I’m pretty sure most of you would already know that I’m constantly on the goal of becoming a skinnyb!tch, right?

In my context, I’m not referring to being stick-thin or aneroxic.

I strive to be extremely slim and slender, just as I was when I was 18/19 years old

You might think it’s impossible for a 23 year old to return to the body of an 18 year old, but trust me.

It IS possible.

My skinniest/slimmest year. Shot during Christmas in 2008

I have friends (models) who roughly share the same height as I do (some even taller!) and they weigh so much lesser than I do.

For those who don’t know, I stand at 170cm in height. This is the part where I debate with myself whether or not I should tell you my weight. Hmm..

Probably not 😛

In any case, I aim to be 55KG again. That was my optimum weight where I was so slim, toned and fit.

2 weeks ago, my buddies Venessa & Cheez suggested I attempt a detox diet programme with them.

You know, like, “Shall we do it together?”

I jumped on the bandwagon the very second I was asked.

Why, of course. I’d do anything to be a skinnyb!tch again 😀

Another detox to think about is the Coffee Enema detox. But that’s for another time.

So we headed straight for the markets & bought everything we needed for our healthy detox diet.

This diet isn’t just to rid your body of excess fat & toxins to aid weight loss but it also helps you clear your entire system, improve your complexion, cleanse your liver & so on.

All I can say is, my alcohol-drenched liver & tar-laden respiratory system will thank me for that!

So much love! 

I will now share my experience (and track my own progress) and hopefully, I am disciplined enough to endure the much-dreaded 10 days.

I believe you can too! 🙂

DAY 1 – DAY 3 (Cleansing Stage)

Purpose : Reduce rations of food to prepare the body to move from solid food to liquid food

Fruits, vegetables, nuts & course grains for ALL meals!

Minimal eggs (steamed/hardboiled)

No starch/refined carbohydrates! i.e : rice, bread, noodles

No tea & coffee

No seasoning except natural salt & pure honey

No oil!

Here’s what I did, separating my portions into 3 days so I get a balanced intake of different fruits & vegetables

Here’s a brief summary of what I ate:

Breakfast platter!

Fluffly scrambled eggs with broccoli and carrots

Snacking on pineapples!

Cherry Tomato ice blended juice

Hardboiled eggs with black pepper!

Bananas & watermelon make a good pair for lunch!

One of my faves – fresh coconut water!

Chopchopchopped fruits!

Giant plate of veggies for dinner!

Mashed potato with carrot slices

Stir fry potatoes, cherry tomatoes and onions

Green apple snack!

DAY 4 – DAY 6 (Fasting Stage)

Purpose : For slimming (3 days), better health (7 days) & chronic illness (14 days)

Drink only the prescribed fruits & vegetable juice for ALL meals (8 glasses a day)

Recipe : ONLY Carrot + cucumber + celery + green apple + beetroot + ginger slice

Drink it sip by sip.. slowly!

My buys and I at Cold Storage!

Shopping shopping!

Your buddies for 3 days. Give them a thorough juice

By the time I was in the middle of this stage, my spirit and willpower to go on dropped immensely.

I was miserable. I was weak. My cravings kicked in so badly. I was hungry for food that satisfies my tastebuds. I was yearning for something else to eat. I almost gave up.

But I didn’t.

Being on a liquid diet is not easy, just ensure you have more than enough a supply of your juice

Breakfast

Brought along my “lunch” with me when I’m on the go!

Be sure to drink MORE THAN 2000 ml everyday. 

I drank about 2500 ml per day, and that wasn’t enough for me at all. I was thirsty and hungry 🙁

DAY 7 – 10 (Recovery Stage)

Purpose : To prepare the body to return to its normal stage of solid food

Should you not do this properly, your stomach will risk aching & bloatedness

Day 7 : Fruit & vegetable juice and its pulp/remains from juicing

Day 8 : Uncooked fresh fruits & vegetables

Day 9 : Cooked vegetables & mushy food i.e : mashed potato, mashed fruits & vegetables

Day 10 : Simple/easy-to-digest meat i.e : fish

Arriving this stage fueled my motivation to finish it all the way.

At last! I was able to eat solid food again, goodbye to the horrid liquid diet that puts you off after a day.

Blended fruits & vegetables (with pulp) for Day #7!

Broiled broccoli and carrots with lots of garlic, onions & basil!

Breakfast platter!

Water stir-fry veggies and mushrooms!

Fruit juice & pulp!

Scrambled eggs with bok choy and brinjals!

Lunch platter!

About to make my pumpkin and vegetable stew for Day #9!

Lovely! My overnight slow-cooked pumpkin & vegetable stew is ready to be eaten

Orange, carrot & papaya juice!

Scrambled eggs with spinach and button mushrooms

Steamed fish with vegetables for Day #10!

Smoked salmon slices!

I can’t believe I did it. Enduring the 10 days of detox food was ironically, an enjoyable torture.

It deprives/hurts/frustrates so good ‘cos you know you’re doing your body a great favour! 😀

Throughout the whole 10 days, ensure you drink PLENTY of water to flush out whatever you’ve detoxified & sleep before 12am. For my dear readers who lead an active nightlife, this will be the hardest part.

NO SMOKING. NO ALCOHOL. NO SHISHA. NO GREENS. NO PILLS.

(basically anything toxic)

If I can do it, so can you! Remember, this is a VERY strict 10-day diet

The results? I feel healthier, lost a few kilograms, learnt so much about healthy living & healthy eating

I dare you to take on the challenge!

