3 Tips On How To Lose Fats & Gain Muscles At The Same Time

There is a misconception that in weight loss, it means you’re losing fat. But that might not be the case. Your body’s weight consists of your muscle, fat and water – so sometimes it’s not just the fat that’s going away. Fluid-loss often fluctuates but losing muscle, is a bad thing. With the loss of muscle, it has a negative impact on your strength and endurance. Your metabolism rate and insulin sensitivity will also be affected, which means that your body won’t be as efficient when it comes to burning fat!

The goal to successful weight loss is through losing fats, not muscles. To do this, one must have an appropriate exercise plan, a balanced diet and avoid a too large calorie deficit. And the good news is: You can build muscle and burn fat at the same time!

1, Eat more protein

Protein is the primary nutrition for creating new tissue. Studies have shown that eating plenty of protein helps increase muscle mass and strength. So when you’re going on diets or cutting down on your calories, be sure not to cut protein sources! Aim to include at least 25-30 grams of protein in every meal. Protein can come from many edibles like meat, eggs, fish and many more!

Besides, protein helps to maintain weight loss too. High protein diets help to boost metabolism and reduces calorie intake and cravings. So your body will be able to burn calories efficiently while feeling fuller for an extended period of time. This means less snacking!

2. Strength Training

To build your muscles, you have to train and strengthen them. Strength Training involves using resistance exercises to build strength and muscle mass, for example – Lifting weights. When you lift weights, it causes your muscle to tear and break down, and when they rebuild themselves, it’ll be stronger and bigger than before. If you’re a newbie in lifting weights, you will see the results very quickly! It is recommended to have at least two days of resistance training per week.

Subsequently, you can try combining your resistance training with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It involves short periods of intense exercise alternately with recovery periods. Remember, you have to be consistent with your training to see the results you want!

3. Get enough sleep

Sufficient sleep is crucial when it comes to increasing muscle mass. The lack of sleep decreases hormones such as testosterone and insulin that help your body recover or regenerate. Thus, leading to muscle loss. That’s the opposite we’re trying to achieve here!

When you are deprived of sleep, there are changes to hormones that help regulate your appetite. Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, is released and this causes an increase in food intake and promotes fat storage.

According to a study, it is proven that the lack of sleep will hinder energy levels, causing us to have mood swings. Our emotional state can directly affect our athletic performance; thus, it is best to get proper sleep before training or working out.

The lack of sleep does not only affect your muscle growth, but it also has a negative effect on fat loss.

Conclusion

Losing fat while gaining muscles is a process, so remember to be patient! Everybody’s body works differently, so don’t get discouraged if you see slow progress. To speed it up, you can consider trying out Slim Couture’s TCM slimming treatments. With our weight loss program, you can look forward to losing weight healthily and improve your circulatory system.

Why You Shouldn’t Embark on Your K-Pop Idols’ Extreme Diets

The moment the Hallyu wave crashed into the shores of Singapore, most of us couldn’t help but fall in love with the catchy beats and impressive outfits that K-pop has to offer. And once you’ve fully invested your time in K-pop, it’s hard to leave this genre. Soon, you find yourself discovering new girl and boy groups to stan, as you dance along to their latest hits in the secret confines of your room.

Then, you’re exposed to headlines and comments of idols with an “ant waist” or a “golden ratio” physique. Even a quick search online would enlighten you on their exact height, weight and measurements from their waist to their feet. As you get increasingly curious about how they maintain their weight, you might have come to find out about their extreme diets.

What are crash diets?

A crash diet is when you follow a restrictive meal plan like the IU diet, which merely consists of an apple, two sweet potatoes and a protein shake for breakfast, lunch and dinner – respectively. These three meals amount to around 700 calories, depending on the protein shake.

