Posted this on my buddyslim blog, it's a good summary to my views on permanent weight loss.

What is Weight Loss to you?

Do you see it as a project kind of thing? I used to see it this way, 10 weeks and that’s it. After 10 weeks I’ll be a free and less heavier man. But I soon come to realize that reality does not smell as good as it should. After 10 weeks, it’s a struggle to maintain all that lost weight.

Rethink Weight Loss

Everyone can lose weight, in fact, weight loss is easy but weight maintenance is extremely hard. For those of you out there who is struggling with trying to lose weight Permanently. Here’s my advise. Rethink about what is really going wrong.

It is really more of a lifestyle issue rather than a diet issue that’s messing things up here. Why is it that many others do not have such weight issues and yet we’re battling it constantly? No, they’re not on a weight loss diet!!

If you could just find a way to eat the right foods at the correct amount of servings, all your issues are solved. It’s the thinking that has to change, instead of the diet. I used to place food as my priority, I think about it all the time. It is above everything else, I enjoyed it more than playing computer games because it’s just orgasmic to eat.

Few years down, food is replaced with health as my priority. I didn’t lose interest in food, I still enjoyed eating. But I’ve learnt how to juggle my appetite, cravings and what I should really eat. In other words, I’m more sensible when making choices about food.

I gotta admit, it’s a constant struggle and an endless battle that we’re fighting. I’ve maintained my lost weight for about 4 years now. But you know what, it’s actually pretty simple when you’re going through what I’m going through now.I don’t count my calories, I don’t have any specific diet, I don’t time my meals but I eat healthy food(not special food).

I know I might be making it sound really simple but it really is not difficult at all. Let me just briefly explain the habits that one should cultivate for permanent weight loss.

Habits for Permenant Weight Loss

1. Food is not your priority.

2. Know what you should eat

Read up, read up and read up, health education is precious. These are good for a start

Whole foods

Difference between healthy and unhealthy fats

Glycemic index

Good carbohydrates

3. Know how much to eat

Know what is the correct portion to eat for that particular food. I based mine on trial and error, but of course I do estimate my calories

4. Take food that you crave(most likely unhealthy food) as a reward rather than a snack/meal

5. Get moving

Move it! Get exercising. You won’t think of macdonald’s while running, swimming or doing anything that makes you move.

Forget Fad diets, they will not long term. The reason why many people are drawn to fad diets is probably because of the strict rules that are set. Only eat certain foods, only eat certain amount of foods etc. They told you what you should be eating instead of what you should not be eating. Being humans, most would go back to what they should not be eating in the first place.

Being overweight is actually a much simpler situation then it's portrayed to be. Someone who is overweight is someone who has been eating wrongly or not moving around enough. That's it! The only problem is to figure out how to adjust back to a normal diet.

If you could just practice most of these rules that I've stated, there will not be any problems to weight loss. I'll discuss more on these in the future

5 Golden Rules
1. Eliminate or cut out all junk food and beverages

2. Include more fruits and vegetables in your diet

3. Have at least 6 meals per day*(but learn how much to eat for each meal)

4. Include more lean protein and healthy fats into your meals

5. Drink plenty of water and Green Tea

Everyone faces falling out of their diet. This comes especially after eating something sinful or after an accidental binge. Some only experience it once because they're completely off their diet after falling out. No doubt, I personally experience this every so often, especially with my current diet plan that I have been using for so long.

Do not be one of the fall out boys!

This applies to all kinds of diet and usually sets in within the 6~8 week after the period of weight loss thrill. One of the possible reasons for this could be the 'survival' mechanism that your body has turned on. That is, to store as much energy as possible because of the sudden shortage of food. This is our body, it does not recognize our diet program as positive. How would it know that we're having such abundance of food?

This mechanism eventually leads us to give in to cravings. And once the cravings set in, you're more than likely to have a 2nd helping. It sure wouldn't hurt for a 3rd, 4th, 5th as well. And very soon, you'll find yourself getting back into your old ways.

Thinking very negatively, you tell yourself dieting sucks, it's too hard for me. And then you wrap yourself with all sorts of negativity and guilt. Which would eventually lead you to giving up. It's true that what you've eaten cannot be uneaten(save for bulimia).

