Counting calories for the post-CNY regime

IT'S that time of the year again, when the Chinese New Year beckons. In the run-up to the New Year, families are busy preparing for the festivities with spring-cleaning and shopping for the reunion dinner meal, snacks to serve visitors, decorations appropriate for the occasion, flowers and potted plants for the festival.

I recall as a child my family cleaning the house, and the event that has stuck in my mind was the cleaning of the cobwebs in the corners of the double-volume ceilings in my grandmother's shophouse. My uncles had to climb up elongated ladders and perch precariously as they used feather-dusters to clear the cobwebs. I still think today that Chinese New Year is not a festival unless one expends some perspiration cleaning one's home.

Invariably, we all end up eating too much and drinking too much for the Chinese New Year. Instead of focusing on what one should be careful about eating during the season, I have decided to spend some time on how one will lose the weight after the festivities.

The metabolic rate of a person is estimated at 2,500 calories (kcal) a day for a man and 2,000 calories for a woman. This basal metabolic rate (BMR) is determined by putting a person in a thermal cage for 24 hours and measuring the temperature of his urine, faeces and his breath. This is not practical and not available commercially.

If a scientist could invent a bedside machine that can accurately measure a person's basal metabolic rate, he would win the Nobel Prize and also in the process become a billionaire. As such we have estimated the BMR of men and women according to formulas that are derived from these thermal cage experiments.

Now, if one eats 500 calories more than the BMR, one would put on half a kilogramme every week.

I have six rules that I teach my patients about eating to lose weight. These involve street food that is commonly available in Singapore.

When one looks at the range of dishes in the "Economy Rice" stalls, almost everything is swimming in gravy. If you recall sitting in Cantonese restaurants, you might have observed elderly ladies picking up a piece of meat with their chopsticks and washing off the gravy in a bowl of soup before popping it into their mouths. That is how they stayed so slim!

The six rules are not comprehensive but you can check out the Health Promotion Board website and mobile app where there are 6,000 local dishes listed with all their calories.

A word about alcohol. One unit of alcohol is equal to a can of beer, a glass of wine and a single shot of liquor. One unit of alcohol is equal to about 100 calories so you have to count it in your daily allowance.

One more thing about carbohydrates is that not all carbohydrates are bad. The "bad" carbohydrates include white rice, white bread, potatoes and all yellow noodles including Hokkien noodles, ramen and instant noodles. These turn to sugar immediately when one eats them. Better to eat "good" carbohydrates like brown rice, wholemeal bread, soba, oats, glass noodles, quinoa and chia seeds. Some carbohydrates are "intermediate" and they include bee hoon, kuay teow, udon and pasta. The speed at which they turn to sugar determines how good, bad or intermediate they are.

Why such a sugar rush is a problem is that the insulin levels rise rapidly as a reaction to the sugar spike. The high insulins can trigger fat deposits in the belly also known as visceral fat. Visceral fat has a life of its own and is different from fat on the thighs and glutes. The visceral fat secretes certain factors and hormones that increase the risk of heart attack, strokes and predisposition to cancers.

Finally after the feasting of the Chinese New Year, it is time to use the six rules and be more aware of the foods you take for granted.

If you eat 500 calories less than your BMR, you will lose half a kilogramme weekly. Exercise is important to help cells in your body to access the sugars in the blood and to reduce the hunger pangs. But you cannot lose weight with exercise alone unless you exercise eight hours a day.

I wish all readers a Happy Chinese New Year as we head into a fortnight of feasting, wining and dining but hope that all can shed their extra pounds after the festivities with some understanding of these six simple rules.

This series is produced on alternate Saturdays in collaboration with Singapore Medical Specialists Centre