Aricia's stargazing journal

Stargazer

1. Keep a log or notebook giving observations of stars, moon and planets (if any), visible from a window, garden, street, in or near her own home. (6 hours over three months) with description.
2. A photo of a celestial object through the telescope and describe the telescope specs and the camera used.
3. Find out:
   3.1. at least four constellations visible in Singapore;
   3.2. name one deep sky object that is visible in Singapore from 3.1.
   3.3. at least four first magnitude stars visible in Singapore

Observations timeframe is spread out to 6 months so that the Guide can make meaningful observations over a longer period of time. Each observation can be just 15 minutes.

Her stargazing journey planning started on 10th June 2020. Just when school started their new term. During the school hols we did occasionally look up from our balcony but we didn't think about doing it to get a badge. When I realised there was this profiency badge, I asked her if she wanted to take a step further and doing it more seriously to get a badge.  

I emailed her teacher (our exchange of emails is copied here for keepsake purpose)

20th June @ 3.55pm

Dear XXX,

Hope this email finds you well.

I would like to get your advice on starting on the activity on stargazing. 

Infact, Aricia for the past 2 years has occasionally stargazed. And when I realised there was a proficiency badge on this, I was elated. 

If she were to start on this, does it mean she starts in June or can she start with effect from an earlier month. 

As for the photo through a telescope, does it have to be the raw picture or can it be edited/cropped? Honestly, I haven’t tried taking pictures through telescope (plus not that we have a fantastic telescope to begin with) so not sure how to, and how big or small the object will turn out to be. I mean usually I’ll just use my telephoto lens on DSLR to take pictures myself (so easy - no need to set up telescope 😄) , and I still need to crop to enlarge the photo. 

Hope you can give me some pointers so I can try to guide her more in this. 

11th June @ 5.23pm

Thank you for your email.

I'm happy to hear that Aricia is working on her proficiency badges. It's fantastic that you also have a telescope and a telephoto lens at home for stargazing too. Aricia should be able to see Saturn, Jupiter and Moon quite easily if it doesn't storm at night.

As long as Aricia can capture a clear photo of the planets and the moon and identify them, that will suffice. We don't want to deter students from stargazing.

And if Aricia can produce a record comprising 3 consecutive months of her observations, she'll receive the badge. The log should include location, weather, time, and a description and/or a sketch of what she sees in the sky. 

Ms XXX is recommending that Aricia follows a Facebook group of stargazing enthusiasts, Singapore Sideway Astronomy. Aricia can also refer to this website so that she can be fruitful when she looks into the telescope. https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/singapore/singapore

Hope this helps! 

May the stars align in your favour,

XXX

11th June @ 7.05pm

Thank you for your reply. 

As she’s been doing this occasionally, and if there’s something that she can earn, why not. 

3 consecutive months, must it be daily? Considering there are days when it is cloudy. And also coz usually I’ll ask her out to spot after I recee, when she can’t see anything I won’t bother to ask her to go out to balcony. And I’ll only ask her if it’s a non-school day the next day. Therefore the log won’t be consecutive days, it’s ok right? 

Great, so I don’t have to take pictures through telescope right? It’s quite a challenge for me to set up the lousy telescope though as we are surrounded by blocks and I’m on the ground floor. Many times, when I do it, it looks like I’m launching a rocket. Plus my unit is next to a path, a high traffic area where neighbours all keep looking at us whenever they walk past, I feel so embarrassed. So I hardly set it up. 

Thanks Ms Heng for the links. We’re aware of this. Since we started stargazing end 2017, we’ve relied a lot on a few FB pages and apps whenever we stargaze either in SIN or overseas. 

12th June @ 8am

I hear your concerns about not being able to stargaze meaningfully every day for 3 consecutive months. Would a 90-day log be something more feasible? It will still require Aricia to display a high level of discipline to maintain the log diligently at the end of each fruitful stargazing session, and we are confident that Aricia is capable of finishing it well!

No problems using the telephoto lens to take possibly clearer photos of what's in the sky. :)

I'm sorry to share that I had quite a good laugh imagining the trouble you have to go through each time you set up the telescope. 🤐

Have fun stargazing with Aricia! We really appreciate the support you render at home to ease Aricia into Girl Guides.

Make a wish on a shooting star,

XXX

15th June @12.25am 

Thank you for your reply. 

Thanks for your clarification. Just as I thought, 90 days is definitely reasonable as 3 months on a daily basis doesn’t guarantee clear nights daily. We will endeavour to complete the task. Nevertheless thank you for making the exception for us, because as much as I’d like her to enjoy astronomy I try not to interfere when it’s a schooling day. She’s enjoying it more these days cause she knows she’s working towards something at the end. I need a badge for myself too! 

