10 Weight Loss Tips You Can Apply in Malaysia

You know what's definitely one of the most difficult tasks of all time? Seeing your paycheck go off in less than a week is not even close and yes people! We're talking about weight loss management. The importance of diet and exercise when trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight can never be overlooked but there are also other little things that you could do to help this along.

Because of our fortunate(I mean literally fortunate, we're lucky) diverse selection of delicious food choices that are always available around every corner, we Malaysians find ourselves adding inches to our waists every month or so. It is a struggle to keep fit, true, but so many opportunities arise throughout our day where we can leave behind our nasty, unhealthy habits and live a cleaner, healthier life.

As Malaysians ourselves, we at Signature Market understand all the struggles in trying to be eating healthy and getting fit. So, we being such good lads to you fellow Malaysians as always, here are 10 weight loss tips you can apply in Malaysia!



1. SLEEP EARLY
Sure this sounds like a no brainer but the question lies, what’s the first thing you do when you're still on bed? Unlock your phone, watch YouTube or scrolling through Facebook or Instagram till the wee hours of the morning? Guilty as charged. It’s a nasty habit we have, sleeping late. First off, it causes fatigue and non-optimal mental functioning.

Secondly, the body’s hormones are unbalanced, and this includes the hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin. Briefly, the imbalance of these hormones can cause you to get hungry faster and be less able to control your impulses to binge. You can read more about the role of these hormones here. But yea, lack of sleep will cause you to crave junk food, weaken your impulse control which often results in overindulging in larger portions and high-carb foods.

Also, when you’re up late, there is a higher tendency to snack as the hours between dinner and bedtime increases. I think that’s reason enough to sleep early. Also, when you’re sleeping, you ain’t eating. And that in itself is a win!



2. WORKOUT ON THE MORNING!
I know, that to forcefully awaken from slumber is a dreaded thing indeed. If most of us had it our way, we would only be up at ten am. But such is not the way of the healthy! The morning for us beckons opportunity! Opportunity to get that body geared up to burn calories and build muscle right from the day’s start.

You might be thinking to yourselves, working out it the morning is the absolute worst! I hate dragging myself out of bed, all cold and stiff to do burpees! (or whatever exercises you usually do)…

But, there are many benefits of an early morning workout. Allow me to break it down. First off, you’re exercising at the opportune moment: when you’re fasting. Right after you wake up, before you eat breakfast, your stomach is empty. Exercising then will effectively force your body to burn off fat, because no carbohydrates are currently present in your system. And that is awesome news indeed, a great payoff for your work done! But note that after the exercise, to avoid canceling out its great effects, stay away from carbohydrate-rich foods. Go instead for protein and fiber for effective weight-loss and muscle-building results.

The second benefit of working out in the morning is that you’re getting your day’s workout done and over with, first thing in the morning! Often times, the thought of needing to exercise looms darkly at the back of our minds, the dread of it leading us to keep putting it off until we skip it altogether. If you yank off this band aid first thing in the morning, I’m very sure the rest of your day will look brighter and healthier!

Thirdly, think about that glorious post-workout shower you would have before your drive to the office. What an amazing and fresh start to your day!

And finally, you set in place the correct mindset that will follow you throughout your day. If you start your day healthy, it sets the mood for the rest of the day. Because you’ve done that workout, it would be such a waste to nullify its benefits by putting junk into your body. Hence the risk of overindulging or bingeing later in the day will considerably lessen.



3. PREPARE LUNCH FROM HOME
Your food intake is an extremely crucial part of your getting fit in KL. We all love to eat, so much so that I daresay eating is Malaysia’s official favourite past time.

It is very easy to overindulge and very difficult to refrain from doing so. Which is why, at our most vulnerable moments (the lunch break), instead of going out to an unhealthy restaurant somewhere, wasting time, effort, energy and petrol and parking money, consider the option of packing your own food from home.

Where lunch is of concern, cooking is a difficult option, which was why I suggested healthy food deliveries as tip number 3. But for dinner, and breakfast, there is a higher possibility of being able to cook. And cooking definitely trumps eating out. So, you should consider it if you’re seriously aiming to get your health back on track. Plus, it saves you money at the same time.

But the thing about cooking is that it is annoyingly inconvenient. I totally get that. You’ll have to make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need for a meal, go out, buy them, then come home, peel the raw ingredients, clean and cut the meat and finally throw all the components into a pot or a pan to cook. It'll have to take up to two hours. Such a turn-off right? I know.

Stock up for the entire week’s meals once per week. That way, you have a comforting well-stocked fridge to look forward coming home to and cooking seems less of an arduous task.

Also, I must mention that at the end of the whole process, that fresh hot bowl of home cooked food is one of life’s simple pleasures very much worth your time and effort.



4. QUICK WORKOUT BEFORE SHOWERING
With our Malaysian weather so hot and humid, almost all of us shower at least once a day. If you don’t, please start, for the sake of those around you.

But yes, let’s start turning these necessities into opportunities! I think that it is an excellent idea to schedule a short exercise in right before your baths. A quick and intense one to get you all sweaty. After all, you’re stepping into the shower right after. Might as well make your bath worth it. Also, showers feel best if taken directly after a workout.



5. STAY HYDRATED
We're sure you've heard this enough but DRINK MORE WATER! Water has no calories and fills you up while keeping your metabolism going. Drinking enough water is a vital part of any conditioning programme because it keeps your body functioning through homeostasis. Water aids every aspect of bodily function as well. Start adopting this positive habit by keeping a water bottle with you at all times, or by having a cold jug of water in your fridge. If you find the taste of plain water too bland, infuse your water with slices of various fruits and vegetables, like lemon and cucumbers to give your water a slight burst of flavour.



6. SAY NO TO LATE NIGHT SNACKING
Try your best to avoid caving in to those nagging late-night hunger pangs. Even if you really need to munch on something, go for healthy alternatives like nuts instead.



7. EAT SLOWLY
If you chow down on your food, it causes you to overeat. It takes a while for our brains to get the message that we’re full. Thus, we will actually eat past fullness if we eat our food quickly. Hence, the trick is to teach yourself to eat slowly. You will feel fuller on lesser amounts of food.



8. SPICE IT UP!
Eating spicy meals can actually raise your metabolism. Taking cues from the previous tip, the real benefit of food with a little zing is that it slows your eating. So guess it's a win-win! You get tasty food and improved metabolism.



9. DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST
It is advisable for people to not skip breakfast for years, thus recent studies has shown us the better picture of its importance. According to research, if you haven't eaten breakfast, your brain's reward center will start to trigger to crave buttons when you see a high-calorie food—making you more likely to indulge.



10. SWITCH UP TO LIGHTER ALTERNATIVES
This method is easily said than done, switching to a different alternative is always difficult as our tastebuds are already used to them. Hence if you can, use the low-fat salad dressings, mayo and more. With low-fat and lighter products, you can trim calories effortlessly! No one will ever notice, if the product is mixed in with other ingredients. Trade your mayo for mustard, your coffee creamer for skimmed milk. It's that easy and not really that significance of a sacrifice.