Losing weight diet plan

Hello there! My name is Jade.

I don’t know how you came across this page, but I’m guessing you probably Googled “weight loss blogger Singapore” or something, hah.

THIS WAS ME.
NOT my highest weight, by the way….
In fact, when this photo was taken, I had already lost 4KG.
Aaaand….

I’D BEEN OVERWEIGHT ALL MY FREAKIN’ LIFE.

On 16 July 2012, I decided to make a change – I embarked on a weight loss journey and THIS – this second photo of me up here^^^^, can tell you I’ve successfully maintained a loss of 20KG.

I’ve been approached about this topic so often, I thought I would set up this section on the Blog to share about how I achieved the weight loss, and I hope it helps you in some way. I’ve sort of revamped this page to work in an FAQ format so that it’s more reader-friendly; I’ve received so many emails and Facebook private messages containing queries which I’ve already addressed on here, so please read this page cos your answer may be right here! :)

I thought it’d be useful to show you my weight loss progress photos to give you a rough idea of my “transformation” over the course of a year, from when I first started in July 2012 up to July 2013. I think it’s a pretty good chart, yes? :P

Why did you embark on this weight loss journey?

As a child, I was sorted into the Trim and Fit Club (commonly known here as “TAF Club”) in both primary and secondary school, a programme for overweight kids. I got made fun of. A lot. I didn’t get out of TAF Club until I was about 15. Even after that, I was plump and remained so throughout my adult years.

OK. So, despite the fact that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the way I looked all my life, it didn’t occur to me that I had the power to change it. Sure, I went on diets and exercised, but still did not see any changes. So I gave up and reverted to my bad eating habits. I lived thinking that I would forever be that sluggish girl with lots of flesh on her bones. From time to time, some around me would remark that I was “fleshy”, and whilst they weren’t as nasty as those who made fun of me when I was a kid, it still sort of hurt. But I knew it was the truth. I didn’t like the way I looked, yet I chose to focus my attention on other aspects of my life instead of trying to resolve this physical issue of mine.

I felt tired most of the time and kept hitting the snooze button every morning. I dragged my feet. I wasn’t motivated to get out of bed and allowed myself to sleep in until 3PM (3PM!!!) on weekends. I didn’t like to move. I was basically low on energy and my stomach was full of gas from drinking too much Diet Coke, and I felt bloated all the time. I ate lots of sodium-laden and sugary foods. I paid no attention to what I was putting into my body and didn’t care if I ate enough nutrients. The way I see it now, I really had no reason to complain about my physique then, given how my poor habits had contributed to my appearance.

How did you get started?

I woke up one morning (specifically, on 16 July 2012), and decided to again try to change my life. Suddenly, I wanted so badly to be healthy; my motive has extended beyond just wanting to be rid of my excess pounds. I was sick of being sluggish.

What was the first thing you quit eating/drinking?

That day, I decided to start by quitting Diet Coke. It’s really amazing that I haven’t drank Diet Coke since then, and I had absolutely no problems switching to plain water. I was so determined to quit and sure enough, I saw a quick dip in the number on the bathroom scale in the weeks following my quitting. Despite being a zero-calorie drink, !

My secret is that I started using MyFitnessPal on my iPhone for calorie-counting. In order to lose weight, you have to consume less than you expend. I repeat this to all who want to lose weight: always remember, Calories In vs Calories Out. You simply have to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate and Total Daily Energy Expenditure before you can draw up your weight loss plan. There is no other way around it.

It is only by keeping track of my food intake through MyFitnessPal that I am able to gauge just how much I was eating on a daily basis; it was when I started counting that I realised just how much extra food I had been eating in the past – extra calories that I didn’t need, extra salt, sugar and fat that did no good to my body. That extra bar of chocolate after dinner, curry puff when I felt bored, bubble tea when I was thirsty, lots of gravy on my rice… all those added up. It also helps to! My lifestyle change made such a huge impact that my weight fell off the moment I started to track my food intake and keeping within my daily caloric goal.

Tell me your meal plan! I want to know EXACTLY what you’re eating!

I didn’t eliminate any food groups or ban much from my diet besides Diet Coke (and all other pop) and artificially flavoured drinks. I explored the snack aisles for more snack options while keeping within my daily caloric goal, added more fresh fruits and vegetables to my diet, and made my own breakfast instead of grabbing an oily pastry on the way to work. Funnily, prior to this change, I probably ate fresh fruit less than 5 times a year. I also started to like and freshly-made sandwiches, but also made sure to pick the right kinds of ingredients, especially when eating out. I fell in love with raw, natural foods and now make them part of my daily diet.

And I’m an OATMEAL WARRIOR. Oatmeal rocks.

Since my lifestyle change, I find myself craving fresh fruit and vegetables more than anything else. Previously, all I craved were processed, denatured foods. My palate has shifted considerably; things which were once bland to me have now become so flavourful, and I no longer use extra salt or sugar. From there, I realised that I’d started to embrace clean eating, which is basically consuming foods as close to their natural state as possible. Did you know that some natural foods can help alleviate water retention too?

But I’m lost – I don’t know how this will work out?

As I went along and achieved weight loss bit by bit, I realised the reason why I had failed in the past was because I never had a plan. I had zero clue about how I’m going to track my progress and had unrealistic expectations. This time round, things were different. I now have an idea of my weight loss goals and keep my expectations reasonable. I have a fabulous app to help me, a determination that would stop at nothing, and the enthusiasm to move more in a bid to get in better shape.

Also, running changed my life! I run at least 5K every day. If you want to start running, I wrote a guide on the Couch-to-5K running app, which is very useful for beginners.