Struggling to Manage Your Weight?

For many of us, we’ve had moments when we look at the mirror and think to ourselves “I think I should lose some weight.” Some embark on a crash diet or intense short-term exercise regime. Based on such short-term efforts, we might see some weight loss results, but the key word when it comes to healthy weight management is sustainability.

Before embarking on any weight management programs, we need to ask ourselves - Is this method of weight loss 1) practical, 2) sustainable, 3) suitable for my lifestyle, 4) good for my health?

With crash diets, it usually deprives your body of nutrients it needs to maintain your health, and can be taxing on your mind and emotions. For most, crash dieting is not something they can keep up with over an extended period of time and before long, one may tend to slip back into old eating habits. This creates the yo-yo dieting effect, where one’s weight goes down and up like a bouncing yo-yo.

For sustainable weight loss results, the ideal is to approach with consistent efforts. Manage expectations and examine the healthy amount of weight loss that is needed for your health goals, based on your BMI and/or healthy body fat levels. In cases where significant weight loss is required, it is best to discuss with your doctor on a suitable weight loss regime.

Read on for 3 steps you can take to aid you in your weight loss journey!

1. DIET AND EXERCISE

Having the right combination of diet and exercise is important for managing weight in the long run. For starters, you can calculate the amount of calories you would need to keep to in order to achieve your goals based on your target amount of weight loss. Then, you can work out a daily/weekly meal plan and essential exercise regime.

In coming up with your meal plans, it is important to be honest with yourself in creating a realistic meal plan that you are able to keep to, i.e. you will not dread meal times, feel excessively deprived. For some, it helps to have one cheat day per week where you get to indulge in a favourite food or beverage without having to feel guilty,

It can be helpful to join a gym if that gives you the motivation to start working out and seeing others do the same, may give that added push. However, it is just as easy to make time for fitness in your daily routine even without a gym membership or signing up for a marathon. You could incorporate some “stairs time” by choosing to take the stairs when you go to work or come home. A relaxing early morning or evening jog, or streaming online workout videos (HIIT, Zumba etc.) also allows you to exercise in the comfort of your own home.

With the wide array of fitness classes and workouts that are currently available, you can also take time to shop around to find classes that interest you and you would enjoy.

Detoxing is also a good way to “reboot” your system and start off in the right direction. LAC Total Cleanse™ is an all-in-one product for natural cleansing and detoxification support. With two cleansing blends containing herbs & fibres, it helps to support the main organs involved in our body’s natural detox process (our liver and kidneys), and encourages healthy bowel activity.

2. IDENTIFY POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Just as with embarking on any project, it is good to be mindful of potential pitfalls that could result in us slipping back into lifestyle and diet habits that caused our weight gain in the first place. Here are some common ones:

Habitual Snacking or Comfort Bingeing

It is hard to resist food – especially at times when you feel stressed, or on days where you are down and turn to food for comfort. Some studies have shown that we consume excess calories as a result of mindless snacking or due to a lack of understanding of a food or beverage actual calorie count.

While it is easy to say that “I will cut out snacking and sugary drinks & foods” – this is something much easier said than done. A random, occasional bout of emotional eating may not be something to overly fret over, but if you start to rely regularly on comfort eating to improve your mood, it may be good to consult a specialist to get to the root cause of your stress.

Late Night Supper Habit

Night owls might best relate to this. For those used to keeping late nights, it is likely you might experience hunger pangs at some point. As a result, you might find yourself rummaging your kitchen cabinets or refrigerator for a quick fix, or hanging out at late night supper joints with friends over a couple of beers.

In this fast-paced society, many prioritize their work, and long working hours does affect regular dinner times. Getting off work late, means you tend to eat dinner late and you might be hungrier when you finally get down to your evening meal, resulting in more calories being consumed than you actually need.

I Am Too Busy and Tired…

Some days, we may find ourselves creating excuses to not exercise after a long day at work. For most of us, it is probably a lot more comfortable to relax over a nice dinner or drinks session after work – but keep your eye and mind on the prize. Remember your weight loss goals and remind yourself, you need to get up and get going. Your body and your health will thank you for it.

Writing down your weight loss goals can be a useful visual and mental motivation, such as a step-by-step plan on how to get there. Having exercise and fitness buddies to plan workouts together can also be a great way. You are much less likely to skip your fitness dates with friends and having like-minded friends to embark on the journey together makes it that much more fun!

3. INVEST IN THE RIGHT SUPPLEMENTS

For some added support and boost to achieve your weight management goals, LAC has a comprehensive range of weight management arsenal to help you along the way!

A Delicious “Gummies” Substitute

Cravings can be really hard to resist, and it is okay to incorporate sweets in your diet, but in a smart way. LAC Leancut® Green Coffee Beans with effective dose of Green Coffee Bean extract, which provides chlorogenic acid that is clinically proven for its weight loss benefits

Burn More Calories

Make your gym time go the extra mile with LAC LEANCUT™ Cut & Burn (Stimulant Free) . LAC LEANCUT™ Cut & Burn (Stimulant Free) provides synergistic weight loss benefit, and is a clinically proven thermogenic formula that increases post-workout calorie burning by up to 60%.

Meet your body’s nutritional needs

Ensuring that your body receives the nutrients it keeps is an important consideration. The lack of specific vitamins and nutrients can leave one feeling low in terms of energy and motivation. Plus your body needs key vitamins and minerals to maintain optimal metabolism, build healthy muscle mass while reducing excess fat mass.

LAC Men's Mega Multi and LAC Women's Mega Multi Active are multivitamins that have specific added nutrient blends to bridge nutritional gaps and also targeted to benefit men & women. They contain up to 56 vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, herbs and other nutrients at optimum levels.

More Protein & Fibre

Lean Shake 25 provides your body with 25g of high quality protein and at least 7g of fibre, enriched with 23 vitamin and minerals. You can have it as a replacement for your breakfast or incorporate it as part of your lunch.

For Metabolism Support and Exercise Recovery

A sluggish metabolism means your body “burns fats” at inefficient levels. Step up on your overall metabolism with L-Carnitine . L-Carnitine contributes towards the transport and metabolism of long-chain fatty acids. It also aids in post-exercise muscle recovery as it fuels skeletal muscles and nitric oxide production.

Carb Control

Carbohydrates are important as they provide your body with energy. However, if consumed in excess, they will eventually be stored as fats. White kidney bean extract has been clinically studied to reduce the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, which can potentially decrease the amount of calories obtained from ingested carbohydrates. LAC LEANCUT™ CarbX is formulated with White Kidney Beans extract, which can be an ideal supplement to support you on your weight loss efforts.