7-Day Weight Loss Diet Plan in Singapore
Eating healthy in Singapore is expensive and extremely inconvenient - Do you agree?
We, at BMF certainly don’t think so! With a few informed choices, you can make a big difference in your daily eating habits for better health and weight-loss!
We’ll show you how to pick healthier food choices for your meals, and even provide you with an easy to follow the 7-day meal plan below to hit your health and weight goals.
Singapore and its Weight Issues
The Singapore Government officially declared war on Diabetes as alarming statistics started to show that Singaporeans have an issue with obesity, and the myriad of health problems that entails - such as diabetes, stroke and heart diseases.
A multi-year strategy was rolled out, featuring campaigns encouraging good eating habits and exercises to drive home the message that people need to start thinking of weight management or weight-loss, as obesity is usually the gateway to diabetes. A few examples of these campaigns are the Health Promotion Board’s Healthy 365 App to clock points whenever a healthier choice is made, and the National Steps Challenge™ to incentivise a more active lifestyle; all in a bid to reverse figures of Singaporeans getting diagnosed with diabetes in their lifetime.
This was after a 2014 review of a National Health Survey that saw 1.7 million Singaporeans being at risk of Obesity-related diseases, based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23 or greater. Are you a part of the statistic? You might not have noticed the intrinsic everyday factors that may be contributing to your weight gain. Read on to find out more.
Different Times, Different Challenges to Losing Weight
If you’re noticing that it's getting harder to lose weight, and chalked it up to old age, you might want to dig a little deeper into this.
Have you considered yourself being less active than the years before? With advanced technology and infrastructure such as several train stations popping up everywhere in Singapore, your daily movement or active minutes may have decreased considerably.
Instead of walking out to hail taxis, ride-hailing apps like Grab and Gojek have eliminated the need for that. Spending more time indoors shopping online instead of hitting the malls? Ordering in take-out from delivery apps instead of heading out for meals or preparing them from scratch?
While technology has definitely made life so much more convenient for us all, you’d have to admit, life for us Singaporeans has gotten a tad more sedentary - we may be clocking lesser steps, leading less active lives while still consuming the same or higher amount of calories.
In fact, 6 in 10 Singaporeans ate more calories daily than what is recommended.[1] This is not surprising as well seeing the influx of more food choices in Singapore over the years. Case in point: Bubble tea - a prime example of how an innocuous sweet treat, like the latest craze of Brown Sugar Milk Tea with Pearls can actually contain 441 calories; Easily 1 quarter of your daily recommended calorie intake, gone.
Things do seem to be looking up though, as a more recent 2018 report indicated a decrease of overweight Singaporeans by 3.9%! People are also starting to be more health-conscious as evidenced by the trend of ketogenic recipes, reports and testimonials sweeping through social media and news outlets.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
Carbohydrates have gained notoriety over the years as the reason people are gaining weight, especially when our lives are getting increasingly sedentary. The Ketogenic Diet, also known by its shortened form – Keto, is a low-carb and high-fat diet that helps your body to efficiently burn fat for energy. This is done through a metabolic process called Ketosis where carbohydrate stores are depleted and the body relies on fat stores for energy, leading to weight loss.
The Keto diet has been known to lower blood sugar and insulin levels as well, making it a popular diet but difficult one to adhere to for people who love their Asian food staples such as noodles or rice!
One way to tackle this problem would be a few ingenious swaps for food – such as pulsed cauliflower in place of white rice. Click here for a keto-friendly, low-carb fried rice recipe recommended by BMF’s Head of Nutrition - Chia Siew Meng, which garnered very positive reviews from people who tried it and found the dish very similar to the texture of rice.
The Keto Diet in Singapore – How?
Majority of hawker food staples such as chicken rice, fishball noodles or economic rice, are carbohydrate heavy - a nightmare for people practicing keto diets. Before you start ordering soup only, some carbs are essential for maintaining energy levels, so don’t be too quick to go all out on a “No Carb” diet!
You wouldn’t want to be lethargic the entire day and go about doing your work in a haze yes? Don’t jeopardise your health and mood by cutting out carbohydrates completely.
Weight gain only occurs when you consume surplus carbohydrates as you don’t expend the energy through exercise or your daily active lifestyle. The key is moderation – smaller portions of carbs, spaced out throughout the day. This way you don’t need to go cold turkey, and still enjoy your favourite foods.
Remember, the Keto diet specifies low-carb and high-fat intake, not zero carb intake. That being said, the Keto diet isn’t a green light for you to eat fried chicken or other unhealthy fats. Healthy unsaturated fats such as avocados and olive oil are great examples of the fats you should take while doing a Keto diet. Avoid saturated fats or processed food high in fat as they are linked to heart diseases, and would be counterproductive to your weight-loss goals and health.
Here are 3 Weight-loss tips you can do NOW:
1. Follow this 7-day Weight-loss Meal Plan
BMF team of Nutritionists has meticulously placed together a low-carb 7-day meal plan that consists of local delicacies and food items that are easily available to you. There’s no need to head to expensive eateries that cater specifically to keto diets anymore, as the meal plan shows you the options you can get at the hawker centre.
Curated to ensure you get your necessary nutrients and calories to get through your day without hunger pangs or fatigue, this meal plan is set to kick-start your decline on the weighing scale.
2. Make Simple, Healthier Choices
Pick foods that are cooked with healthier methods such as baking, boiling or steaming. Try to avoid processed foods as they are usually higher in sodium and saturated fats. A reduction in carb intake is also recommended, to avoid weight gain.
There is no need to give up on your favourite foods completely when on the keto diet, or any diet for that matter. Take this opportunity to experiment with different, healthier alternative ingredients; you never know whether you’ll stumble upon your new favourite version of the dish!
A few ideas for carb replacements:
- Zucchini or carrot strips instead of spaghetti to cook pasta
- Wrap popiah with lettuce instead of popiah skin
- Use mushrooms or eggplant filets as a mini –pizza base
- Swap flour with protein powder
- Pulse broccoli or cauliflower as a substitute for rice
- Air-fry or bake kale or spinach as a replacement for chips
As your diet may not consist of much food high in fats to achieve the high-fat criteria for the Keto diet, there are some ways you can hit the fat intake without forcing yourself to eat more in volume. Examples are nutrient-dense and high-fat food items such as an avocado smoothie or adding MCT oil into your coffee.
3. Get an Expert’s Opinion
Have you been working out, and eating right, but still not losing weight? It is time to seek an expert opinion, and visit a certified Nutritionist to assess your nutritional needs and gaps.
A certified Nutritionist would be able to advise on your current diet and work closely with you to recommend meal plans and food options to optimise your health and weight-loss efforts. They would be able to provide you with an in-depth look into the food you are consuming and recommend options personalised to your lifestyle and preferences.
Bite the bullet today and make an appointment with us. Our team of Nutritionists at BMF has extensive consulting experience and is certified members of the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association (SNDA). Your weight-loss goals are within closer reach with the team by your side guiding you step by step, working together with our body treatments, personalised to meet your body goals. To find out more, you may reach out to us at https://www.bmf.com.sg/workshops#second