Oh yes, that telescope! The funniest thing was when she suggested we should set up 2 nights ago (past few days didn’t set up), less than 10mins we had people walking past and even the security staffs stopping by our unit to see what we were doing. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Something for you to enjoy. These were taken by Athena’s teacher who chaperoned students to some ulu place in Thailand late last year. Athena did some editing to his photos. Needless to say she was really so excited to see the clear sky and Pleiades. 

Anyway, thanks a lot Ms XXX for your encouragement. 

And so we began our journey to the stars and beyond. First entry dated 9th June 2020 and last entry 16th March 2021. The books are filled with many wonderful time spent with her, looking beyond what our eyes can see, into the beautiful (ahem polluted Bortle 9 sky. Welcome to sunny Singapore, bright in the day and in the night!) sky. 

I found this quote encouraging -

Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. 

– Stephen Hawking

So I decided that we shall do her journaling in more educational way. I hope we're on the right track. In the process, I learn new things as well. There is just so much more we can discover, so much more... not in Singapore but where we can get dark sky, good camera, good telescope, a tracking system and hopefully a good photographer. 

I remember this day so clearly. 22nd June 2020 @ 5am. The sky was the clearest of all the days. So many stars in the sky! Quickly woke her up to see and identify the stars, she went back for a short nap before getting ready to go to school.   

Second Book

Took us a year to complete the task. By 27th June, we had completed the journal. Did the final checks before submission

29 June 2021 @ 9:47 

Dear Ms XXX, 

Hope this email finds you well.

Just to let you know that Aricia will submit her stargazing journals (2 books) to you via your pigeon hole on Thursday. 

Thank you for being patient with us. 

Regards, 

XXX 

30th June @ 8am

I am looking forward to learning more about stargazing from her journaling!

Best regards,

XXX

And now we shall wait for her well deserved badge. 

Ramblings on school hols and keto

School hols is coming to an end. The chauffeuring will start tomorrow, the home tuitions madness will resume.

I had been really lazy this school hols. I was happy when HBL kicked in in Week 9, so it means I didn't have to move around so much. I had so many ideas on what I wanted to do during Phase 2HA where all my tutors will do zoom lessons and I had the freedom to roam around the house with no time restrictions. 

THINGS TO DO :

- clear 2 pots of their soil and pots in PES 

- thorough scrub in our PES 

- small plants in toilets mini project

- re-organize my baking pantry with more OXO containers

- stock take on my Kiehls products, on my EOs.

- declutter the towels and unncessary bedsheets. Basically tidy and have at least 2 empty cubicle space in walk-in wardrobe 

- complete USA2019 imovie

- Go for walks with the girl /girls  

- Busy in the kitchen with non-keto and keto bakes. Perhaps do my decorated icing cookies using my projector. Do some cute cute buns etc.. so many ideas

End of 6 weeks, nothing is done. I really lazed the most this hols when I'm not doing housework and those few days that I cooked. Was busy surfing the internet, watching a bit of shows here and there, playing with the colouring app. I must admit it feels good to be doing nothing at all when I'm so totally exhausted at the routine I had been doing on a daily basis for years.

I wanted to do more home cooked food but I was getting frustrated that I couldn't taste test the food I cooked & then they don't really liked the food I cooked which in turns lead to wastage. So in the end hubby packed more often. 

 

Maybe once school starts, my engine will start up too. 

The last time I ironed clothes was on 23rd May (Week 9 of school term) clearing the school uniforms. And I ironed today - 27th June. Although it was a month ago, we didn't have that many clothes to iron. Well, we are hardly out of the house in the first place. 

I’m beginning to love this school hols. 

Even on keto. I did the lazy keto. Although I eat within what's permitted, I didn't track my macros. I may have put in more protein than fats on all days and perhaps kicked out of ketosis unknowingly. Maybe yes, maybe no? However based on this article, yes I felt my rings are tight again but it could be becoz I haven't been drinking alot of water.  

I've totally lost on idea what to cook though was looking at recipes. Looking and daydreaming, I need someone to put into action for me. or if I can cook in bulk? (but no space in fridge to store them) 

On days when I cooked for family, I was tired that I threw everything in one pot and cooked for myself. My meal really looked like dog food. 

Was too lazy to track. I did put on weight a little (by posting time lost back the weight). Dunno what to eat, wanted to take this time to fast but ended up eating ketojunkie's delicious snacks. At least I'm learning lesson from my own experience too. There's a reason why the shifus all say must avoid sweets and bakery and somehow will get addicted and can't stop. So I'm not sure with me eating ketojunkie's snacks was coz' I was addicted to bakes or was it coz' the items stacked up in freezer were an eyesore, felt the need to declutter them into my mouth. I've learnt in order to lose weight must be strict with oneself.

So coincident, a fellow keto-nian, Mabel Wee, asked this on 26th June in the FB keto group I'm following :

Just wondering if anyone 越 fast 越肥? My weight keep crawling up despite fasting, 2 meals a day occassionally omad and quite clean the eating 😅

Or did i break my fast incorrectly? Is there like a correct way to break a fast?

