The Day You Can't Call Me Skinny Anymore

No matter how smaller / heavier I'll get,
I'll keep in mind that I'll still be mentally and physically strong for my own body
when I can balance and lift up my whole body, on my wrists.

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(Note: I felt inspired to write this entry after reading how a blogger-turned-friend/student's entry on how puzzled she became for her skirt fits her like never before even after the 4kg she gained ever since she started joining my yoga class. Aahhh, just an excuse to update-lah, y'know me.. )

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All the 24 years I've lived, I have never weighed this heavy.

I have always been 38 - 39 kg, a UK sized 6, US sized smaller than 0 and often smaller than a Small;
even with my weekly nasi daun pisang fest at Nirwana Maju every Sunday, my alternate day of Big Breakfast at La Bodega, two Pavlova Meringue every time I managed to squeeze my butt in ever-packed lunch hour in Alexis BSC, my incessant dosage of CB's White Chocolate Dream Latte and BK's Mushroom Swiss Double, the occasional KFC, et cetera; it is very hard for me to put on a kilo.

Maybe it was a break-up reaction, somewhere in between February to March, I tried to eat healthier on weekdays. By healthier I mean, less minyak, less lemak, less nasi and less gula. Not to lose weight (or else I'll weigh 30kg, boleh?), but just to feel better and to live longer (WTF :D).

So I've been trying to drink at least A LITRE of skimmed milk everyday and if I'm alone in the house, I'll have TWO CANS of non-mayoed tuna (they taste not-even-half than tasty, believe me) for my lunch in replacement to my ceased supply of expensive protein shake (yes DM and Jay, us girls need to allocate RM for monthly hair treatments, regular waxing, to stack on MACs to compliment the hot body :P).

The funny thing is, I did hear that I look smaller (they should've used the term 'more defined') but the weighing scale at my yoga studio always indicates that I've exceeded 40kg.

So when I finally used up my 2 complimentary passes of PT sessions at my gym, as my cute butted PT took measurements of my height, weight, heart rate and body fat count, I swear I shrieked in joy when the scale stayed at 42kg! I have finally gained weight! 3 bloody kilos man! If only I can grow 3 inches taller too.. Anywayssssss,

The body fat count,

the last time I had it measured in the same PT department last December, I had 16% of BFC. FYI (according and in relation to your weight and waistline), average body fat count for a female adult is 25 - 35% , fair / good ranges from 19 - 22% and you are in excellent shape / super lean if you have less than 18% (as for male adult; average BFC is , fair / good from 14 - 19% and excellent if they have less than 13% body fat). So I thought and airheadly told my PT, if there's much you can change about me lah-..

Berlagak siyalll..

So last week, when he measured me after 6 months; even he shrieked in terror and to the whole PT department screaming, "Her body fat count is 13.4%!!!!!!!!!!!!" and after half a minute that both of us jumped up and down, cartwheeled the whole room around (ok, the latter was entirely fictional) he and other PTs finally asked, what have you been doing?

I said, I don't know.. Maybe it's the white meat tuna, maybe it's the low-fat milk (go try banana flavored HL milk, super-yummy!), maybe it's the (at least) an hour of yoga everyday, maybe it's the weights routine from Body For Life program that I don't really religiously follow, maybe I've been in love, maybe this and that and everything combined together,

(So ahemmm, does this mean that I'm almost as fit as a fit man?
He hee, and thank God that even with 13.4% body fat,
I still have fat at places I should have!
La la laa..)

but above all please get this my beloved friends,
The pounds and kilos DON'T COUNT!

The better way to watch your weight is to eat right and work out moderately. It's simple maths, either you eat less than what you can burn OR work more than what you eat. Hence,
- Do not ever starve yourself to lose weight and end up slowing down your body's metabolic rate and lose your muscles.
- Tone your muscles and get lean!
- Muscle is heavier and higher in density than fat which is to why you might weigh heavier but appear smaller.

Exactly like what I always promised my students at their very first beginner's class, 'I don't promise that you'll lose weight but I can guarantee that your clothes will fit better'.


More great articles that will help you understand how to lose weight / gain muscle / be fit with more accurate fitness jargons; in dailymuscle.com and Mun's blog.