Day 61: TGIF

Finished work late and headed straight to my latest Friday hang...

Not exactly happy hour but I was running out of vege. After a mad work week a bit of chilling and cooking wasn't bad - better with a glass of wine though I must say. ha.  30 more days!!

Getting the exercises done in just less than an hour these days, although still dreading some of them (double whammy - bike and planks today).  I actually thought of my inspirational character Phelps during my last set of standing ovations today.. stretching for the finishing end of the pool.  But somehow my mind wandered to an image of his b'fast I once saw on a TV.

Having b'fast as your largest meal is one thing.. but this is ridiculous. And is that chocolate chips on those pancakes?

I guess if you can swim 80kms a week you can eat whatever you want.

Day 60: Home Alone...

Typhoon signal #8 in HK.  Office Closed.

Woke up this morning and decided to go about my usual pcp routine. skip. exercise. b'fast. checked emails. even called parents in OZ and girlfriend in US.  Now PCP blog and wondering what to do next. its only 10:15am...

Now staring at a bottle of cashews on the kitchen counter.. need to hide it. ha.

For our sempais' that finished their pcp today. Big CONGRATULATIONS!

Day 57: Aren't over til the fat lady scoops

Exercises then day biz trip to Shanghai... painful.


And nothing PCP compliant in Pudong CX lounge other than bits of fruit and milk (whole-milk but not skim).

None of my business really but there is this rather overweight lady scooping all the instant cup noodles from the snack bar into her bag. She would make trips every 5 minutes or so, waiting for the staff to restock.  


'That stuff will kill ya!' I wanted to say but then thought for a sec..maybe she's bringing and donating them to the needy. I went back to looking for skim milk.

Point is..(and I do get to it eventually!) PCP has taught me so much about not filling our bodies with crap its becoming quite difficult not to judge or sound preachy around people, especially to those we care about.  Need to find that balance post pcp...


Enough ranting, better go get that fruit before it's all gone...

Day 55: We're not worthy!

Great working out will fellow pcp Sam and Don this morning. Been a challenging week so good to see out the pull-ups and kung-fu sit-ups motivated by fellow pcp'ers.

But check out this retired general that was working out next to us - makes our kung-fu sit-ups look amateur-ish - we're not worthy! ha.

Was nice hanging out at b'fast overlooking HK harbour afterwards.

Went for a massage also after which was sorely needed (no pun intended..)

Looking forward to the break tomorrow...  have a good one all!

Day 50-51: Biz Trip

Only 2 days to Singapore but it was still challenging staying on the diet/exercise plan, least of which was the fact I love Singaporean and Malaysian food and chilli crab was on the menu Monday night.

Some key learnings;

- always prepare in advance
- plan your flights if you can around your normal your exercise / meal routine
- pre-order the fruit plate on flight
- bring a day or two veggies and fruit, unless you are confident you know of pcp compliant supermarkets/restaurants close to your destination. Even if you do , sometimes its tough to get away from work to go searching for stuff.
- don't forget your jump rope! (other gear you can probably find in the hotel gym)

- Be flexible as even with the above I found myself in situations where I had to make compromises...(and no - I didn't have the crab...:).

- Don't be embarrassed pulling out your pcp food, and embrace the attention you'll get (even if it is laughter at your expense as it makes great dinner conversations!)

If you've planned ahead you won't feel as bad when things don't quite go accordingly to plan - you've tried your best.

I did end up having a Singaporean Prima Taste sampler (chicken rice, laksa and some mee siam) as my indulgence at the airport on my way out... but that was on my own terms, and at least an hr before my flight and close to the bathrooms just in case... haha.

Day 49: now breathe!

this program should be called peak condition plank...

Day 48: Spoiler alert!

Got up at 5:45am to do my exercise early so I can be at an all day client event early. Painful. Hats off to those that regularly have early starts for work.

Prepped pcp lunch AND dinner, all ready; only to be countered by a hotel buffet lunch and 3 hour / 12 course chinese banquet. Stayed strong on lunch but failed big time on dinner. Just wasn't appropriate and would have been very anti-social to pull out my apple and egg. Ended up eating a bite of every second course and staying pretty much to seafood and veggies.

A funny thing happened though, I used to be able to shove all that tasty stuff down but now it's just all too salty and oily ...even after 6.5 weeks of no chinese food. Now plus after seeing Catagion don't think I could face off against sweet and sour pork ever again!

For those that are on the frontline, you have my respect as I now know how hard it is to stick to the plan. For those that aren't, avoid business dinners like the plague. Exchange for lunch, coffee, before / after dinner drinks if you need to keep up the bonding - 'cause biz dinners can be a real drag.

Day 46: Ouch...

bicycles still not working the abs, now its the legs instead of my back.  Maybe when all the muscle groups are exhausted my abs will come to the rescue...

Diet on the other hand going well.  Keeping busy and not feeling hungry.  

 After a long day at work, thanks to pcp buddy sam's recipe, made a tomato/basil/corn salad.  Never liked tomatoes before, but mix it with steamed corn (something I love), herbs and add a tablespoon of balsamic and lemon juice and its fantastic.  Leave it in the fridge overnight and the juices and herbs infuse into the corn.

Day 43: PVS

another week, another PCP challenge;  hoard lots of low fat yogurt and organic eggs!