A few replies followed :  

Wong Heng Kelvin says

A lot of people use fasting to punish the body for weight gain instead of focusing on lowering insulin, it's an eating disorder in the low carb community really. If you are not eating enough and fasting and gaining weight, the body is telling you that you may not be eating enough nutrients and holding on to itself and water.

Sandra Tan HS

I second what Wong Heng Kelvin says

Fasting needs to be done right, your body has to be fueled and packed with nutrient dense before embarking on fasting. It should come naturally from a sense of fullness from a nutrient packed meal

When we do fasting we also need to look at our body’s needs. If you’re under eating your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to the weight

Water retention will also occur

Chris Tew Eng Ann

Probably under eat and over fast. Will be good to review your caloric intake and fasting routine.

Jacq Chan

And ya…. If your OMAD portion is big , it may create calories surplus …

Portion is one thing…

Fasting is a tool to lower our insulin level (esp for most of us who suffer from insulin resistance issue) and also for our body to have time to utilize the accumulated stored fat in body…

However, if what you are taking in is more than what you are burning, the surplus will not aid you in loose weight..,

But the fact that you can feel cloth is looser - maybe there is a change in body composition- building up some lean mass.

Therefore, what you can do now is

- look into the portion (focus on nutrient dense, never go under eating)

- don’t just look at the weight number - take in other indicators as consideration

- must rest well, hydrate well - bring down your cortisol level too

More keto snacks

This time bought some items from Ketojunkie (Instagram account :  https://www.instagram.com/ketojunkie.sg/) 

23rd April (collected on 29th April)

1) x2 Thai milk tea ($19.80)
2) x1 frozen lekor ($18) the ready fried is $22
3) x1 frozen curry puff ($22) the ready fried is $26. 
Total cost $59.80. 

Verdict :

Thai milk tea - I don't mind the milk tea but che-che don't like it coz it's not sweet. She likes the one from Seriously Keto ($6.50) - coz that tastes just like the normal sweetened Thai milk tea. Ok, so at least I know SK really put lots of sugar in their drinks.  

Lekor - Che-che love the lekor. She's a fan of lekors in pasar malam only a year or 3 years back? She used to refuse to try it (so now you know where she got her junkie eating habits from) until when she decided to try it, she'd pick some up from pasar malam. But we don't go pasar malam that often in the first place. Her lekor is definitely not starchy and it's really nice. And I'm rest assured that at least my girl tho' not doing ketogenic diet is eating something healthier. 

Since it's my first purchase I got only one pack. Not enough lor! Che-che ate the most, hubby tried 2 and I only had 1! I had to deal with the mess left behind - Oil splatter. 

Curry puff - OMG! It's so nice. Much better than Ange bakes which Sandra let us try once. I love Ketojunkie's puff, it is crispy and has those swirls (which I feel is so darn difficult to do) looking really like curry puffs. The only thing is I'm not sure what Ketojunkie uses to make the puff pastry, nonetheless it should be keto friendly. [I found out later whey protein is used] 

***********************

19th May - delayed ordering coz it was nearing Raya when we were craving for it. Plus my freezer was full to the brim. Was told that refrigerated items can only lasts 2 days for lekor and 3 days for puffs. Items can last longer in freezer. My mouth is ready but freezer is not.

Finally about 8 days later .. will give me sufficient time to clear the freezer by collection date. 

27th May (collected on 3rd June)

Tak boleh tahan already. This time upped the order to total damage $242.50. 

1) Double chocolate puff (frozen) x1 ($26)

2) Sardine puff (frozen) x1 ($22) 

3) Curry puff (frozen) x1 ($22)

4) Creamy chicken mushroom puff (frozen) x1 ($24)

5) Lekor (frozen) x6 ($120)

5) Gluten-free Cream cheese rolls (fresh) x1 ($28.50)

Special request - no need chilli in lekor. 

Met Aruna for the first time. Such a friendly person. We could chat on whatsapp like long time friend like that, or maybe coz I was bored so I was more chatty. Haha! Che-che was waiting for the lekors when I got home. She greeted me with a ""When are you going to fry the lekors?"

Verdict :

Double chocolate puff is - OMG out of this world! Better than McDonald's chocolate pie where the flakes just drop on you like snowflakes, very messy if you ask me. But for this, the puff flakes drop in big piece (haha!) so it's not that messy, easy to pick up from your clothes and put it into your mouth again. Ker-siang to throw it away, $5+ for one piece of puff leh! I'll even lick the bowl to leave no traces behind.  

My pictures don't do any justice here. 

Mushroom puff - nice but if only there are more filling. I usually eat mushroom pot pie coz I love the filling. Otherwise the taste is legit.

Sardine puff - not a really a fan of sardine but thought I wanted to try. No spice no kick, but yes taste wise is not bad. 

