10 ways to lose Lunar New Year weight and keep it off for good, according to experts – and dieting isn’t one of them
- Lunar New Year indulgences can leave us carrying extra pounds, but rather than yo-yo diets, it’s more effective long term to take sensible steps to weight loss
- From drinking more water and sleeping well to eating more protein and building muscle rather than relying on cardio, follow these expert tips
As Lunar New Year festivities wind down after weeks of indulgences – dipping into tempting confectionery boxes, savouring multi-course family meals with auspicious dishes, perhaps sharing a lavish Valentine’s Day dinner or a box of those well-meant chocolates – many of us will have gained a few unwanted kilos.
Here, three experts warn not to panic over weight gain, but to take a sensible approach that leads to lasting results.
“Diving into ‘a diet’ that aggressively restricts the kind of food you eat is a recipe for failure,” says Dr Frank Lipman, a New York-based leader in functional medicine and bestselling author.
“When you come off the ‘diet’, typically the pounds pile back on and you’ll be tempted to chuck the whole effort.”
He points to studies that show that people who have experienced “yo-yo” dieting over the years end up gaining more weight than those who never dieted at all.
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“Don’t think about it like you’re taking away things from your life. It’s a mentality switch,” she says.
These experts agree that the only way to keep weight off long term is to re-examine your relationship with food and improve daily habits. They offer 10 tips to help lose excess weight – and keep it off for good.
1. Watch the clock
Timing of eating is important, Cohen says. Having two or three meals a day with a maximum of two snacks in between, with no after-dinner snacks, will help push the body from storing fat into burning fat.
2. Forget calorie counting
If you’re still counting calories like your mum may have done, don’t, Lipman says, calling it an outdated way to manage what you eat.
“A pint of blueberries comes loaded with satiating fibre, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, the works, whereas the same amount, calorically speaking, of [corn chips] comes with none of that, plus chemicals, allergens, salt, unhealthy fats – the bad-for-your-body list goes on.
3. Hydrate regularly
At The Ranch, the catchphrase is “water water water”, Glasscock says.
‘It will make you feel satiated for longer, helping with weight loss, and also flush out the toxins your body accumulates day to day, with benefits including clearer skin, digestive improvement and better circulation.”
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Having 500ml (around one US pint) of water as your first drink of the day can help with weight loss, Glasscock says, and drinking three litres of water daily will help the body break down and rid itself of fat and waste.
4. Fibre for fullness
“Their high fibre and water content means they also fill the stomach. Nutritionists call them ‘high-volume’ foods – they’re great for creating downside-free feelings of satiety, or fullness, which is why we’re such fans of real, whole foods. It’s as if they come with their own built-in ‘put-the-fork-down’ mechanism.”
5. Window of opportunity
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“When we increase the time between meals – easily done if we eat an early dinner and a later breakfast, or skip breakfast altogether – that gives our metabolism a mild, healthy stress. Our cells respond by becoming more sensitive to insulin, able to burn more calories with less insulin, with fewer calories sent into fat storage.”
6. Protein boost
A high-protein diet decreases the hunger hormone ghrelin and curbs excessive eating due to an increase in satiety, Cohen says.
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Just 1.5 grams of protein a day per kilogram of weight is all that is needed to keep hunger at bay – for example, a person who weighs 60kg only needs 90 grams of protein a day.
7. Smart supplements
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Taking it on an empty stomach twice daily promotes sustainable weight loss and healthier food choices.
Magnesium is necessary for 300 metabolic reactions – such as in energy and protein production – which is why our bodies can easily become depleted of it.
8. Build muscle
While you generally burn more calories in a cardio session, lifting weights and resistance training can be a better long-term way to lose weight by building muscle, Glasscock says.
This is because one pound (450 grams) of muscle burns six calories a day at rest while one pound of fat only burns about two.
9. Don’t overestimate exercise
Lipman says that many people who are calorie conscious tend to overestimate the number of calories they burn with exercise, and underestimate what they consume when they eat (see tip number two).
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As a general rule, running a mile (1.6km) burns about 100 calories; a single Oreo cookie has a little over 53 calories. So to sweat off extra kilograms gained over the holiday will take some time, he says.
Movement doesn’t have to take place in a gym, he says: regular walking, gardening, vigorous housework or playing with the kids all count.
10. Sleep your way slim
For quality sleep, cut down on screen time at night and don’t have devices in your bedroom, Glasscock says.
