmon sashimi after some time. but this was due to lessening of crowds...scared not fresh ah.

variety of dishes - frankly speaking i was only interested in a few foods..salmon sashimi, grilled unagi (best!), tempura/ebi prawn....i didnt touch some seafoods such as mussels, crayfish, crabs, scallops, prawns, lobster (no chance becoz no one refilled the empty tray..haha)..i tried some cooked dishes...in fact they didnt taste that appetising...i went back to my salmon sashimi. they have abalone but heard feedback that it tasted vegetarian and super sweet. ????

oh manz you'll never try beef worse than this place........it doesnt taste like beef :nono: . and usually i dun get defeated by mutton, this time i kena. the smell of it was quite strong ...though nice...i got a bit erggh! after some bites. i think i was quite disappointed with the grilled meats section.

my dad also said the roast duck meat isnt nice... my mom likes the sharkfins soup though...but she tot it could have been laden with more MSGs....my bro tried chawanmushi.......none of us touched the sushi corner. why eat more rice when u can have just the fish alone? hahaha

drinks not bad lah, got a few choices to choose from. but definitely not lowcarb (softdrinks, iced tea, lemonade, peach tea, apple juice, orange juice). cakes quite sucky.....for the first time i actually didnt want to chew the cake anymore and spit it out. i didnt try the jelly, puddings, fruits. does anyone remember the green popsicle ice-cream taste? i cant believe that it actually existed as in a tub...no wonder it was soo soft when i scooped a green ball out...i tot it was mint. argh i still prefer it on the popsicle.

i'll post again when i remember more stuffs from this restaurant.

but in all, judging from how stressful the place is, and that i only love salmon sashimi...plus this rest's foods are not that good at all.....and not cheap ($44 per person with taxes!!). i'll go back to plaza hotel...i only pay abt $30 with taxes...more peaceful environment, not much kiasuism and no peeping fr window panes, higher food quality, and i can have all the salmon i want. hahaha :lol:

[bunni]

wats zantrex7 ?

oh i need those erm low carb bars for convenience sake n of coz to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings ... like when im out n my tummy starts to rumble ... i need low carb snacks, its not very practical to carry ard a chunk of cheese hmmm..

yeah fumih the mooncake hurdle is abit hard to cross haha .. arghh i admit i faltered .. *guilty*
=P

[saymeng]

Hi All, me sing ga pore lang also.

[fairday]

Hi all, I chanced upon diabetic chocolates in Leonida.. u noe, the gourmet chocolate shop along city link mall near the suntec city exit.

They are made with sorbitol and maltitol or so they claim, not fructose. I recall reading somewhere those are approved sugar alcohols or smthing.. but hell i threw caution to the winds and bought 100 g.

I tell u they are soooooooo good. Like REALLY good. Tastes exactly like real gourmet chocolate.. guess it'll be fine if u r past induction.. there's one with rum in it.. ahem.. am i tempting u yet??

It's $11.20 per 100 grams. Worth every darn cent! :roll:

[Fumih_81]

fairday, i am aware that even sorbitol and maltitol are also under the same 'category' as fructose...so long best to avoid etc.

But i think it is ok to indulge once a while. so enjoy it!

last time when my office cubicle was raided with ants, the only candy they did not conquer was "Fisherman's Friend". haha

[libra77]

Hi everybody,

I chanced this forum by chance. Boy am I glad to discover LC eaters in S'pore. Abd all alone I thought I am the odd one out here.

I have doing LC eating for almost two years and must admit this is the lifestyle I'll be adopting. Agree with u all it's hard to LC here cos foodstuff such as cheese are $$$$.

Just to check with u all do u use fresh cream in your coffee as it's high protein food.

I'm into Sommersizing and Atikin's plan. In the former quite similar to Atkin just that need to practice food combination.

Lastly can LC get rid of cellulite thighs???

Good to discover similar LC eaters

[Fumih_81]

nopeee LC cannot remove cellulite...heh do u realise u kena a lot more stretchmarks to clear due to weight loss?

u can try cellulite creams such as Biotherm's Celluli zone S$62 per tube (my friend uses it), or Fancl new pdt...that costs on S$28 ...

another slower way is exercise.....it helps also...

now i taking belly dancing classes...and i do see some results on my belly after a few mths....i must return to gym as well....been avoiding it coz i had to take my driving test...

libra77, do u take any thermogenics or carb blocker? btw, is ur bdae within the libra period?? hehe coz i am also a libra

actually i started LCing 6 years back...but on/off ... :wiggle:

but good to know we have made smart choices to LC!

[libra77]

Yeah my birthday is in oct so technically that mades me a libra. Yeah realise that i have alot of stretch marks especially in the thigh area. Thanks for your advice on the cellulite cream. So have u tried the Fancl's seems the price is reasonable.

At the moment did not try any pills or carbohydrate blockers. In the past did try hydroxycut however stopped. Realise my heart beat faster. Thinking of taking Extrim as I will be going for holiday to Australia in Dec. Any suggestions on that.

Good you're exercising this will acclerate weight loss and tone your body. I'm in the educator line hardly have time or even the energy to work out. If so it will be during the holidays. Think LC eating only maintain the weight.

Btw did u use cream in your food?? And what type of LC food did u normally eat & the places u buy from.

[Fumih_81]

woah Hydroxycut already made ur heart beat fast....I was like thinking what on earth this pdt is doing???? like nothing at all......in the market there are those non-caffeine sort thermos. Extrim I heard not bery effective too. So far personally Xenadrine is good for me...

[libra77]

Really agree with u that Hydroxycut made your heart beat faster. Feel as though I cannot keep up with my heartbeat. Heard from my bf that this is commonly used by guys who want to build up their bodies as it gives them a lean body.

Just attended a wedding dinner. Know it will spoil my eating style so I'm getting crabohydrate blockers. The dishes in the dinner mostly have hidden straches and sugar. Feel weird if you are not eating certain dishes.

Btw when u start on the plan do u get disapproval from your friends or loved ones. My family have accepted my eating style and even customise to it such as not using oyster sauce. As for my friends some of them are skeptical as they did not believe meat will make u thin.

As for my bf, he believes it . His brother mostly takes protein food as they are into bodybuilding.

Take care

[vander]

There are low carb chocolates available in Cold Storage now. I like the peanut butter chocolates the best. They don't exactly come cheap though.

Anyway, soy flour is easily available in most health stores, such as those selling organic products. I have used them to make pancakes. Not too bad.

Liberity market used to sell Splenda. The one at Plaza Singapura. It has since closed down. I am not too sure if the other branch sells Splenda though.

[saymeng]

Which cold storage are you talking about and what is the brand of the chochlate?

[Fumih_81]

hello people...its been sometime since i posted here.
how is everyone doing? Anyway, happy Chinese New Year and Happy Hari Raya Haji...

saymeng, i think most cold storage carry more ang mo stuffs ...that are basically low-carb. you can try the branches at takashimaya, cityhall...those where ang mos frequent.

GNC just mailed me this leaflet on Atkin's products. There is this thermogenic...and it is just S$41 ...i was like huh? compared to my Xenadrine which is over S$100...thats a big difference.

hey guys...i've got a question for you. if pineapple tarts are having a low-carb version, do you think it is a good idea?

[saymeng]

You can make me some? heheh

I think a better one are low-carb noddles.

