2 Weeks Into Customised Health Plan

As mentioned previously, I'm now on a new diet regime where I have to take BiosLife Slim 10 minutes before my 2 heaviest meal. As you can see from the photo above, it's just 1 sachet and 1 shaker cup with 250 ml of water before meals.

The powder smells like orange and it's no wonder that the shake tastes like it. Su Lee, my wellness coach, recommended that I use cold water so that it tastes better.

This is how the concoction looks like after shaking it for about 5 times. Again, I was recommended NOT to shake it too much because over shaking it makes it turn thicker and gloopier, making it harder to drink.

The texture reminded me of phylum husk that has been soaking in liquids. If you've taken meal replacement drinks before, this is really a walk in the park because it is only 250ml of orange flavoured thick drink.

However, unlike meal replacements, Bioslife Slim is not meant to replace what you consume. Instead, it is full of fibre (hence me thinking that it contains phylum husk) and this is what helps to keep you full so that you do not snack in between meals as well as help absorb more fat from your diet.

BiosLife Slim promotes a 4-4-12 eating plan - meaning, 4 hours between breakfast and lunch, another 4 hours between lunch and dinner followed by 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. What I've found to be more practical is 4-5-12. I eat breakfast at 10, get hungry at about 1.30pm then I eat lunch, then I get hungry again at 6.30pm where I eat dinner and then I don't eat again until I wake up the following day.

After the first day of taking BiosLife Slim, I must say that I felt very gassy and was having a flatulence headache. Messaged Su Lee and she said that it's normal because the fibre was reacting to the Probiotics that I was also taking at the same time. My guts were adjusting to a fuller load of fibre too. Hmm...sounds interesting but it was a bit uncomfortable when having company. I also realised that I was drinking a lot more water and helping me hit my 2 litres-a-day goal.

Thank goodness this lightened up after 2 days and everything went back to normal. Well...maybe not quite 'normal' because I did feel lighter! I realised that I was releasing fuller loads into the toilet and the cleansing of the bowels helped me lose about 200g. No wonder Su Lee kept telling me that it is important to do a cleanse/detox and aid the body to get rid of waste.

The downside of this regime is that it was very hard to bring this shaker with me whenever I went out for meals. Bringing the sachets along was definitely not a problem. Also...at a food court, wouldn't it be weird to drink the Bioslife Slim and then wait 5-10 minutes before you can consume the food that you ordered? As such, I must say that keeping to this plan was not that simple.

Solutions:

1. Buy a bottle of mineral water from any stall and pour out some of the water till you get about 250 ml. Pour in the BiosLife Slim and shake. Drink as per usual.
2. Bring along a water bottle so that you can always be able to pour and shake a sachet of BiosLife Slim.
3. Let others buy their food first while you drink the BiosLife Slim. By the time you queue up and buy your good, it'll be just in time.

I'm trying very hard to be disciplined on this. I'll press on!!

Skinny vs. Fat - What It Means To Be Beautiful

In a newsletter to members, I asked the question "What does beauty mean?" and my short answer that it is different for each individual. Soon after sending that newsletter, I was on YouTube and saw this British documentary entitled "Skinny Brides to Fat Wives".

At first, I thought that this was going to be another weight loss documentary and about how women are struggling to lose weight so that they can return to their skinny selves. The first 20 minutes of the documentary only served to fuel this thinking.

However, towards the later half of the documentary, there was a change in the 'body dialogue' that these women were telling themselves. Instead of obsessing about weight, it was more about self-discovery on health and self-confidence.

As one of them said, "I don't need to be skinny to feel sexy." What is beauty and sexiness? It's all in the state of mind. When we feel good about ourselves on the inside, it naturally will show on the outside and this will continue its virtuous circle.

Ladies, just be you. Because you're be(you)tiful.