Lekor - It's not the first time trying this BUT first time airfrying this. Lekors need to be blessed with oil before popping into the airfryer as it was boiled before batch freezing. Oil is not needed for airfrying puffs as they're deep fried once before batch freezing. 

Easy easy! No messy kitchen, just need to wash the basket and wipe airfryer's interior.  

Gluten-free cream cheese rolls - Wow! Are you sure it's gluten free? Are you sure this is keto friendly? The rolls tastes so good! Definitely want to check for recipes online. I finished the rolls in 2 days. Dangerous!  

I joked with her if she wanted a godsis, if it's alright that I volunteer to be one. I have to practice self- control. The snacks are so nice - such fitting name she calls her business. I didn't eat proper meals and had puffs and lekor. OMG! I think I kicked myself out of ketosis man! But no fault of theirs, my fault coz I have no self-control. 

************************

13th June (delivered on 20th June)

Noticed 2 more new items in their menu. Control control! 

1) Gluten-free Cream cheese rolls x2 ($57) [gifted a box to Cheryl]

2) Chicken mushroom puff x2 ($48)

3) Chocolate puff x2 ($52)

4) Curry puff x2 ($44)

5) Pizza puff x1 ($22)

5) Lekors x4 ($80)

Total cost $303. Though this is delivered, Aruna absorbed the cost of $13. So sweet of her right?

Verdict :

Pizza puff - not too bad. I'm not a fan of beef but I'm glad this doesn't taste that bad 

 

My 2nd and 3rd chocolate purchase

Couldn't stop after my first purchase from iHerb. (Blog entry here  ) No wonder the shifus in keto FB warned not to have any bakeries or sweet stuffs for first 3 months. Aiyah! I've already sinned long time ago. God bless me! 

This second purchase is a huge haul from US Amazon. I made use of my VPost for the first time after 2yrs or was it 3yrs?   

2nd purchase - arrived on 4th May

Lily's chocolate

Lily's chocolates! Thanks to J who introduced this to me. I'm not really a fan of peanut butter but sometimes I don't mind Skippy's peanut n chocolate spread on my bread (non-keto days). So when I tried this, it made me want to eat more coz I know it's keto compliant. I love the dark chocolate peanut butter cups better coz I love dark chocolates. 

Bought alot of baking chocolate chips too. It's too much, I'm selling any bakes but .... that's like the minimum the shop is selling. It's still so much cheaper than what Seriously Keto sells (3x more!) Hmm... maybe I should put out some to sell to incur some costs? 

Bought a bar of granola bar from Seriously Keto before and I liked it, so decided to cart this alongside. So much cheaper! 

This is not compliant at all. These chocolates are for che-che. She tried them in Seattle. So when I asked her if she needed to cart anything from US Amazon, she found these.

3rd purchase - received on 5th June

Coz iherb didn't have ChocZero chocolates so cart from US Amazon together with many other items. I should refrain from buying anymore for the next one year! 没有钱了！

And so when i found out ChocZero may not be that keto compliant after all. Oh my! I haven't done any glucose test on self after eating. 

Che-che likes the dark chocolate with sea salt + almond. Though I also like almond, I prefer hazelnut. Some cheese snacks which lil' one likes.

Here we go again - Heightened Alert

Honestly, the different phases has really fanciful names .

Restricted to 2, then 5 then 8 then 2. Somebody needs to write a song on this covid with numbers starting with "19". And can they name the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) with another name? So many times I keep thinking what is this group named 'mother....' ? Haha! I do sound real pissed off huh? 

This is a pictorial chart on the phases we went through  

Quote from MOH website :

14TH MAY 2021

        The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) has been closely monitoring the local and global COVID-19 situation. The number of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and unlinked community cases has continued to increase. This is concerning as the situation could quickly escalate if these cases are not contained swiftly and decisively. 

Update on Local Situation

2.     We have detected several clusters of infections emerging in the past 2 weeks around (i) an ICA officer and his extended family, (ii) Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), (iii) Tuas South Community Care Facility, and (iv) Pasir Panjang Terminal. Most recently, we have an emerging cluster at Changi Airport Terminal 3 with a total of 46 cases to date. 

3.    To reduce the risk of any spread from undetected cases in the community, we have cast a wide net and taken swift action to detect, isolate, and ringfence any possible emerging transmissions to the community. We have carried out mass surveillance testing of persons with possible exposure to cases surrounding these clusters, such as TTSH patients and visitors who were at TTSH during the infectious period. Special testing operations have also been conducted to test port workers who had been deployed at Pasir Panjang Terminal, as well as workers at Changi Airport Terminals 1 and 3 and Jewel Changi Airport. Since 1 May 2021, we have also implemented additional pre-emptive measures to minimise interactions at both social settings and workplaces so as to break the chains of transmission to the community. These measures were further enhanced with effect from 8 May 2021, with reductions in the prevailing group size of social gatherings and the size of larger scale events or activities, to minimise the likelihood of large clusters forming.