[dazzlin182]

Liberity market used to sell Splenda. The one at Plaza Singapura. It has since closed down. I am not too sure if the other branch sells Splenda though.

not sure in sg, but in KL theres one local brand "ever sweett" kinda mock splenda made from sucralose no aspartame ideal for cookin and bakin. i dont use it as much but its a saviour when really need sugar esp to bake. available in box packet (50 sachets per packet if not mistaken)

[BenKuah]

Hi people,

Great to see a forum for all LC followers. Dieting is real hard especially in Singapore where there are so many temptations !

Anyway I am starting on a LC diet and was wondering if you guys meet up in person? It will be nice if we can meet up.. to discuss stuff.. and work out places to buy our food and stuff. Will be looking forward to hearing from you guys ! Do leave me a buzz at 9363 3661 or post to this forum !

[Fumih_81]

hi Ben, welcome to our sg low-carbers thread...oh well seems like this thread hasnt been updated for quite some time opps.

so far none of us had met up before. are u on LC for the first time? oh well u shld koe sg is really a tough place to implement LCing. but that never stopped me fr losing 20kg over a few years. amazing...and it didnt hurt.

see u ard.

[stormfall]

Hi everyone!

I've just recently move to Singapore (early August) for work-related reasons... I've been on the atkins since april and have lost about 15 kg so far but am stalling ... something in my food somewhere is making things slow down and I have another 5 kg to go before my BMI becomes 'normal' lol :)

Anyway, just wanted to ask anyone who's low carbing in Singapore:

1. Can splenda be obtained in Singapore (read somewhere about liberty but I also read that it's now closed down?)
2. Can anyone recommend online stores that you have used to ship low carb stuff to Singapore before?

The stuff I'm used to in the UK (pre-August) are just near impossible to find here, which makes it all the more harder... Here's what I'm really after and if anyone knows where I can get them (either in Singapore or online) do let me know:

1. Carborite Strawberry bars (bought regularly in the UK from Tesco)
2. Atkins Morning Shine Strawberry Crisp (bought regularly in the UK from Boots)
3. Splenda - tablets and granular form

These are my main staple for when I get hungry at work, or need sweetener for my coffee etc...

I've checked GNC but they have the Atkins Morning Shine Cinnamon bars which tastes awful :( But they do have blueberry flakes which I'm taking in the morning for breakfast, but I'm quickly running out of the bars that I'd brought back from the UK!!

Any help on this is greatly appreciated. I'm still trying to figure out what is causing the stall (or sometimes even increase)... Maybe my mother (I'm staying with her now) is secretly putting sugar into the cooked food to fatten me up lol! My wife and I can't wait to move into our own flat so that *we* can cook our own low carb food (she cooks a mean beef patty lol)


TIA
Stormy

[Fumih_81]

Hi Stormy, welcome to Sg.

1. Can splenda be obtained in Singapore (read somewhere about liberty but I also read that it's now closed down?)

Yes I think Liberty mart is not doing very well in Singapore. The mart is actually a subsidiary of NTUC Fairprice Supermarket. So near my residence area (Bishan Junction 8) has got one NTUC mart that has a little "Liberty section" that sells American stuff...not sure if it sells Splenda. But have you explored most of the Cold Storage supermarts in Orchard area? Usually they are catered for expats.

2. Can anyone recommend online stores that you have used to ship low carb stuff to Singapore before?

I have not done this before, but I do reccomend that you do some LC experiment using what's available in Sg. Sg imports lots of foreign ingredients.

Is your mom cooking local dishes? Probably it could be due to corn flour added into the local cooking, not just sugar alone. Local food uses flour, sugar, breadings etc.

You are fortunate that your spouse goes on LC too. In sg, LCing has not gotten a total approval...not even from authorities. But pharmacies are selling carb-blockers like hot cakes.

With regards to the stall, it could be due to the change of environment and food...maybe u can try upping your carbs a little so to jumpstart the LCing process again.

Right now seriously I am on/off where applicable...coz Sg foods are still high in carbs and whenever my company has any events tat serves high carb food...gulp...

But my concept is that so long I get my 'sugars' solely from fruits and allowing little bit of corn flour in my food is alright. I used to have 90% meat and 10% veges/fruits, but now I am fine tuning it hopefully it becomes 50% meat and 50% vege/fruits. And indeed I see some slow progress, better than none.

Just let us know how you are coping... ;)

[Chutatip_t]

Hello,

Do u know whether Davinci SF syrup is available in singapore?

Thanks,

CT

[Fumih_81]

dont think so. If you cant find in Cold Storage marts...

[Fumih_81]

Btw, I happened to see low-carb foods available at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet at Specialist Shopping Centre. Too late at then I already ordered the sinful chicago cheesecake.

Maybe I am too slow to notice that...

[sugarnon]

hello.. I'm tracei and I am a LC-er for the past 2 yrs or so.. Just happy tat there are fellow LCers in Singapore cos it always seemed weird to other people tat I dun eat rice or noodles.. hehehe cheers!

love coke light. :lol:

[Chutatip_t]

Btw, I happened to see low-carb foods available at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet at Specialist Shopping Centre. Too late at then I already ordered the sinful chicago cheesecake.

Maybe I am too slow to notice that...

Hi Fumih_81

What LC products are available at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Outlet?

Thanks

[Fumih_81]

they have salads (salmon, tuna, chicken) if I am not wrong... costs about $6.50++

But the portion on the menu looks small, prob I need to take 2 orders... :lol:

[clnng]

Hello everyone here!

I am a one time loser in LC weight loss, but thankfully managed to reap some results this time round. On my first attempt a year and a half ago, i gave up mid way into the induction phase due to the insurmountable crave for sugar. I am a sucker for chocolates, sinful local delicacies, and most food i shouldn't eat :p

This time round, things kinda started unintentionally. I got disgusted enough with the excess around my waist (32 inches) from all the crap and beer i have been ingesting, and decided to pull the plug before i enter obese territory.

My weight loss started off not in LC, but a visit to the clinic. I had gone there for a prescription of duromine: the well known prescription drug to curb appetite. My appetite was monstrous and insatiable. Even after downing the largest helping of yummy laksa, i would be thinking of stuffing my face with sinful 1A curry puffs. Duromine really helped curtail my cravings big time! I lost all appetite on the first day of taking the pill. I hardly ate anything for the first 2 days, but was tortured by the hunger (not crave) and weakness. That was when i decided to throw in another spanner into the works...

For good measure, i decided to have another pass at LC dieting. Aided by duromine, this time round it is really a breeze. I no longer crave for sweet stuffs and only eat to fill the stomach and to retain muscles. I weighed 79kg when measured in my first at the clinic. I am 1.72m tall and the doctor promptly pronounced me as being obese as far as BMI goes. I had thot i was a borderline case. Anyway, i was hardly considered fat since i am muscularly built.

Within a month, i managed to loose 7kg :thup: That's astronomical for my build. The weight loss has since slowed down a lot. I am fairly sure i am going through what they referred to as the plateau stage now. I do a lot of workout and intend to introduce another element into the equation. I planned on introducing Hydroxycut into my diet. I went through a 2 month phase last year with Hydroxycut and lost 4kg and it was very obvious appearance wise. This time round, my 7 kg loss is hardly noticeable. The reason being that i lost mostly muscle the last time whereas i am loosing fat this time round :)

Read from Fumih that Hydroxycut is not effective. I might try Xenadrine this time round. Oh, i like to know if anyone has tried or heard of anyone combining duromine with LC? Personally i find its an effective way for those fighting a losing battle with sugar and the doctor hadn't a bad word for it. In fact, he even applauded LC saying that it's an effective body cleansing diet formula. For me, i don't plan on doing LC permanently, but rather using it for my bi-annually weight loss regime. I love good food too much to bypass it for weight control :p

[stormfall]

Just to let all know...

