Stop dieting to lose weight! Nutritionists share tips on healthy sugar-reducing diets and a complete guide to eating out menus

For people who want to control their weight steadily, the state of gaining and losing weight can be really maddening. If you want to lose weight successfully and not gain weight again, it is important to eat healthily, and a low-sugar diet is the first step. Nutritionist Zhao Hanying shares healthy sugar-reducing diet tips and eat-out menus with VOGUE.

In the past, the common idea about losing weight was that you must "eat less and exercise more" and you will keep losing weight. But have you ever been in a situation like this? Crazy calorie counting every day to develop a small stomach was very effective at first, but after a few days, I didn’t lose a single kilogram and my mood became so bad!

Want to lose weight? Stop dieting and counting calories

I (nutritionist Zhao Hanying) often see many cases in the weight loss clinic. They have tried hard to diet and exercise, but to no avail, and they have also started to "abstain from food" because they have been hungry for too long! Eating all kinds of sweets and fried foods will not only store up all the body fat, but also easily accumulate it in the belly! This will lead to many negative emotions, such as regret, guilt, loss of self-confidence, and even giving up on oneself and not wanting to lose weight anymore.

Finding out the cause of obesity is more important than blindly dieting.

As we age, our metabolism gets worse and worse. In addition, everyone's physical constitution is different. In addition to dietary issues, personal bowel habits, sleep quality, daily activity intensity, life stress, endocrine disorders, and psychological factors are all related to overeating. It is really not as simple as counting calories and adding and subtracting.

However, please do not lose heart. Even if you are an ant-person with an out-of-control sweets habit, a pregnant woman with ever-increasing bowel movements, or a person who is fat and edematous due to fatigue, stress, or edema, as long as you are willing, you can start with dietary adjustments to replenish your tired body with sufficient nutrition, improve these annoying obesity problems, and make your weight loss plan more effective.

Please remember:

The key proportions for successful weight loss: diet accounts for 70%, exercise accounts for 20%, and adjusting your mood and schedule accounts for 10%!

If you often fail to lose weight, start by reducing your sugar intake.

The key to successful weight loss is to find a method that suits you and that you can happily execute for a long time. If you have repeatedly failed to lose weight, please be sure to try the sugar-reducing diet that is popular in Europe, America and Japan. In addition to providing your body with sufficient nutrition, you can also eat happily! Then, make appropriate menu adjustments based on each person’s different annoying problems, and eat the right amount and enough for every meal, so that you will have the motivation to continue losing weight.

＜First stage of sugar-reducing diet＞

Please reduce your intake of refined starches in your diet by half and increase the intake of vegetables of various colors instead.

1. First step:

Follow a no-added-sugar diet. Say goodbye to sugary drinks. If you can't adapt to tasteless boiled water in the early stages, you can choose sugar-free sparkling water or sugar-free tea instead, or make your own lemonade and fruit water, which still have a sweet flavor but reduce the risk of obesity from eating sugar.

If you are a person who loves sweet things, you can gradually change the original full sugar content of the hand-shaken drink to 70% sweet, half sugar and then to 30% sweet. It will be helpful to take it at your own pace!

2. Step 2:

Do not touch cakes, potato chips, cookies, candies and other pastries and sweets. In addition to the high sugar content, these foods often contain large amounts of trans fat during the manufacturing process, which can cause you to gain more fat in your belly.

3. Step 3:

Reduce the intake of white starch. White starch refers to refined carbohydrates that are highly processed and low in dietary fiber. For example, white rice, white noodles, white bread, etc. can easily cause blood sugar to soar. Long-term and large-scale consumption without exercise will cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity and lead to obesity and metabolic abnormalities.

If you are a person who cannot live without rice and noodles, you can replace them with appropriate amounts of fiber-containing starches such as sweet potatoes, pumpkins, corn, etc., or make good use of alternative ingredients such as cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, tofu noodles, etc.

4. Step 4:

Increase your vegetable intake. Are all three meals served to foreigners? People often overlook the intake of vegetables. It is recommended to eat 3 to 6 servings of vegetables every day, which means eating 1 to 2 fist-sized portions of vegetables at each meal, to supplement dietary fiber that can help clear intestinal waste and phytochemicals that fight stress and inflammation.

