Just sharing my experience and personal take on losing weight (and being healthy) here. Caveat, I only lost 15% from my peak weight. So if you are looking to lose more than that, then probably my lifestyle/method won’t work. But if you are looking to maintain your current weight or reduce slightly, then we could exchange pointers. Well, here goes…
Number 1 culprit of weight gain, as many have stated here, is definitely carbs. I had always been a heavy carbs eater until five years ago. Even now, I still indulge in carbs every now and then. I cannot help it. However, the key is the type of carbs you eat. Go for wholemeal or unrefined carbs if possible. Oats, wholemeal bread, brown rice. Eating such carbs enables you to feel full for a longer period of time. It is also dull, so you won’t feel like eating much of it. Net result? You eat less carbs over a period of time. My carbs intake has halved over the last five years. Now, I only take less than half a plate of rice for dinner. I would also like to add that, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the food pyramid. It was done in a period when most people were still performing manual work. So it made sense to have a high carb diet as the body would have utilised most of the energy. However, the combination of a more automated and convenient world (read couch potatoes) and invention of more sinful food (read fast food and sugary food/drinks) rendered the food pyramid no longer relevant. But that is for another story.
Second, regular exercise, at least thrice a week or every alternate day. This achieves three purposes. One, burn the calories you have taken. Two, increase your base metabolism. And three, enable a healthy gut to digest and pass out what you have eaten. Speed is not of essence. Instead, duration matters. So, no point completing the mile under 4 minutes or 2KM under 9 minutes. Go for at least 20 minutes worth of cardio workout. Some strengthening exercise also helps prevent injury. To motivate myself to exercise regularly, I set myself a “reward” upon completion of the exercise, which can be as simple as jogging to my favourite coffee joint, or, a cube of dark chocolate as a snack.
Third, minimal snacking, especially at night. It is fine to snack occasionally in the afternoon, especially if you had a light lunch. But try to abstain from snacking at night. During sleep, the rate of calorie burn would slow down significantly and the snack becomes part of your excess weight.
Hope this helps!
