Losing Belly Fat:The Push We Really Need To See Long-term Results

Painful migraines, embarrassing rumbling stomach noises, feeling of light-headedness.

​These are all normal symptoms of having a lack of essential nutrients, especially when we try to go on a diet or when we skip meals. Yet, we really want to lose that belly, but how do we stay motivated with all of these annoying symptoms?

Well, you are not alone. The points I share below are tips from people who used to be overweight. Hope it'll be beneficial for you guys too!
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It's All About Priorities and Intention

"Ask yourself, why do you want to lose weight and then, keep asking "why" for 5 times, and you'll know whether it's worth your time or not," said Dr John Berardi the Co-Founder of Precision Nutrition (A leading body transformation online coaching company).
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The process of asking ourselves "why we want to do what we set to do" 5 times makes us think about the deepest and most strongest purpose.

For example, let say we would like to lose weight so that we can look better. Then, ask ourselves, why do we want to look better?

"I want to look better because all my life I have been made fun of my body shape and how I always get out of breath easily. I don't like that"

2nd Why - "Why do you feel bad when people made fun of your body shape and your health condition?"

"Because it makes me feel like people look at me as someone who is lazy, unhealthy, and only think about food"

3rd Why - "Why are you not okay when someone think of you like that?"

"Because I want to be looked as an equal, well-respected, confident, and capable of more things in life"

4th Why - "Why do you want people to know you're like that?"

"Because it makes me feel good about myself"

5th Why - "Why do you want to feel good about yourself?"

"Because that's my goal in life. I want to be happy and content with life"

Well, this is an example. Sometimes, our deepest reason of why we do what we do can simply be because we just want to be happy in life or we want to make someone else happy too, just like some of the real-life stories I share below.

For some, the process of gaining happiness might not be through fitness, and that is okay.

For you, maybe you'll be more happier, or even more content in life if you lose that few kg of weight.

​Who knows?

"My weight never bothered me or my husband until we had a child..."

Meet Tammana. For someone who used to be a foodie and who likes a list of the all-time favorite Singaporean dishes like Mee Goreng, Chicken rice, prata (just to name a few), she really made an unbelievable change for herself and for her family.

She went from 121 kg to an astonishing weight of 80 kg. That's 40 kg loss of weight! Whoaa...

For someone who used to be underweight like me who used to only weigh 47 kg, gaining 30 kg didn't seem like much of a difference because I still end up looking "normal", but for an overweight person, I guess losing more than 30 kg can really be life-changing, eh?
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How She did it?

Firstly, she started with a huge "WHY".
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She was diagnosed with diabetes type 2. Then, after having a child, her motivation to lose weight was to be healthy and fit so that she could spend more time with her son.

With a strong "why", she started her weight loss journey by working with a personal trainer. She started being more aware and cautious of what she eats and realized that having a fitness regime that she enjoys is really helpful. So, she took tennis for a sport.

Although she did opt for a gastric band biatric surgery that shortens the stomach so less food can enter, she finally decided to take it off and go for the natural way of weight loss after encountering a few negative side-effects of having the gastric band.

My thoughts:
I really think that this mum deserve an applause lah. Not many people out there are willing to go all out for their children by sacrificing their comfortable life and letting go most of their unhealthy habits. POWER!
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A Strong Family Support Is All It Takes

Picture source https://www.instagram.com/xyjesse/

My thoughts:
I think by now most of us have already seen this picture going viral. All I could think of is," This family is cool or what!?"

Here's the thing, to workout as a couple and lead healthy lives together is quite normal, but to get our parents to follow along knowing that they are usually more stubborn than us, that's just amazing.

This family deserve a trophy for setting the best example for other family members all around the world!
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What made them do it?

According to Jesse Ding, who is in his mid 30's, it all started when he decided to purposely gain 10 kg after seeing his dad getting depressed after some business losses that worsen his health. He wanted to gain weight so that he could take the weight loss journey together with his dad. (awwww......)

​His wife and mum followed suit when they saw the tremendous change his dad had achieved.

After that, all it takes was discipline and consistency.
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How they did it?

Together as a family, they decided to take on a 6 months body transformation challenge which suppose to last from March to September, but the family has decided to focus on maintenance and incorporating healthy habits as part of their lives.

The 4 key things that have really made a huge impact on their weight loss success is that:

1. They have the same goal in mind as a family unit.
2. They exercise more often together
3. They eat the same food prepared at home
4. They do it with love (not just out of fear)
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Of course, it's easier to say than to actually do it

If it is easy, everyone can do it

I won't say that everyone will be able to lose weight if they just "work for it" or "stay consistent".

Sometimes, most of us don't even know where to start and that no matter how hard we try, we will still give up due to time constraint, feeling sluggish and unmotivated, last minute plans, injuries, and many other reasons.

I believe, that is why it goes back to our "why" - our reason, and intention. If we really think that losing weight is crucial for the sake of our family livelihood, sustainability, and long-term happiness, then we will find a way.

I suggest starting off by doing some of these simple yet important things:

• Write down, or at least picturein your minds, the type of body and lifestyle you dream of having.
• Learn about the concept of healthy weight loss (especially for busy and unmotivated people who are just starting out from scratch)
• Start trying out one of the suggested tips. Just one. If you can stick to it for 2-3 weeks, then add on new tips and strategies.
• Get someone experienced or knowledgeable to discuss your concerns and problems that you may face along the way. You probably will anyway..
• Take pictures, make a journal, do whatever it takes to track your progress, and make notes. (Making a journal is not easy, especially a daily one. I suggest doing a weekly journal where you try to remember what you have done for the past week, then you can write it on the Google Doc)
• Learn to tweak your strategies around according to the data that you've obtained and be flexible with it.

​Most importantly, enjoy the process!
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