1 Go to Sleep
Probably the easiest one on the list, and yet so many of us find it impossible to get the recommended 7-8 hours of snooze time each night. Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that affect our appetite. Lack of sleep throws this off, causing leptin levels to drop—making you feel less full—and ghrelin levels to rise—stimulating more stomach growls. Meaning: one sleepless night can leave you with a serious attack of the munchies the next day. Hallmark’s memory foam pillows (B1,085, try 5/F Emporium Department Store, Sukhumvit Soi 24, 02-269-1000) can aid your quest for Z’s as they conform to your head and neck’s shape, for an uninterrupted night of sweet dreams.
2 Chug the H20
Apart from suppressing your appetite, drinking sufficient amounts of water also allows the body to burn unwanted fat much easier and faster. The recommended daily amount of H20 is about 2-3 liters. Track your intake with a colorful 350 milliliter bottle (B250) from Loft (3/F Siam Discovery Center, 989 Rama 1 Rd. 02-658-0328).
3 Eat Lo-Cal
Weight loss is about change, not deprivation. With only 25 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving, an entire container of Cool Whip (B195, try Villa Market, Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 Sukhumvit Rd., 02-662-0372) isn’t as damaging as a piece of chocolate cake (235 calories). Time to start reading labels!
4 Hold the Rice
Since it’s so expensive these days, why not limit yourself to just one meal a day? Blasphemy, we know. But say it with us, “White rice is sugar and sugar is white rice”. We’ll spare you the science but know that the two have the same effect on the body’s fat storing ability. Next time you are enjoying Thai cuisine at restaurants like Ban Khun Mae (458/6-9 Siam Square, Soi 8, Rama 1 R., 02-501-952-3), replace the high glucose substance with veggies like pak bung or pad pak.
5 Lighten Up on Dinner
Make your evening meal the smallest. We shouldn’t take in as much fuel for dinner as there aren’t many hours left before sleeping. Anything the body hasn’t burned off is stored as—you guessed it—fat! Swing by The Gourmet Market (5/F, Emporium, 622 Sukhumvit, 02-269-1000) and pick up Otago’s instant soup (B54/box). It’s an easy way to go light with 20 calories and 0 grams of fat per serving.
6 Friendly Fruits and Fiber
Not into soi fruit? (www.tops.co.th) sell pre-chopped fruit for roughly B10-60 a pack. Snacking on pineapple and mango throughout the day will not only save on calories from the communal cookie jar, it also gives your body the fiber it needs to stabilize your appetite.
7 Embrace Cardio
It is time we face a cold hard fact. If you want your ass to shrink, you have got to move it. Putting your bum in motion will kick start your metabolism and put you on the road to burning fat. Start slow and choose an at-home workout routine from www.fitnessandbodyimage.com and start breaking a sweat three times a week.
8 Sip the Spirits
Distilled spirits such as vodka, gin, rum and whiskey won’t make you gain weight as they contain no sugar, no fat, and no carbs. Instead, they stall the slimming process as the body burns alcohol first, and then stored fat. But if you must drink, banish “tonic” from your vocabulary and opt for one of the above with soda water—or Coke Zero. And while we’re on the subject…
9 Two-Drink Maximum
This has nothing to do with alcohol’s effect on the fat burning process but how the magic juice can impair judgment. You could have had a perfect day, drank all your water, ate your veggies, but now seven zero-carb/zero-fat whiskey sodas later, you’re at the McDonald’s counter ordering a combo meal. Excess tends to lead to excess and there’s no denying it.
10 Be Realistic!
It is most important to realize that you won’t look like Cameron Diaz in four weeks. (OK, our headline was a tad misleading.) But, if you can stick to the above nine steps for a month, you really will see a change in your body—a lasting one that is. Wendy Shanker’s The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life (B750, try Asia Books, 221, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-252-7277. www.asiabooks.com) will further assist you get a grasp on reality. Now, show the Ministry of Culture your backside and go buy yourself that tiny bikini!
