To all of you who think that I’m the perfect health and fitness freak – this post may shock you.
The truth is… that I am only human – which means that I too make mistakes.
So… in true Malaysian spirit… I am having my Nasi Lemak tonight – with fried chicken.
This is Klang at it’s best – you gotta try this if you come to this side of town! Drop me an email if you’d like me to take you there :P
So if you’re asking… Oh my God.. how can DM, Malaysia’s most popular fitness blogger, have Nasi Lemak at 1am??
Well let me tell you something that may have never occurred to most of you. Just like anyone else;
I too, have cravings – just like you.
Cravings for sugary drinks.
Cravings for fried foods.
Cravings for Nasi Lemak.
Cravings to eat an entire large pizza and still have room for dessert.
And let me tell you that Chocolate is a gift from God.
But you know… at the end of the day.. it all boils down to moderation. Do this everyday, and you will mess yourself up – big time (believe me I know). But do this as part of a balanced diet – and you’ll be just fine. :-)
I know where to draw the line – and you should too.
Can I tell you about a principle for eating (by Dr. John M. Berardi, PhD, author of Precision Nutrition) – which is to eat the right foods that fuel your body for success 90% of the time, and enjoy other foods that you crave for the remaining 10%.
It is unrealistic to expect 100% nutritional discipline. I don’t expect 100% from all my clients, because it is just not realistic.
The difference in results between 90% adherence to a nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible.
We just need to make sure that we get the math correct – for example, if one is eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week – that’s 42 meals. Therefore 10% of 42 is about 4. So, we’re allowed to “break the rules” 4 meals each week.
Like I always say… Fitness is a lifestyle – NOT a diet.
Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again. ~Vincent Van Gogh
What have you longed to eat lately? I’d love to hear from you.
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This post was written by...
Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.
My name is Noel Chelliah, and I’m a Transformation Specialist and founder of the 
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Blame the Malaysian rich food ..I always have a craving for nasi lemak..always. You made me feel a little better here with this post!
Ever since i started exercising I have been watching my diet strictly but my weak point for food is ALWAY KFC, i love eating KFC and especially with the skin and all.
NO matter how strict i get with my diet, KFC is one exception that is just way irresistable
I love foods. Nasi lemak, tandori chicken, all the fried thingy. :) As i have to clear off few kgs , i watched my diet and exercise. But i give myself some slack on weekend . So that i’m not craving for “nasi lemak” on weekdays. But i think if u already in good shape, its not a problem to craving for nasi beriyani as long we burn back the calories the next day. But moderation is the key thing. Anyone else with me?
yeah i agree – moderation is what we should look at.
Not the extreme – eat everything or eat nothing or diet fads.
Never good for you.
Lifestyle change which incorporates workout & good healthy wholesome food (with alittle sinful items sometimes) is the key to a long happy life
I totally agree with you. In the past, I used to have episodes of over-eating and binging on my favourite foods coz I couldn’t control my cravings, due to DIETING.
Fitness is indeed a lifestyle, NOT a DIET! I learned it the hard way and having your favorite foods occasionally (10% of the time) can be comforting and help ease off any psychological stress that is associated with feelings of deprivation. Like you said, everything in moderation. Besides, it would be depressing to go through life not having any of your comfort or favorite foods ever!
I still a slice or 2 of pizza sometimes.
I have my ice-cream fix during the weekends if I feel like it.
I have a slice of cake sometimes.
I eat fried foods occasionally when I go out with friends.
I love a hearty burger sometimes.
I love my chocolate (one of the greatest discoveries EVER!), especially dark chocolate, and even have chocolate everyday (in the form of 100% cocoa powder in my protein shakes, gotta love the anti-oxidants!).
…and I’ve still maintained my fat loss and weight at 73 kgs ^^
Life is short, live fit and healthy and enjoy it all the way. Food is a blessing, eat for health and nourishment most of the time, and eat to enjoy/reward yourself moderately =)
Good post. Sometimes people beat themselves up to hard, and too often. Because there’s nobody to tell them that it’s OK to take it easy every now and then. As Buddha says… everything in moderation!
Mmm nasi lemak, best! My fiance is from Klang and Klang has some kickass foods :P Now that I’m super sick, I only crave to not eat yucky sickly food (like porridge)
2 times.. I took nasi lemak since i first watch my diet..that is since december last year..
never ate roti canai yet..
chocolate.. Still a big fan.. But if i decided to take it..usually in a very small portion..
karipap..had it once..2 pieces!
Wow..i still love to eat..
Durian! those Rm10 eat all u can at SS2 is a killer .
