I have been trying to eat healthily and exercise regularly since August and I have been seeing results.
My friends said the same thing about me :)
But the thing is that I'm stagnating now :(
People always have this idea that losing weight is equivalent to not eating.
The fact is you need to eat!
Whether you choose to eat in smaller portions or eat regular meals, you still need to eat.
Some people work better with having smaller and more portions throughout the day while some can manage better with regular meals.
What you need to do is to watch what you eat.
The "to-abstain-from" list is as follows:
1) Simple carbohydrates (Food with high glycemic indexes)
These are foods that would cause a huge spike in your blood glucose levels. And if you are a biology student, you will know that when there is a spike in your blood glucose level, your body will secrete insulin which converts the excess glucose in your blood stream into glycogen to be stored in your muscle cells and in fat cells. The reason why you grow fat! :(
You can read here to know all about sugars!
However, there are still good carbs! You have to eat carbs to have energy!
Just select the types of carbs you eat!
Choose brown rice over white rice
Wholemeal bread over white bread.
Oat meals (NOT THE INSTANT ONE! THAT HAS SUGAR) over commercial cereals.
2) Fried food
As delicious as it might appear to be, it contains a lot of oil.
And it is very very bad for you especially when you want to lose weight.
But with this said, you can choose alternatives like grilled, soups etc. As little oil as possible. Don't avoid it completely as your body still needs a bit of fats as there are vitamins that are fat soluble and your organs need fats to cushion them.
There are also food that you should eat too! :)
Greek Yoghurt.
It tastes awful :(
But add honey, fruits, museli to flavour it.
Alternatively, you can eat non-fat yoghurt!
I always eat marigold's non-fat yoghurt in peach and mango flavour ^^
Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables!
It helps you cleanse your body, provide you with vitamins and prevents constipation :D
Drink soy milk and not dairy milk.
Soy milk has a lot of fibre which suppresses your appetite and it has a lot less fats :)
DRINK LOADS OF WATER!!!!
I cannot emphasize how important this is.
Dehydration slows down the fat burning process heh.
You can read more here :)
SOOOOOO. You have to exercise still!!!
If you are looking to lose weight, do cardiovascular workouts such as running, jogging, swimming, rope skipping, cycling for at least 45 minutes. The first 30 minutes is usually just warming up.
You can also try cardio workouts! Just search youtube and find one that is suitable for you :)
Also, you have to tone your muscles if you want a nice body!
Toning builds muscles, so it helps to burn calories even when you are not working out because your metabolism rate is increased. This is the reason why not eating is bad, as your metabolism rate drops and you lose muscle mass. You lose weight fast, but once you start eating normally, you'll gain the weight you lost almost immediately :(
If you just do cardio, you'll lose weight but have flabby body.
If you just do toning, your muscles will be toned, but they will be hidden under a layer of fats.
So in order to achieve the body you want, you'll have to do both!
Set realistic goals for yourself.
If you don't exercise much, start off slow, start by jogging for 1km, then increase to 2km after a few days.
You can also find a friend to exercise with you, it usually serves as a motivation. But don't end up giving up together ah. HAHA
And if you ever feel tired/bored of the routine, just change it!
Moreover, your body will get used to a certain diet/workout after a while.
So if you see your weight stagnating, then change it! :)
LASTLY, have sufficient sleep.
It does not just keep your skin looking good, it helps regulate hormone levels.
And if you stay up late, you'll be more likely to eat supper, unless you can control damn well, like me la. But your body needs to rest and recover, especially after you've worked out.
Remember, it takes both diet and exercise to lose the weight.
But of course, you can reward yourself weekly for sticking to the diet plan and workout routine.
Like ONE MEAL PER WEEK ONLY HOR. Don't go eating junk food for the entire day! :)
Girls of all sizes are beautiful.
Lose weight because you want to feel healthier, do more things, not because of others' opinions on you.
And don't resort to unhealthy ways when you want to lose weight.
It will not be permanent and it harms you.
Be fit, not skinny. :)
I'll blog about what I eat in the upcoming posts! Wait for it <3
