Hilton Sucks and I’m Not Talking About Paris

I made reservations at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort for the Karon suite from Jan 30 to Feb 2. The Hilton messed up and got me for Jan 31 to Feb 3. After a few miscommunications, they’re finally letting us have two Adaman suites for the same price of a Karon and we’ll move into the Karon the next day.

Adaman Suite

The Adaman is a lot better than the Karon, but the Karon has two bedrooms. The Adamans are on different floors. I don’t see my family much since I moved to Arlington, so we want more together time. This way Emily can see more of her grandparents.

Karon Suite



I’m upset because we’re only going to be there for 3 nights and we won’t have a chance to settle in. Instead, we’ll have to up and move the next day. They could have given us a discount for the inconvenience.

Le Meridian was offering me their 2-bedroom suite for the same rate. I would cancel on Hilton and gladly give my money to Le Meridian except for the cancellation penalty.

Weighed Myself This Morning...

I weighed myself this morning and… I’m still GOOD! My pants still fit fine :)

Been eating more than I should, but been walking a lot too. Half the time I’m carrying Emily (32lbs) while walking.

Hopefully, Phuket won’t be a spoiler. I think all the activities will keep my metabolism in overdrive.

Day of Debauchery

I’ve managed eat relatively healthy while in Singapore. Mainly because most of the good eateries are closed for Chinese Lunar New Year.

Today, I’m meeting up with a couple of former schoolmates for a day of debauchery. Going to the gym first so I put some of that protein to work.

Singapore a.k.a. Food Paradise

I’m back in Singapore enjoying good food and warm weather. Nice change from Texas cuisine and bipolar weather. I love Texas’ food but they only seem to do a few things well - BBQ, hamburgers, Tex-Mex & steak.

Satay
Poo Ja (steamed)
Mee Goreng
Singapore is known as a food paradise and good food is a national pastime. Singaporeans talk about food all the time. Lunch and dinner are often planned during/after breakfast. Sometimes, dinning plans for several days can be planned in a day.

Sweet & Sour Pork
Egg Foo Yoong
Soy Beans in Pork Jelly
For the uninitiated, most Singaporeans don’t cook. Work hours are long. Good, cheap food plentiful. Eating out is the norm.

Olive Fried Rice
Kway Chap
Thap Thim Krawp aka Reb Rubies
So how do you eat right in a place like this? If you’re on vacation, DON’T. Food is part of every culture and not experiencing it would be a huge loss.

Beef Noodles
Laksa
Char Kway Teow
Anyways, I went to the gym yesterday. Working out is always good, especially on vacations. Headed to the gym again later. May swim after working out.

Fell off the wagon… Singapore… And other ramblings...

Good news is I didn’t go crazy so damage was minimal.

Still need to reduce my sodium intake. Got all the excess water in me.

Bad news for my healthy lifestyle is I’m going to Singapore for 3 weeks to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with my family.

I’ve been training for strength & mass these pass 3 weeks as I know I’ll be consuming more calories. Thinking I might continue till I return. Then I’ll cut again.

Here’s the thing about me. I don’t have carb cravings anymore. I don’t crave sweets. I crave savory foods. When I’m hungry, I crave steak and eggs.

My lack of carb cravings help when I fall off the wagon. Eating a lot of meat doesn’t seem to pack on much fat, if any.

I’ve seen people who binge on sweets (soda, ice cream, etc…) when they fall off. They consume more calories and fat from sweet than they would eating meat. They also get hungry faster. IMHO, all those empty (simple) carbs don’t do anything. They’re useless… unless your goal is to store fat.

Not a good idea to give a fat person an ice cream maker.

In retrospect, my one carb weakness is Chili Cheese Fritos. I buy small packs. When the craving comes, I grab one and share with everyone. This way, I satisfy my craving but don’t go crazy.


Knowledge of portion size is very important. Cindy had 2 big bowls of a Cambodian desert made with coconut milk, cream corn and lots of sugar. She gave a big bowl to her diabetic mother. When asked why she gave her mom such a big bowl when she’s diabetic, Cindy replied that it’s not a lot.

Being concerned about Cindy’s health, we asked why she ate so much of that dessert. Cindy said she doesn’t eat this often so it’s ok (she had it 2-3 weeks ago). We reminded Cindy that she’s eats other sweets too.

Many older Chinese believe that eating too much meat is bad. I can understand that as Chinese people like the fattier cuts. But eating lean cuts won’t be a problem. Asia has the highest rate of protein deficiency because of this peception of meat.

After years of demonizing meat, I guess it’s hard to undo. But what about the dangers of excessive (simple) carbs?