Been to Tierney's Gourmet at Serene Centre and they have quite a few low carb stuff that might appeal to us LCers:

1. Cavalier low-carb belgium chocolates :) 1g net carbs per chocolate and there's 10 in a box. Ideal for LCers and diabetics as well.
2. Low-carb chocolate bars. Can't remember the net carbs but it's like 2g for 4 squares worth which isn't too bad either!
3. Joseph's Sugar Free cookies. 15g for 4 cookies
4. Lotte Custard Cream Cakes. 10g per cake (6 in a box)

and some other low-sugar or sugar-free stuff too. Will give a more comprehensive list later. This was a recent addition, mind you, because I was there several weeks ago and never found these!

The chocolate bars and belgium chocs are definitely appealing for those who crave chocs or sugar :) Can't tell the difference!

I'm going to contact Tierneys to see if they can bring in other stuff ... fingers crossed!

Stormy

[Fumih_81]

hi all, thanks for sharing the low-carb lobangs... :D but i am not so dependent on special low-carb products. i believe whatever is man-made, take less of it. so i will stick mainly to meats, veges and fruits.

as for duromine, is it possible to get it via a pharmacy or must it be prescribed by doctor?

as for LC-ing, i wont say it is something you can take it off permanently coz personally it has become part of my instincts and food preferences. now i find kuehs, breads, cakes kind of boring coz they dont taste as nice as last time. why dont we put it as LCing being the 'base diet'....occasionally we will definitely crave for something sinful. so we pop in some good food here and there...with controlled amt.

for me, i will just go ahead and eat if the occasion is there. tho i know it will take me at least a wk to get back into the 'losing mode'... its better to be more relaxed about food choices rather than you restrict yourself so hard that u binge later.

honestly, tho I am losing slower than a turtle..i feel better overall since i am more relaxed on food. and i take on regular jogs, plus recently i signed up for yoga.

Happy LCing!

[clnng]

As i have said, i went to a clinic for the prescription. You can't buy it off the shelf, but pretty much every clinic carries it. The doctor would go thru the usual screening of blood pressure, health history, weigh you, calculate BMI, etc...If you are not visibly over-weight or that your BMI does not reflect you as so, you might need a bit of talking to get your prescription depending on individual doctor's discretion. Going by your progress, i doubt you need duromine now :)

[tracylim]

Can any1 tell me where to get Splenda in Spore or Malaysia?

[dazzlin182]

there's no splenda in KL (malaysia). subs for it is whether eversweett, sucralose too, very similar to splenda (available from major pharmacy eg guardian, vitacare) or stevia, another form of sweetener (available in 1 utama)

[Rina]

Hi... guess i have been missing for quite some time.... i guess s'pore is more open to LC already.. GNC has start bringing in Atkins products and Coffee Beans are offering LC menu...

I have juz started using Xenadrine... wonder whether its like thermogenic can only be consumed for a max of 5days a wk.... wonder whether someone can advise me on the effective usage of Xenadrine..



Thanks...

[tweety24]

Hi all

I am new to the Forum and to LC. In fact today is my first day. Nice to see so many LC in SG. Need your expert advice on how to eat out but still stay under 20gm carb. I am already having difficulty planning my diet. What was your standard menu during the induction phase. What was your menu during induction Phase? Any suggestions on the supplements I need to take?

[Fumih_81]

Hi Rina, I advise you to take xenadrine only when you plan to workout or exercise...no point taking it before food....it mainly increases your heartbeat and thus....you should exercise with it. And I heard abt dependency on the xenadrine...so take it when you want to exercise.

tweety, i suggest that you relax a bit more on the intake...unless u are doing induction. singapore is a tough place to LC. so you should widen your options to have more more more veges (leafy ones), some protein, some lower carb fruits. n pick natural foods instead of luncheon meat, ham, etc etc...i think the carb intake will shoot up to 60g. but its mainly good carbs that you take, and u can even minus the fibre carb from them. that makes ur carb intake even lower. =P

even the chicken chop gravy got carbs, what you reckon? haha

[superstorm]

Can somebody tell me, whether i can eat agar agar desserts (with aspartaam sugar = NO real sugar)?
How many carbs are there in agar agar, cos i can't find the information anywhere.

Please help.

[Fumih_81]

i wonder if u do aspartame, will it be destroyed by heat?

there could be other carbs such as fibre n 'flour'.

[SGMeerkat]

Hello everyone, I just found this website and I'm so glad to see that there are many other singaporeans here as well!

I should introduce myself a little.

I started Atkins 2002 in late sept 04 and then reinducted with Atkins 1972 in dec 2004.

Just a little info on GNC that I'ld like to share. GNC is officially discontinuing the Atkins line of products and they are trying to clear off stocks, so items which are expiring before March are going at a 50% discount for members. I like the Atkins muffin mixes a lot so I'm sad to see them go.

Good news for people who live off Advantage bars, Cold Storage now carries Advantage bars as well as Endulge Wafer Crisps. And they're priced cheaper than in GNC.

Here's a little list of LC foods I've found in different supermarket outlets:

CS Parkway Parade
Atkins Endulge Wafer Crisp (Currently in Peanut Butter) $3.15
...Well, Naturally Soy Crisps Cereal Bars (Strawberry, Tropical & Chocolate) $3.90

CS Centrepoint
Russell Stover SF Peanut Butter Cups $2.55
SF Jelly Beans $13.50
Atkins Advantage Bars $5.95
...Well, Naturally Soy Crisps

CS Bugis Junction
Asher's SF Candy Bars (Caramel Pecan, Mint Truffle, Peanut Butter Truffle) $5.10
Endulge Wafer Crisp
Advantage Bars

CS King Albert Park
Advantage Bars
Jello Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding $2.55

Tanglin Market Place
Atkins Morning Start Cereal (all 3 flavours) $11.95
Russell Stover PB Cups

CS Great World City
Morning Start Cereal (all flavours)
Advantage bars
Endulge Wafers

NTUC - some outlets only, eg Marine Parade
Ground flaxseed $2.55
Joseph's SF maple syrup $9.30

This is what I've gathered so far from staking out supermarkets.

Is anyone interested in a LC gathering? I will be so excited to meet up with other LCers.

[SGMeerkat]

to chip in a little:

superstorm: you can eat aspartame sweetened jellies as long as you find that the aspartame doesn't stall you. I eat it rather regularly and have had no problems, but every person's body is different.

You can reduce the breakdown of aspartame by adding it after you've turned the flame off. I use splenda only when I'm baking, but other times when the food doesn't need to be heated for an extended period of time, I add a mix of aspartame + K-sulfamate called granular Hermesetas.

[Fumih_81]

well some time back we were arranging to meet, so far none yet. =P

sgmeerkat, does ur avatar show that u are in the midst of lcing? looks good.

[SGMeerkat]

Hi fumih, it'll be nice if some of us could meet up some time. With the chinese new year coming up, it will be a very trying period for us all I'm sure. High carb hell... :lol:

This avatar was taken 2 days before I started LCing in september. It serves as a reminder to prevent me from cheating!