Getting A Traditional Chinese Treatment With Modern Western Touch

Nestled in the lush greenery of Rochester Park, Aegle Wellness Clinique is a clinic focusing on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) but the doctors are also well versed in Western Medicine. Their approach is holistic and their specialties are Pain Management as well as Women Issues. The 2 physicians are:

Women Issues, huh. Yup, right up my alley.

I decided to pay them a visit and to talk about endometriosis from a TCM point of view. I was also interested in the idea of how they balanced Eastern and Western medicines together.

You are greeted by a refreshing smell of lemongrass or some sort of aroma and you will also see this shelf of wolf berries and dried flowers next to hot water. Yup, their teas are all natural and freshly brewed!

Jessie, the receptionist was so friendly and sweet that I couldn't help take a photo of her. I think she's so pretty too!

Ok...let me focus. The objective of the visit was about my health. So, I went inside Dr Kong's consultation room, which is pretty typical of any clinic's consultation room. Except that I didn't see any thermometers or tongue depressors on the table. Instead, there was a simple brown cushion for you to place your wrist on so that the doctor is able to read your pulse/qi.

Straight off the bat, I told Dr Kong about my endometriosis as well as my shoulder aches and feet aches. The examination not only involved him reading my pulse but I also had to stick out my tongue for him. TCM believes that the colour of your tongue is also an indication of your health.

Verdict? He said that from the slightly purplish colour of my tongue, my spleen isn't as healthy as it should be. So, as for the day's treatment, it'll be acupuncture plus a shoulder and back massage to relieve some of the tension.

There are 2 therapy rooms next to each other and they remind me of spa treatment rooms! Now...let the treatment begin!

Dr Kong inserting the acupuncture needles into my head

The needles that Aegle Wellness Clinique uses are individually wrapped and sterilised. Thus, you can be assured that the needles used on you are clean!

I had 3 needles painlessly inserted on the top of my head and apparently, these meridian points are quite normal in acupuncture treatments as this would immediately help with one's energy levels. In other words, if you're just fatigued, TCM doctors would stick 'em needles there. Now we know why head massages are so shiok (satisfying and delightful)!

Next came to my stomach area.  This is of course mainly due to my endometriosis. Dr Kong said that when it comes to women issues, it's often due to an unhealthy liver or spleen, which is why those areas are treated when it comes to uterine problems. Interesting, isn't it? Only goes to show how the whole body is connected and very often, you have to treat other parts of your body in order to heal another part.

One needle was particular uncomfortable and I thought that it could mean that it meant something is really wrong with me. However, Dr Kong told me not to think too much about it.

Next came the legs and feet. The needle you see in the photo above? When it went in, I could feel a slight sensation down to my toes and that's when I grasped that this talk of qi and meridian lines through acupuncture was real.

I was then left in the room alone for the next 10 min and it was relaxing, although I consciously told myself to NOT roll around since I had so many needles stuck to me.

When the 10 minutes were up, my porcupine moment ended when Dr Kong started removing each needle and dabbing at each point with an alcohol swab. Ironically, the removal was more 'painful' as I could feel the sting of the alcohol.

Once the needles were all removed, the massage started and it was sooooo good! Now I also know why some people enjoy visiting their sports therapist or chiropractor as the therapeutic massage that Dr Kong gave was in between those two. After the massage, more resting was encouraged and I was in such a blissful state that I promptly closed my eyes and napped for what I thought was 20 minutes but turned out to be only 5! Only goes to show that it's quality of one's sleep/nap that is more important at times. I felt instantly rejuvenated and my shoulders didn't ache that much as well!

The after effects of the treatment has to be just as important as the onsite therapy. I was pleasantly surprised that my period started the next day and I could see clumps of endometrial cells coming out. It's almost like my body was starting to actively get rid of residual endometrial wall so that it doesn't grow beyond. Gives me hope that my condition will be less pervasive! Ok...onto scheduling my next appointment!

Pásshen members will be glad to know that you will be getting discounts for all treatments at Aegle Wellness Clinique (except for medication which is to be paid to the clinic after prescription).

