Tuesday 13 October 2009

7 Eating Habits to Lose Weight

I had wanted to lose weight since as long as I can remember. But living in Malaysia where nasi lemak, roti canai and char kuey teow are in abundance has made it an almost impossible task.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not some bum who don't exercise and laze around all day. I go to the gym regularly and do cardio workouts on the treadmile. Apart from that I am active and walk almost everywhere as I don't have a car. However all efforts were futile - my weight remained the same because I have stubborn body fat.

There were times my weight went down a bit but then up it went again as I was on a yo-yo diet.

Moreover I put on weight easily. If I eat rice for lunch and dinner consistently for 1 week, I can put on something like 2kgs. So I have to really watch what I eat.

The turning point came a couple of months back when I was at Pavilion and saw a promotion by a certain slimming company. What attracted me to the booth was the free body fat analysis.

When the lady explained my readings, I was horrified as I didn't know my body had so much stubborn fat - almost double the percentage of a normal person.

I realised I must do something to address this problem. I figured that since I had been exercising all these while with no change in weight, it had to be the diet. After all, I had not taken my diet seriously all these while.

After 1 month of following these 7 tips diligently, I lost 2.5 kgs permanently. You might think it's a small figure, but it's a huge accomplishment for me since I have stubborn body fat and I put on weight easily.

Here are the 7 tips:

1) Stop eating when you're full. But please don't waste food by ordering only the minimum portion or share it with somebody else.

My ex-boss kept her slim figure by not finishing her food everytime she ate. I felt bad seeing her throw food away when there are millions in this world who go to bed hungry every night.

2) Always be a little bit hungry. This is difficult to do if you like to gorge yourelf at each meal and only be satisfied if you're full to the brim.

If the hunger pangs get worst, eat fruits. You don't want to end up having a gastric problem.

3) Avoid carbohydrates and fatty foods - eat whole meal bread instead. I found this the most difficult tip to follow. During the 1 month diet, I got up early to prepare lunch which consists of steamed carrots and long beans with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Sometimes I would add a hardboiled egg.

But if I'm too lazy I would buy 2 dishes from the vegetarian stall in my office foodcourt.

4) Eat a light meal for dinner - Soup and fruits are the best.


A light meal is important for dinner because you'll be hitting the sack soon and you don't want fat cells growing in your body as you sleep.

5) Keep a daily calorie quota.
If I had eaten a nasi lemak for lunch, then I'll eat a salad for dinner because the nasi lemak would have taken a bulk of my calorie quota for the day. So if you want to have a nice meal all the time, you've got to ensure that all your meals have an equal low calorie count.

6) Weight yourself daily. By doing this you can gauge if your diet is working and learn more about your weight. If you see the scales tipping to the heavier side then you know your diet is not working and it's time to change it.

I used to weight myself in the morning and in the evening. I learned that I am lightest when I had just get up from sleep and I can weight up to 1kg heavier after a heavy meal.

7)
Indulge yourself in a gorging escapade, once in a blue moon. You must do this to keep your sanity. Otherwise you would curse yourself for putting your body through so much torture.


Losing weight is never easy and I struggled in the first few days. But determination and will power did it.

Now my body feels light and I feel comfortable slipping into anything I wish to wear. The feeling is tremendous!


8 comments:

aud said...

Well done on losing the kgs J!

I am a carb addict so that's always the hard part. I think I've lost a little weight recently (just based on how loose my jeans are), maybe it's time to buy that weighing scale :)

I have a goal by year end to shift a few more pounds.

Unknown said...

Hey Julie:
The culprit is sugar and it is a harder addiction to get past than smoking. A typical soft drink contains 20-25 grams of sugar. Put real sugar on a plate equal to that amount and it will shock you!

Treatment Shop said...

Health well-being, slimming products, cellulite reductions, weight loss programs are everywhere. We can find lot of in formations online and thank you for sharing.
You're one of those who share a lot!

Malaysia Asia said...

Hello Julie, honestly, after 35, it just gets harder and harder. Great tips but as you said, how to survive this wen you live in KL or PJ..... it's a mental matter from here.

Regards,
David
Malaysia Asia

Julie Lim said...

AudMraz,

Yes get that weighing scale and you would know for sure. But I think the loose jeans is a good enough indication that you've lost some weight :-)

Good luck!

Julie Lim said...

Art,

Unfortunately I've got a sweet tooth. When I ordered my birthday cake this year and asked for normal sweetness level, the lady said I'm one of the very few who asked for that because most of her customers want less sweet.

But as I grow older I must start cutting my sugar intake in case of diabetes and other diseases.

Julie Lim said...

Treatment Shop,

There are various slimming products and treatment available in the market. But I personally know of some people who consume these products and diligently go for the treatments but still no results shown after some time.

That's why I've decided to share my tips online :-)

Julie Lim said...

David Jr,

Totally agree with you about the age factor in losing weight. I myself found it difficult after reaching my mid-twenties.

But like you said, I too am using mental power. It's mighty difficult I must say, thanks to temptation :-)

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