Overnight oatmeal is simply addictive!

The past two weeks had been a living hell - I was so sick that whenever I stood up or wanted to do anything at all, I got headache! This headache of mine was basically caused by the pressure in my blocked right ear - blame it on the flu. It was bad enough when one side of your ears is blocked and on top of that, the pressure and headache made it unbearable. I ended up seeing two different doctors because antibiotics weren't prescribed to me by the first doctor and the medication he gave me wasn't strong enough to counter the flu I was having. The second consultation was with a specialist and on the third day onward, I felt so much better.

Anyway, I haven't been dieting or exercising much for the past few weeks because I got headache whenever I stood up. Everyone was telling me to start eating rice and noodles because I wasn't really recovering with less nutrition.

They won.

I ate.

A lot of food.

At least that is what I think.

One of the nutritious beverage that I have been making these days would be overnight oatmeal. I bet you have heard about this overnight oatmeal sensation from your Facebook or Youtube. I have gotten hooked after the first try!

Basically, what you need are items like what you are seeing in the picture below.

Chia seeds, oatmeal, milk and yogurt - as easy as that :)

For your information, you are encouraged to used rolled oats but since I don't really like rolled oats, I replace them with instant oats. Personally, I think they taste the same.

In the original recipe, you're also told to use greek yogurt but nah, I don't want to spend extra because greek yogurt is so much more expensive than the normal yogurt. It's only the consistency is different. Greek yogurt is thicker, that's it.

If you want your overnight oatmeal to be sweet, you may add honey, brown sugar or anything that you like but I like the way it is. I am going to share my recipe with you all.

First and foremost, prepare your oatmeal - around four tablespoons for two servings.

You may add on the quantity of the oatmeal according to your appetite but my advice is not to overdo it else you may end up throwing them away since not everyone may like it. Try it out for the first time and then, you may decide whether you love or hate it.

Secondly, add in your chia seeds.

I added 2 tablespoons of chia seeds for two servings.

Honestly, if you want more chia seeds, you may go ahead as well. Chia seeds will absorb all the liquid and they would bloat up, giving you a pudding-like texture.

Again, don't overdo it.

Thirdly, add in the plain yogurt.

I'm not really sure whether you can use flavoured yogurts but well, there's no harm trying, right?

My measurement is two tablespoons for two servings.

Fourthly, add in the milk.

In this case, you can actually use almond milk, rice milk, fresh milk, low fat milk or whatever milk you can find.

I usually mix the dry ingredients with 2 cups of milk.

Last but not least, shake your bum, bum!

Best time to exercise, aye?

Shake it up and place it in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, you can take it out of the fridge - enjoy it cold or if you're sick, like me, warm it up in the microwave for a minute or so.

Cut up some of your favourite fruits and voila - overnight oatmeal is ready!

I hope you will be trying out overnight oatmeal because yes, they are addictive and honestly, that is usually my breakfast. It gives me enough energy in the morning whether I am working out or not.

The thing about weight loss

It has been almost two years since I embarked on my weight loss journey. After the three toughest months in my life, I went back to eat normal meals and I stopped going to the gym as well due to few factors, one of which would be my laziness.

Reverting back to normal eating style was pretty easy in the first place but soon, it went haywire. I was constantly going through psychological battle of choosing good food over bad ones.

I know I should avoid sugary food like desserts and stuffs because it will cause a lot of side effects to my health as well as contributing to the increment in my weight. Soon, the craving went out of control a bit and I began to eat junk food and desserts.

Before I knew it, my weight increased from 58kg to 62.6kg within half year of stuffing crappy food down my throat to my stomach. I could feel certain dresses starting to get tighter and worse still, I felt bloated all the times. As if it wasn't bad enough, I didn't feel the need to get back on track.

Suddenly, it struck me, I am a kinda a yo-yo dieter.

I am very much aware of my problem and yet, I still repeat this yo-yo dieting routine from time to time. But hey... it isn't that I am enjoying every bit of it but I am that kinda person who has very low metabolism rate. That particularly means I do not sweat easily even in the hottest or dry weather. I have to be on the treadmill for more than 45 minutes only then, I could spot a little bit of sweat.

#firstworldpain

The motivation to get back on track was practically zero or it didn't even exist at all until April this year when my students decided to surprise me with a birthday gathering.

When I finally received the pictures, I was totally at a loss of words - how can I be so fat and I didn't even realize it at all? What on Earth was I thinking when I put all those crappy food into my mouth? Did I never even think of my waistline? Did I even want to gain back all the weight that I have lost over the past 2 years?

I was even more shocked when I went through the rest of the pictures taken during my birthday week.

How could nobody tell me that I have actually gained a lot of weight?

I mean I know I was gaining weight but I didn't realize it was so pretty dang obvious!
Look at my round face and big mighty arms! OMG... What has gotten into me?!

I was even more confirmed that my weight gain was horrible when I finally got the two maxi dresses from TCL and VGY.

How on Earth could I gain so much weight and still, I could be pretty ignorant about it? There was no way I could believe it was me, looking back at my own reflection in the mirror!

