36. Ten secrets to changing your diet and weight tracking

5. I've heard that to become naturally lean, you need to consume more protein. Is that true?

To achieve a body type that is difficult to gain weight and easy to lose weight, protein is essential! However, it's not enough to just consume protein.

Protein diets were once popular, but there have been cases of death due to them in the United States. As mentioned above, both carbohydrates and fats are essential energy sources for the brain, and the vitamins and minerals in vegetables and seaweed are also important nutrients for boosting metabolism. Therefore, the key to becoming lean is "not overeating" and "not having a biased diet." This might be easier for housewives who can freely control their meals, but those who frequently eat out should use a food diary to constantly remind themselves whether they are consuming too much of any type of food, causing unwanted weight gain, or which type of food they ate less of the previous day and should make a point of eating more of it the next day. By creating an environment conducive to a lean physique, you'll be much closer to your ideal of a healthy and slender figure.

Completely change your diet

By simply changing your diet, you can lose 2 kilograms in a week, and if you follow the regimen seriously, you could even lose 3 kilograms!

Why did I gain weight?

The most common answer to this question is:

"You ate too much."

"Then, why do you eat so much?"

When asked this question, I would say:

Actually, I didn't plan to eat that much...

"While watching TV, I didn't even realize it..."

That's right! Most people who gain weight don't realize they're constantly eating; they just "don't know how, they keep eating more and more." Keeping a food diary can help you become aware of and gradually become aware of the frequency and amount of food you eat. However, if your eating habits remain the same, reducing the portion size won't provide satisfaction. Here's a secret to achieving satisfaction even with smaller portions. This secret is already planned in your food journal; as long as you follow it carefully, you won't forget it.

If you want to completely change your eating habits, here are a few things you must pay attention to:

1. Set a fixed time for eating, eat regularly, and control the time between meals.

Sumo wrestlers employ a two-meal-a-day diet to gain weight. After morning practice, they eat a large breakfast, followed by an afternoon nap; then they practice again, have a large dinner, and go to bed. This is because the prolonged fasting combined with training puts the body in a state of hunger, causing food to be quickly digested and absorbed, turning into body fat.

This explains why improper dieting initially causes weight loss, but once normal eating resumes, weight gain occurs rapidly, making it difficult to lose weight.

Conversely, does that mean smaller, more frequent meals are better? Not necessarily.

When food enters the body, the pancreas secretes insulin. Eating small, frequent meals keeps the body in a state of insulin secretion, promoting the conversion of carbohydrates into fat. Therefore, the most effective method is to eat three meals a day at fixed times and intervals to prevent the absorption of excess food.

2. People who eat quickly usually eat too much before the brain sends the signal "enough, I'm full" to their stomach and intestines.

The satisfaction of a meal is not something that can be obtained simply by filling one's stomach with food. It requires seeing with one's eyes, tasting with one's tongue, chewing with one's teeth, as well as having sufficient time and a pleasant dining environment.

Therefore, each meal should last at least 30 minutes, and please develop the habit of swallowing food little by little.

"How is it possible to always spend so much time dining elegantly at every meal?"

While some might say this, simply changing your eating habits to "eat slowly, bite by bite, while watching TV" can be just as effective. If dining with colleagues or classmates, try to develop a shared understanding about eating for weight loss, cultivating the habit of eating slowly and chewing each bite thoroughly before swallowing. It's important to note that it's best to avoid chatting while eating, as this easily leads to eating too quickly or not tasting the food and thus overeating. For weight loss, it's essential to take the time to eat slowly, allowing the brain to send signals of fullness to the stomach and intestines, creating the appropriate time for the digestive system to register fullness.

Furthermore, chewing is an activity that can increase satiety even if it's just chewing; we can experience that the more we chew, the more full we feel.

3. Do not eat anything after 8 p.m.

Many office workers in urban areas skip breakfast but then eat large meals at night, which is a very bad habit. This is because the most physical activity occurs in the morning and afternoon. If you eat little at these two meals, the food you eat at night will be absorbed very quickly, and since you'll be going to bed soon afterward, excess fat will naturally accumulate in your body.

4. Eat your favorite foods first, and eat soup and vegetables first. This will help you easily reduce the factors that cause weight gain.

You can eat whatever you like, no matter how full you are. However, this can also easily trigger your brain's "I'm full, just one more bite" reaction, leading you to unknowingly finish everything. Try to cultivate the habit of starting to eat your favorite foods and stopping when you're about 80% full.

In addition, it's best to adjust your meal order to start with soup and vegetables before eating the main course. This can help reduce your starch intake, improve your circulatory system, help you cope with daily stress, and boost your mental well-being.

5. Less salt and more spice, even a mild flavor can be delicious.

Strongly flavored dishes can whet the appetite. To avoid the temptation of salty food, try using less salt and sprinkling chili powder instead to enhance the flavor.

However, this is merely a cooking tip, not an endorsement of the once-popular "spicy diet." Some people believe that eating spicy meals for several days in a row can help them lose weight. In reality, even if this method does lead to weight loss, it's mostly just water loss and doesn't actually reduce fat.

6. Housewives, in particular, must get rid of the habit of thinking, "It's a waste to throw it away, let's eat it!"

If you feel you definitely can't finish a fast food meal, don't force yourself to eat it just to avoid wasting food. It's better to opt for a buffet where you can control your portion sizes. If you're eating at a restaurant, remember to tell the kitchen you don't need that much food.

As for stir-fried soups and leftovers that are easy to gain weight from, these are often the main reasons why housewives gain weight, and you might find signs of this in their diaries. The best way to improve this is to start with cooking. Controlling the portion size will prevent problems caused by leftovers. You can also put more effort into handling leftovers in a way that avoids waste. In short, don't eat more than you are full, as this will become a burden on your body.