Aegle Wellness Clinique
44 Rochester Park

Consultation Hours:
Weekdays: 9am to 9pm
Sat: 9am to 6pm
Closed on Sunday & Public Holidays.

Please note that all treatments (except for Tuina) requires a 1st consultation.

For price list and to make an appointment, please visit http://www.passhen.com/place/aegle-wellness-clinic.

Aegle Wellness Clinique will be taking part in our Beauty Week on 18 Nov, teaching attendees how to relieve stress through massaging acupressure points! Get your tickets today at $40 (Pásshen members) or at $50 (public) either through logging into Pásshen or through here.

Customised Health Plan To Look Good & Feel Great Always

Due to my endometriosis, I had put on a lot of weight suddenly and it has been a struggle to keep it stable and losing the excess is of course, a lot harder.

Thus, I decided to do something about it and I turned to Su Lee of Look Good, Feel Great Always for a consultation. Su Lee is a trained chemist, working for other industries for 20 years before becoming a wellness coach but because of her chemist background, she studies how food affects the body in a cellular and chemical way.

After an initial meet up, Su Lee asked me to track my food and drink intake (including water) for 3 days in a sheet that she gave to me. After 3 days, I dutifully handed it to her and waited for a couple more days before she could evaluate and meet me for the proper consultation.

Su Lee explaining to me about my diet

So...I was very nervous about the results because although I keep telling myself that I'm eating well (stop thinking that eating well = eating a lot), it's hard to hear what a professional would say about my diet.

Talking about sugar levels and insulin plus fat cells

As expected, my calorie input and output are almost the same. This means that my portioning is good! Personally, I feel that Fitbit has really helped me out on this. However, Su Lee said that I wasn't drinking enough water (oops). What does it mean when you're not drinking enough water? Your body doesn't flush out as much toxins as it should and as a result, it remains in your blood stream until it has the chance to be flushed out and naturally, this taxes your kidneys and liver. Also, I was not eating enough fibre. I do need to load up on fruits and vegetables while continuing to eat meats that are low in fat. Phew! Looks like my tons of research into crafting my diet is paying off! I just need to be a wee bit more conscientious but I told Su Lee that it's really difficult when I'm eating most meals out and breakfast seems to be the only meal that I can control.

Next came out her 'special' weighing machine, which measures not just weight but also skeletal muscle, fat and water in one's body. Reminds me of the machine that I use in my gym!

After taking my weight and comparing what Su Lee's scale churned out against what my gym's machine churned out, the conclusion is that I do have a bit of water retention issue (not drinking enough water) and (duh) I have excess fats.

Since I'm not eating excessively and I do know what I'm eating, I just need a bit of help and so, Su Lee recommended the following:

I got a box which contains 60 packets and will last me for 30 days if I faithfully take 2 packets a day. In addition to this, Su Lee also suggested that I take probiotics to help replace the bad bacteria in my intestines with good ones because this will aid digestion and the body's natural detoxification process.

What I liked about this probiotics is that it tastes like berries while containing the same amount of probiotics when compared to those pills that your doctor prescribes to you after you've had a bout of diarrhoea. Moreover, it contains a lot less sugar than most probiotic drinks out there. If you're lactose intolerant, this is a much better substitute to yoghurt.

I will be blogging about my journey on this new diet regime so please stay tuned for updates! If you'd like to start on the same plan (it's all natural so there's no adverse effects), you can purchase the items accordingly:

Full Set (Bios Life Slim + Shaker + Probionic) S$178

Bios Life Slim + Shaker S$140

Probiotic $43

Please note that all prices are before shipping and GST.

If you would like to book a consultation with Su Lee, her consultation charges are as follows:
1 month - $200
3 months - $400

The consultancy includes an initial meet up, 1 hour face-to-face analysis and recommendation for diet and exercise as well as follow up.