A million times NO!!!

*sighs... sighs... sighs... sighs... sighs...

For the next one week, I was practically emo-ing over my weight gain and finally, I decided to get back on track. I need to be at my pre-weight gain weight. I want to look healthy and most important of all, pretty. I need my confidence back. I need to feel alive for once again!

I left my hometown from KL - yes, peeps, I am back at KL for good and this time, never gonna go back to my hometown and that hell of a work place! Then on, I decided to once again, embark on another weight loss journey. Now, you see? Yo-yo dieter...

The first week into eating clean went by pretty easy because I could easily find healthy food supplies in KL. Unlike in my hometown, salads are like 3 to 4 times more expensive than what we have here in KL. Eating clean in my hometown was literally impossible because every now and then, my parents would whip up good meals or I would go out with friends.

Lemme share with you what I have been eating and doing for the past 3 weeks in KL.

If I were going out, I would opt for brown rice or quinoa with salad. I especially love the brown rice served by Three Little Birds Coffee in D7, Sentul.

The bento box isn't exactly cheap but I was aiming to eat healthily to shed a few pounds off so it has to be done that way.

If I were to order coffees or teas, I would go for either low fat milk or soy milk. At least from what I understand, these two types of milks have lower calories compared to normal fresh milk. Well, sometimes a girl gotta do what she gotta do.

I try to stick to only order salads without mayonnaise or thousand island sauce. I usually opt for balsamic vinegar, garlic or a little bit of chilli here and there for my dressing.

If I were going to order chicken, it has to be chicken breast and well... grilling would be the best option

One thing you have to bear in mind if you were going to order salad outside - it is not entirely cheap. Let's say I am trying to cut down on my spending on food, what would I be eating?

To be honest, I do not particularly like Yong Tau Fu because I know that every bit of it is processed food. The trick on ordering Yong Tau Fu is that, do not be greedy and get everything in sight. You have to know what is the food that your body needs.

If you do not know what processed food is, it basically means food that has been altered from its natural state.

Examples of processed food would be fish balls, nuggets, hot dogs, sausages, sodas and others.

Hence, if I were going to order Yong Tau Fu, I would go with tofu and fresh vegetables. However, my diet isn't extremely strict to the point I have to get rid of all processed food from my life once and for all. Occasionally, I still eat my hot dogs and sardines.

As far as fast food like McD and KFC, well, to have none would be the best idea if you are going on a diet.

Most of the times, I try to keep things simple. That explains why I prefer to prepare my own food at home. One of the most important reason why that is so is because at least, I know what gets down my throat to my tummy.

My utmost favourite meal would be this!

I bought myself a spirelli so that I could make zucchini noodles.

You may be telling me that it is a waste of money to buy hings like that but lemme tell you - sometimes, you have to cheat yourself in order to make yourself feel good and zucchini noodles is one of the ways to end my craving for pasta.

At least, I feel like I am eating noodles.

Carb craving - settled!

The spirelli has to be one of the best products I have ever bought because I am kinda hooked on making zucchini noodles every day.

If I were too lazy to cook, I would just throw in some lettuce topped with Yellow Mustard and well... if there are chicken stripes, that would be the best.

I do take carbohydrate but I try to minimize the total amount of it. I would opt for either protein or probably just salad.

By the end of Week 1, I actually feel less bloated and I could feel my tummy flatter.

At the same time, I frequented the gym two to three times every week. I would do squats, cardio and a little bit of weight lifting. During weekends, I would go swimming.

I am not aiming for a model-like body but I just wanna be 58kg again.

During the second week, my mum came to KL and it was almost impossible for me to get her to go on a diet with me so, over the few days she was with me, I did eat food like nasi lemak, thosai, curry, rendang, fried squid and all those unhealthy food. The trick is to eat some and not a lot.

I'm sure you get what I am trying to tell you.

On those days when mum went out with her friends, I would stay in and whipped up my own meals.

Sometimes, I would prepare extra so that I could pack up some late dinner for my brother. The pasta that you see in the picture above is not mine though. I am trying to avoid carbohydrate so, you get what I mean.

Another easy salad recipe would be this...

No cooking required.

You basically just throw everything in and believe me, the combination is good. I love the flavor that the tuna gives whilst the corns are really, really sweet!

On days when I do not feel lazy, I would cook a bit...

Well, easy dish like what you see above is really good for your body. You basically just boil the french beans and cook the minced chicken.

Voila, ready to be eaten!

Oh, please cut down on the sodium and salt, okay?

By the end of the second week, I actually feel good about myself.

It could be psychological but I do feel lighter.

Pants are starting to feel loose once again. I am determined to keep up my good work!

This week is the third week and I am trying to experiment with vegetables that I have never tried before - brussels sprouts.

I just popped everything into the oven after drizzling the brussels sprouts with a bit of olive oil. After 25 minutes, done!

Fried myself an egg with half link of Chinese sausage.

For dinner, I would usually go a bit lighter by taking raw vegetables.