4.    However, a pattern of local unlinked community cases has emerged and is persisting. This is worrying as it suggests that there may be unknown cases in the community with possible ongoing community transmission and that our earlier and ongoing measures to break the chains of transmissions may be insufficient. We need to act decisively to contain these risks as any one leak could result in an uncontrolled resurgence of cases. Hence we will move to impose targeted restrictions on higher risk settings such as those where there is a high density of people who are unmasked for prolonged periods.

Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) in the Fight Against COVID-19

5.    Following the measures introduced on 8 May 2021, we need to tighten more measures to decisively arrest the increasing number of cases in the community. The following measures will take effect from Sunday 16 May 2021 through Sunday 13 June 2021. 

With this same reason, the schools have switched to HBL as stated in MOE website :

Primary, Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute to Shift to Full Home-based Learning

Starting from Wednesday 19 May 2021, all primary, secondary, junior college (JC) and Millennia Institute (MI) students, including students from Special Education (SPED) schools, will shift to full Home-Based Learning (HBL) till end of the term on 28 May 2021.

Tuition and Enrichment Centres to Shift Online or Suspend Activities

7. All centre-based tuition and enrichment classes must move activities online till the end of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert). This is necessary to reduce the intermingling of students from different schools and enhance the safety of our students. These measures will hold until end of Phase 2 Heightened Alert or further notice.

**********************************************************

My thoughts after this announcement.

1) Zoom for school and tuitions. Lil' one surprisingly was very productive with Zoom last year but I'm not sure about this year. Too many Zoom does lead to fatigues and I'm beginning to feel that she won't benefit much from it. And if I had wanted to rely on tuitions to help her close up the learning gaps, the Zoom tuitions might not be able to help her.  

2) I'm on the other hand relieved that I do not have to leave the house with the chauffeuring duties.

3) Everyone were sick of my cooking during CB last year and this year I'm going to be a little smarter but not cooking that often this year. Can go and pack food or order food in. I'm not going to make myself so crazily busy like last year and tire myself every night. A year older and I'm a little wiser.  

4) I still have the room door label in the computer so I got it printed out and pasted on the room door today (17th May). 

5) Fight Do will be on Zoom. Like duck to water, it was easy for us. All of us are experts now. 

6) Time to lock up my PES gate since we won't be seeing the tutors for at least a month.

Like any typical people, we rushed out to have our last meal together before the mini CB. We unanimously asked to go Siam Square Mookata. I ordered 3-4 plates of pork belly and the portion was far much more than what I usually get. Perhaps they were trying to finish up their supplies? We came to the conclusion that before any next lockdown we shall come to eat here again as we will get more than we bargain for.   

A drop by to NTUC, not that we're in any mad rush to get any groceries. Coz I don't intend to cook that often. BUT I do need to get supplies for myself since I'm already on keto and it's never easy to order any ketogenic food on the food delivery platform. 

Anyway, we were panicking this time round. We can really order food in. I guess after last year's apocalpyse mad-rush to supermarkets, we tend to have confidence in our government to stock up food supplies. WE WON'T STARVE!   

  

And here we go again - to PHASE 2 HA (from May 16 [Sun] to June 13 [Sun] )

Back to tightened measures just when I thought things are getting better

All because we had huge cluster from 

(1) Our border entry point! 

Changi Airport Covid-19 cluster originated in zone that received travellers from higher-risk places

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/changi-airport-cluster-originated-around-specific-zone-that-received-higher-risk

(2) Emerging cluster from teachers, students from various tuition centres (mostly in Marine Parade area) namely Learning Point, Learning Lab, Wang Learning Centre, HCL. Seedlings World Student Care @ Frankel also had some cases where a CHIJ (Katong) girl is tested positive. 

There were also cases in Hougang area and I'm sure even more since the teachers might move around their different branches. The young ones are a vulnerable lot too, so MOE decided to switch to HBL and encouraged tuition centres to go online. The authorities suddenly allow immunization of teenagers aged 12-15 when the vaccine is not yet proven for this group of people. Desperate measures are called upon when things get so bad. 

With only 1.5 weeks of Term 2 left, the kids stayed at home. Not a happy news to most working parents who suddenly had to cope with kids screaming for help when they themselves are busy working. Lil' one has finished all her WAs. Her school usually starts tests and exams early, so it's bad news for the girls when they had no excuse to postpone any tests/exams. Somehow I'm thankful she's not the graduating cohort.

S'pore schools to start full home-based learning from May 19 amid Covid-19 spike

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/spore-schools-to-start-full-home-based-learning-from-may-19-amid-spike

Primary and Secondary schools move to HBL on 19th May
https://youtu.be/7WvPq5om05w

All her tuitions are back to Zoom (again!). Time to lock the gate

Kindda frustrated - knowing that there are so many positive cases coming in from certain countries, why are they still allowing them in? Shouldn’t the govt put a stop to it? Just allow the Singaporeans and PR back, those relatives to visit families can balek kampong. Knowing the situation is getting worse in their country, they probably just want to go to a safer country where we can treat them. You know, I know their hidden reason. Obviously the medical certificates are fake then! How can you be negative but turn out positive. I can’t help but pity the crew onboard the ✈️ plane, exposed to all the viruses.

