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Anita Bye

    Health box – Making good health easy

    24/08/2015
    by

    Since I quit virgin active due to travelling and us moving back to Sukhumvit and most likely going back to smart fitness, I’ve actually been dieting. I know… me dieting sounds absurd but I’ve actually been quite OK at it. I started cooking at home and counting calories a week ago, and it’s been going pretty well. But I wanted a little break from it. Dieting is quite a hassle, especially when you work full time. It’s not only the cooking and cleaning up afterwards, you also have to count the calories and macros. It’s fine if you make simple dishes, but for me who likes a lot of flavours and variation it gets quite time consuming.

    meal from healthbox and snack box on table next to sunflowers

    First meal day, so exited for the rest. There’s another box in the bag. I like the clean and earthy presentation.

    But for now, starting from today I’m using health box for a week to try it out. I’m already after day one feeling like I’m saving a lot of time. No dishes, no need to count calories, just get it delivered straight to my door for lunch. I’ve ordered the two meals a day plan, and each of my meals are around 500 calories. I also have a snack box on 200 calories that I’m eating on workout days. In addition I have shakes before/after workout and before bedtime incase you think it sounds like little. They have 3 different plans, one for weight loss, one for healthy eating and the one I chose; the fitness training program. You give them your height, weight and age and tell them what you want to obtain and how much activity you do daily and they will tell you how much you should eat.

    For my fitness program the ratio of Carb: Protein: Fat is 40:35:25.

    fruit box from healthbox on a table

    I think for next week I will make everything on sunday and box it and count it already then. I just want my abs for when we are beaching it up in Spain next month. Agh, we’ve been working so much lately it’s going to be amazing having 3 weeks off just chilling, eating, exploring, and having bottles after bottles of wine. I’m on cloud nine thinking about it.

    making good health easy print

    It’s true… they are making it too easy, saves you so much time. The fruit box was today’s snack box and contained around 190 calories. Nice, fresh and organic.

    nicoise chicken salad from healthbox

    Todays lunch; chicken nicoise salad, the chicken was a bit dry, but the dinner really made up for it!

    So far it’s all been quite nice, and I’ll let you know more once I’ve tried it out a bit longer. It’s so hard to find healthy food in Bangkok, so I think this might be a hit for a lot of people. The price is pretty decent too compared to Absolute Fit Food. And nutrition value is good compared to Polpa which has 19g in one meal. And that’s the low fat meal.

    Tom is already on his 2nd week of health box and he is sure he wants to go on with it for a while. I think it’s a nice break from the kitchen but I don’t think I will be doing it for more than a week or when I’m really busy. Or will I also get hooked?

    -A

    Dim sum fun

    23/08/2015
    by

    couple eating at tim ho wan bangkok

    table with dim sum in bangkok

    Some of the foods we ordered, super messy, just how I like it.

    dim sum in a tray at tim ho wan

    Mmmm, definitely one of my favourites. The price ain’t too bad, I think it was 130 baht for one of these.

    famous crispy buns from tim ho wan

    They are really famous for their pork buns filled with bbq fillings, so nice and crispy. One important thing to mention is that one order has 3 of them. From the picture you might think it’s just one, and so many people ordered 10 plates, thinking they would get 10 buns. At least they got cool photos out of it…ahh.

    It might look like we are obsessed with dim sum, but Tim Ho Wan had it’s opening at Terminal 21 yesterday, so we just had to go.

    I do have to admit we have been waiting for this for since we heard the news so we were really excited. For those of you that don’t know Tim Ho Wan is the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant specializing in Dim Sum. 

    We were having a meeting at 13.30 and ended up making them meet us in the queue to lunch and talk there as we ended up queuing up for 90 minutes. I love how Thai people line up for everything that is popular in Asia, I mean Hot Star chicken still has a long line and the food is rather bland.

    We ordered pretty much everything on the menu and ended up eating until we exploded. It was our first “unhealthy” meal as we have been dieting throughout the week. So we were feeling quite full.

    I think the food was good but nothing special that I would think it would be worth queuing up for on a regular basis.  It is worth trying out, and it’s fun to have eaten there as people are making such a big fuzz about it but I don’t think I will be going again. I wonder if will maintain its popularity…or if it’s just for the opening days.

    If you do get anything on the menu though, their bbq pork buns were really nice and crispy with a soft and sweet inside.  The shrimp dumplings were pretty good too, same goes to the vermicelli rolls with sesame. I do miss the crunchy garlic to dip it in though, but I guess you only get that at cheap and simple dim sum places. Which is what I love… hihi.

