Medical Checkup Jitters

Saturday January 28 Medical D-Day

Did my medical checkup at Prince Court Medical Centre and pleased to share that it was a pleasant event. The medical centre interior architecture is refreshing, non-hospital-like at all. Lovely natural lighting and spacious. Feels like almost like a corporate office block.

The medical checkup process went fine and smooth. Preliminary learnings is that I still have 100 percent capacity of my lungs. Phew! My brief interlude with cigars have not "done me in"!.  Of course, I have given up on cigars too.  This aging body needs a bit more attention to healthier practices if I want to minimise 'down-time'.  Anyway, results will be out on Tuesday, January 31. 

Prescription for Protection

Yo! I just picked up a 'prescription to protect oneself from high cholesterol' from Prevention's Healing with Vitamins book. Two factors: food, and supplements.

Lets start with the food factor.  Here's the 'to do' list:

[1] To lower saturated fat in diet to less than 10 percent of calories. This means trimming all visible fat from meats (sob! I shall miss those yummy chicken skin); opting for fish and lean red meats (bye bye sirloin and ribeye steaks).    [2] To redistribute the fats in diet by changing the balance. Recommended mix (for people like me with high cholesterol) is 7-10-13.  Reduce intake of saturated fat (found in meats) to less than 7 percent, reduce polyunsaturated fat (found in vegetable oils) to less than 10 percent' and increase monounsaturated fat (found in canola and olive oils) to 13 percent.  [3] Choose fish over other meats. Eating fish either once a week to every day will reduce saturated fat intake as well as counter any drop in HDL due to (too) low fat diet.  [4] Add fiber-rich foods can also reduce level of LDL.  Examples: whole-grain cereals and breads. (And here I am trying to reduce carbo-food in my diet...breads?!)   [5] Include soy products can help flush artery-damaging cholesterol from body.  (I was so happy to know that I can indulge in my favourite tofu and soya milk.)

Day 1:  Check out the bland looking
bowl of oatmeal. Duhhhh.

Day 3:  Breakfast buffet spread was dull. 
Stuck with my fruits and salad.

Day 2: Cold turkey ham and salmon
 replaced oatmeal.

Beginning with breakfast

This 2012 Chinese lunar new year celebration is a big hump on my path towards better health. The meals were expected to be the biggest issue. Before taking off for the family reunion in Ipoh, I had prepared myself how to participate in the numerous family lunches and dinners.  My weight reading was 53kg before start of 'festive' holiday.

True to life, there was at least eight dishes at every meal - platters of meat (especially the famed chinese deep-fried and roasted suckling pig), steamed fish swimming in pools of aromatic oil and soy sauce, wok-fried oily vegetables, etc...  all the most delicious festive dishes that would have tempt many strong-willed folks (e.g. me) trying to get healthier.  Not forgetting the wines that one would partake to accompany the dishes and meals.

I am pleased to share that my strategy to avoid over-eating during lunch and dinner was not to allow myself to feel hungry. This was to maintain better self-control during meals - to eat small portions and be very selective of the dishes.  During my three days stay in Ipoh, I began with fresh fruits and salad for breakfast everyday. Beverages were black teh-O, kopi-O, and water.  On the first day, I even had oatmeal porridge (which I subsequently avoided on following mornings due to incompatible taste-preference). Then at lunches and dinners I did taste every dish of each meal; but took care to avoid hearty and/or double servings of rich and oily dishes. Even kept my wine consumption low (there was a calorie-counter running in my head that was adding up whatever I put into my mouth, and that helped my resilience)! 


On the first morning back in Kuala Lumpur, I weighed 52.4kg. I am sooooooooo very pleased with myself to have managed to bring my weight down despite the tons of food during the family festive gathering in Ipoh. Plus without exercise!  A great milestone on the path of Healthier-Helen2012.

Health Check Quickie

Decided that to wait for my annual health check was just an excuse to keep myself in the dark about my current state of health. So went for an intermediate step: did a blood and urine analysis test at the UCSI Pathlab on January 18.

Got my analysis report yesterday evening. High cholesterol level and percentage of body fat are the two shortcomings of my current state of health. On top of these two issues, I am working on improving my stamina. The urgent task towards Healthier Helen 2012 is "formalizing" my plan of action. Will post in coming week... Unless my CNY activities overwhelms me. Wishing everyone - all races, social status, regardless whether friends or strangers, "May you grow healthier together with your wealth and happiness! Gong hei fatt choy!"

Healthier-Helen2012

A resolution for 2012: to improve my cardio and stamina.

Why: I was huffing and literally grasping for breath after walking up a steep (60 to 70 steps) stairway twice. It's time to get myself into better and healthier condition!

Next step: to do an endurance/ECG test in my upcoming annual check-up to establish my benchmark.

Working plans

Week January 15 - 21

Ha! This is going to be a tricky week with Chinese New Year festivities happening at end of this week. What's more, there is a fabulous birthday dinner that I am organising for my bro-in-law. Luscious, rich food to be accompanied by bottles of bourdeux and burgundy.  That dinner will definitely be my first personal challenge. To enjoy the evening without adding any weight...hmmmmm.

Week January 8-14 results provide the baseline to work out my plans for Healthier Helen 2012. Since I became so very conscious of my dinners, I actually dropped .6kg.  So latest weigh-in on January 14, my weight was 53kg. I suspect that I would have lost more weight if not for my great pre-CNY dinner. Take heart. Fish and seafood were on the menu. No red meat.  But there was wine.  Man! Those wine were calories-heavy.  I was already on the go-slow-mode. Luckily impact still not major as I did lose .6kg. 

Planning to start

January 8 - 14

Only managed to secure medical check-up appointment but alas! the date is 

January 28.  No problem.  

Will start with taking a simple note of my physical condition:  

Weight is currently at 53.6kg.  (My target weight is 50kg).

Stamina is based on a simple stair-test (courtesy of UCSI South-Wing hilltop

parking stairway):  Walking full-flight twice (i.e. up-down & up-down) got me absolutely breathless.  Panting for breath.  It was a struggle to simultaneously speak (on my mobile) and breathing.  This clearly indicates that the direction for my personal health plans for 2012. 

Started to monitor whatever I am eating for dinners, the time that I go to bed, 

and my non-campus activities.