Noche Buena, Media Noche, or practically the whole holiday break, it’s been all about food. We eat to celebrate the joyous occasion or we eat just because it’s finally time to take a break from everything. With all that happiness comes our dreaded enemy– weight gain.
Now that it’s back to work/school, you’re probably guilty about all the carbs and fats you’ve taken in. Not to worry, with much dedication and commitment to go back on track, we’ve listed down 11 ways to lose all those gained weight and as the filipinos say, magbalik-alindog. Here they are:
1. Wait 10 Minutes Before Eating
Research said that when you crave something, that feeling lasts about 10 minutes. So before giving in your craving immediately and grabbing that leftover fruit salad from New Year, wait 10 minutes and use that time to be productive somewhere else. After that, your brain will likely forget about the craving and you get to finish another task, too!
2. Achieve 10% and Work From There
Set a desired weight to lose. Exercise as you would and aim to lose even just 10% of that goal. From there, it’ll get easier since the lesson here is to start slow. Your body is still adjusting to the new load your body is carrying, especially after the long break, so don’t overdo it abruptly. After all, the first steps are always the hardest! Conquer it!
3. Take-Away ⅓ of your meal
Proportioning is always hard. You might think it’s a waste not to eat everything, but your health is also a waste if you pollute it with unnecessary carbs; so either order small or take away ⅓ of what you’re eating. You can save it as breakfast tomorrow or you can share the rest with someone else. Either way, you’ll thank yourself for it.
4. Eat less, but more frequent
Eating more meals with lighter servings is always better than eating less but heavier quantity. Lighter meals take only a small time to digest and, especially if they’re packed with necessary vitamins and minerals, you’ll be nourished thoroughly.
5. Bring on the spice
Spicy food is known to burn down fats and boost your metabolism. Whenever you can, though in moderation, add spice to your meal. It’ll make you sweat, it’ll make the food more exciting, and, most of all, it’ll make you shed some pounds! For example, you could add red chili to your patis when eating typical filipino food like Nilaga or Sinigang. When eating sisig, chili goes well with it, too.
6. Make Water Your Go-To Drink
Water is more precious than diamond; and rightfully so because all of its properties! Not only does it cleanse your body from wastes, it can boost your metabolism and can make you feel full faster. Be sure to bring a bottle of water always, so you won’t be tempted to buy other drinks when, say, you’re outside.
7. Avoid Sodas at All Cost
Sodas will do you no good. It’s just pleasing to the taste buds, but it’s practically empty calories. Stay away from sodas and, like what I wrote on number 6, just drink water instead. You’ll feel more hydrated that way!
8. Lessen Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is actually good for you because drinking it occasionally will regulate your blood circulation well. If you’re trying to lose weight, you might want to stop drinking for a while until you reach your desired weight. From there, you can drink every now and then, but, again, don’t do it often to avoid beer bellies plus other alcohol-driven sickness.
Related: Read 5 Types of Alcohol You Should Be Drinking
9. Look for better food substitute
Always look for smart food substitute when you can. If you’re craving for snickers, opt to eat dark cocoa chocolates instead. If you want to eat rice, you can buy brown ones. There are a lot of replacements for food that we look for everyday, we just have to research! You could even replace sugary carbs/fats with something entirely different like food that are high in protein or fiber. The matter of fact is you just have to control yourself and think about what you’re going to feed your body, first.
10. Make realistic new year resolutions and stick with them
Of course, this list would be futile if you don’t commit yourself to doing this. Ultimately, set a mindset that you want to do this and be determined to do everything to achieve it.
Watch this video and hopefully you would be inspired to achieve your new year resolution this time. They say resolutions don’t get fulfilled, but maybe 2018 is the year that it does.
11. Sign Up For a Gym Membership / Join Running Club
Whether it is a fitness center, boxing studio, cycling studio, or whatever blood-pumping, sweat-inducing activity that is, it’s always a good idea to invest your New Year money into something beneficial like a gym membership. You could even start joining a running club! Remember that there are people with the same objective as you– join them. It’ll be more fun and it will motivate you to achieve your desired weight together.
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Liked this article? Share it and some of your friends might thank you for it! Go out there, grab a fitness buddy, and lose those post-holiday weight gain!
Hope you had a happy holidays and you’re ready to start everything positively!
