Keto Diet in Singapore : What to eat and will it work?

Are you overweight and looking for a solution?



The Beginning
81kg

That number has been staring back at me from the weighing machine. At that weight , it would mean that my BMI is at 28.7 . That is Overweight and dangerously close to Obese. The image in the mirror shouts Dad Bob, I feel lethargic easily. It is time for a change.

BMI	Weight Status
Below 18.5	Underweight
18.5 – 24.9	Normal or Healthy Weight
25.0 – 29.9	Overweight
30.0 and Above	Obese

I have never really indulge in food save for the occasional Chai Tow Kway (carrot cake) and Fried Chicken. Add rice into the daily diet and a lack of rigorous exercise , my weight ballooned from 65 kg pre-marriage to 81 kg. They say a man's weight correspond to marriage. The happier you are, the fatter you will be. Nonetheless, being at this weight is not exactly a boon . I can hardly manage a decent 2 km run and my clothes are getting too tight.

Than one fine day, the wife suggested diet . I decided why not embark on this together?

The final decision - We are going to try Keto Diet for 30 days .

The Weight in

Our first weigh in pre-keto stood like this

His :  81 kg

Hers : 61.9kg

Our ideal weight bast on 24.9 BMI would be as follow

His : 67.8kg

Hers : 56 kg

What is Keto Diet?

Keto Diet is essentially a low carb diet. The theory is that your body stores carb for energy. Take that away as it will switch to burning fats instead of storing carbs. That way, you would get to burn the fat faster and thus result in weight loss when Ketosis * kicks in . 

*Process of burning fats

To achieve success in Keto Diet, we have to cut our carbohydrates intake to less than 50g per day. The optimal point for us from this experience is an intake of less than 20g carb per day.  That means no more rice, bread, potatoes, ice cream, sugar and fried food . You would not lose weight immediately. Instead, it will take 2 days to a week for the body to start ketosis.

Here is a sample of what you can eat from a Keto Diet

Source :http://scarsdale10583.com/

It may look easier than it seems, but in order to have decent meals as per above in Singapore would means trips to the fancy restaurants instead of the beloved hawker center. During these 30 days, the challenge was to find what we can actually eat in Singapore.  Keto diet is complicated by eating the right about of protein, fats and carbs on a daily basis. To keep things simple, we focus on achieving low carbs ( 20g) and eating more healthier fats  ( eggs and fish) to supplement our diet.

Keto Diet is never an easy task especially if you are doing it yourself. Will it work for us?

The 30 Days Challenge - What to eat?

If you intend to purchase specially prepared Keto meals,  it can get quite pricey. To keep expenses down, we have some hacks to share

1) Supermarket Deli

Supermarket Deli are a great place to find your keto meals.

Salad - Choose above ground vegetables. Forget about the pasta and lay off the dressings
Deli- Roasted Pork Belly , Ribs and Grilled chicken are great. Choose black pepper over honey glazed for its lower carb count

2) Hawker food
Finding Keto friendly food in the hawker center is a challenge. Nonetheless, it is not impossible. Here is a list of selected dish from Hawker center

• Kopitiam half boiled eggs and Kopi O for breakfast

• Fish soup - Slice ( not fried) fish with vegetables

• Western food  - Grilled meats without fries. Replace with fried eggs or vegetables

• Japanese / Korea food - Salmon or Saba without the sauce

• Zhi Char - Cabbage, steam egg and steam fish ( Chinese food are usually laden with oils and sauce , so keep this alternative to a minimum)

• BBQ Chicken Wings - Not more than 3 pieces

3) Mookata buffet

Mookata Buffet

All you can eat Mookata does sound good, especially when on keto diet. Feast on a wide selection of meat. Avoid meat that are marinated in honey and try not to overeat. Only recommend if you are doing a short fast between meals


4) Self  Prepared meals

Keto Bomb

We advocate  self prepared meals. For self-prepared meals,  use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking as it is a healthier alternative to the normal cooking oil. With antioxidants, it  is proven that Olive oil can help to prevent heart disease, stroke and even anti cancer properties.

Here are some sample meals we ate at home.

You will never go wrong with bacon and eggs.

Sample meal 1 : 2 Boiled eggs, 2 Sausage, 2 Bacon 2 cheese
Carb Count : Sausage 4g, Bacon 3.8g  Cheese 3.8 g  Net 11.6 g

Sample meal 2 : Egg Omelette
Carb Count : 0g

Sample meal 3 : Boiled eggs only (no sauce)
Carb count : 0g

Sample Meal 4 : Grilled Chicken with Broccoli 
Carb Count : Broccoli 7 g

Sample Meal 5 : Fish and Fried Asparagus with garlic
Carb count : Fried Asparagus 6g

Sample Meal 6  :  3 Honey Wings and 2 Siew Mai
Carb Count: Honey Wings ( 8 g), Siew Mai (6g), Net 14 g

The trick for Keto Diet is to rotate your dishes. You would have to mix and match the combination to ensure that you have a carb count of 20g and below per day. Switching up your diet also helps you stick to the routine. If you're tired of fried food and salads, try some grilled recipes. Visit a site that provides tips and recommendations on grilled dishes as well as grilling equipment. With some guidance, you can learn how to grill different foods in no time.

For Keto, it is best to abstain from sugar drinks and alcohol as consumption of it might affect your diet. Compared to other diets, there are no 'cheat day' in Keto Diet. If the cycle is broken, you would have to recondition your body again to induce ketosis. If that happens, the result might take a while longer than usual. If you are feeling hungry, supplement with snacks such as tuna bites on cucumbers or sardines out of the can.


Exercise
Despite reports that you only need to diet to lose weight, we would beg to differ. A combination of exercise and dieting would result in better weight management and possibility faster weight loss in a keto diet. Personally, I had increased my exercise to 3 times weekly for every 20-30 minutes to supplement the diet.

The Result

I started the Keto Challenge at 81 kg. At the end of the 30 days challenge , I lost a total of 6kg. The wife managed to achieve her desired 56kg target within 3 weeks of keto diet. Physically, both of us looked slimmer than when we first started , Overall, I would think was a successful venture into DIY Keto diet for us.

What's next?

As you can see, my current weight is still a distance away from the ideal weight. For the moment, I had upgraded the #30daysketodietchallenge to #60daysketodietchallenge . Once the target weight is achieved, it will be back to a more balance diet ( calories base) to maintain the weight. In honestly, it will be quite a challenge maintaining the diet.... I miss my Chai Tow Kway.