When will this get better? 

Will we go back to CB? 
https://youtube.com/watch?v=J58hj8zIooM&feature=share

 Haven’t done my supermarket run yet. So dunno what’s left on the shelves there. A quick recall on what’s in my walkable bomb shelter n kitchen. 

Toilet rolls - ✅ 

Dettol - ✅

Isopropyl alcohol - 5L (prob still left 4.5L) ✅

Eggs - ❌ not enough. I consume alot per day. 

EVVO - ✅

Plain flour - ✅ so clever I just bought one pack, plus my half canister leftover

Bread flour - ✅ haven’t baked bread so still hv. But need to check on expiry date tho 😜

Sugar - ❌ 1/4 left in canister. But nvr mind, I have few packs of sweeteners at home if it runs out. Anyway we hardly take sugar, so it’s unlikely.

Brown sugar - ✅ Got! Got! I even still have 2 packs of unopened ground peanuts. Muah chee anyone? 

Tapioca flour - ✅ still have half pack. No need to worry, the girls restricted themselves to only one cup BBT/mth. Anyway the shops r not closed. 

Meat - ✅ wouldn’t say we have a lot. But no panic, I’m still able to stick to my diet. 

Veg - ✅ not a lot but no hurry to buy too coz our fridge n freezer is basically full now! 

We can’t stock up much even if we want to. Think we’ve all learnt a lesson or two from last year. We still can shop, so better avoid the crowd for now. 

Decided to stop EO ER

I decided to stop my ER membership with YL. I'm still using their oils though. What prompted me to terminate my ER was that I had too many oils. Usually in a month to qualify for ER, I had to make purchases of at least 100PV. And I usually top up on Lemon, Lavender oils. As for the rests, I'd only top up when I need it.

And even I use lemon around the house very often, my supplies didn't seem to run out. TOO MANY OILS! I didn't realise that for 3 months I didn't have any parcel from YL. Well, coz my credit card expired and I forgot to update my new card into the system so they couldn't process my order. I decided then to stop and just be a standard member. 

In January, I requested for them to stop with effect from February but it wasn't adhered to. And I redeemed stuffs with my PV points just before Feb came. And guess what? They processed again just cause I didn't remove items from my cart the previous months before. 

Another reminder was sent out to them on 3rd March. And finally they acknowledged my email and stopped my ER membership. Now all I need to do is to spend 50PV to keep my membership. 

I need to finish up whatever oils I have at home. Really too much already, I have alot of oils which I don't use too. Some are hasty purchase in my early days; some are FOC. I don't like most smell so will probably just diffuse them (some are expensive though) in the night in the yard area - hopefully can repel any insects trying to crawl into the house. Once I clear the oils, which at the rate might take me a year, then I'll just continue getting my usual oils? Or perhaps switch over to another cheaper brand - REVIVE? I'll definitely need to do the smell comparison between the two before I decide if I should switch. 

    

Such a nice gift

Received this from lil' one's tutor yesterday (8th May). So sweet of her to gift me this knowing that I love plants and flowers. What I love is the way she does up the gift, full of creativity and patience. Nice to go into the toilet or indoor but no way am I going to put this in the toilet. Too beautiful to be put in a "dirty place". Her kind gesture deserves a place elsewhere apart from the toilet. 

Thank you Ms Wong for this lovely gift!  

 

How much water should I drink while on keto

extracted from : https://www.carbmanager.com/article/xtqwcbeaaceacgke/how-much-water-should-i-drink-on-keto/

Everyone knows that staying hydrated is important no matter what diet you follow.

But during your low-carb journey, water intake is more important than ever.

In this Keto Beginners Series, we’ll dive into the importance of ample water intake on Keto and why you need more water on a low carb diet.

You Need to Drink More Water on Keto

Dehydration is one of the most common side effects of the Ketogenic diet. Many people overlook how much more water you should be drinking when you’re on a low carb diet.

Here’s why: Glucose from carbohydrates is stored in your liver and muscle cells as glycogen. Glycogen is basically a bunch of glucose molecules smashed together with water. In fact, there are approximately 3 grams of water for every gram of glucose stored in glycogen![*] Therefore, glucose is important for water storage in the body. 

Additionally, carbohydrate consumption triggers insulin secretion. Insulin tells your kidneys to keep sodium, as opposed to adding it to urine and peeing it out.[*] If you are eating a low-carbohydrate diet, then you are not triggering much insulin release and your kidneys will excrete more sodium than usual. 

