Category Archives: Resources

Fats are one of the macronutrients that we consume on a daily basis, it has 9 calories per gram of fat. Most of us are aware that a diet with high fats is considered unhealthy due to being very dense in calories, therefore some of us tend to cut out all fats from our daily diet. In today’s article, I will be sharing with you why we need some fats in our diet for our daily body functions.

1) Fats build healthy cells

Fats are a vital part of the membrane that surrounds each cell of the body. Without a healthy cell membrane, the rest of the cell couldn’t function.

2) Fats build brains

You need fats because provide the structural components not only of cell membranes in the brain but also of myelin, the fatty insulating sheath that surrounds each nerve fiber, enabling it to carry messages faster.

3) Fats help the body use vitamins

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that the fat in foods helps the intestines absorb these vitamins into the body.

4) Fats make hormones

Fats are structural components of some of the most important substances in the body, including prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that regulate many of the body’s functions. You need fats because they regulate the production of sex hormones, which explains why some teenage girls who are too lean experience delayed pubertal development and amenorrhea.

5) Fat provides healthier skin

One of the more obvious signs of fatty acid deficiency is dry, flaky skin. In addition to giving skin its rounded appeal, the layer of fat just beneath the skin (called subcutaneous fat) acts as the body’s own insulation to help regulate body temperature. Lean people tend to be more sensitive to cold; obese people tend to be more sensitive to warm weather.

6) Fat forms a protective cushion for your organs

Many of the vital organs, especially the kidneys, heart, and intestines are cushioned by fat that helps protect them from injury and hold them in place. (True, some of us “overprotect” our bodies.) As a tribute to the body’s own protective wisdom, this protective fat is the last to be used up when the body’s energy reserves are being tapped into.

During your period, it’s normal to gain 1kg to 2kgs that goes away after a few days of bleeding. It’s a physical symptom of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS includes a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that affect women several days to two weeks
before their period. These symptoms are caused by the hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.

Weight gain and that bloated, sore feeling in your abdomen are common symptoms during your period. You might feel this way for a number of reasons.

1) Hormonal Changes

Hormonal changes can cause weight gain by increasing water retention in your body. These are caused by the rapid decrease of Estrogen and Progesterone, whereby one of their function is to control the way your body regulates fluid.

Water retention may cause swelling or puffiness in your breasts, stomach, or extremities. This increases body weight, but not fat.

2) Bloating

Period bloating or stomach cramps can make your clothes feel tight and uncomfortable. This isn’t true weight gain, but you might feel like you’ve gained a few extra pounds.
During your period, hormonal changes can increase gas in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and cause bloating. Water retention in your abdomen may also lead to bloating.

3) Overeating

The hormonal changes during your period can also make you overeat. In the week before your period, progesterone levels increase. Progesterone is an appetite stimulant. As progesterone rises, you might eat more than usual.

Estrogen also regulates serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls mood and reduces appetite. When estrogen drops right before your period, so does serotonin. The result is a bigger appetite. Low serotonin can also increase sugar cravings because high-carbohydrate foods help the body make serotonin. If serotonin is low, the brain craves more sugar. Eating high-sugar foods can increase your calorie intake and lead to weight gain.

4) Decrease in magnesium

When your period begins, magnesium levels gradually decrease. This drop can provoke sugar cravings and contribute to weight gain. Magnesium is a mineral that regulates your body’s hydration status. Low levels of magnesium can cause dehydration.

However, dehydration can mask itself as hunger. It can also make you desire sugary foods when you’re just thirsty. Eating high-sugar foods can contribute to weight gain.

So here are some of the treatments and prevention you can do if you are facing this problem.

• Stay hydrated


• Take Magnesium supplements


• Avoid foods that give you gas


• Exercise regularly


• Eat more healthy foods

The function of a whey protein shake is to allow you to have a quick high-protein drink after a workout session. But is it really necessary? In today’s short article, We will give my take on protein shakes and you can decide if you really need them.

For me, who loves eating real solid foods, would rather eat my protein from solid foods such as chicken breast, whole eggs, beef, and fish. Due to the fact that it takes a longer time to digest and it makes me feel full longer. Protein shakes usually digest really fast, sometimes even within 10 minutes! If you are on a diet, you would want to feel full most of the time, because being constantly hungry can an will lead to you over-eating and exceeding your daily calorie intake.

