Life At Slow-Mo

It was an interesting weekend in the universe of weight-loss experience. We took a short holiday to Bandung, a city some 144 km away. I allowed myself a holiday from intermittent fasting and had a blast. My last result on April 11, 2022, was 90.85 kg (200.29 lbs). These are my results today.

Item	Measurement, April 18, 2022	Measurement, January 24, 2022	Healthy Standard
Weight1	90.35 kg (199.18 lbs)	98.7 Kg (217.6 lbs)	55.3-68.0 kg (121.9-149.9 lbs)
BMI2	33.1 (Obese)	36.2 (Obese)	18.5-24.9
Waist (circumference)3	113.5 cm (44.68 in)	122 cm (48.03 in)	< 102 cm (40 in)
Hip (circumference)3	113.5 cm (44.68 in)	120 cm (47.24 in)
Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR)	1.00	1.01	< 0.9
Blood Pressure4 (Systolic/Diastolic)	117 mmHg/ 87 mmHg	137mmHg/ 95 mmHg	110/70 mmHg- 145/90 mmHg

Here are the additional measurements:

Item	Measurement, April 18, 2022	Measurement, February 5, 2022	Healthy Standard
Body Fat	33.9%	36%	17.5%-20.6% (Good)4
Visceral Fat Level	16	17	<13

It was the Good Friday three-day weekend. I broke my calorie budget for three days in a row. On Friday, I exceeded the limit by 345 calories. On Saturday, 964. On Sunday, 213. In total, I had over 1,500 excess calories in three days.

Some of you reading this may think, “What, you overate and still lost a little weight?” Not so fast. The dark lining on the silver cloud was that I actually reached the 89 kg range on Wednesday and blew it back to the 90 kg range.

If you ask me if I regret the weekend, my answer is, “Heck, no!” I’d be a dick to my wife if I insisted on keeping the calorie tab on holiday, ruining every meal by perusing the menu for low-calorie entrees. On top of that, other than fashion shopping, Bandung is best known for its eateries and cafe culture. If you were me, would you spend three days there and eat 1,500 calories a day? You’d rather stay home, wouldn’t you?

Here is what I had on that epic Saturday where I took in over 900 calories of excess.

Meal/Food Item	Calories Consumed
Breakfast	450
Lunch	576
Afternoon Snack	250
Dinner	374
Night Cap (Wine & Cheese)	814
Total Consumption	2,464

Interestingly, if I had stuck to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, my excess would only be 150 calories. I would have had great local food, and closed my eating window in time.

After hitting some popular factory outlets, we went back to the hotel before traffic was impossible. We were fully intent on spending the evening by having early dinner and taking a long walk to enjoy the nightlife around the hotel. All of a sudden, heavy rain fell. So we ditched the plan, ordered some wine and cheese, and had a great time staying in watching TV. Hence the additional 800 calories.

Later that night, before going to sleep I tallied that day’s calorie intake. My first reaction to the number was pure horror. There was a sinking feeling which soon turned very close to panic. I imagined I had blown all the hard work away and regained all the weight I lost in the past two weeks. Luckily I was able to pull myself together and did some research to find out what to do when someone overate their calorie budget. Here is one piece of advice that I found to be very helpful: make sure to eat nutrient-rich food the next day. Also to do some exercise.

On Sunday morning, we took a walk and sightsaw around the hotel. For breakfast, I piled fruit, vegetable, and fish on my plate, something that I don’t usually have. For lunch, I watched the amount of rice I put on my plate. In the afternoon, we had some small bites and skipped dinner. I still ate more than my budget, but this morning my scale told me I did okay. Yay!

Here are some takeaways to remember when vacationing while doing a weight loss program:

(1) Take advantage of the breakfast buffet. You literally have control of what and how much you eat at the breakfast buffet. Choose the healthier items, such as fruit and vegetable (mind the dressing when having salad). When available, go for protein such as fish and chicken, preferrable those that are cooked with less or without oil. The body digests protein longer and therefore you will feel full longer and feel less craving too. Mind the portion, though.

(2) Listen to your body. No matter how good the food or how expensive it is, stop when your body says stop. For early dinner, last Saturday we visited a tiny noodle shop. I made the mistake of ordering the spiciest noodle on the menu. After going 80% of the way, the heat was too much I could not finish the meal. I felt bad for not finishing the delicious noodle. But continuing to eat would mean not listening to my body, which was one reason I got obese in the first place.

(3) Order that steak. Allow yourself that delicious protein. After all, you’re on holiday, right?

(4) But not that cake. The cafe where we had lunch on Friday sold good-looking and delicious cakes. We were thinking of splitting a piece to have with coffee. But when we saw the size of the cake that the waiter served to the next table, we decided to pass. No amount of sugar is worth indulging in. It will make your blood sugar level spike and crash, making you lethargic and looking for more food to compensate.

(5) Walk it off. Burn the calories. Do fun activities. Enjoy yourself.

(6) Breaking is not failing. Even if you overeat, it doesn’t mean your entire program goes kaput. Go back to your diet as soon as possible. Eat better at the next meal, or skip a meal if necessary.