How has LCing been for you? Do you eat when you go out? I realise that since I started LCing, esp when I embarked on 1972, I don't like eating food prepared outside. The thought of transfats/GMO/evil carbs/processing puts me off. And I can't believe how much control I have over my eating habits now. Do you feel the same way?

[Fumih_81]

yeah in some way it affects the way you eat....more like a natural instinct that you tell the economic rice auntie 'no rice pls', and she will charge u higher that kind of thing.

well lcing has affected me in diff stages, there was one stage where i was really strict abt the kind of food intake. now that i have relaxed a bit, lcing has really blended in quite nicely as in terms of rice, sugar intake. sometimes i will still go for kfc's cheese fries....and now i am taking more fruits and vegetables.

but i just particularly note and afraid of irregular menses cycle...that i knew with some carb intake can make my menses more regular....hence the other reason for relaxing a bit further.

[stormfall]

to chip in a little:

You can reduce the breakdown of aspartame by adding it after you've turned the flame off. I use splenda only when I'm baking, but other times when the food doesn't need to be heated for an extended period of time, I add a mix of aspartame + K-sulfamate called granular Hermesetas.

Hi Sgmeerkat,

Where can you find splenda in Singapore? Right now I have to beg my friend in the UK to send some over or bring it over when she's visiting Singapore but I'd prefer to get it locally if possible.

Has anyone found asparteme to stall lc dieting? I take diet coke fairly regularly (considering that I use to drink normal coke by the gallons, shifting to diet coke is an amazement for my friends to witness), and would find life... hard... without my diet coke!

But I seem to be stalling... Not sure what's the cause. It's a lot harder to lc in Singapore than it was for me when I was in the UK (4 mths back and no weight loss since I came back here!)

[SGMeerkat]

fumih it's good that you're eating foods from the economical rice stalls. That opens up a lot of variety and convenience for you when you eat out. I'm still paranoid about my carbs so the thought of hidden carbs puts me off. It can be very troublesome since I've taken to the habit of preparing meals and eating before I leave the house.

wow KFC cheese fries! :yum: It looks like you've attained carb-karma, can eat carbs and still maintain losing. I dare not leave this no-carb comfort zone yet. Congrats ;) You have truly lost a lot of weight!

stormfall, no I get my splenda from all over the place too, mainly Aust and UK. And I get my granular hermesetas from the UK as well. I use liquid hermesetas (pure saccharin) too. It cannot be imported into Singapore, because of the strict labelling laws we have here. Equal is sold as an artificial sweetener because it is packaged as a health alternative. However splenda did not pass the labelling laws in Singapore because it's marketed purely as a "diet" low-calorie food, not a health food. But it doesn't explain how there are certain items here that are made with sucralose being sold (Eg Diet Swiss Miss, Baskin Robbins SF candies). I'm afraid I can't give you a more comprehensive answer, because this was the explanation given to me when I called the AVA up here. It is amazing how they have perfected giving the most cryptic answers possible, to an art.

As for aspartame, it is known to cause stalls in some people, so if you've started taking diet coke only since you returned to SG, then it could well be the culprit. I know that when I first started adding granular hermesetas to my food, it created such bad cravings in me that I ate a lot of it and it stalled me. So personally, too much of aspartame does stall me, but if taken moderately, it's ok. Do you drink much diet coke?

Alternatively, since you have friends visiting from the UK, you can get them to buy you Shapers fizzy drinks from Boots as well. It's made with sucralose and comes in Raspberry and Lemon/Lime. I keep an inventory of them, for times when I need a fizzy drink. I try to avoid diet coke as much as I can. But making cola chicken with diet coke is yummy. The UK has a far better spread of LC products. I like Carb Options Ketchup and BBQ sauce; they are very good!

Do you also watch out for hidden carbs? It's easier to LC eating angmoh cuisine, but back home our local fare's got hidden evils all over. Gravies have starches, and seasonings (eg oyster sauce, thick sweet soya sauce) can be really bad. Or maybe you've hit a plateau?

CNY's coming, how's everyone going to deal with the tempting foods???
List your 1) plan and 2) CNY weaknesses here!

Mine to start off:

1) plan: bring a bag of nuts or a pack of LC snack or chocolate with me to each visit! then suffer from sugar alcohols later...

2) weaknesses: Kueh lapis, Bakkwa, chocolate cream love letters, love letters.

[Fumih_81]

well my attitude towards lcing now is just to relax and see what i can do at the pt of time... so for coming cny:

1) plan to just go there and pick out whatever i can eat, even it means to sneak away and throw away that pizza crust! yes i do that...i can even deal with big crowd of relatives enjoying the pizza while i lick away the salami and cheese only.

2) take a little bit of rice, as i said relax! its CNY! and its not a boring x'mas....so be happy. take everything? yes, just moderate. or else just chew on the mandarin oranges...hahaha lets see how many oranges i can eat this time. bakkwa, pineapple tarts are my fav! well i always go to my grannie's hse to cut up the bakkwa into squares...so i cut one, and ate 20% of it hahaha....i have no prob with bakkwas....but my weight doesnt go off la.

3) else, if i really koe i will kena some sinful foods, i will prob eat my fill at home first...but i dont think so for my family and relatives...they either have steamboat or bbq this year...

4) soft drinks wise....i will prob take one cup of it to please em....if i am sick of it i go get plain water.

5) i always remember, my largest base is vege and fruits den followed by proteins...will nev get wrong. well i dislike nuts, so prob i still go for bakkwa.

====
For Asian cuisine, yes it is nevertheless laden with starch...and in fact i always add a little of it even for my protein cooking...well just stick with the least amt of starch....i hardly compare with angmo dishes coz angmo dishes sure win. i just always head down to either western food stalls or economic rice stalls.

oh btw, today after work i was actually rushing to attend an evening church session...so i happened to drop by burger king at novena....wow i was so surprised that it has something really for low-carbers! but bet in the whole rest, i was the only one eating this salmon w caesar salad. mind you, i could tell the carbs in the salmon cake and the salad dressing. well the rest are ok, loads of greens and diet coke. i am not sure if this low-carb menu will be a flop, but if we low carbers support them by paying $6 for veges, some proteins and one diet coke....its ok right?

so far the other prev low-carb menu is coffee bean n tea leaf. anyone tried?

btw, i didnt reach any carb-enlightenment by cosying up to cheese fries. its merely how strict i am....~ but of course i added in more exercise to subdue my guilt. last time i could afford to lose 20kg without exercising and with strict Atkins. Now that i cant since i am working, i need regular exercise to help remove those carbs.

btw, i actually tried a slimming massage therapy....to tone up my tummy. well i think it works pretty well but it burns a hole in my pkt. think many places such as marie france have it...i tot marie france only has machine type of therapy. btw, i am not their client...~

[SGMeerkat]

Wow fumih you've got it down to a pat! I can only think of doing all that next CNY. For now, I'll have to be more disciplined. And I do agree that the older folks may get offended if we don't eat just a little bit. I've been attending 10-course dinners and putting food on my plate, just for the show, and then passing it to the bf. I'm too paranoid la. It's easier for me to follow the books to the T. The only exception for me is during Holy Communion. I don't see a LC alternative :lol:

Actually I found strict atkins not to be so boring, but you need to have the time to experiment with cooking and baking. So far I've found it to be fun and exciting.