Well, I kid you not when I tell you everything that you are seeing here in my blog is so easy to prepare. I usually could eat after 15 to 20 minutes and best of all, I would meal-prep for the next day or so. Life couldn't get anymore easier.

So, this week's update...

Please excuse my flabby thighs...

Pants are loose, I have mentioned that. I feel like my collar bones are getting more obvious. My thighs aren't as gigantic as they used to be.

Best of all... I could feel my face getting slimmer too.

 Life has never been so good with dieting.

Hopefully by the end of this week, I would still be motivated to continue to eat healthy to reach my goal weight of 55kg to 56kg.

I haven't have the chance to go and weigh myself yet but I would do so soon.

Before I head off to bed, I really hope my entry would be useful to those of you who are trying to shed off a few pounds.

This is my journey - weight loss edition

*waves*

Hello, everyone!

It has been quite some time since I last updated my blog. My apologies for lack of reviews and updates. Finally I am back after a few busy months of rushing through my work.

I hope everyone has been healthy and good.

Another reason for my absence is that I have been busy keeping up with gym and dieting. If you don't know, yes, I am still in weight loss mode.

If you are wondering, my life has changed so much ever since the day I embarked on this journey.

My weight was at its lowest in 2008.

However, all those crash dieting had taken toll on my health - I started having frequent gastric. The pain was intolerable to the point I fainted a number of times. It made me give up on my weight loss journey. I am the type of person who gains weight easily so when I stopped dieting, the weight came back.

Wwwwaaaaahhhhh!

I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the picture above. I looked horrible in the picture.

I tried hard but I only managed to lose 4 to 5kg and then, I was stuck!

When I started working in April 2013 this year, I did not think much about losing weight and being healthy. It was only when I saw in one of the pictures take earlier how fat I was comparing to my colleagues. It was the moment of truth.

I admit, I had been piling on weight like mad especially after I got back from KL.

My parents had been whipping up nice food every now and then. Aside from that, we went out for meals several times a week.

All these contributed to my whooping weight gain since April. Even so, I kind of ignored the piling on weight until Mr. K pointed out how fat I was in one of the pictures.

To be honest, I was a little annoyed at his comment that I looked back and yes, I was shocked. I piled on 7kg ever since April!

I knew I had to loose weight but at the same time, I was not motivated to lose weight. I knew I had to do something and yet, I was lazy to even jog. I knew something had to be done to my current diet and yet, I did not want to change it.

Upon false motivation and force from my mum - I dragged my big butt to the gym for the first time ever, in my entire life! That was in August 2013.

Again, I was shocked when I saw the picture - I looked so, so fat to the point I simply refused to believe it was me in August 2013.

Then, I made a vow to myself - I want to lose weight and look good. I want to be healthy. I told myself that I need to lose weight by December because my best friend is getting married and I want to look my best during his reception.

Plus motivation from Mr. K, I made up my mind that I will lose those unwanted weight once and for all.

My journey started - I frequented the gym at least 3 times a week.

If I were not at the gym, I would be working out from home. My favourite YouTubers are Cassey from blogilates, and Joanna.

In order to know my progress, I purchased a calorie counter from Guardian Pharmacy. The price was around RM27.90 but it was totally worth it!

The purpose is just to motivate myself so that I would put in more effort during every session of working out.

Aside from working out, I began my journey into cleaning out my diet. Well, that pretty much means no more junk food, fast food or any food that will pile on the extra fat.

In this case, I can tell you, the only food that has less calories - greens!

Just like what your mama always tells you, "Eat your vegetables!"

At the same time, I started to prepare my own food instead of buying packed or processed food. I made it a habit to boil, steam or bake my meals.

I limit my daily calorie intake to 1000 kcal.

If you are wondering, I am using the application called My Fitness Pal to keep track of my daily calorie intake.

I know that is a little bit too little but that was for myself. If I knew I were going out for a meal with friends, I would work out more just because I knew I would be eating.

Lesson learned throughout this journey...

I learned how to control portions and not to over eat.

In about 2 months in September 2013, I lost 8kg.

I was over the moon. I couldn't believe it... 2 months and 8kg gone!

At this point, however, weight loss got more and more difficult. My weight just couldn't go down and I was desperate.

I began replacing certain food with better alternatives.

Instead of low fat milk, I started taking fat free milk alternative.

I learned that I should replace my bread with whole-wheat or wholemeal. That was when I learned to bake my own wholemeal scones - lesser calories, lesser fat.

Oh, I forgot to mention - I replaced sugar with stevia, Slim-up or Equal. Lessor calorie is good!

Aside from replacing this with that, I invested more time in working out and weight-lifting in the gym.

When I weighed myself in November 2013, I realized I have dropped another 4kg.

It was almost surreal.

From August to November 2013, I dropped 12kg with my own effort that I never knew I could do it.

Life has been both wonderful and crazy throughout this journey of trying to lose weight.

Mr. K could not believe I would be able to lose weight too!

All pictures are NOT edited.

Every morning, I remind myself, this is the reward of staying active and eating clean.

I have never felt better or healthier than now.