More sodium excretion causes more water excretion. So, to accommodate for this effect, you should drink more water and add salt to your meals while on the Keto diet.  

The bottom line is that carbohydrates play an important role in holding water and sodium in your body. When you restrict carbs you retain less water and need to increase how much you take in. This means people eating Keto need to drink more water and eat more salt compared to other diets.

Side Effects of Dehydration

If you aren’t carefully monitoring your water intake, mild dehydration can lead to headaches, fatigue, dry mouth, and flu-like symptoms.[*]

Chronic dehydration can deter you from getting the results you’re after on the Ketogenic diet and lead to long-term health problems.

Electrolytes are Crucial

Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are essential electrolytes that are key for proper hydration.

On Keto, you’re eliminating various salty processed carbohydrates, so it’s crucial that you increase your sodium intake more than if you were following a diet that consisted of carbs.

Since Keto helps maintain low levels of insulin, your body flushes out more sodium than any other diet.[*] Make sure to replenish these essential electrolytes, especially sodium, to get the most out of the low carb, high fat lifestyle.

Keto-Adaptation Will Cause Water Weight Fluctuations

During the first week of Keto, you’ll experience a drastic water weight fluctuation. This is completely normal and should not be a cause for concern. It's just another way that the scale doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to weight loss and diet progress.

When your body stores carbs, it holds onto water. For every 1 gram of carbs you store, you’ll store an average of 4 grams of water. Once these carbs are removed from your diet, water will come along with it, so it’s important to maintain proper fluid levels during this period.

Why You Should Drink More Water on Keto

Your body goes through major metabolic transitions as you become a fat burner. Here’s why adequate fluid levels are crucial on the Ketogenic diet.

#1. Replaces lost water

As mentioned previously, your body stores water when carbohydrates are present. When carbs are eliminated, water is also flushed out.

#2. Curbs cravings and regulates appetite

Often, when you experience hunger pangs or sugar cravings on keto, it’s most likely because you’re dehydrated. Make it a habit to reach for a glass of water instead of a sugary treat when these cravings arise.

#3. Less stress on your kidneys

Ketones are acidic and some of these ketone bodies are flushed out instead of used for fuel to ensure they don’t accumulate in the body. Drinking more water supports the kidneys’ role of filtering out any unnecessary toxins that may be lingering.

#4. Water helps fat metabolize faster

The process of beta-oxidation (where fats are broken down) requires water molecules. Burning fat costs more water during the process compared to carbs which means more water consumption will help your body break fats down more effectively.

How Much Water Should You Drink on Keto?

The Institute of Medicine recommends consuming between 91 and 125 fluid ounces of water per day as an adult.[*]

This amount will vary depending on the individual and lifestyle factors such as age, diet, weight, and activity level. For example, if you exercise frequently and work in hot weather, you’ll need to drink more water than someone who works a desk job and lives a sedentary lifestyle.

As a Ketogenic dieter, you’ll need to drink even more water because of the fluid excretion that occurs as a result of low carb eating.

A good rule of thumb is to drink when you’re thirsty but don’t overdo it. If your urine is a very light yellow or close to clear, then you are drinking the correct amount. If your urine is a darker yellow, consider drinking more water throughout the day.

Tips to Help You Drink More Water

If staying hydrated is a struggle for you during your Ketogenic journey, here are a few of our favorite tips to ensure you maintain proper fluid levels.

Drink a water bottle immediately upon waking up. Your body is most dehydrated after a full night’s rest. Drinking a couple glasses of water right as you wake up is a great way to start your day hydrated.

Flavor your water. If you can’t stand flavorless water, consider getting a zero-calorie flavoring to add to your water. Avoid anything that contains sugar or calories.

Keep a water bottle next to you. It’s much easier to drink water if it’s always within reach.

Stay Hydrated to Get the Most Out of Keto

Since carbohydrates are responsible for retaining water in the body, it’s crucial that you drink more water after following the Ketogenic diet.

If you are showing signs of fatigue, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, and your urine is a darker yellow, there’s a good chance you’re dehydrated.

Make sure to prioritize adequate water intake to get the most out of the low carb, high fat Ketogenic lifestyle!

Note: The content in this article is not medical advice and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always talk to your doctor before changing your diet.

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extracted from : https://theketochart.com/how-much-water-should-i-drink-on-keto/

How much water should I drink on keto ?

It has been a long day and you’re tired of thinking “how much water should I drink on the keto?” or how will I stay hydrated throughout the day? Don’t stress out searching for answers because there is no rocket science involved in this.

A human  needs to have around 2 liters of water every day for the body to function normally. This is the least you can do whether in keto or not. Keto requires more than two liters of water (ideally 3 liters).

Drink as much as you can. There is no problem if you 5 liters of water during ketosis.  The basic reason being that each glycogen molecule holds a handful of water molecules which helps us stay hydrated. During keto, our body is deprived of these water molecules present along with glycogen due to the absence of carbs. This also signifies that the essential electrolytes present in the body also gets lost while it loses these water molecules.