Yeah I've read that CBATL has a LC menu but I've never tried it. How was the salad? Is it real salmon or a processed fillet? Sounds like a good change from the usual meat patty routine. I agree with you, we should support them, so they'll keep it up. Cold Storage needs support from us as well. The atkins items they have brought in, are on trial at the moment. Whether they become a permanent offering will depend on the market response. I hope they stay!

I've just made a first attempt at baking LC brownies. I didn't have a recipe to follow so I tweaked an old recipe I have, substituting flour with whey protein and almond meal. It's in the oven right now. I hope it works cos I sweetened it with a mix of stevia + aspartame + splenda. Is anyone keen on a LC potluck? Hehe.

[deathmints]

hi guys. i've been lurking around this forum for quite some time. and boy is it not ez to lc in sg where it's a carb paradise.

well my qns is that can equal withstand heat? cos i really want to bake some chocolate cookies for CNY and i've got unsweetened chocolates, took a bite of it and it tastes horrible! i really need to sweeten it.

comments anyone?

[SGMeerkat]

Hi deathmint,

perhaps you can do chocolate coated cookies. In that way you don't have to "cook" the equal too much and your choc tastes sweet. Aspartame breaks down when exposed to heat over a period of time eg baking, from what I've read. However, I've cooked using a blend of aspartame and sulfamate-K and it still retained its sweetness.

If you do actually make the chocolate coated cookies, since you have unsweetened choc, add the equal after the chocolate's melted and removed from the heat source. That way the aspartame doesn't break down as much.

I'm making chocolate nut clusters for CNY. I'm using splenda, but you can use any artificial sweetener really.

Also, if you're needing a sweet fix, Nature's Farm carries Carb Slim Bites which are made with erythritol. Good news is erythritol doesn't stall or give gas problems like other SAs. And there is a promo going on now. Buy any item in the store and you can get the bites at $0.99 a pack. It tastes good too.

Hope this helps.

[CSLH]

Hi evreyone here.

Im new here n totally new to Atkins Diet. In fact, I read jux read about it yesterday.. However, I have been going low on carb for the past 2 weeks.

Starting my induction period today.... Luckily, i am never a carb person. n I loves fishes. Can eat them for 3 meals everyday.. :D

Morning bought 1 vegetables bun n 1 meat bao for breakfast.. Eat the fillings n threw the rest away.

Have been having walks every evening/nites for the past 2 weeks. Slowly would change into slow jog.

I have yet to get any books on LC or Atkins diet.. so in the meanwhile.. would have to depend on you guys for any info... :wave:

[SGMeerkat]

Hi CSLH, first of all, let me welcome you on board even tho I'm quite new to this site too.

It's great that you like fish cos you can have plenty of it while on Atkins, not to mention the good omega stuff you'll be getting from them. However if you are starting on the atkins diet, you'll have to get the list of acceptable foods from the atkins website. Take a look at it and you'll get a rough idea of what you can and can't eat.

The list doesn't contain our local asian veggies and food so here are some things you can have: all our green vegetables eg chyesim, bakchoy, xiao bai cai, kangkong. You can also eat deep fried ikan bilis (but not the sweet sambal that comes with it) among the other fish.

Regarding the paos that you had, there are hidden sugars in the vegetable bun cos the filling is usually made up of carrot and turnip. Carrot's not on the list of acceptable foods so it's better to eat less of it. As for the meat bun, cornstarch is used to bind the meat into a ball so that can be a problem as well. A lot of sugar is also used to season both the meat and veggie fillings.

Our local foods contain a lot of hidden sugars, eg cornstarch (thick gravies), oyster sauce, even thick dark soya sauce (esp the sweet type).

If you're unsure of what you can and can't put into your mouth, here's a website to check the carb content of local ingredients and dishes.
Singapore Health Promotion Board's Food Info Search (http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/default.asp?pg_id=1016)

Good luck!

[CSLH]

Thanx...........SGMeerkat :D

You are right...... outside food really contain a lot of sugar ... I was really at a loss of what to eat for luch yesterday...

So i guess my induction period could only start today........ Had steam chicken n some veg for breakfast.. going to have that for lunch too........ (cooked at home n bring to office) dinner would be steam fish n prawns......... :D

[tristanloh]

hi hi! good to now there are so many atkins diet supporter in Singapore!

i just started atkins diet for less than two months. It must be said that i never follow induction rules strictly except for the first two weeks. However, I cut down on my food and go to gym room for 2 hrs everyday.

I have since get rid of 7kg of weight, from 70kg to 63kg. My tageted weight is 58kg - 60kg.

My question, I am finding it particularly diff to follow strictly an atkins diet in long run. I can resist rice, noodle etc. but the sauce/gravy for chicken chop? the crispy skin of fried chicken?

for me, i will do both carb counting and calories counting. I tend to eat mainly meat and vege, but limit the calories intake to maybe 1500 calories. I think a normal adult can burn away 2500 calories a days? plus daily exercise, i think that will keep my weight under controled.

the main advantage for atkins diet is the "metabolism advantage" as fuel efficiency for protein and fat are lower than carbonhydrate. i don't quite understand the point that we need to limit our carbonhydrate intake to less than 20gram to kick start lipolysis. i mean, if i take in 100 gram of net carb, but only with 500 calories, surely my body will have to fuel my energy from somewhere else either from our mussle or fat! and i think our body will start using fat as fuel first....

i have to clear my doubts about atkins diet before i can be a believer and life time follower of it.... but i'm glad that it has help me to slim down (although i don't follow strictly)

[Fumih_81]

Hi Tristan,

welcome to this grp of atkins-doers....

you mentioned abt the intake of carbs...........well probably u have not totally understood from reading the atkins book. basically carbs when taken into the body converts to glucose. and this will actually turn into body fats....thats my impression. so logically if u limit ur carb intake, less glucose means less new body fats. so ur body will have to take out body fats which have been stored for a long time to burn.

but pls dont go according to ur weighing machine, go by ur waist inches...or try a tight clothing now and then to gauge. if u exercise as well, u know that it creates more muscle mass and makes u heavier.

My question, I am finding it particularly diff to follow strictly an atkins diet in long run. I can resist rice, noodle etc. but the sauce/gravy for chicken chop? the crispy skin of fried chicken?

# its a very good qn... my own experience tells me that i shld not be keeping too strict that i binge.....sometimes allow urself to........reward urself. but do keep in mind not to go overboard. personally i allow gravy, chicken skin (dont be afraid of animal fat).

I have been in and out of atkins (i duly admit) since 1998. the best times were the first few years that i shed 20kg purely on dieting without exercise. but that time it was too spartan for me...i practically have to note every single meal intake. of course the downside of relaxing is that u dont achieve the target very fast... but i am now happy with a steady weight loss though turtle slow.

i just had a case of feedback from my colleagues that i have been eating too much fatty meat and fats....but well i am not afraid of taking it coz i knew i lost 20kg on that and my health was turning for better... they were telling me actually if i go on lean meat it will compliment my regular exercises of gym joggings. anyway, i just tell myself take everything in moderate amts....esp in front of other pple hahaha.

personally my weaknesses will be potatoes, fruit juices, chocolates and crossiants with nice whiffs of butter.

now i hate kuehs...........coz i cant imagine the whole chunk being refined carbohydrates.

my advice for u is that, imagine a food pyramid. place vegetables at the lowest and widest segment, followed by meats in the middle....and of course carbs on the top segment. most impt is to take in more veges....coz at least when u feel a case of carb-blues, veges can help to curb....fruits also but they contain more sugar. and esp for females, losing fats could mean irregular menses at times.........tats quite scary for me.

