Ready for your Summer Shape?

Are you ready for your summer body? I have been working on mine since late April and occasionally I still fail in dropping my weight. I have several tips for you if you are working on losing weight and building your muscle. Let's see!

First off - I started using an application called Noom Coach. So far, this is the best application and diet method since I stopped my diet program 8-9 years ago. In Noom Coach, you can track your weight, waist size, food you eat, and steps you walk during the day. After using this application I learned a lot about best practices of losing weight: eat more colors! Lately I have started eating more greens (healthier food) and less of red (dangerous food). Before I started, I was hard core meatarian which really avoid greens. Now, I try to eat more salads, soup, and fruits which are healthier carbs. It also taught me that it is fine, in fact recommended that we snack. Snacking reduce our over-appetite during lunch or dinner time. Breakfast also help us reduce some of that and provide us with source of energy, so do not skip it for your sake! From this I actually learned that many fast food chain, like McDonald's, actually provide some of the healthiest food because the calories are small. So, now when I go to McDonald's I would order a Sweet Chilli Chicken Wrap which is about 340 calories for the whole thing, or Grilled Chicken Sandwich which is about 360 calories. I also eat side salad nearly everyday (20 calories) plus select a Balsamic vinaigrette dressing instead of ranch or other dressings. In total this should be around 65 calories. For snack, I often pick McDonald's Fruit Yogurt which has 140 calories, but it is amazingly tasty.. and the fruit is real fruit.  Daily, I try to maintain eating no more than 1000 calories.



Second of all - Weigh often. Many people like me are afraid to weigh themselves regularly like every week, because we are scared to face reality. Believe it or not, monitoring your weight is one of the most effective way. Imagine you have cut down on your food a day or couple of day and you weigh yourself. You see your weight decrease and hence you will find confidence to prove what you have fought for actually works. This is one of the big difference I have done with my program this time compared to previous ones. I have found that this method works best for me. So, create a goal in Noom Coach and weigh regularly.



Third - Walk. Many of you are like me, we don't like exercise.. it's tiring. If that's the case I have a solution for you. Walk. If you are working, take the stairs to your floor and avoid elevators. Take a walk once in a while when you are stressed out. If you are student in the city, walk rather than take a train or bus. Walk while you listen to music, walk while you play with your phone, it doesn't matter, just walk. You don't have to run.. you can climb the stairs. The more steps you do, the more calories you burn, the more weight you are going to lose. In the office now, I try to use the stairs to go to my cube (5th floor) beginning of day, after lunch, and when I am going home.



Lastly, it's all in your mind. If you put your heart to it, it will happen.. If you don't, then it won't. You want to look good? You want to look elegant with your new summer dress? Then start creating a goal and act upon it. You will be intrigued how many things you learn about food, exercise, and everything related to health. Seriously, do it.. because you can.


If you are looking for extra credit then.. You can also do one thing. My friend, Intan, has a really firm body and so a couple of my friends asked her what she did to obtain such nice body. She shared with us Blogilates, a youtuber who guides us through some pilates session. Each of the session is only less than 10 minutes but you can feel that it works. Do this once or twice a week consistently and you should be able to get those firm belly muscles.

Again, it's all in your heart - but do build a support system. How much does it cost? None. You don't need to spend a lot to get good body.
If you have questions or things to share, feel free to comment and ask questions below on the comment section or ask me on my Facebook. I would be excited to hear more from you!

Good Luck!



Love,

Catherine