~ WEIGHT LOSS AND EXERCISE ~

This is part 2 of weight loss series, because many of you liked first part quite helpful (I am thankful ^^) so I have decided to write another chapter with same topic which contains new, easy and the most important ~ effective information. Hope you will like it <3 

Slimmer build

• The whole idea behind losing weight is that the calories you consume < the calories you burn in a day. In doing so, it is a good idea to have in front of you something that can help you keep count of your calorie intake after every meal.Read the nutritional information on your food packaging; they’re there for a reason! For those who are interested, a useful Android app I found was MyFitnessPal which suggests that to lose 0.5kg per week you should beconsistently consuming less than 5024kj or approximately 1200 calories everyday (but note, if you are a guy or a person who is constantly on their feet then you may need to consume more!)

• It’s better to have small meals of lesser calories more frequently than fewer meals with lots of calories per meal! Remember, it’s all about the distribution, replacement and the balancing of portions of your food!

• Drink water, green tea preferred, before and during meals. You can have a bottle of tea on your nightstand ready every night so that every morning when you wake up you won’t forget to drink before you have breakfast. That way you will leave your body naturally fuller and eat less. You will also find yourself eating less out of boredom and more out of necessity.

• Don’t have dinner 2-3 hours before you sleep. This will not give your body enough time to digest and the majority of what you eat or drink will end up being stored as fat.

• Eat slowly, as you will give your body more time to know it’s full as opposed to binge eating. On a side note, never starve yourself or purposely skip mealsbecause binge eating would be exactly what you’ll end up doing.

• Replace fatty or oily food and sugary drinks including soda and juice withalternatives. Instead of having a slice of cake for a snack have a muesli bar and some yogurt, which is much more nutritious and will make you feel just as full!

• Needless to say, cut down on sugars and unsaturated fats.

• Consider also cutting down on sodium and carb intake; this actually includes watching portions of cereal and fruit like banana. Instead, you can have some sweet potato or pumpkin, watermelon (high in water content and water is always good for you), carrot and celery sticks, cucumber and or spinach. (So if you like pizza, avoid Dominoes or Pizza Hut and try out a D.I.Y homemade recipe of Low calorie sweet potato pizza instead! Yummy!)

• Minimise the number of nights you spend in a week dining outside. When cooking for yourself you can add some and take some depending on what your body is having too much of and what it lacks. Compared to knowing what ingredients actually went into your meal when you’re preparing food at home, it’s difficult to keep track, in fact close to impossible to control what has gone into your meal when you’re eating something a restaurant has prepared for you.

• When cooking for yourself, for example fried eggs, use a paper towel to soak up all excess oil on the frying pan after sufficient heating (but don’t completelyremove the oil otherwise your egg will stick to the pan!)

• Also try to reduce the addition of condiments such as salts and flavour enhancers. For example, put extra lettuce in your hamburgers instead of the mayonnaise.

• People often get the wrong impression that going on a diet means to cut out meat completely from your life. That’s definitely not true! Instead, replace fatty meats with lean meat or chicken s which are protein rich.

• Of course, you must also incorporate into your daily routine some 20 minutes ofcardiovascular exercise, 3-4 times a week. It is the tradition that a healthy weight loss program comprises of 80% diet and 20% exercise. I was once told that exercise shouldn’t be considered exercise unless the whole body was undergoing movement, but remember, every step still counts! Even those extra 5 minutes of walking from your car to the grocery store or an evening stroll around a nearby park after dinner.

• You may also want to invest some time into stretching or strength exercises (maybe before going to bed each night) as doing so can help lengthen and hence thin limbs and tone parts of your body. Muscles then burn fat!

• Last and most importantly, take your transition into a healthier diet slowly. Rapid changes especially to a body that is very much used to huge intakes of calories a day may get you feeling sick and weak, and we don’t want that!

• It’s okay to stuff up the routine sometimes. Just be sure to make up for those extra calories by eating less and exercising more the following day! All the little things make the difference. Be it the next Victoria Secret model or your favourite, most inspirational Korean idol or sportstar, have a goal to maintain your motivation, (stick a poster of him or her on your bedroom wall to remind yourself everyday if you have to!) and best of luck!

~Slimmer face~

• Generally it is impossible to target weight loss at any one area of the body. The best solution is to be conscious of all of the above points and adjust to a healthier diet and lifestyle accordingly. Encouraging weight loss of the body overall will mean taking fat from all parts of your body including your thighs, arms, stomach, calves; and eventually also your face, so there’s no need to worry more!

• Keep away from foods with high sodium and carbohydrates content. A challenge could be to have at least one meal everyday completely free of carbs!

Hwaiting, Love you all~ <3