Feeling guilty what you have wrongly eaten is normal, everyone feels the same way. But do not ever think of giving up just because of one mistake you've made, think long term. Your body does not change just because of a meal/snack. It's your lifestyle that shapes your body. So as long as you do not revert back to your previous diet, nothing will be affected. Just do not be overly paranoid.

Getting Back On Track

Step 1 - Think positive.
Do not delve into the thoughts of giving up and negativity. Discard all that 'i'm too fat, this cake is delicious' thoughts away.

Step 2 - Have a short break,
Eat what you like, but don't binge! Meanwhile, forget all the sinful stuff you have eaten. Don't even try to count the calories!! It's not a debt.

Step 3 - Set a Specific Date(Important!)
Preferably in a few days, no more than a week, to get back onto your diet or exercise routine

Step 4 -Do it
Get back on when that specific day come. Do not procrastinate.

Always get your mind, food and routine prepared before starting on a diet. Plan what kind of diet your are going to stick with for this while. These tasks cannot be missed if you want a smooth sailing weight loss journey.

Are you prepared?

1. Stock up your food and equipments
It doesn't matter which diet you are on, each has its own food requirements. In most cases, they require you to try new foods and really change the way you eat. And I should also probably say that many diets require you to prepare your own meals. What you can do is to stock your home full of these foods that are within your diet. This way, you will surround yourself and not 'accidentally' eat prohibited foods. It's also easier to prepare meals when you have ingredients ready.

New equipments are other stuff that isn't food but things you'll need in your weight loss program. It could be anything, from skipping ropes, dumb bells, yoga mats to even supplements.

If you have no choice but to eat out, take a look at the menus of the store that you regularly visit, decide which foods best fit the diet that you're on. Know what kind of food to avoid and what to eat. Make a mental note about these food.

2. Prepare your menu ahead
Always remember to plan ahead, especially your meals. Take a look at your daily routine. What time do you wake up, how much breaks you have in between work or school, what time you sleep? All these minor events determines your menu of the day.

I used to be on 6 meals diet, it was really not easy packing the meals into my schedule. But I plan ahead, woke up early to prepare my meals, squeeze in some meals into my tiny breaks. Managed to keep up with my diet for a few months until my schedule changed.

For some people who have no choice but to eat out, this should be taken into account as well.

3. Planning your physical activities
For those who have never moved for awhile, this plan will be a very daunting task indeed. Cannot find the time to exercise? Very often, it's not about time but more of the motivation issue. The only time where an everyday person can exercise would be before work and after work.

It's good to know that physical activity does not only mean exercises. It's the total energy that you spent daily doing physical stuff. Eg. Walking, climbing stairs, household chores. All these requires energy and are part of your daily physical activity. Take a bus, instead of driving and you'll find yourself walking and burning some calories while reducing CO2 emission at the same time. Walking is a great exercise that does not place too much stress on the knees, I highly recommend all of you to incorporate more walking into your daily routine.

4. Think positive
A positive mind is the first step to weight loss. Do not despair at how much weight you lose, focus more on following the program. Afterall, your weight is just a numerical figure but your health is what other sees. If you're doing things right, everything will go in your way like clockwork.

5. Take a before pic! (optional)
This is really fun! trust me. Comparing old pictures to the new you is the most amusing experience ever

Many of us, we forgot to look ahead. Only aiming for a certain weight, only guided by the weighing scale.



When I first started losing weight 7 years ago, I only aimed for the weight that I wanted, that's about all. Sure, I've got to the weight I wanted, from 100kg to 68kg in just 2 months with crash dieting. But I couldnt sustain this weight, couldn't sustain the diet that I was eating either. Very soon, I ballooned back close to my previous weight of 100kg.

Permanent weight loss is not about achieving but about sustaining. Forget the weight loss pills, weight loss program, weight loss cabbage, weight loss grapefruit and magical exercises. The real key to permanent weight loss is a lifestyle change.