7. Iced drinks are dangerous.

Whether from a health or weight loss perspective, it's worth being careful about eating cold foods. To relieve fatigue, make it a habit to replace them with warm drinks.

8. Drinking coffee or tea after meals can lead to iron loss.

Tea and coffee contain tannins, which can destroy iron and produce iron tannins. Although coffee or tea without sugar and creamer has no calories, it is best to drink it 30 minutes after a meal for health reasons.

9. Processed foods may taste good, but they are often a source of weight gain.

Processed foods often contain high levels of sugar, salt, and oil. Excessive consumption can impede blood circulation, slow metabolism, and cause excess fat to accumulate in the body, leading to obesity. Instant noodles, in particular, are a major no-no for weight loss.

10. Six weeks postpartum, adjust your eating habits from a psychological perspective.

Postpartum weight gain seems to be a given for everyone. While it's true that postpartum weight gain can be due to a lower basal metabolic rate caused by age, what people often overlook is whether the new mother adjusts her mindset after the postpartum period, such as "I've given birth, I must return to a normal diet." If she maintains the dietary habits of the postpartum period, it's difficult not to gain weight even if she hasn't had a baby.

In addition, psychological adjustment is very important for women after childbirth. Using stress and depression as excuses for overeating is often an overlooked factor contributing to obesity.

Part Two: Weight Record Sheet

Step 1: Weigh yourself 3 times a day.

Prepare a fairly accurate scale, the more sensitive the better, but you don't need to buy an expensive scale just to lose weight. However, don't try to save money by using a scale that makes a big difference between the left and right sides of the scale.

Weigh yourself three times a day, specifically:

1. After waking up; 2. After dinner; 3. Before going to bed at night.

Step 2: Learn to interpret the "Weight Record Sheet" yourself.

What's the point of drawing a weight record chart on paper?

In fact, this record sheet is like your own family doctor, helping you find the relationship between weight and diet. Even without a doctor's professional consultation and examination, you can know how to build your own body shape.

At first, you might feel overwhelmed by the "weight record chart," but don't worry, if you've been recording for more than 5 days, you should be able to interpret it yourself.

In theory, if you weigh yourself three times a day, the basic changes should be:

1. After waking up: You will feel lighter because after a night's sleep and a long period of fasting, your weight will naturally be lighter.

2. After dinner: This should be the heaviest part of the day, so the curve on the weight chart will usually rise.

3. Before going to bed at night: If you don't eat a late-night snack, or if there is more than 3 hours between dinner and bedtime, your weight will be lighter than if you have eaten dinner.

When you continuously chart your weight for a week, you will get the following three results, each representing a different meaning:

1. A curve is a very smooth straight line.

If your graph remains stable for more than five consecutive days, there are two possible interpretations: One is that your sleep schedule is very irregular, perhaps with your days and nights reversed or you're not eating or sleeping at proper times. The second, more serious interpretation is that your body may be sending warning signals, including metabolic disorders or poor gastrointestinal absorption. It's best to consult a professional doctor for a thorough diagnosis and treatment.

2. The curve is declining.

The fact that your weight curve rises slightly each day and then dips slightly indicates that you're not consuming excessive calories, which is a good sign. If you want to lose weight, continue with your current diet, and after a while, your weight will naturally be well-controlled.

3. The curve is rising.

If your graph shows an upward curve like this, there's no need for further explanation; you're consuming too many calories. In fact, this kind of curve shows that you don't need to eat this much to maintain your daily energy levels. It's recommended that you keep the thought, "I don't actually need to eat this much," in your mind. In the future, when you eat, your brain will naturally remind you, "That's enough! I'm already satisfied."

Measuring your weight not only helps you assess your body shaping progress, but it's also the first shortcut to brain health. The cocktail diet is praised by Chinese people and even foreigners for two reasons: first, it's designed to regulate the constitution of East Asians whose staple foods are rice and noodles; second, it's not a single, forced weight loss method, but rather a comprehensive and individualized treatment that addresses many factors that contribute to obesity, aiming to achieve healthy weight loss that is less likely to rebound.

Similarly, when you correctly start by focusing on weight changes, your lifestyle, diet, and self-confidence will all work in tandem with your weight loss plan. When you see your weight gradually increasing and then decreasing, you'll easily feel confident and happy. This confidence will naturally prevent you from developing negative emotions such as anxiety, inhumane starvation, or complaining, which could negatively impact your weight loss plan.

Anyone with weight loss experience knows that using methods like not eating, eating only one type of food, or various supposedly effective weight loss methods often yields good results at first. However, your subconscious mind is constantly complaining: "I'm so miserable, why am I so fat? Why do I have to suffer through this kind of dieting for so long?" Given the chance, your subconscious mind starts to retaliate. Opportunities? Plenty! A bad romantic relationship, a difficult job, even a sudden improvement in performance, a relaxing trip abroad... all these can unleash that unhappy weight loss process at any time and in any place.

Therefore, I suggest that if you want to lose weight using the simplest DIY method, you can completely ignore other supplementary methods. As long as you are relaxed and comfortable, recording your weight without any pressure, you can experience what the "cocktail diet" is all about. Your brain will guide all your daily routines and diets, and your mood will always be in an optimal state, just like sipping a pleasant cocktail at a relaxed party. There is no standard cocktail; although we can categorize them, every bartender's creation is different. Similarly, when you start recording your weight, the weight plan your brain directs is unique to you.

Trust yourself; the best cocktail maker for weight management is your brain, not your doctor.