Even though the IU diet concerned most fans over South Korean singer IU’s eating habits, some have embarked on this challenge in an attempt to lose weight, fast. And although they’ve shed a significant amount of weight in a matter of a week, here’s why you shouldn’t undergo crash diets:

It reduces your metabolic rate

Since you’re drastically cutting down on your regular portion sizes, this translates to a lesser number of calories consumed daily. However, you’re likely to realise that you’ll feel tired quickly. This is because limiting your calorie intake burns muscles, which significantly impacts your metabolic rate.

It causes irritation, extreme hunger and fatigue

Often, the best weight loss program consists of a harmonious combination of carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables. Meanwhile, crash diets pale in comparison as it’s nutritionally unbalanced. The drop in blood sugar levels leads to feelings of lethargy and irritation. It also causes you to lose touch with the ability you once had to function normally due to lack of concentration. As your body craves for more food, you’re likely to feel hungry most of the time, especially since the minuscule amount of food you consume won’t suffice.

It has a yo-yo effect

After a few days, you might begin to see changes in your weight. And as you proceed to eat like you usually do, don’t be surprised by the sudden weight gain. Going through a crash diet deprives you of your daily food routine, so when you go on and off this diet, you’re causing your weight to fluctuate rapidly and irregularly. As extreme as these diets are, they’re also highly unsustainable in the long run.

Healthier alternatives to crash dieting

Having a fast solution to a long-term problem is very tempting. However, crash diets definitely aren’t designed to be a long-term fix for your daily diet, and it should never be done without consulting a dietician.

As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. As much as we want to attain our desired weight quickly, our physical health and mental wellbeing should never be compromised. Instead, start small by introducing more greens to your daily meals. And if you find that your current lifestyle is too sedentary, then spice it up by committing to a daily workout routine. Of course, change isn’t going to happen overnight. But over time, you’d start noticing results! Like fitting into a pair of jeans you once had to hold your breath for, or achieving a fitness milestone.

On the other hand, TCM slimming is also a great and all-natural way to lose weight without worrying about harming yourself. This treatment offers targeted slimming at areas where fats commonly accumulate, such as your lower stomach area, arms and thighs.

At Slim Couture, our in-house suction tools help stimulate the circulation of Qi, which brings about many benefits like increasing your metabolic rate! If you’d like to find out more about this treatment, contact us via +65 6534 0747!

4 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight & How To Overcome Them

Keeping to an exercise regime while watching your diet, in pursuit of weight loss is easier said than done. When the results don’t come as quickly as we had hoped, it’s inevitable for feelings of disappointment to arise. But have you wondered what exactly is keeping you from losing weight? Identifying and addressing these sneaky problems could help ignite your progress. So, here are some possible reasons why you might not be losing weight, as well as tips to overcome them.

1. You lack quality sleep

If you want to lose weight effectively, you’d need to ensure a good night’s rest with at least seven hours of sleep. This is because lack of sleep could make you feel hungry more regularly. Also, when you feel more tired, you’re less likely to have the energy to move around more often, which results in burning lesser calories.

To clock in more hours of good sleep, avoid drinking caffeinated beverages several hours before bedtime. Try to be consistent with the time you sleep and the time you get up each day too, to set a mental routine for your body.

2. You lead a sedentary lifestyle

With most of us still working remotely, our outside activities have reduced significantly. To add on to that, it means that we’re sitting down most of the time. Unfortunately, logging in an hour of exercise only at the end of work, might not be enough to compensate for the time spent being sedentary.

Instead, what you can do is to get moving within your four walls. While working, set a timer as a reminder for you to get moving every hour, for at least two minutes. You can jog on the spot or pace around your house. This way, you’re also getting more walking steps.

3. You’re under too much stress

Feeling too stressed and gaining weight go hand in hand. One of the many reasons is your eating habits. Whenever you’re under too much pressure, you tend to find yourself reaching for “comfort foods” that are often high in sugar, sodium and fat. Even if you don’t let your cravings get the best of you, stress can still stall weight loss through the overproduction of cortisol, which slows down your metabolism.

Check in with yourself throughout the day to take note of how you’re feeling. Dedicate 10 to 20 minutes of mindful medication. Aside from feeding the soul, don’t forget to consume balanced meals that are full of nutrition.