[tristanloh]

Hi Tristan,

welcome to this grp of atkins-doers....

you mentioned abt the intake of carbs...........well probably u have not totally understood from reading the atkins book. basically carbs when taken into the body converts to glucose. and this will actually turn into body fats....thats my impression. so logically if u limit ur carb intake, less glucose means less new body fats. so ur body will have to take out body fats which have been stored for a long time to burn.

I knew that carbs will be converts to glucose, and if we don't used up the glucose, it will turn into fat. but something should apply for protein and fat, whatever excess protein and fat that we consumed will eventually store up as fat. so the point is: if we eat more than we use, we will gain weight. If we eat less than we use, we will loss weight.

so if i take in 300 grams of carbs with only 500 calories per day and keep my overall calories intake to 2000 calories, i should not gain weight (coz normal person will spend at least 2000 calories per day).

of course, it's really difficult to count ur carbs together with calories intake.

but pls dont go according to ur weighing machine, go by ur waist inches...or try a tight clothing now and then to gauge. if u exercise as well, u know that it creates more muscle mass and makes u heavier.

hehe... i really slimed down. no doubt about it... both from weighing machine and waist inches. thanks to LC diet.
My question, I am finding it particularly diff to follow strictly an atkins diet in long run. I can resist rice, noodle etc. but the sauce/gravy for chicken chop? the crispy skin of fried chicken?

# its a very good qn... my own experience tells me that i shld not be keeping too strict that i binge.....sometimes allow urself to........reward urself. but do keep in mind not to go overboard. personally i allow gravy, chicken skin (dont be afraid of animal fat).

I have been in and out of atkins (i duly admit) since 1998. the best times were the first few years that i shed 20kg purely on dieting without exercise. but that time it was too spartan for me...i practically have to note every single meal intake. of course the downside of relaxing is that u dont achieve the target very fast... but i am now happy with a steady weight loss though turtle slow.

i just had a case of feedback from my colleagues that i have been eating too much fatty meat and fats....but well i am not afraid of taking it coz i knew i lost 20kg on that and my health was turning for better... they were telling me actually if i go on lean meat it will compliment my regular exercises of gym joggings. anyway, i just tell myself take everything in moderate amts....esp in front of other pple hahaha.

personally my weaknesses will be potatoes, fruit juices, chocolates and crossiants with nice whiffs of butter.

now i hate kuehs...........coz i cant imagine the whole chunk being refined carbohydrates.

my advice for u is that, imagine a food pyramid. place vegetables at the lowest and widest segment, followed by meats in the middle....and of course carbs on the top segment. most impt is to take in more veges....coz at least when u feel a case of carb-blues, veges can help to curb....fruits also but they contain more sugar. and esp for females, losing fats could mean irregular menses at times.........tats quite scary for me.

haha... my weakness is on chocolates and fruits.... and sometime i can't say no when my gf suddenly wanna cook me a dinner - she likes spagetthi!

[Fumih_81]

just have the meatballs. hehehehe

I like the IKEA meatballs....yum yum. But gravy-beware hahaha...

[tristanloh]

actually i have been in myanmar for 10 months... food here is always oily and with lots of sugar and strarch... but the good thing here is " it's cheap!" a whole steam fish with soup only cost about 4SGD! so i always order a whole fish and i can only finish maybe 1/4 of it, the rest i package back for my workers... hehe

and it's the season for fruits now... 200g of strawberry selling as cheap as 40 cents to 50 cents... hehe... i am enjoying strawberry almost everyday...

going back to singapore for a break by end of this month, i am afraid i will not be able to follow lc diet strictly when i eat with my frens.... :q:

[CSLH]

Wha........ I'm seeing more Singaporeans into LC........

I started Atkins 6 weeks ago...... and now still on induction. I find it tough to calculate the carbs intake so I jux stay below the 20g allowance.

I'm lucky i must say..... I have been eating at home for every meals since I started Atkins..... I drive and I go home for lunch everyday..... Till now.. I only had 2 meals outside...... Once is to bring my mum out.. the other is a buddy's wedding.

Till now... i still din cheat... though I have some cravings every now and then....... I dunno how much I lost...... but certainly I am losing..... :D
Clothes getting loose.. and friends who saw me recently said that they could see the difference..

Anyway..... I dun think you can find splenda here...... but I found sweetNlow...... Its in Bishan Ntuc.......

[SGMeerkat]

Hi guys,

I found splenda on this website: Splenda ~ AIWO (http://www.aiwo.com.sg/menu/merchandise.html)

Perhaps you can purchase from them, they're sold in handle sachets which you can take around with you when you're out.

Also I will be travelling to OZ early next month, and I do not mind helping you guys get splenda should you need any.

Splenda is sold in 120g boxes of granular splenda and tablet cases of 300 tablets each. Granular would be the type you use for cooking while the tablets come in handy when you're taking your beverages.

The 120g boxes cost AU$8.00 while the tablet boxes cost AU$6.00 each. Let me know if you need any.

[tristanloh]

i really miss spagetti... is there anyplace i can get low carb spagetti in singapore?

[tristanloh]

Hi guys,

I found splenda on this website: Splenda ~ AIWO (http://www.aiwo.com.sg/menu/merchandise.html)

Perhaps you can purchase from them, they're sold in handle sachets which you can take around with you when you're out.

Also I will be travelling to OZ early next month, and I do not mind helping you guys get splenda should you need any.

Splenda is sold in 120g boxes of granular splenda and tablet cases of 300 tablets each. Granular would be the type you use for cooking while the tablets come in handy when you're taking your beverages.

The 120g boxes cost AU$8.00 while the tablet boxes cost AU$6.00 each. Let me know if you need any.

Hi SGMeerkat,

Mind to tell me when will you be coming back from Aus? I will be back to Singapore only temporarily from 23 April 05 to 15 May 05. Then i will have to go to Myanmar again.

If you are willing to buy some splenda for me, can I transfer the money to you via bank transfer? I can pick it up from you at your convenience after that as I'm on leave when I'm in Singapore. :)

[SGMeerkat]

I will be in Melbourne from 8th-11th May. So if you'ld like to get a box or two, I can purchase them first, and we'll sort out the payment when I'm back. Then I'll be able to give an exact exchange rate as well. It's no worry. :)

Just let me know what you need.

[tristanloh]

In that case can you get two box of each type (both granular and tablet form) for me?

many thanks to u first! :)

[dietcoke]

Hi all,

Just wondering, are there any plans in the pipeline for arranging another Singapore low-carb (feast) meetup? It's been quite awhile since the last one, huh? Would really like to meet each and everyone :)

[SGMeerkat]

In that case can you get two box of each type (both granular and tablet form) for me?

many thanks to u first! :)

Alright, I've taken note of it, please send me your contact number in PM. Thanks. :)

[tristanloh]

Alright, I've taken note of it, please send me your contact number in PM. Thanks. :)

tried to PM u but can't access it...

anyway, my hp number is 90629805, will be back in singapore/malaysia from 21/4/05 till 14/5/05.

thanks...