    The rest of the day we chilled at Casa Azul watching football and eating the best  mexican food in Bangkok and packing as much candy down our throats as we could. It’s awesome having a day where you can eat whatever you want.

     

    Have you tried Tim Ho Wan yet?

    Friday night in Bangkok

    22/08/2015
    by
    group of people having dinner at long table

    Such bad quality, but this was the only photo everyone managed to look at the camera…

     

    girl having dim sum dinner in thong lo bangkok

    Someone is excited for dim sum

     

    guy having dim sum dinner in thong lo

    My cutie

     

    dim sum dinner at chok dee dim sum thong lo

    So random, it was around 12pm I think and Tom came on an empty stomach and I was getting hungry again, he remembered he passed a dim sum place on the way from the bts so we walked over to see if it was still open, and it was! Way better than eating Mc Donalds and regretting it the following day… Food was actually not bad!

     

    drinks at ashley sutton distillery thong lo

    Getting our drinks on. Whiskey Sour to the left and an Old Fashioned in Tom’s hand. I didn’t take any photo’s from the venue but check them out on Lifestyle Asia

    We made a new record at work turning customers and got rewarded with a sky bar dinner- the plan was originally Octave at Marriott but as their food selection is very limited, we ended up at Long Table. Not my personal choice, but since no one had checked the menu until I sent it to them the same day, Long Table was the only option on the list that wasn’t fully booked on a Friday night in Bangkok.

    The view is really nice from the pool tables and the food is alright. Can’t complain about the massive amounts of wine we had either. I’m happy we all made it, as I never have time to go out for after works, more like I’m too tired on a friday night, I think I’m getting old…

    After dinner we went to Dark Bar to have some drinks. I’ve never been there before, but I kind of liked the place at the same time as it felt a bit creepy. It had an underground vibe, and I think the people going there are regulars. Tiina was the one who suggested it and apparently it used to be 3 times bigger. It’s kind of weird as it’s a tiny bar and you have to pay a 100 baht entrance fee.

    Here I met up with Tom and we decided to have a chill night and went to have some Dim Sum at Chokdee in Ekkamai followed by some drinks at Ashley Sutton’s latest bar Iron Balls. 

    The venue looks just amazing. Every single detail is carefully planned, and it’s definitely different from any other bar in Bangkok. Not only are you drawn by the beautiful design, but the drinks are delicious. I’m not an expert seeing I rarely drink, but I think the Whiskey Sour I had was pretty darn good. Tom went for his Old Fashioned and he liked it a lot, I don’t want to comment on that drink as I feel it’s not for women. Waaay too strong for me. The place is also a distillery and he makes his own gin there. Definitely worth a visit!
    What did you do this friday? <3

    Heathrow airport overnight layover

    21/08/2015
    by

    I arrived Oslo on the 4th of August, after a long 30+ plane ride. I think it was the most depressing ride I have ever been on. Don’t get me wrong, I love travelling and even long layovers at airports, but there was just something off with this trip. First of all, the British Airways BA010 from Bangkok to Heathrow is OLD, the screens took me back 15 years when I used to travel with Aeroflot. If you want to watch a movie, you have to fast forward through the commercial and also, they were out of chicken. How sick is airplane fish? I survived the trip on snacks and wine… which wasn’t too bad, but left me with a bad impression.

    Then I arrive Heathrow airport trying to enter my terminal when I get the message we are not allowed to do an overnight layover. I mean seriously there had to be another option. I then ask another lady that tells me to go on the train to go to A gate, which is in terminal 5, and you can’t stay overnight, then I get advised to cross the border and stay a night in the city. It had already passed like 2 hours, and I was not bothered seeing it was already 8.30pm and my flight left at 7am in the morning, and I had to be back at the airport a lot earlier, as the security check is the slowest I have ever been part of.

    I then talked to a brighter human being who said I could go to terminal 3 which was my original plan, but a lady at the border said there were a minimal amount of restaurants there and that if I got sleepy I would have to sleep on the floor. It sounded like the worst terminal EVER..

    After I had a chat with the bus driver he made it sound like an awesome terminal, and it sure was, they have a large tax free, lots of shops and many amazing restaurants, actually, I think it was better than the British airways terminal 5.

