Easy Weight Loss Tips!

While relationship weight gain can be avoided, it’s not always fun to keep a strict diet and work out when dating.  When H was in town I knew we wouldn’t have long together, so I took him to some of my favourite restaurants.  We went to Guilty Pleasure, Braai Republic, and enough other restaurants for my instagram feeds (@TorontoSeoulcialite and @ThatGirlCartier) to be full of tasty eats.  We also ate enough for me to have written Seoulfood: 12 Korean Dishes for Picky Eaters.  From the time we met in August (on the 7th in Phuket, not Chiang Mai :P) I gained about 13 lbs.   Over the past week I’ve dropped almost 7 lbs.  Easy weight loss is possible!

A Diet in the Life

If I’m not socializing, my diet is almost exactly the same every day:

Breakfast: A banana, protein powder and water (I get mine from iHerb – Get 10% off your first order by clicking here), and a coffee.  If I’m really hungry I’ll add a 99 calorie Dr. You bar.

Lunch and Dinner: My salad is loaded with yummy vegetables, cheese, and either chicken or eggs.  If you’re using a fried egg, keep the yolk runny.  You won’t need any salad dressing!  If avocado isn’t crazy expensive (they’re $3 here sometimes…each!) then that’s also a great dressing substitute.  I like to use lettuce, purple cabbage, a yellow or red pepper (sometimes a little of both), cucumber, grape tomatoes, sometimes chickpeas, sometimes onions, sometimes grilled zucchini.  If you load up your salad with fresh ingredients you won’t feel so hungry throughout the rest of the day.

If I’m still hungry I’ll have an apple (sometimes with a bit of peanut butter), more cucumber slices, another protein shake (with just water they’re only 120 calories and have 25 grams of protein), or some more  chicken.  If I’m really craving carbs, I like to have avocado on 1 piece of toast with a soft-boiled egg (above).  The point is to listen to your body.  If your diet is particularly bad (we’ve all been there), your first 3 days you’ll be hungry.  The good news is that once you get the sugar addiction out of your system you’ll start craving healthy options.

Lazy AM Workout

My typical day starts a little like this:

6:25 AM – Wake up.  Hit Snooze

6:45 AM – Wake up.  Put on gym clothes I set out the night before.  Take out lunch and dinner I packed up the night before.

7: 00 AM – Head over to the gym.

7:15 AM – Step on treadmill.  Jog @ 12 km/ hr for 3 minutes.  Walk @ 8 km/ hr for 1 minute.  Repeat until you hit 20 minutes (if you’re just starting out then do what feels right for you!  At first I was walking at 6.5 km/ hr for a minute and jogging at 13 km/ hr for a minute).  Sometimes I’ll go much harder and faster, but this is my “at least I made it” workout.

7: 35 AM (ish) Head over to the free-weight area.

• Grab 2 x  7 kg – 9 kg dumbbells depending on the day.  Do 3 sets of 15 dumbbell rows.
• Hit the mat and do 10 reps of chest flys.
• Drop the weights and do 20 crunches.
• Repeat your set of chest flys in between sets of crunches.  Alternate your 20 crunches to the right, back to centre, to the left, and back to centre to finish up.
• Grab 2 x 3 kg – 5 kg dumbells.  Do 15 Dumbbell Squat to Shoulder Presses.  Do 15 Military Press with Leg Extension (on the right side).  Stay on the right side and move to do 15 lunges with biceps curls.  Rest for a minute then repeat on the left side after another set of dumbbell squat to shoulder presses.  Finish off with one more set (of squat to shoulder presses).
• The above exercises should get a working comfort in the free-weight zone at the gym.  If you can, ask a trainer or manager to help you out with any exercises you want to try.  It’s safer, and a great way to make a connection with the staff at your gym.  If they’re comfortable with you, they’ll be more willing to help you out as you progress.

Excuses, Excuses

Dropping weight is not as tough as we make it out to be.  The problem is that we let weighty issues get out of hand, and once we’re ready to do something about it we often give up too easily.  Most of us don’t expend enough energy every day to offset the number of calories we take in.  Make sure to calculate how many calories you need to take in to achieve your weight loss goals (here’s a good tool).  Download MyFitnessPal and be honest when submitting your daily meals, snacks, exercise, and water.  Even if you just submit your weight weekly you’ll find you’re more accountable.

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

I bought a big tupperware bin so I can make a big salad every Monday night.  Usually I’ll consume 3-4 chicken breasts every couple of days, so if my veggies are chopped up and ready to go it’s nice and easy to move them over to smaller tupperware containers for lunch and for dinner.  I use 3/4 of a cap-full of olive oil when I cook two chicken breasts.  I cook them in a pan over low heat with about a tablespoon of crushed garlic and a freshly chopped spicy pepper.  I keep pretty consistent most of the week, and allow myself to have treat meals within moderation.

Easy Weight Loss Tips:

Cook for yourself.  If you’re buying pre-packaged goods you won’t always know how they’ve been prepared, how much sodium they contain, or how much a serving is (especially if you’re in a foreign country).  Weight loss is 70% diet and 30% fitness, so if you’re only going to explore one, fix your diet!

• If you’re teaching English, request to stop eating school lunches.  My tiny school lunches forced me to fill up on rice.  I hadn’t prepared snacks or meals in advance I would end up eating unhealthy snacks they serve the kids mid-afternoon.

• Join a gym.  Even if it’s a basic gym with a treadmill, a bike, and some free weights as winter weather starts hitting us harder you won’t want to exercise outside.  Home workouts are a great way to build confidence, but more often than not you’ll find yourself on a Netflix binge, or worse!
• Download MyFitnessPal.  Be accountable for what goes into your body and how much you’re working out.

• Allow yourself treats (in moderation).  That ice cream?  We split it!  After a full week of being truly dedicated, allow yourself a meal out with friends.  If you’re going for pizza you don’t have to limit yourself to one slice, but don’t let your whole week derail by eating an entire pizza.  Go thin crust with lots of toppings you crave and split it with a friend.  Get a fresh salad to share if you’re still hungry.

• Stick to clear liquids and red wine.  You’ll probably still be partying through this.  If you’re not going out and socializing that’s a sure-fire way to give up.  Vodka or Gin with Club Soda and lemon or lime are great options.  Don’t go the tonic route.  Tonic Water boasts about as many calories as a full sugar Coca-Cola.  If you’re having more than a glass of wine then go the red route.  You wanted to know how I did it, right?

Remember – this is a marathon, not a sprint!  This is the rest of your life, not a crash diet.  If you find healthy eats you enjoy and let yourself indulge a couple of times a week, you’ll be able to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle.  Here’s to a healthy, happy, fit you!

Make sure to check out my Travel Fitness Tips, too!  

Got any other easy weight loss tips for gals on the go?  Leave them in the comments!

The post Happy, Healthy, Fit: Easy Weight Loss Tips! appeared first on The Toronto Seoulcialite.