Weight out of control after the New Year! 10 weight loss strategies from nutritionists

How do you spend every day during the joyful New Year holiday? Reunite with family to enjoy New Year's Eve dinner, get together with friends for a big meal and drinks, or watch TV and movies at home all day? Have you noticed that you gain 2 to 3 kg in just a few days? Weight control is a lifelong endeavor. When you notice that your pants are getting tighter and your belly is getting bigger, I sincerely suggest that you must get rid of this excess fat as soon as possible! Because if it is not dealt with in time, it will be much more difficult to lose weight all at once when you can’t stand it anymore!

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Don’t just focus on weight, losing fat without losing muscle is the right approach

When losing weight, many people only care about the weight on the scale, but forget that losing body fat is the real goal! It sounds simple, but many people will think: "If I lose weight, doesn't that mean I lose fat?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Because weight loss may also be due to the wrong weight loss, which is losing muscle and causing the weight to decrease.

Although everyone knows this common sense, it is often forgotten!

Therefore, people often over-pursue the effect of losing a considerable amount of weight in a short period of time, and thus fall into the trap of weight numbers. The most common phrases such as "lose a few kilograms in a few days" are hidden blind spots, because more muscle may be lost, which increases the chance of gaining weight again, which is the worst way to lose weight.

So what are the important things you must pay attention to when losing weight?

The following are the top ten things that nutritionist Yang has compiled that most people often overlook when trying to lose weight:

1. Eat at least 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruits every day.

The 579 servings of fruits and vegetables has always been a key point in promoting the concept of healthy eating, but most people may not even be able to achieve the basic 3 servings of vegetables + 2 servings of fruits a day. Therefore, proceed step by step, and start with at least the low standard of 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruits per day. Never replace vegetables with fruits!

2. Choose low-fat protein foods and avoid high-fat meats.

Low-fat protein, such as: fish, shrimp, shellfish, chicken breast, lean meat, sugar-free soy milk, low-fat milk, tendon meat, eggs, etc. Avoid pork belly, pork belly, beef brisket, meat floss, etc.

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3. Eat three regular meals and avoid eating small meals, snacks and late-night snacks.

It is not recommended for the general public to lose weight by eating small meals frequently. Even if the total calories of small meals are lower than the daily calorie intake when not losing weight, it may not be possible to achieve effective weight loss. Unless you follow the advice of a professional sports nutritionist based on your personal situation, eating small meals frequently is likely to be futile.

4. Consume protein and carbohydrate foods as soon as possible after exercise.

Everyone knows that weight control requires exercise, but many people don’t know when to eat. Regardless of whether you do aerobic or anaerobic exercise, you must consume protein and carbohydrate foods as soon as possible. Eating at this time will not make you fat easily, and it can also repair muscles and reduce fat accumulation. However, the slower you eat, the less effective this effect will be, so it's important to remember this point.

5. Choose rough starch and consume less refined starch.

Refined, low-fiber foods are absorbed quickly but also cause the stomach to empty faster, making hunger come faster. In addition to prolonging the digestion time of food, rough starch is often more nutritious than refined starch because it contains more vitamins and minerals.

6. Choose dishes that are cooked by steaming, boiling, braising, and baking, and avoid fried foods, thickened soups, baked puff pastry, etc.

Low-oil cooking methods reduce unnecessary excess cooking oil intake. Thickening soups requires the use of more cornstarch or cream to create a thick and fragrant taste, but it also adds extra calories.

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7. Choose more raw foods and avoid refined processed foods.

In order to make refined processed foods delicious, the production process often requires the addition of oils to increase the smoothness and aroma, starches to act as adhesives or thickeners, and high salt and sugar to increase flavor and balance seasoning. These are invisible extra calories, and therefore this type of refined processed food is small in size and calorie-dense, which makes it difficult for people to accidentally consume too many calories but often feel hungry.

8. Avoid cakes, sweets, snacks and sugary drinks.

The preparation process of pastries and sweets, like the above-mentioned refined processed foods, often requires the use of more butter, sugar, shortening and trans fats. Even if you choose sugary drinks with only three-tenths of sugar, and drink them in small sips at a time, you may think that you won't gain weight. Unfortunately, these behaviors will make it difficult to burn fat and hinder your weight loss.

9. Get enough sleep and don’t stay up late.

There is a type of obese people who have long-term chronic stress and lack of rest and sleep, which makes it impossible for the chronic stress hormones in the body to regulate normally, causing body fat accumulation. Therefore, remembering to sleep well and let the body get rest is also a very important part of weight loss.

10. Drink at least 2,000 to 3,000 cc of water every day.

Drinking enough water every day is more conducive to weight control, but remember not to replace boiled water with coffee or other beverages. If you feel that boiled water has no taste and you can't adapt to it at first, you can gradually add one or two slices of lemon, which will make it easier to swallow.

After you develop the above ten key habits, you will be halfway to success in controlling your weight! If the above steps are still unsuccessful, you are welcome to seek assistance from a professional sports nutritionist.

This article is from: Nutritionist Yang Chenghua

※For more information, please see "Love to Eat and Love to Move" Sports Nutritionist Yang Chenghua's Blog