After so many years being a distant from it(not that I kept myself away from it intentionally but I just don’t crave or fancy it), i finally savoured it last week. But can get quite jelak after 1 or 2 biji.
And yes, I do crave for Chocolates and ice cream sometimes – any with nuts of of course and especially the Jamoica Almond Fudge from Baskin Robbins…
Ok..*slapping myself out of this now*! :P
reading your post makes me feel better.. my weakness comes whenever i’m in stress… stress out of work… lots of heavy loads from uplines… huh!!! so, when i’m stress i keep on eating and the worst part is Malaysia got a large number of FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS… and i can resist visiting them during my stressful time!!!
lifestyle is the keyword, and also moderation. Lol. Asian diet will not work.
Hliza: Same here – I’m as Malaysian as you are. The secret to living a healthier lifestyle AND having what you want is moderation. Too much of anything is always bad.
GW: Why not… just don’t have it too often, and save it for a ‘treat’.
gerbera: Trust me, I’m worst than you – I can eat all that 24/7, 365 days a week if only I give in to all my cravings. But like you said, moderation is the key. I’m with you!
jen: I’m looking forward to that long happy life :-)
Mark: Fitness is indeed a lifestyle, not a diet – that’s my motto. We should eat to live, not live to eat – and treat ourselves every now and then.
Losernator: Klang rawks!!
Wida: I still love to eat too – you should too! Just watch what you put in your mouth.. ;)
Angie: I gave in to durians 3 weeks ago. A bunch of my clients did too… oh well, what to do – it’s durian season! Just remember to get back on track the next day. Oh, and my fav from Baskin Robbins is the Mint Chocolate Chip!!!
As: Just don’t get too stressed…
Cris: The Asian diet can work… just needs a little tweaking and self-control.
Isn’t that sentence excerpted from John Berardi’s Gourmet Nutrition Book ?
Looks familiar to me
To quote : “100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible.
Just make sure u do the math and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you’re eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week – that’s 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4. Therefore you’re allowed to “break the rules” 4 meals each week. ”
And the 90% rule by John Berardi has long been preached ? Maybe a little referencing will help the target audience to know the originality of the material.
Great job on conveying these dieting tips to malaysians !
maurice: Yes I believe it is – I actually read it off one of his guest posts at the TRX Suspension blog if I remember correctly. Have amended the post to include a reference. Thanks for the polite reminder. :-)
I’m a big fan of Precision Nutrition.
i want some of that nasi lemak.
no… it feels even worse, because i’m writing this while waiting for my chicken chop. the only consolation is that it’s grilled, and i ordered mashed potato over fries. the beer isn’t really helping though. haha.
Haha Sam, come to Klang – it’s good stuff. I got ur message on facebook – will reply soon.
Speaking of indulgence, this Sat, a client of mine is having me over his place to taste his mom’s famous Nasi Briyani, cooked just for me – apparently she’s even cooked it specially for the Sultan of Brunei quite a number of times!
This is perfectly fine and healthy. In fact, holding yourself to a strict regime 100% of the time is a recipe for failure. I eat very cleanly for six days of the week but on Saturday I eat pretty much anything I like but only till I feel full, not stuffing myself to the point I feel sick just because I can. I’ve been losing 0.5 – 1 kg every week consistently but more importantly, I never feel like I’m depriving myself. The key to fat loss is a sustainable diet, ie. one you can be on continuously.
By the way, the Asian diet can work very well – it’s just a question of looking at what works and how to fit it in, eg, from the mixed rice shop, stir-fried vegetables, braised chicken and a little rice might be a regular thing, nasi lemak with fried chicken or rendang might be one of the ‘cheat’ foods. You can still eat this stuff, it’s a matter of how much.
Two things that have helped me to control what I eat are:
- to eat till I’m satisfied, not more (give yourself permission not to finish eating everything on your plate just because it’s there eventhough you’re feeling full)
- also drink lots of water and green tea (sometimes, what you think it hunger is actually thirst, believe it or not).
Ultimately, if you
My last comment got cut off –
Ultimately, if you want to lose fat notwithstanding other stuff like vitamin, fibre and mineral requirements, you need to consume less than you burn – you can gorge yourself on ‘healthy’ foods and still put on weight *if you eat too much* believing you’re eating cleanly. There are many ways to do this but you need to understand the basic principles and adjust to suit *your* lifestyle. Once it’s part of your life, it begins to feel effortless.
One more thing, if these cheat meals are part of the plan, you need never feel guilty about having them.
Sushi and nasi lemak… i been cutting off rice for the past 1 year… because it have effect i tend to continue my diet…