5 ways I brought my weight down

1) Overall transformation of grocery buys. I used to fan over everything sweet - cakes, pastries, and junk. In the city where I live, nearly all establishments have packaged goods with refined sugar, and I thought the place was heavenly. Until I was taught the basics of smart eating and it changed everything.

My grocery cart is now filled with good fats in place of carbs. I invest in and gladly pay for wild-caught salmon, avocados (no matter how steep the price), walnuts, coconut oil, dark chocolate (with at least 85% cocoa), chia seeds, and yogurt. I am mindful not to eat fats and sugar (i.e. rice and pork fat) in one go. (This would cause inflammation and increase fat storage.)

I regularly snack on turnip (lots and lots of it) and fill my ref with greens, veggies (lots and lots of fresh produce), and Kimchi or anything fermented (i.e. pickeled papaya) for gut health.

On occasions or after exercise, I get my fill of sweet potatoes, bananas, and select fruits.

I hardly ate rice and bread unless the flour used is either from almonds or coconut. (Yes, I am picky like that! :))

2) Commitment to regular physical movement. My body fats dropped due to my diet change. But I needed to firm up loose body parts through weight training. Though at 1 year with dedicated fitness coaches, I am admittedly still in my infancy stage at executing the routines. I started lifting 8kg kettle bells till I progressed to 12kg, and at times, 16kg. No worries about getting it done perfectly. I give it my all each time, anyway.

3) Maximise small pockets of time. I realised that I can make do with little time...no matter how little. Just recently, I signed up for a national steps challenge (which encourages 10,000 steps each day and at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.) On-boarding, I consciously take small steps to hit the daily goal - do a campus tour during lunch breaks, take the stairs over escalators in malls, visit the Library's 5th level on foot every time there is chance, and so forth. I average 9k+ steps in 1 month (save for home-bound days which are especially dedicated for my 2-yr old).

4) Regulation of social media habit. Yes, there is no escaping social media habit with wellness. Daily news feeds make up so much of my consumption. I made sure to follow wellness-oriented brands whose main agendum is to sell wellness (nothing more).

Here are some helpful accounts I follow on Instagram:

@functionalnutritionist

@sunnyconde

@drmarkhyman @bulletproof

@jordiepieface

@livfitrx

@chfdhl

5) Public accountability to look after other's health as well. I recently took the torch to lead my family to wellness by example. I bought my parents and my brother fitness trackers to encourage movement. I am part of a wellness team that regularly reports food taken, health numbers (measured by in-body equipment), and fitness scores (measured mostly by time taken to finish a physical routine.)

I am happy to take on this wellness journey, and infect those in my closest circle. I am all up for the battle against a multi-billion food industry that sells nutrition-less sugar and bad fats.

I close this with a quote from American academic Chip Heath, "How can you make your change a matter of identity rather than a matter of consequences?" The choice is all ours.