[SGMeerkat]

Hi tristan, I've got your number... I've never used the inbox on this board, but thanks for posting it up. You might want to edit that post and remove your number for privacy reasons. :)

[saffy]

Hi, I'm a newbie on a diet that's trying to be low-carb...but not always successful! :P I'm so glad to know so many sg-eans out there like me...perpetually getting stared at by pple cos we throw away our rice/bread/potatoes...heehee :) Especially since I find the easiest thing (and cheapest) to do when buying lunch at work is to go to the economical rice stall and order rice with the dishes, and throw away the rice, which always gets me stares from my colleagues. :P

I find that the hardest part of the diet is eating meat...I'm so used to avoiding meat that it's hard to start eating it again. I tend to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables so I don't think I'll be able to stick to the Induction phase of the Atkins diet...did anyone try the diet without going thru the Induction? Would love to get as much advice as possible from everyone :)

[SGMeerkat]

Hi saffy, welcome to the world of lowcarbing :)

If you have difficulty consuming meat, you can always try other protein substitutes such as fish or eggs. You can have fish soup or yong tau foo (without the fish meat paste stuffing). Alternatively you can also use whey protein shakes to replace the protein requirement in the diet, these can be easily gotten from GNC or Nature's Farm. Whey protein drinks are also handy too... you can have your veggies for lunch and the drink as a dessert!

But if you prefer just plenty of veggies, perhaps you can consider going onto the South Beach Diet instead. The atkins diet advises that you stick strictly to the list of induction foods and 2-3 cups of veggies a day. Many people confuse the atkins diet with other forms of LC diets and then think that they're on atkins when they're not. I think that Dr Agaston of the SBD advises plenty of veggies, and also low fat content, whereas Dr Atkins advocates that you maintain a diet with a fat/protein/carb percentage of 60/30/10. Many asians find that hard to stick to.

Also, fruits are not acceptable in any form during Induction, even so in SBD, because the fruit sugars present in fruits would trigger off your insulin levels... causing your cravings for carbs to return, rather than to go away. The first two weeks are the most crucial because it helps you overcome your body's dependence and addiction to carbohydrates. But if you really must have fruit, you could pick berries. They are the lowest in sugar content. Papaya, oranges, mangoes are no-nos. Tropical fruits tend to contain a large amount fruit sugars.

Maybe you can try eating more "qing cai"/green leafy vegetables and have eggs and fish, so you needn't worry about consuming meat. Just hang in there for the first two weeks of induction. Thereafter you can have add in 1 more cup of veggies and then follow the carbohydrate ladder... where you can add more in the following order: veggies, then cheese, then nuts, followed by fruits, etc.

Once you've gotten the hang of this diet, you'll soon be able to find what foods you're comfortable with and how you personally are going to approach this diet and what suits you best. That's when you'll really come to enjoy living this way and losing weight! And the stares won't be on that wasted rice, but on you :yum:

Good luck! :)

[carmosin]

This is somewhat off topic, I'm sorry.

I am going to Singapore 5th june-19th june and I'm going to stay at a hotel, so I won't be able to cook my own food. I have two questions, first of all I would like to know if there are any (low-carb) restaurants you'd recommend.

Secondly I wonder which the "must see" things are? I am going to spend most of my time at the Expo (Communicasia), but I'll have 2 weekends to check out the sights :)

Kind regards

/Jenny :wave:

[Fumih_81]

Hi Carmosin,

Are you an exhibitor in CommunicAsia? Well spending most of your time at expo is tiring, and personally I dont really like the food available there. There is a Burger king, food courts. I was so sick of Burger king when i was at expo for a few days consecutively.

Low carb food in Singapore will be limited to Cafe such as Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf as I know of now...where they really have low carb dishes. Else, most of the dishes contain rice, bread or noodles. One way is to order western food dishes, Chinese Economy rice with less rice (if you asked for no rice they will charge you more, believe me)....else if you got the time to eat ...get a whole roasted chicken and bring back to hotel.

The usual few dishes I had gone for were satay, chicken chop, roasted chicken, KFC, Mac, Burger King...

If not, if you can take raw fish, have sashimi at Japanese Restaurants.

But to make ur life easier, you should opt for more vegetables if you cant get a total low carb meal.

I had a german friend whom I was her tourguide during Chinese New year, literally I went the whole of Singapore within one week with her. Depending on what you are after....scenic, shopping, eating etc...

My german friend bought some empty CD-Rs and an Ashley Simpson's CD...she told me its cheaper here. She loved the sights of Chinese Garden and my mom... Do visit the Chinese Heritage Centre at Chinatown, a very good museum which has wonderful heritage displays...

hope these help

[tristanloh]

Hi tristan, I've got your number... I've never used the inbox on this board, but thanks for posting it up. You might want to edit that post and remove your number for privacy reasons. :)

i'm now back in yangon. can u msg the total amount and ur account number (POSB or OCBC) to 91801275? i will then transfer the money to u first... and collect it from u when i'm back to singapore... probably in June....

[tristanloh]

Hi tristan, I've got your number... I've never used the inbox on this board, but thanks for posting it up. You might want to edit that post and remove your number for privacy reasons. :)

i'm now back in yangon. can u msg the total amount and ur account number (POSB or OCBC) to 91801275? i will then transfer the money to u first... and collect it from u when i'm back to singapore... probably in June....

[healthbabe]

This is somewhat off topic, I'm sorry.

I am going to Singapore 5th june-19th june and I'm going to stay at a hotel, so I won't be able to cook my own food. I have two questions, first of all I would like to know if there are any (low-carb) restaurants you'd recommend.

Secondly I wonder which the "must see" things are? I am going to spend most of my time at the Expo (Communicasia), but I'll have 2 weekends to check out the sights :)

Kind regards

/Jenny :wave:

Hi Carmosin,

You might wanna check out this health eatery call AIWO - Food for Life at Raffles City Shopping Centre, #02-20. Quite convenient for you to travel down with our public transport (MRT train from S'pore Expo and stop at City Hall Mrt station).

They are serving low-calorie & tasty cuisines. Quite a revolutionary concept with different 50 calorie dishing served over conveyor belt (hot) so that you can keep track of your calorie intake each meal. They prepare their food using only Extra Virgin Olive Oil and no sugar.

THey also have wide range of ala carte dishes as well as "Sinless" desserts to complete each meal with a smile. Try their Sinless Choco Brownie with Strawberry Soy Ice-Cream! Sugarfree but they are using only Splenda 0 calorie sweetener. Yummy!

THey have been receiving excellent reviews and features by media/press. Do check out. By the way, their conveyor menu changes every single day so that you will not get sick of eating healthy everyday! Check out their website: Website: www.aiwo.com.sg :yum:

[tristanloh]

anybody know if guardian sell stevia? it's available in Malaysia guardian... call greenlite...

website: http://www.greenlite.com/

[linars]

Hi everybody! Just started on Atkins last monday. SO far I've only lost a kilo :(

I have been messaging ont he newbies forums. I didn't know ther was a SG specific one here!

This site is a godsend. :)

[dietcoke]

are there still any active atkins-doers here in SG?

i've fallen off the atkins bandwagon for almost 1 year now (and gained 7kg) since.

i've just rebooted myself last wed (22 Feb) and had lost 2kg since... so far, i've been trying to do low-carb rather than gg thru the whole induction stage again :(

any chance of another SG low-carbers makan meet-up anytime soon :D

[dietcoke]

are there still any active atkins-doers here in SG?

i've fallen off the atkins bandwagon for almost 1 year now (and gained 7kg) since.

i've just rebooted myself last wed (22 Feb) and had lost 2kg since... so far, i've been trying to do low-carb rather than gg thru the whole induction stage again :( (meaning i still allow myself milk, rice crackers and yogurt).

any chance of another SG low-carbers makan meet-up anytime soon :D

[linars]

Hey me too! I fell off the bandwagon early this year. :o

I had start in August 2005 - lost nearly 5kg in 3 months with absolutely no exercise. I have been procrastinating starting once again. Haven't started with induction, but this time I'm gonna throw some light exercise into the mix - even just a short run a couple of times a week would be better than nothing!