    The only annoying part everything closes around 10 pm, but if you have work to to, or series or movies on your computer this is no problem. This is absolutely the best option if you land in the evening like myself, and have to leave early in the AM, as you won’t have any time to go sightseeing in the city anyways. If you do have any time though, or want to check in at a hotel this is a nice lists of things to do.

     

     

    PS! My return trip with British Airways BA009 from London Heathrow to Bangkok was a lot better experience though, the food was quite different, and I didn’t have to have the crazy long layover, but all in all the planes are way too old and I don’t think I would chose to travel with them again unless it was really cheap or I had no other option. Before I leave you guys with only bad impressions I do want to say that the service is excellent. The crew is very polite and helpful, very British, hehe.

    The security in Heathrow is also something you want to avoid. It was fine by me since I had such a long layover, but every time I went to terminal 5, someone lost their plane because it took them 30 minutes to go through security. But then again, people NEED to read the instructions before they go through and not put water bottles with liquids or not take out their liquids before they go through.

     

    I think I have become spoiled from travelling with Norwegian airlines. I know it is a low cost airline and the leg space may actually be smaller than British Airways, but I appreciate the options. I like how you can charge both USB and computer. How you can buy food and drinks mid-air by swiping your card on the screen, and how you can choose if you want to bring your luggage, have your in-flight meals and buy earphones and blankets if you need it and manage to save in on the ticket if you don’t. The screens are also a dream and so easy to watch movies at great quality.

    Hope this helps others out there being in the same situation xx 

    -A

     

    Oh, Norwegian Nature

    20/08/2015
    by

    girl trekking in stokkvola norway wearing nike walking a dog

    Don’t mind the T… I didn’t didn’t bring any gym tops when I went so this had to do.


    Beautiful view from Stokkvola

    Beautiful view from Stokkvola


    tibetan spaniel in norway

    My besties cute Tibetan Spaniel, she is so sweet and loves to go for long walks, hehe.

    I love norwegian nature and being able to trek every single day during summer months. The weather is just perfect for it. Chilled, but still great for shorts and t-shirts. I sometimes complain about it, but I’m so lucky to live in Levanger, having to drive max 30 minutes for a nice walk in the mountains or go swimming in the lake at the cabin. Even during winter months we can go cross country skiing without having to go too far. Although I’m more of a downhill skier… hehe.

    Can’t wait for winter months in Thailand, where I will definitely try to do Phu Kradung and Doi Angkhang this year if time allows me.

    Talking about winter months, it’s been so hot lately I’m sometimes dreading to make the trek to work. I wish I could walk there without being drenched in sweat every day, haha.

    I never bother putting on makeup or wearing nice clothes to work, either because I’m lazy when it comes to dressing up, or just because of the weather. I love how every time my colleagues wants to for after work they need to remind me to not show up in gym clothes to work. But seriously, how chill is it to get to wear whatever you want.
    -A

    Home sweet home

    16/08/2015
    by
    girl in the quare at levanger norway

    So happy that the sun was out for the few days I was home. The weather has been terrible in Norway so far…

    girl eating ice cream in levanger norway

    Managed to drag my little cus to get ice cream with strawberry sprinkles, I haven’t had it since I was in primary school and it is sooo soo good!! <3

    girl wearing nike sneakers and hoodie in levanger norway

    //Shirt-Forever21//Shorts-nike//Shoes-Nike//wristband-Fitbit//Sunglasses-Ray ban//

    girl at levanger train station in norway wearing sneakers and hoodie

    Levanger train station in the background, if you ever come this way you know what to look for, hehe. Get a ticket at NSB and come see me and Tom next month!

    I’m sorry haven’t been connected, I’ve just been really busy with school and travelling. As I mentioned earlier I went on a one week trip to Norway and it was just amazing. It was raining the first day I arrived but the rest was filled with fun and sun! Was so great to catch up with family and friends again. I was pretty much hanging with my dearest every second (for real) as I only had about 5 days at home in little Levanger. So as you can see, it’s a valid reason for not updating the blog.  The main reason I had to go was to take my exams so it was a lot of back and forth with flights but all worth it. I also got to go to my primary school reunion and it was quite nice to see everyone all grown up, I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already. I will never book a last minute trip like that ever again, especially when I know I have to be there at certain dates no matter what. It was crazy expensive and the trip took 30++ hours each way. Blah. At least we have booked all our trips for September, so I can finally share that me and Tom are going to Norway, New York, Amsterdam, London and Spain in one month. I’m so excited!!

    What have you been up to this summer? xx