If you suffer from constipation, a small belly, fatigue, stress, obesity or edema, supplementing with colorful vegetables is definitely the first choice. The richer the color, the better, for example: bell peppers, corn shoots, wood ear, mushrooms, purple onions and large tomatoes.

5. Step 5:

Moderately increase the intake of high-quality protein. Avoid processed meats such as sausages, hot dogs, and ham. Choose white meat such as chicken, fish, and seafood, as well as plant-based protein, such as tofu, soy milk, dried tofu and other soy products, to reduce the intake of saturated fat.

For obese people who cannot live without meat, please remember that you should always eat more vegetables than meat, and the ratio of vegetables to meat should be 2:1. If you eat a portion of meat, remember to pair it with two portions of vegetables, because vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can help excrete bile acid and reduce the risk of increased cholesterol.

Recommended by Ying Yangshi, a good helper for reducing sugar in outings

Buffet〔Recommendation Index〕★★★★★

The buffet has a diverse menu with plenty of choices, making it a very suitable option for those on a sugar-reducing diet.

1. Starch as staple food: give priority to brown rice/whole-grain rice or sweet potato rice, and only eat 1/2 bowl, or halve it according to personal appetite.

2. Vegetables: Choose 2-3 vegetables of various colors, and try to avoid vegetables that are coated, fried, or thickened.

3. Protein: You can choose palm-sized steamed/fried fish, or braised meat/tofu.

4. Soup: Choose clear soup. Kelp soup, radish soup, or seaweed egg drop soup are all good.

Hot pot restaurant〔Recommendation index〕★★★★★

The hot pot diet is my favorite. In addition to containing a lot of vegetables, the food is directly boiled, which is healthy and less burdensome.

1. Starch as staple food: no rice, noodles, or vermicelli.

2. Vegetables: There are a lot of vegetables in the hot pot platter, so please ask the store to replace the processed meatballs and dumplings with vegetables.

3. Protein: As long as they are not processed fish balls, pork meatballs, or smoked bacon, meat slices and seafood are all good choices.

4. Soup: Choose kelp or kombu soup base. If it is shacha hotpot or spicy hotpot, do not drink the soup.

5. Dipping sauce: It is recommended to add more spices such as onions, garlic, chili peppers or mashed white radish to enhance the flavor of the sauce, and do not add thickening sauces such as shacha sauce, bean paste, or fermented tofu.

Convenience store〔Recommendation Index〕★★★★★

Convenience stores can be found everywhere and are often the most convenient choice for people who eat out. They can easily reduce sugar intake if you are careful about your food choices.

1. Staple starch: sweet potatoes and corn are great.

2. Vegetables: lettuce salad, warm salad, oden vegetables.

3. Protein: tea eggs, soft-boiled eggs, steamed eggs, dried tofu, edamame, chicken legs and chicken breasts.

4. Soups: Brewed kelp sprout soup, brewed miso soup and other clear soups.

5. Beverages: sugar-free high-fiber soy milk, sugar-free tea or black coffee.

Sugar-reduction day combined with delicious food day can help you lose weight more effectively

Losing weight is a lifelong endeavor. Remember not to push yourself too hard. Arrange a gourmet day for yourself every week, and eat the "forbidden items" that you wanted to eat on the sugar-reducing day in moderation, such as cakes, rice, noodles, and fried foods. Our physical and mental state is like a rubber band, which will break if it is over-stretched. The body will also learn and remember the current diet status, so moderate relaxation and rest can make it easier to implement a sugar-reducing and weight-loss lifestyle. The purpose of losing weight is not to lose weight, but to see your own progress.

Of course, don’t forget to match your exercise intensity with that of your own, get enough sleep and rest, and have a healthy attitude towards yourself, as these are all key links to successful weight loss. It is especially important to adjust your mentality. Please remember that the purpose of losing weight is not to reduce weight, but to see your own progress. If you have been reducing sugar intake for a few weeks and suddenly find that "Wow! I don't like sweets so much anymore. It seems that my taste is gradually changing, and I get sick of eating too much", "Wow! I can actually start to have smooth bowel movements every day, I feel less edematous, and I am more energetic at work", "Wow! My clothes and skirts are looser", please don't doubt it, these are all positive feedback from the body. I wish everyone can eat happily and lose weight happily!

Text by Zhao Hanying, Director/Nutritionist of Morning Light Health Nutrition Specialist Consultation Center (published in VOGUE 287, August issue)

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