Its really diffcult to eat lo-carb in Singapore when eveyrwhere around you, you see rice, noodle, rice...

Are you working? What do you usually eat for lunch when you go out with colleagues? In my earlier workplace I brought a packed lunch a couple of days a week, but the new job invovles a lot of moving around, so that's out of question :help:


are there still any active atkins-doers here in SG?

i've fallen off the atkins bandwagon for almost 1 year now (and gained 7kg) since.

i've just rebooted myself last wed (22 Feb) and had lost 2kg since... so far, i've been trying to do low-carb rather than gg thru the whole induction stage again :( (meaning i still allow myself milk, rice crackers and yogurt).

any chance of another SG low-carbers makan meet-up anytime soon :D

[TWL]

Hey all SG low carbers!

Would any of you know if it is possible to buy shirataki noodles in KL or SG?

Thanks!

[CooknCajun]

Its really diffcult to eat lo-carb in Singapore when eveyrwhere around you, you see rice, noodle, rice...


Tell me about it. Its not unlike living in Hawaii, all kinds of noodles. I miss them all! Thank goodness for shirataki/konnyaku noodles.

Good luck

CC

[Mach550]

I just joined and noticed that most of the SG posts were from awhile back so wanted to check if there are still interested low carbers in Singapore on this forum!

Mach550

[hk-lowcarb]

Not in S'pore, but in HK. Very few people post from here either.

I don't even bother trying to find low carb substitutes for things like noodles. I just eat dish after dish and instead of rice I have more greenies (bok choi gai, gai laan, spinach, etc.).

I'm also doing South Beach, which is easier to evolve into a WOE in HK, where Cantonese cooking fits in well - lots of steamed fish, roast chicken, steamed ribs w/ blackbean sauce, etc.

[Mach550]

Thanks hk-lowcarb for the reply! I'm pretty much cut out the rice and starchy staples as well as there aren't any substitutes available here. But I use Splenda to sweeten my beverages :)

So looking at the post rate, there really is not much activity going on here which is too bad...

[hk-lowcarb]

hi Mach550,

Wow, splenda. In HK it's very hard to find. Instead I use sweetnlow (saccharine) which
is carried at a supermarket near where I live.


Yes, I agree that it's too bad there are few people from HK, S'pore, etc. But, it is still a nice group of people. I've been posting for almost 4 months now and have lost some weight and gotten encouragement.

Keep posting!

[Mach550]

Actually it is impossible to find Splenda in Singapore too. I was lucky to get one round of supplies from my sis in New York, and another time when I visited Australia :) It keeps my sweet tooth happy and it is heat-resistant so useful for cooking/baking as well!

So hk-lowcarb, how's your progress in shedding the pounds? Do you find low carbing to be the right way of eating for you?

[hk-lowcarb]

Hi Mach550

Well, it was quite quick for the first 3 months, but now it is slowing down - instead of 2 to 3 lbs a week it's more like 2 to 3 lbs a month. But, mostly I am satisfied with it. It's something I can live with & since I keep trying to tell myself that this is a WOE and not a "diet", it helps me to keep patient.

I've lost almost 10 kg since January & when I get glum I think of how I would be if I had stayed the same (or worse, gained) and think... well if by October I've lost another 5 kg - won't that be great...and think how it will be a year from now...

I am doing SB which is basically like my normal life except for the no sweets, rice, noodles, potatoes, etc. But it's quite good - many curries (for example) are just as nice if you put in loh-ba instead of potatoes.

What do you think - is this the right WOE for you?

[Mach550]

Hi HK-Lowcarber,

10kg is a fantastic achievement, and I wish you luck in losing the next 5! Hitting a plateau seems pretty common, and the body seems to resist burning the last few kg of fat! Actually, I'm wondering what makes you feel you need to burn off another 5kg -- are you trying to get to a target BMI or body fat%, best-guess based on what you see in the mirror, etc? I know some people who are already slim but always feel they need to lose somemore!

You bet low carbing is definitely my WOE! After much reading, I am convinced by the science behind low carbing and believe that most people who are overweight due to metabolic syndrome + modern day (over)eating will likely succeed on low carb. Like many low carb converts, I am baffled by how resistant the mainstream is to low carb, including my family doctor. I'd never insist that it should be the right WOE for everyone, but LC should at least be accepted as a "legal" option for dieters and not immediately criticized by people who have never even taken the trouble to read the books or assimilate the logic/science/studies that support it.

For me, I started low carbing last Sept, did induction for 2 weeks (lost 5kg) followed by a very low carb OWL stage for 4 months (lost 10kg) where I hit my target weight, then tapered off to maintennance low carb (lost another 1kg) which I am maintaining till now. Next goal is to see if after one year my weight is still maintained!

[hk-lowcarb]

Hi Mach550,

What makes me think I need to lose more? Well, according to the BMI stuff I
have just slipped from "obese" to "overweight" - so I feel like there is more work to do. I also have a favorite dress that I'm almost ready to wear to work again, I think in 5 more kg it will button up the back w/out straining.

Then there's the vanity stuff - I think I will be more attractive w/ smaller or fewer fat rolls. ;)

[Zack90]

Hello! :wave:

this is a very supportive forum guys!
I'm 16.i was just wondering if there are any ketoSTIX sold nearby?like gaurdian?
and i just wanted to know if anyone else who are teen and low carbing

[Mach550]

Sorry, I've been kinda busy and haven't come to this forum for a while!

Zach90, I also asked Guardian about Ketostix last year, and they sell a more expensive type (if I recall, around SGD16 a box?) that not only tests for ketones but other stuff in the urine as well. The pharmacist said they stopped carrying the pure ketostix due to low demand! I eventually got my ketostix from my sis in US...

For the record, I'm definitely way beyond my teens :)

[hk-lowcarb]

Hi Zach,

Not only am I way out of my teens, but I don't live in S'pore. I
live in HK - but more people seem to post from S'pore & some of the issues about food & culture seem to be closer than in the other areas, so that's why I post here.

I'm also doing SBD, not Atkins (what a misfit I am!) so can't answer much about those sorts of issues.

[Louisa.]

Hey all, *blows dust off*

Are any of you here still LCing?? Just curious!

Btw I'm a teen, turning 18 this year.

[Mach550]

Hi Louisa...not sure who else is looking at these boards, but its been awhile since my last visit so was surprised to see a new post :) Always nice to see more fellow low carbers...I'm pretty sure there are more in Singapore, just don't know where they hang out online!

I've been in the low carb maintenance phase for a year now, and still a strong believer in this diet/lifestyle cos it works and it makes sense to me! So, what's your story?

[h0neybun]

Hi, everyone.
Another Singaporean here ~~! :)
I did low-carb for 2 weeks ago, well, after coming back to Singapore, all the plan had gone as i so miss all my beloved food, from chicken rice to carrot cakes.
Well, after this week stuffed all the food i've missed, im coming back to low-carb tmr.