Apart from that, to compare the prices between solid food and whey protein, solid foods are much cheaper than whey protein powders. Generally, 1 tub of 2.5kg of whey protein is usually around RM190 to RM300 range, depending on the brand of protein powder of course. While the cost solid foods, like chicken breast, only cost around RM11 to RM15 per kilogram.

However, there will be some scenarios that probably you do not have the time to cook your own food or you don’t have the time to eat, then having a protein shake with you is a good idea.

One simple way to avoid yourself from having snacks during midnight is to THROW ALL YOUR SNACKS AND DO NOT HAVE THEM AT HOME! That is the easy way, but is having midnight snacks wrong? In today’s article, We’ll be sharing my opinion on this topic and hopefully, it will help you in your fitness journey.

When it comes down to weight loss, time and time again we emphasize being on a calorie deficit. But do keep in mind, if you ate most of your meals throughout the day and still have some calories remaining, it’s not wrong to have a little snack before sleep. This is because even though you ate some snacks late at night, you’re still in a calorie deficit, thus you are still eating lesser the what your burn in a day.

You surely heard from someone, either your friends or family that “You will get fat when you eat late at night”, but this theory is false. The question comes to mind “what if” you only had 1 meal a day, and that is during late-night, do you still gain fat? Obviously not, due to the fact that Laws Of Thermodynamics, whereby energy cannot be created and destroyed from nothing, and energy is calories. So how can you get fat if you are only eating late at night and that’s your only meal which consists of let's say 1800 calories, and your maintenance calories are 2200? Now that we started out, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

In conclusion, you still can have some snacks if you have some remaining calories.

Ever had a big meal before bed? And thinking that the weight gain on the next day is fat gain? In today's article, I’ll be explaining to you why this occurs and if it is fat gain or not.

There are several factors that cause your weight to go up and down every day, one of the factors is what we call water fluctuations. This is due to our water intake and also our carbohydrate intake. Firstly, let's talk about water intake. 60% of our body is water, therefore we obviously need water to survive, however, if we are dehydrated, we will tend to store water in our body to ensure that we can stay alive. You may hear of people saying, “Drink less water to avoid water retention in our body”, this is not true, as we explained above, if we drink less water, our body will need to store whatever it has in order to stay alive. So if you are constantly drinking very less, try drinking anywhere from 2L-3L of water per day and see how your weight goes. One of the interesting things about the human body is that the body has a way to discreet out water when it has enough of water, that's is making you constantly going to take a piss.

Secondly, we store carbohydrates in the body in a form of glucose. Glucose comes from the Greek word for "sweet." It's a type of sugar you get from foods you eat, and your body uses it for energy. So if you have ever had an experience of having a lot of carbohydrate food yesterday, and notice your weight spikes up the next day, this is due to each gram of carbohydrate we will store 3-4 grams of water. So in other words, more carbs mean more water retention. Having too much excess carbohydrate intake in a long run will lead to fat gain because the energy we store in our body is not being utilized.

In conclusion, if you are keeping track of your daily water and macro-nutrition intake, you will know that the sudden weight gain is not fat but rather water fluctuations.

What IF I CAN'T TRACK WHEN I EAT OUTSIDE?

When it comes to mind about weight loss, many of us will be thinking of exercising and counting calories on the food that we eat. This can be achieved easily when you’re cooking at home, but what if you’re eating outside? In this article, we’ll be sharing with you some of the ways that you can track your calories easier while eating outside.

One of the easiest ways is to use the MyFitnessPal app from your mobile devices. You can download it on App Store if you’re using iPhone and Play Store if you are using an Android device.

You will need to register and key in your details such as height, weight, age, and etc. The main function of the MyFitnessPal app is to be able to track your calories while eating out. Here are some of the examples that you can find in MyFitnessPal.



When it comes to the question, Do I need to track my calories every day? It depends on your drive to achieve the fitness goal you desire, if you are disciplined enough, you will surely keep track of it, because it will be like a lifestyle thing for you, make it like a habit. Once you get used to it, it’ll be easier to track.