Hey again,

I'm afraid Singapore is hardly the conducive low-carb place so there isn't much chances of you getting low-carb products easily like our fellow Canadian and American LC-ers. Possibly the only item that you will come across at your local supermarket that you hear mentioned here alot would be Morton's lite, used primarily for potassium deficiency. Just read the labels carefully and do away with corn flour completely. Health food stores like Nature's Farm stock flax meal, and perhaps you could subsitute corn flour with almond flour, soy flour, wheat bran etc. I won’t be too much of a help in this area for I’m no culinary connoisseur. :P

As for my preference for PP, I really chose to go LC because I’ve been battling with eating disorders and thought that CAD would be a good way so as to never feel deprivation, especially being in a culture where grains and corn starch rule. I later realised that the Reward Meal concept, albeit tempting, is hardly beneficial for my problem. Protein Power is more ‘balanced’, in my opinion, because it allows an initial intake of 55g of carbs for people who aren’t more than 20% above their ideal weight. There are days when I don’t even go above 50g because I really stopped craving carbs! Most of my carb counts come from fruits and a slice of wholemeal or multi-grain bread in the mornings. When dining out, I choose places where I am able to control my carb intake (like western eateries, instead of noodle bars) and therefore can still allow myself the occasional treat of tasting someone’s tiramisu.

Are you in charge of the family’s meals then? I’ll figure that it’d be easier concocting a low-carb meal as compared to refusing my mom’s fried rice. If you’re the family provider, switching to LC should be a breeze – they wouldn’t even know they’re on a diet! Perhaps you can consider ordering LC products online, and I think the nearest would be NZ - http://www.lowcarbsupplies.co.nz/
I admit that can be pricey to upkeep so another alternative would be to try ‘foreign’ supermarkets like Jasons’ (located at Raffles City), Liberty (at Plaza Singapura) or the Australian Pavilion at Bukit Timah’s NTUC. I haven’t been to the Australian Pavilion yet but I’m pretty familiar with Australian products, having lived there for the past 5 years. See if they stock Lowan’s Soy Flour (8.4g carb per serving) or Tip Top’s Burgen Soy-Lin bread with 11g carb per slice. I’ve managed to find sugar-free gelatin and Splenda too at local supermarkets so you won’t have to deprive your family! Also, read up on the recipes so as to spice up your LC meals.

Like Libby advised, follow the book if you are new to LC. Some people find it easier to follow things to the letter and whereas others like the program to cater to them. Take the chromium after 2 weeks and once you get the hang of it, you can start listening to your body’s needs. I currently take a good multi-vitamin packed with nice extras like chromium, selenium & inositol and also a L-carnitine supplement, both from Nature’s Farm.

Another good tip would be to take green tea daily. It has thermogenic properties and aids in weight loss (or so the research says).

Keep in touch and I’m glad I’ve found another Singaporean on this!