Does water speed up ketosis?

Yes it does. Water is one of the key ingredients of ketosis. When you first start keto diet You body start to lose carbohydrates in a rapid speed . With carb it loses a lot of water along with minerals . Drinking ample amount of water is a must in this phrase. In this stage Water goes a long way in speeding up the process of Ketosis.

How much water should I drink on keto

Here are the five reasons why one should drink more water to speed up ketosis

1.Replenish the water you lose

Drinking water helps to replenish the water you lose in the process of ketosis. With the elimination of carbohydrates from the diet, the body loses water molecules along with glycogen stored in the muscles, which may lead to fatigue, lethargy and in severe cases, dehydration.

The lost water needs to be periodically replenished so that one might retain their optimum water levels without compromising on any other dependent or independent variable in context to the general process of ketosis.

2.Minerals and Salts 

The efficient bodily functioning among humans is rested upon the correct quantitative presence of minerals and salts. As the loss of water occurs during ketosis, the body needs to be able to rejuvenate these essential minerals to continue the smooth functioning of the body.

3.Natural lubricant to the kidneys

Water acts as a natural lubricant to the kidneys and catalyzes the general functioning of the organ. therefore, drinking optimal amounts of water, while undergoing the process of ketosis, ensures that and individual ends up with a healthier body, as well as a healthier, more efficient kidney!

the logic behind this being that the ketone levels in the urine fall over time, and need to be taken care of while partaking in ketogenic processes.

4.keto breath

One of the most pressing cons of a ketogenic diet is the eventual onset of bad breath, which is more commonly known as “keto breath”.

It is caused by the ketone acetate present in ketogenic foods, like raspberries and even pineapples. an increase in the quantity of water consumed helps to remove the bad breath and helps to maintain a fresh feeling in your mouth.

5.Increase Metabolism Rate

Metabolism rate tends to be higher for people having an ample amount of water throughout the day.

Keto water recipe

As we are all aware, the process of ketosis involves a lot of water loss and hence keep the body hydrated is something one must be consciously aware of.

Under normal circumstances, an average adult should drink at least two liters of water a day, and while on ketosis, that amount should ideally go up by at least half a liter to ensure optimum results.

Another well-known fact about the ketogenic dietary system is the near removal of carbohydrates from the diet. In an attempt to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods we often miss out on important mineral supplements such as potassium and sodium.

To avoid that, keto specialists have come up with a solution known as the keto water recipe. This is an electrolyte boost supplement drink that makes sure that the body gets the right amount of potassium and sodium without tampering with any carbohydrate at all.

How to use water for keto diet ?

There are two ways of going about this process.

First method

The first one is to add 5 grams of potassium bitartrate, which is more commonly known as cream of tartar along with one gram of sea salt, or Himalayan pink salt or even regular table salt.

Cream of tartar provides the potassium electrolyte while the salt provides the sodium electrolyte. The nutritional value of this drink is as follows.

The potassium mixture contains about 800 mg of potassium which is 20% of the prescribed daily requirement of the body. In terms of the salt, one gram of salt contains 500 mg of sodium which is again, approximately 20 % of the suggested requirement.

Second Method

The other method is to use a single ingredient, called Salt Lite. This is a salt which is a 50% deficit in sodium hence making it an equal supplement of both sodium and potassium.

To make the electrolyte booster using this technique, use 3 grams of the Salt Lite, in a glass of water and mix well. That pretty much sums up the making process. It is a super easy, nutritional booster drink that is quick and convenient to make.

In terms of health, 3 grams of Salt Lite contain 825 mg of Potassium and close to 500 grams of sodium which help replenish the lost minerals.

There are multiple ways to color and flavor this drink. You could add one single slice of lemon to the drink to add a little citric flavor to the otherwise bland drink.

To make it more interesting, you could add food coloring of your choice, drink it cold, and make other changes to it as you may like. But one thing to be taken care of is that the quantities of the ingredients should not be meddled with under any circumstances, as they may have a detrimental impact on your health.

Bottom line

Ketosis requires you to have water more than the normal level. You should have a minimum of 3 liters of water every day during ketosis. Thats the perfect amount of Water. Having plenty of water will make you feel fresh and hydrated throughout.

Supply of electrolytes which is essential for our body will also be fulfilled. You should try to drink water at regular intervals througout the day rather than one big gulp. Drink as much as possible and try out the above-mentioned keto water recipes as well for an electrolyte boost.

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Perhaps this was the reason why I didn't lose much weight. I did an experiment on self incidently. One day I was so busy that I didn't drink my usual "7 flask" amount of water, infact I only drank 2! So I decided that perhaps for the next few days I shall do an experiment on self. I put on less than a kg in a span of a few days. My ketone level was also low despite me religiously being on the 1M1E1V diet twice a day.