4. You’re experiencing a plateau

As your body gets used to the type of workout you’ve been doing, it’s natural for you to experience a weight loss plateau. By performing the same workout routine over again, your body will end up burning fewer calories than it initially did. And as you step on the scale each day, you’d begin feeling frustrated over how still your weight is.

To tackle this, try varying the type of workouts you do. Don’t just stick to cardio, try brisk walking or cycling a bicycle. Ironically, a lack of calories can also be a root cause. When you’re not consuming enough food, your body will end up conserving calories instead of burning them.

Healthy bodies look different on everyone. As you strive towards your desired weight, take a break from the rigorous workout routines, and try out our TCM slimming treatment instead. It incorporates the use of TCM for safe and natural-looking results without undergoing strict diets. In one single treatment, you’re unlocking a host of benefits such as weight loss, stress relief, improved sleep and many more – making it the best slimming treatment for you.

We’re currently open for business! But as we’re still amid Phase 2, there are safe distancing measures put in place to ensure a safe environment. Give us a call for any enquiries. In the meantime, we look forward to enriching your journey to weight loss.

The Importance Of Getting Good Quality Sleep For Weight Loss

To some, losing weight might seem like a long journey. And in order to get there, one would need to exercise regularly on top of eating healthily.

But one factor you should never overlook is getting sufficient sleep each night, which is something most Singaporeans don’t seem to be getting. Based on the data garnered by Fitbit, Singapore is the third most sleep-deprived country, with an average of 7 hours 5 minutes sleep each night.

So, if you’ve been wanting to live a healthier lifestyle, here are three main reasons why you should strive to have an adequate amount of sleep each night.

1. Poor sleep can lead to an increase in appetite

Not sleeping enough can compromise your dieting efforts by disrupting the balance of ghrelin and leptin, which are hormones responsible for your appetite. While ghrelin gives you the signal to eat, the latter indicates when you should stop eating.

Ghrelin levels decrease at night since your body does not need a lot of energy when you’re sleeping. Meanwhile, levels of leptin will increase to minimise your hunger signals. But if you lack sleep, you might end up with too much ghrelin in your system, which could fool your body into eating more. Simultaneously, the drop in leptin levels can leave you feeling hungrier. As a result, you could end up gaining weight.

2. A decrease in sleep can heighten stress levels

Sleep deprivation might trigger the body to produce more stress hormones, also known as cortisol. Not only does it trigger stress-related weight gain, but it also whets your cravings. Think about it, anytime you feel stressed, have you ever craved for anything sweet or greasy to indulge in? More than often, these cravings won’t leave you alone unless you’ve satisfied your cravings.

3. Sleep deprivation slows down metabolism

Have you ever wondered how someone can eat so much food without gaining weight? It could be due to their high metabolic rate! And attaining a higher metabolism relies on your high muscle mass as well, making exercise an integral part of weight loss. This is because when we move and sweat through working out, our muscles will sustain little tears, which triggers them to repair itself. By doing so, it’ll eventually increase your muscle mass which also boosts metabolism.

There’s a catch! For your muscles to self-repair, you’d need at least seven hours of sleep each night. Suppose you commit to a weight loss program, without factoring in sleep into the mix. In that case, you might end up getting average results despite the maximum effort.

Get the most out of your weight loss journey

Achieving a healthy weight revolves around healthy eating and regular movement. But sometimes, it’s not as simple as it seems. For instance, you desire to move and sleep more, but it might seem out of reach – and there’s a valid reason for it! In a day, you’re simultaneously trying to live your life, while exercising or working in between that you might forget to even sleep enough. Or maybe, you might not realise how essential sleep is in your fitness efforts.

But that’s not to say that you still can’t lose weight! In fact, you can consider embarking on an alternative weight loss journey through Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). At Slim Couture, our TCM slimming treatments make use of healthy and safe techniques to help you achieve your desired weight.