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10 Tips to Lose Weight in 6 Months

After years of trying various diet programs and failing, I finally managed to lose weight to 10 kg in 6 (six months).

Starting in October 2016, when the scale of the needle showed 87 kg, at the end of March 2017, Alhamdulillah, it had shrunk to 77 kg.

I chose not to focus on specific diet programs such as the mayo diet, the ketone diet, or the OCD diet, because usually, such diet programs are only useful for a short period. I am more motivated to look for a more moderate way but can be lived more consistently.

I created this article to share tips that I live by myself; mainly, I dedicate it to my family and close friends, and hopefully, it can be an inspiration to emulate or even better.

There is nothing new or extreme. The recipe remains on a combination of dietary regulation, active movement, and adequate rest.

let’s start the diet tips :

 

1.  Cut Portions of Rice Into Half of Normal

Cut Portions of Rice Into Half of Normal
Cut Portions of Rice Into Half of Normal

This is the most classic tips, which certainly exist in any diet tips, but unfortunately, inevitably it still has to be done

To get fast weight loss, we must focus on white rice, which has become a significant suspect subscription diet program.

At first, I reduce it to half a plate, then gradually to one third (except for breakfast it’s still about half to 2/3 plates), and sometimes replace it with other carbohydrate sources (such as sweet potatoes, oats, whole wheat bread, or other types of rice with a lower glycemic index such as brown rice or basmati rice).

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We can fill the empty part of our plate (after being left by the white rice earlier) with more fibrous vegetables (don’t fill it with instant noodles, huh?)

 

2. Fewer and Early Dinner

early dinner
early dinner
(Image Source: https://jezebel.com)

Learning from the failure of the previous diet program, I deliberately chose to keep eating dinner, even though various diet tips generally recommend skipping dinner for quick weight loss.

However, I make it a habit to eat dinner early, just before sunset, with a smaller portion of lunch. Remember that our body’s metabolism slows down at night, so the body doesn’t need a lot of calories when we sleep. As the western saying goes

“EAT BREAKFAST LIKE A KING, LUNCH LIKE A PRINCE AND DINNER LIKE A PAUPER”

When using rice, I limit just one-third of the plate, and once in a while, I replace dinner with only fruit. If still hungry, in addition to fruit, may be accompanied by a handful of nuts (a handful of ya, not a jar, he2x), choose healthy nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or cashews. If bored with beans, to complement the fruit, I sometimes replace it with a piece of dark chocolate (choose dark chocolate with levels above 60%, do not select sweet milk chocolate)

 

3. Choose the type of food that is low in calories and fibrous.

which one do you choose, donut or papaya?
which one do you choose, donut or papaya?

In addition to reducing portions, choose the type of food that is low in calories but high in nutrients and fiber.

Considering the calorie density and the rate of food conversion to glucose and or body fat is different. If you have to choose, it is better to have a lot of volume (portion) of food, but it is easily removed again by the body than the size of food is small but directly converted into fat reserves.

With this principle, compared to 100 grams of sweet donuts with about 400 calories, for example, with the same weight, I prefer 100 grams of papaya with about 40 calories. (One tenth you know  !!!)

So, avoid or at least reduce the types of foods that are high in calorie density. In addition to sweet, high-calorie-density foods, usually tasty and full of fat, such as fried foods, or foods with coconut milk. (ouch damn .., those are all my favorite foods)

Specifically for fibrous foods (such as fruits and vegetables), we will get a double benefit, in addition to satiating (and reducing our potential to eat other foods), also more easily excreted and at the same time also helps encourage digestion from different types of food to make it easier to remove from our body (don’t keep it in the trash …, he2x)

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Also read:

10 Superfoods That Are Easily Provided Everyday at Home

 

4. Say No To Sugar

Say "No" to Sugar
Say “No” to Sugar
(Image Source : www.republika.co.id – modified)

I have truly said goodbye to sugar, both regular-sugar, diet-sugar, and various other types of food and beverages with high sugar.

This also means a declaration of war on all kinds of cakes, donuts, sweet martabak, sweets, all kinds of bottled juices, packaged teas, especially soft drinks.

For the morning coffee or tea ritual, I replace two spoons of sugar with one spoon of honey.

When ordering juice at a restaurant, I begin to change my habits, from what I was trying to compromise, by asking for a little sugar and milk, to no sugar or milk at all. (the taste is sour of course, huh, but over time, we will get used to it)

 

5. Say No to Snacking

Say "No" to snacking
Say “No” to snacking
(Image Source : www.masterfile.com – modified)

Snacking is also the main enemy of the diet, especially if the type of food that becomes snack is chips or fried foods, the key is not to start at all, because a handful of chips will usually be followed by a second, third and so on grips to a minimum of half a jar (let’s admit … he2x)

or a piece of fried with cayenne, for example, it will usually be immediately followed by the second and third slices (by removing the first hot chili pepper )

Eat enough three times a day, get rid of the habit of snacking while typing on a computer, especially while watching TV, even if forced to, replace the types of snacks with fruits (with a limited portion …)

 

6.  Active Moving, Minimum 5000 Steps a Day

Active Moving, Minimum 5000 Steps a Day
Active Moving, Minimum 5000 Steps a Day

This sounds easy, but the hardest part is not the walking, but the fight against “laziness”.

