Chapter 3 (Part 3): Once you've made a decision, go all out and create your weight loss plan.

Once you've made a decision, please go all out.

Now that you've decided to lose weight, found your motivation, and discarded all excuses for not losing weight, then please take your weight loss journey to the extreme!

How do we define "extreme"? Let's start by discussing diet and exercise separately.

In terms of diet, it means "rejecting the temptation of delicious food under any circumstances." If you're already determined to lose weight, can you truly apply this principle to the fullest extent?

Generally speaking, there are only a few reasons why people want to go out for a big meal and drinks.

Feeling down? Eat to your heart's content.

When these negative emotions arise, overeating and drinking can indeed be a convenient solution. However, after calming down, it can bring you a strong sense of guilt, making you feel that your previous overeating and drinking was wrong. Some people even have the idea of ​​giving up entirely, or overeating and drinking can become a new source of frustration, leading you to continue to comfort yourself with food, thus creating a vicious cycle.

It's scary, isn't it? In that case, let's not comfort ourselves with food. If you're in a bad mood, you can call your lover, friends, or family, or vent by shouting in a secluded place. Or, you can splurge and go shopping, which is much better than eating indiscriminately.

There are many ways to make yourself happy, so why choose the one you'll regret? Don't you think so?

In this joyous occasion, let's raise a glass and drink!

We Chinese people love to eat and drink when we get together, especially for moments that are worth celebrating.

Generally, private gatherings are the easiest to decline, but what about company parties or friends' weddings? My method is to arrive late. When I was on a diet, I rarely attended friends' weddings on time (sorry, my friends who got married then, I really wanted to lose weight, you understand). I would usually arrive when the banquet was almost over, with only leftovers on the table. While this might seem a bit impolite, it's actually okay for larger gatherings because your lateness won't attract as much attention, and you've cleverly avoided the temptation of delicious food. For someone whose top priority is dieting, it's definitely worth a try.

Lovers' date, fine wine

Lovers, especially those deeply in love, often choose elegant restaurants for their dates. In that romantic atmosphere, they can easily unknowingly consume too many calories.

What to do in this situation? My advice is for couples to try to arrange dates that don't involve eating and drinking as much as possible. If you must eat, first tell your partner that you're on a diet, and then focus more on your partner than on the food.

What if your partner still insists on eating and drinking while you're trying to lose weight? If you're a newly dating couple, still in that awkward, pretentious phase, you can tell a little white lie, saying the restaurant isn't to your liking, then eat less, talk more, and try to understand them better. If you're already open and honest with each other, you can playfully say, "I've already told you I'm on a diet, and you still keep urging me to eat. Don't you support my diet? Don't you love me?" Then, steer the conversation away from the food.

Now, my boyfriend and I always have to go to a restaurant to celebrate special occasions. Each time, our focus is not on the food, but on each other. To put it a little cheesily, we are truly "satisfied with love," and we can date and lose weight at the same time.

In the context of exercise, the ultimate goal is to "move as much as possible at all times." As discussed in previous chapters, not having time to exercise is not an excuse.

Here are a few situations that often happen in our daily lives: we should be sitting still, but now that we're determined to lose weight, we insist on getting moving.

Exercise while making a phone call

This method is especially suitable for people who love to talk on the phone for a long time. Every time you answer the phone, you should stand up and then start doing simple exercises with a small range of motion, such as raising your legs and arms.

If it's a mobile phone, even better! Remember, "you have to make calls while moving." Go for a walk or brisk walk, preferably with headphones on. This frees up your arms, allowing you to walk and swing your arms while making the call. Exercise for as long as you talk.

Long and tedious meetings are held standing up.

Lengthy meetings are a huge waste of time and energy for weight loss, as you sit for hours on end. But if you're standing during the meeting, it's a completely different story. Afraid of being scolded by your boss for standing? You can deliberately arrive late, leaving no seats available; or you can tell your boss that you've eaten too much and are feeling sleepy while sitting, so standing will help you hear more clearly, and you'd be better off bringing a pen to take notes. Your boss will generally accept such requests.

Reading books and newspapers, posting on walls

Let's incorporate weight loss into our daily reading time! When reading books and newspapers, if you want to lose weight, stand up straight. It's even better if you're reading fashion magazines, as the weight of the magazines will also help strengthen your arms – a win-win situation! To maximize the weight loss effect of standing, make sure to straighten your back and tighten your calves, as if you have a wall to lean against.

Please do this when watching TV

After a long day at work, you want to lazily curl up on the sofa and become a "couch potato" watching TV? No way! Get up! And if you really want to lose weight, just standing up isn't enough to show your sincerity; you need to exercise while watching TV.

There are many exercises you can choose from while watching TV, including squats, dumbbell exercises, high knees, running in place, etc. But I suggest you don't count them. That is, don't count how many squats you did or how many dumbbell lifts you did. Just focus your attention on the TV program and exercise for the same amount of time you watch TV.

Let's create your weight loss plan together.

Now it's time to create your weight loss plan. The steps are simple: first, find a weight loss method that suits you, and then maximize its effectiveness. Again, I've included my personal weight loss plan for your reference; I hope you can all achieve even greater results than I did back then.

Food list:

Breakfast: A glass of milk (with whole grains) + a cup of coffee + a cup of yogurt

Lunch: A bottle of lactic acid beverage

Afternoon tea: Fruit (two oranges + one banana)

Dinner: None

Exercise list:

Morning: Standing on the bus for one hour

Midday: One-hour yoga class

Evening: 1 hour of running at the gym + 500 jump ropes, 1200 meters of swimming, and 8 kilometers of brisk walking.

To lose weight, you must go to the extreme.

When I need to work overtime, I'll go swimming first and then work on it. While swimming, I'll think about the tasks I need to handle later.

When I'm in a meeting, I'll stand the whole time, whether it's half a day or a whole day.

I will never allow myself to eat too much at gatherings, and I will avoid going if I can avoid it.

I now dedicate my lunch break entirely to exercise, and I no longer indulge in excessive eating and drinking with my colleagues.

I spend all my time exercising after get off work, and I refuse all meals, drinks, and dates while I'm on a diet!