In all my 6 years of consistant fitness routines, working out & busting it out at the gym, I'm glad (and very touched!) that many of you readers and Twitter followers have thanked me for influencing yall do the same as well. 

So proud of you guys!!

If you're on Twitter with me, you would know how often I hit the gym and how much I try to keep to my healthy diet. Well, of course I admit that I do indulge once in a while, but the key is always moderation.

My bowl of salad for breakfast

What should I cook today?

Steamed veggies for lunch!

Popping in my baked fish & pumpkins into the oven for dinner!

Last week, I was asked to share a brilliant article on my blog and without hesitation, I willingly agreed 🙂

Why? Good things – and useful information! – ought to be shared, especially with all of you!

Today, I'm going to be talking about losing fat & feeling better.

Imma share with you some important facts & how-tos which has become part of my daily life.

Then you're doing it wrong, sweetheart 🙂

Before waging a never-ending war on losing weight & cutting the fat, there are several things you need to understand:

Weight gain occurs when :

the amount of calories we consume IS MORE

than the amount of calories we burn. 

So burn more calories to lose weight!

If you eat more than what your body needs (overeating) and don't exercise it away, be prepared for weight-gain!

But remember, crash diets & useless weight-loss techniques won't do you any good because they disrupt the body metabolism in burning away your fat. So technically, you're not helping.

Bottom line is: 

EAT LESS (calories) or EXERCISE!

If so, those cookies you stole from the cookie jar wont make you fat.

Yes, Cookie Monster, you heard me 🙂

Things you need to know about fat loss 

You cannot 'spot reduce'

Exercise routines such as sit-ups, leg-raises or dumbbell raising only target the muscle underneath your layers of fat. Although these exercises help you burn calories, strengthen your body and tone up, it does not magically make you lose fat at a specific part of your body.

You can't lose fat in specific areas, fat-loss happens overall in all areas of your body!

Unlike my male gym buddies, I aim to tone up and train my lean muscle, not to build muscular mass

So I carry lighter weights, about 4KG ones and do more reps instead

This is a really old picture LOL

I hardly take any photos of myself while gyming but I found a rare few

So always remember, lose the fat first before your weight training!

If not, you'll only end up looking bigger and bulkier. Unless that's what you want 🙂

Lighter is NOT better.

This is what I always tell newbie-gym members or whoever I train.

The weighing scale isn't everything. You can be 70-80kg but that doesn't mean you're fat.

Did you know that muscle weighs 4 times more than fat? So does bone structures & bone densities.

When I started my intense workout of strength training, circuit training, core muscle training & weight-lifts religiously, I gained weight. 

See? The weight I gained was all attributed to muscle and mass gain, not fat 🙂

Carbohydrates do not make you fat

Consuming carbs doesn't make you fat, excess calories in sugar & fat does.

In fact, eating healthy carbs helps you stay in shape by filling you up & keeping you full for longer.

However, if you indulge too much in unhealthy, unrefined flour (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, white rice, potato chips, jelly) without exercising, then yes, it will not be burned off but instead stored as fat.

Pro-tip : Don't eat white bread or white rice. I swear by that!

My alternative is always wholemeal bread, brown rice & oatmeal

Start burning!

Increase your activity levels

If you're not a member at any gym, build your fitness with a 30minute walk or a jog everyday to burn calories & increase cardiovascular activity.

For me, I hit the gym every alternate day and part of my workout includes a 5KM run with a speed of 8km/h.

I go running/jogging often

Hiking & jungle trekking sessions!

For indoor activities, I DDR (dance dance revolution) a lot.

Helps you sweat it all out and it's an excellent cardio activity!

Reduce your calorie intake

Losing weight (fat) is all about losing the calories. Count calories if you may.

My targeted daily calorie intake is at 1200 calories, with exercise.

The recommended calorie intake for men is 2000 calories per day & 1500 calories per day for women

Take a look at this, to help you estimate :

And fellow Malaysians, you might wanna know this *giggles*

CRAZY AMOUNT OF CALORIES, EY? 😛

Avoid second helpings.

You're just greedy, not hungry. Your body doesn't need that extra junk 🙂

But if you insist, then double your vegetable intake and halve your meat intake.

Swap sweetened/carbonated/sugary drinks like cola, soda water, cordial and syrup to plain water

If you drink milk, like me, opt for low-fat milk.

Stop being sucha fatty dessert person. Cut the ice-cream, cakes, candies & sweets.

I'd love to have yummy desserts too, but I'd want a yummy body more 😉

Cut down on your alcohol intake.

You're not only doing your liver a favour but your body will thank you for not forcing down mad calories in it.

Haha! I love my alcohol, trust me. But then again, I love my body more so I try to ensure I drink no more than 3 glasses when I go to events or clubbing/partying.

Let me be the bad guy and show you how much calories you consume at a party:

Never skip meals

You might think it helps, but it doesn't. Your body goes into starvation mode & sugar levels drop.

Skipping meals disrupts your body's metabolism & you'll be tempted to snack/overeat later.

For me, I strictly eat every 4 hours. Don't ask me why, it's how I've trained my body calorie intake cycle.

All those I've said above are sure-ways to be healthier and trimmer.

Take my word. Give it a go (with determination & discipline!) and you can say hello to a healthier and fitter new you in no time! 

This article is brought to you by TheJessicat and Great Eastern life 🙂

For more information, visit Great Eastern Life's wellness 'Live Great' website here on how to live life healthier and better!