Compared to getting up earlier and then walking early in the morning, it is far more comfortable pulling a blanket to continue the dream last night. But rest assured, once you get used to walking, the body will “charge” to be moved, especially when it has been too long to sit or lie down.

Recommendations from various good health literature are a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. But instead of setting targets too high, which may be demotivating, better targets are more achievable but consistent.

Goals like this are enough to change my past bad habits, for example when arriving at the airport for a trip, usually, first I immediately look for the most comfortable chair, then sit relaxed while reading the newspaper and snacking on chocolate, but now I prefer to walk around the airport at least 20 minutes before sitting (without snacking, of course, he2x).

 

7. 30 Minutes of Sports, Minimum of 3 Times a Week

30 Minutes of Sports, Minimum of 3 Times a Week

This also sounds like a cliche, but no diet works without exercise.

Many obstacles that we need to overcome to undergo regular exercise. For office workers, allocating time amid busy work is a challenge in itself, especially in big cities like Jakarta, where a struggle to overcome congestion takes an average of more than two hours.

But as the saying goes, “if there is a will, there is a way”, the key is a will, commitment, and consistency. Many choices can be taken, some friends choose to go biking to the office for example (join the “bike to work” community), some choose to come to the office a little early to run in the morning, or there are also those who join the gym after office hours.

Investment in sports equipment at home, such as a static bicycle or treadmill can also be considered if it is difficult to allocate time for exercise outside the home.

in my case, because I am currently living in a smaller city, choosing some simple and accidentally available sports, such as a morning walk about 5 Km before office hours, bicycles once a week, gymnastics every Friday morning, and occasionally playing badminton. (frequency and duration need not be excessive, the important thing is routine)

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8  Enough Sleep

Enough Sleep
Enough Sleep
(Image Source : www.pinterest.com)

The duration and quality of sleep are very important because this is closely related to our body’s metabolism. The peak of burning body fat occurs when we sleep.

Lack of sleep can result in disruption of metabolism and the balance of the hormones ghrelin and leptin. The hormone ghrelin is tasked with storing fat reserves in the body if the body lacks sleep, then the amount of the hormone will increase to result in an increase in fat storage in the body, in addition to the leptin hormone which signals when we need to stop eating decreases, thus triggering hunger and tempting us to eat more.

More details about this can be read in various health literature, one of which I chose from www.health.com, read here

So sleep at least 7 hours a day is an essential part of the success of our diet.

9. Use Measuring Tools

Weight before and after diet
Hurray, down 10 Kg !

I use simple measuring devices such as scales and tailor meters for routine monitoring of weight loss and waist circumference. Besides these two tools, I also use simple health applications that are widely available on smartphones to measure the number of steps daily.

This simple measuring instrument is proven effective to increase motivation when one indicator, for example, the scales show the opposite direction, it can be an alarm to return consistently to the diet program being undertaken, or when the number of daily steps just indicates the number thousand, it can change the choice of activities that we have planned, for example, from the intention of watching TV to going to the mall (to the mall for a walk, not hang out while eating ice cream, he2x)

 

10. Invite Friends or Family to Motivate Each Other

Weight Loss Challenge
Weight Loss Challenge
(Image Source : www.peqtwp.com)

Staying on a regular diet and exercise program is a formidable challenge amid the onslaught of junk food and the feeling of laziness and boredom that often comes suddenly. Especially if the surrounding environment is not supportive, offers “snacks” from friends who have good intentions, or an invitation to a dinner party can sometimes make our diets fail miserably and have to start from zero again.

Therefore, it is crucial to create an appropriate and mutually motivating environment, taking part in a weight-loss contest at the office, for example, can be an excellent first step.

in my case, invite my wife and close family to make a kind of weight loss competition to create a conducive climate and motivate each other.

Likewise, tips for weight loss tips, which proved effective. At least for my case, for the first time since a dozen years ago, I finally had an almost flat stomach, weighing under 80 kg. (still need to fight until the ideal body weight, which for my height, around 74 kg).

Now I have received a reward commensurate with the 6-month struggle, my body feels lighter, my body fitter, and choosing suitable clothes is far more enjoyable than before.

Besides a fitter body and increased stamina, many other “unpleasant side effects” are obtained … (which doesn’t need to be discussed here, hex)

 

Discipline and Consistency

But of course, far more important than all these tips is to continue to run with discipline and consistency. After gaining the ideal body weight, the next challenge is to maintain it.

Therefore what is important in this diet program is to make healthy lifestyles as ingrained habits so that instead of being a burden, this healthy lifestyle will become a necessity.

So one day, if someone comments when looking at the contents of our food plates, we can answer them with the following quote:

“YES, I AM TRYING TO EAT HEALTHY, NO, I AM NOT ON A DIET ….. I AM CHANGING MY LIFESTYLE…”

because, its not about a short term diet, but its a long term lifestyle change 

Let’s start a healthy lifestyle… (starting today, not “tomorrow” …..)

Also read:

18 Tips for a Healthy and Fit Life

This post is also available in: Indonesian

Daniel
Danielhttps://danieel.id
Lahir di Palembang pada bulan November 1981, saya menyelesaikan S1 di Jurusan Teknik Kimia Universitas Sriwijaya, dan S2 Master of Business Administration (MBA) di Sekolah Bisnis Management Institut Teknologi Bandung (SBM-ITB). Bekerja di salah satu BUMN dan tinggal di daerah Jakarta Selatan.

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