We’d all like to lose weight quickly. That’s why some of us try 3-month transformation courses, which doesn’t generate sustainable results for everyone.
Some people gain more weight after these programs because of unhealthy eating habits, and it’s a vicious cycle on repeat.
While weight loss is not an exact science, there are good pointers we should keep. Here are X things to remember on your weight loss journey that have worked for most people. But are by no means definitive rules:
Carbs Are NOT The Enemy
One piece of advice we get from our family members or some fitness influencers is to cut down on rice and carbs. Generally, it’s not wrong, but you shouldn’t see carbs as the enemy here.
Carbs are still a vital part of our diet. We should not eliminate it from our diet completely. Unless we have health issues, we should not cut it out completely.
Besides the scientific point of view, carbs like rice and noodles are an integral part of Asian culture. Are we going to say no to a bowl of kuey teow soup our grandmother prepared with love for us?
Some days, we need carbs to fuel our workouts. Of course, that shouldn’t come from doughnuts, but rice is a great source.
The key is portion control. Take less, but don’t deprive ourselves. We should not eliminate it from our diet because we might end up craving it and breaking our diet plans. Or suffer from a lack of energy as we go about our day. If we keep check of our portions, we enjoy life a little and eat.
Food is NOT a Reward
Another common practice we notice is to set cheat days or use our favourite foods as a reward for sticking to a strict diet plan. Which works for people who eat to live instead of live to eat. We Malysians fall into the latter category lah, to be honest. We love our food.
Food is more than just sustenance – there’s also an emotional and social aspect to food. That’s where the term comfort food comes from. If we eat a certain food as a comfort or for warm memories, can we eliminate it from your meal plans?
If that dish is something we grew up eating, it’s a part of us. Making a part of us a reward for “good behaviour” is not a healthy way to see it, because we’ll have all the negative self-talk and feel guilty when we break our reward system.
That’s no way to treat ourselves. Allow yourself to eat those foods, but maybe swap the ingredients for something healthier or have the dish in smaller portions. Find better ways of integrating it into your diet so you can keep consistent.
Even if you start with just reducing the amount of sugar and salt being used, that’s already a small win. Accumulate the small win across a month and it adds up to so much more, without sacrificing our happiness. We should enjoy the journey!
Find Exercise/Sports That You Enjoy!
Diet alone isn’t enough to lose weight. We need to burn calories via exercise too. It’s vital to maintain good bone density and joint health overall. While extremely disciplined people can pick anything up and keep doing it forever, most of us are not David Goggins.
It’s human to avoid doing things we dislike, and that’s just one more obstacle to overcome when we’re trying to lose weight. That’s why the majority of people who force themselves to exercise end up making excuses and give up on forming the exercise habit.
What works better is thinking of it as adopting a new hobby. Something you genuinely have an interest in and enjoy doing even if you’re not good at it at first. Do you like socialising? Maybe try sports like futsal or dodgeball where you play in teams. Alternatively, you could sign up for a spin class or group exercises where you are around people all trying to get fit together. It’s one of the best parts about a community.
Do you prefer to work out solo? Then you could go jogging or cycling for example. It’s a great way to tune out of overthinking once you get into a rhythm.
Some people even use that time to listen to a podcast or music they enjoy to de-stress mentally and physically. Just don’t listen with earphones in if you’re on the road okay? Find a nice park, enjoy the greens a little.
There’s no one ultimate exercise to get you fit. Just try everything once until you find something you enjoy. You’re exercising because you enjoy it and it makes you feel good. It’s all about the mindset that you approach exercise with every week.
Keep a Weight Loss Journal
To keep yourself accountable and to track how changes to your diet and lifestyle have been affecting your weight. It depends on how much detail you want to include and the goals you have for yourself. Best to work with a physician or dietitian.
For beginners who haven’t done a weight loss journal before, a good start would be just keeping track of weight changes, water intake and generally what you ate in a day. Don’t get overly specific and weigh all your food.
A rough idea would suffice as a start. As you become more comfortable with these numbers then you could invest in a body composition scale. It is to keep track of things like body fat ratio and move into conversations about calorie count.
We stress again that you should not punish yourself for not meeting your goals or if you fall through now and then. This is just a tool you use to plan your meals better, not a log book to keep yourself strictly under control. Watch the self-talk when you update your journal.
Did halving your rice intake last week help you lose any weight? Then maybe halving your rice intake is not the solution for you. Maybe you should try substituting the rice with more veggies to feel more full this week. That’s the kind of mindset you should have.
Again, zero judgement and punishment. Just testing different methods you can enjoy as you discover the diet that works for you.
Think Long-Term
We mentioned early in this article that there were 3-month transformation programs that some people benefit from, but it’s not universal. If you need a bootcamp-style program to shock your mindset a little, that might work for you. But we’re going to address the majority of people who tend to go back to their old ways after the 3-month programs.
Shedding the spare tyre is difficult, but the more difficult goal should be to keep the extra weight off. You could lose 15kg after a program like that. Could you keep the 15kg off 5 years from now?
More importantly – are you actually happy with your lifestyle after you lost 15kg? Sometimes, we get so caught up in wanting to lose weight that we forget the reasons we wanted to embark on this weight-loss journey in the first place – to feel healthier and be here to enjoy life with our loved ones longer.
On that note, think of your efforts now as forming more healthy habits and changing habits that make you feel guilty or worse about yourself. These would be habits like eating 3 square meals, having an exercise routine (that you enjoy!), maintain a consistent sleep schedule, and find healthy ways to manage your stress.
People are creatures of habit, so try to keep to a practical routine. If it’s something you can see making you feel good even 5 years later, it’s probably a good habit.
Final Thoughts
You’re making a good decision for yourself – let it be out of love for your life. Think of how good you feel when exercising. Hanging out with supportive friends in the gym. Making friends with people who are on the same journey. Think of how good your body feels after a lighter meal.
Reflect on how you feel on your weight loss journey and let yourself enjoy the ride. One day, this will become the new lessons you teach your children and a story others can learn from too. Give yourself time, you’re doing good!