Timed skips much better; stopped counting and just have to start my stop watch and focus on maintaining rhythm...

Interesting article on WSJ today on PVS (Post Vacation Stress). 

My 2010 summer was action packed.  Moved Tokyo to HK,  best man at Phuket wedding, chilled at home (Sydney), not working and generally a man of leisure.  Definitely suffered PVS when I began working, no exercise, late nights, stress, bad eating habits and on the juice quite abit...

2011 summer was much more subdued.  A nice holiday in Turkey to start but generally been in HK.  No PVS. 

However hopefully my 2011 summer will be remembered for me finally learning to take better care of my body (only have one afterall!).  Let's just hope I don't miss those daily emails after the program and suffer P-PCP-S!

Day 41: Full-time pcp day

Never looked forward to a weekend more...

I can sleep in, take my time to exercise and eat b'fast and don't have to rush to work. Best of all,  actually able to eat a freshly cooked lunch instead of microwaving it in a box at work - definitely a luxury!

Garlic and chili prawns on a bed of couscous.  Followed Patrick's advice used couscous instead of bread.

Just had to post the following;  close quarter exercise... what were they thinking?  practicing so they can do it in the living room... only in HK!

Day 39-40: Training for the mind...

Managed to get through the exercises ok the last few days - after eating half the b'fast first.  The 'no-bfast before exercises to burn more fat' wasn't working so had to switch back.  Ah well... have to wait for the pcp diet to work its magic on my spare tires... :)

Also after the fancy restaurant incident, realised I have to train myself mentally, in addition to physically, if I want the great eating habits to continue post-pcp.  Otherwise cravings would simply return to derail the hard work made during the program...

So I downloaded the whole junior masterchef series and have been watching it at night whilst eating my bowl of apple and yogurt.

Some call it torture... I call it mental preparation, kung-fu hustle style.

If you haven't seen it I highly recommend; the kids cooking skills are unbelievable.

Day 38: Business Lunch

Went to TOSCA - a fancy Italian restaurant in the Ritz.  Asked for a window seat furthest away from the kitchen and ended up right by the counter where they served food in front of the huge open kitchen.

Aromas everywhere, a nod from the head-chef, and a smiling assassin (the waiter) handing me a set lunch menu; 2, 3 or 4 courses; all with fresh ingredients that I crave, but cooked in ways that I dare not try.

So asked for the ala carte menu and ordered the Alaskan crab salad on a bed of cous cous.  "Can I have it cooked with no salt?".  After confirming "ok!" the waiter comes back a few minutes later looking sheepish "It won't be cooked in salt but it does come salty...".  ha. 

Must have few lines ready for next outling... "hmm.. forgot those delicious crustaceans come from the sea... too much salt.  Can you de-salt them for me please please?"  and watch for their reaction.

The dish did come pcp compliant in terms of portion, in fact exactly half and that as you can imagine must be micro, neatly and beautifully stacked in the middle of a huge plate.  My client chuckled as I raided the bread basket ...

DAY 37: Need Meatloaf

failed chest today...couldn't get through 2nd set of push ups and took short breaks thereafter.  Also summoned all to finish the standing ovations.

The cheerful tunes playing on my iTunes not helping...  need some ACDC or Meatloaf perhaps.

Day 36: Monday Blues

Didn't have it today...

Been wondering why I have been able to leave work relatively early most days since pcp started. 

Finally figured it out... it's that extra hour I have over lunch.  Instead of waiting and fighting to save a table at the local yum cha restaurant, I'm done with the pcp lunch in 5 mins and then back to it.  It's probably a lot longer than an hr if you count time spent searching / confirming a lunch spot with colleagues...

Sure I am missing out on a colleague bonding opportunity but they all know and sympathize with my diet, they also don't want to live it by going to a salad bar!  I still have my morning and afternoon fruit time to socialize with them.  The extra energy also helps me concentrate and work through. 

More chill and pcp prep time in the evenings - can't complain!

For all the time spent pcp exercising / cooking,  it does find ways to give back some. 

Day 33-35: Nice Weekend...

Definitely getting into a groove with pcp.  Thought I was going to sleep in but woke up early both Sat & Sun to do exercises.  Organized and packed meals whenever I figured I wasn't going to be home during the eating zones.

Got a massage yesterday to get all the kinks out of my sore shoulders / back.  I try to stretch post exercise but definitely not doing enough since the masseur kicked my ass!

Went to Vic Park with Sam to get skipping instructions from friend Kathy.  Had to avoid hitting some of the older guys sharing the playground (they were being terribly territorial...) but managed to cross arms for the first time! Not quite "rocky" but still pretty stoked.

Winding down for the Sunday and looking forward to what's installed for pcp new week. 

Day 32: Cooking for myself...

Not as hungry anymore in the mornings... Body must be adjusting which is good.



Still - finished work early and went grocery shopping.  Feeling a little down looking into the basket only to find apple, bananas, eggs and yogurt... So I went and got a pound of steak ... HA!


Even if I have to eat it over 4 days, I shall not be denied!



Proceeded to spent the next 30 mins at home carefully cutting off the fat and prepping it with pcp friendly spice (in between my apple and banana).



Surprisingly therapeutic.  Instead of just thinking about what I'm missing out on for dinner I'm actively preparing something good for tomorrow's lunch.  Hopefully a motivating factor to get me through the exercises too tomorrow :)