I have been maintaining my current weight of 70kg for about 3 years now. But of course, like everyone else, there would be fluctuations from day to day. I'm confident of maintaining my current weight for a long time to come. Read on further and I'll show you how I plan to do it and how you can also achieve permanent weight loss.

There are only two factors.
1. Your Diet
Choose a diet that you are comfortable with. The main point is to find a diet that you can eat everyday without feeling that it's a chore and yet does not cause you to gain weight. It's not easy but it's not impossible!

2. Your Physical activity
Do something you like(that requires you to move). If you don't know what you like, try something new. Even shopping is a physical activity if you manage to not eat while you shop!

Permanent weight loss is not easy, infact 95% of people who lost weight eventually gained them back. I'm proud to say I'm one of the 5% group, it's been 4 years and counting. Want to know my secret? Read on!

Appetite is not the same as hunger, it's a psychological process that demands more food. And more often that not, your body does not need this extra food.

One of the single and most effective means of weight loss is through manipulating your appetite, or rather suppressing it down. Just think about it, the last time you felt very sad, did you ate much? Chances are you didn't, you were hungry but you didn't feel like eating, that was when you have defeated your appetite, temporarily.

Imagine if you can control your appetite daily, knowing when to stop eating, wouldn't that be great? The good news is you are able to achieve that! Without having to feel sad everyday. Appetite can be controlled by some simple changes, many of these changes should be practiced together in order to be effective.

Methods to Suppress Appetite

Satiety index
The satiety index is a gauge to measure how much and how long a particular food makes a person feel full, in other words satisfied from the food. The higher the food is in the satiety index, the more and the longer a person will feel full after eating the food.

The major food nutrients affects this index
Fats - Highest satiety
Protein - Medium satiety
Carbohydrate - Low satiety

Higher fibre content will also increase the satiety index.

I'm not advocating on a low carbohydrate diet, although many advocates love to use this index as basis of their argument. The satiety index is not an excuse to eat high fats and high protein food while avoiding carbohydrates.

As I've mentioned, Fibre affects the satiety index as well, and fibre are found mainly in Carbohydate foods.

This is the plan

1. Avoid low-fat diets

2. Eat Carbohydrate foods that are high in fibre - eg. Wholemeal pasta, fruits, vegetables, oats, barley

3. Eat moderate amount of protein, there's no reason to avoid protein unless your kidneys are not functioning well

4. Always include healthy oils in your diet. Oils derived from nuts, olives, avocados, fish are all good sources of oil.


Nutrition data has recently launch a new method of measuring satiety, which is known as the Fullness factor. This is better gauge because it take notes of both the calorie contribution and satiety factor at the same time. Visit the link to read up on it.

Exercise
Did you know that exercise affects your appetite as well? Exercise regulates some of the hormones in your body that suppresses appetite. Two of which are Ghrelin and Peptide YY.

But which kind of exercise? Studies have shown that Aerobic exercises(jogging, cycling, walking) are more effective in suppressing appetite than Anaerobic exercises(weight lifting, sprinting).
There, another point to pick up your shoe and start exercising.


Habits
Keep nice food out of sight - Hide them, avoid them, give them away. Nice foods and smells are known to stimulate appetite. Even the sight or smell alone can be strong enough to evoke such senses!

Keep an eye on yourself during Celebrations - A very likely situation, you'll lose track of yourself from all the joy and merry making. This is also the time where many people binge and where many diets fail. Don't notice the food, don't anticipate about what you should eat next! Socialise and shift your focus elsewhere.

Avoid buffet or all you can eat events - Self-explainatory. If you're on a diet but you persists on going to such events, please pray before you do. That's all you can do because even I fall victim to this.

Dish food out on a plate - If you're having a humongous plate or bowl of something, dish it out into a smaller plate or bowl. You'll eat less than you are going to, this is physchological doing but it really does helps.


Hot Tea
This is my personal experience. I've realised that my appetite is much easier to control after some cup of green tea. I have no idea why, but i'll look up for it soon.



Reference
1. Broom et al. The influence of resistance and aerobic exercise on hunger, circulating levels of acylated ghrelin and peptide YY in healthy males. AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2008; DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.90706.2008