Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist or personal trainer. These suggestions and all based on my experience, what works and what not.

* Calories in < calories out = fat loss

* YOU CANNOT, CANNOT SPOT REDUCE FAT! When you lose fat, they come off of your body in proportion. Genetics also play a role in where your fat comes off first.

* As long as your daily calories expense is higher than your calorie intake, you will be losing fat.

* 1 pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. Theoretically, if you create a -3500 calories per week (-500 per day), you will lose about 1 pound per week.

* Muscle does not turn into fat, and fat does not turn into muscle.

* Drink water! A lot of water! Dehydration sometimes make you feel hungry. Here’s a way to tell if you’re dehydrated or not—look at the color of your urine. The yellow-er it is, the more dehydrated you are. You want the color to look clear like water! :)

* Some tips that help me stay on track and stay motivated:

…Plan ahead. I always do better when I plan what I will be eating everyday and what workouts I will do for the week. Pre-cooking and packing food also help me not to get distracted by fastfood or other less healthy options when I’m on the run.

…Keep fruit and veggie in sight and unhealthy food out of sight. I realized that when I see fruits on the table or in visible spots in the fridge, I am more likely to eat it. I also hide snacks on the top, top shelves where I cannot reach (unless using a stool). Once fruit is tucked away in the drawers, I sometimes forget about them.

Workout:

1. Cardio burns more calories than strength training, so cardio exercises are great to create a calorie deficit.

2. Cardio exercises are the ones that raise your heart rate for a longer period of time, such as running/jogging/walking, swimming, jumping rope, dancing, jump squats and jump lunges (almost everything that involves jumping or constantly moving)

3. Strength training tones your muscle and gives you a lean look. So an effective workout plan should incorporate both cardio training AND strength training. I don’t have a gym membership and I don’t have free weights with me for now, so I only do body-weight exercise (such as plank, various forms of push-ups and crunches, squats, lunges, butt lifts, etc).

4. If you’re looking for tips on lifting weight, I would suggest checking out Muffin Top-less’ tumblr. She’s adorable and lifts weight like a real woman!

5. Pick exercises that work MULTIPLE muscle groups (such as planks, pushups, burpees)

6. If you like working out in the morning but sometimes lack motivation, try sleeping in your workout gear. I wear sports bra and yoga pants to bed.

7. When I don’t feel like working out, I change into sporting gear anyways. And then I would start watching Insanity videos. Then I always magically have motivation again.

Diet:

1. It’s not necessary for everyone to count calories, and you don’t have to count calories to lose weight. But you do want to make sure that you eat clean (eat healthy!) and get all the nutrition that your body needs

2. You don’t have to count calories, but you must read the nutrition labels before you buy groceries! It’s essential to look at the ingredients. For example, some “whole grain” bread also has white flour in them. Some fruit juice may have extremely high sugar content. Some food might include ingredients that you’ve never heard of. Some food unexpectedly has very high sodium. Read the label. Know what you’re eating.

3. Your body needs carbohydrates, proteins, AND fat. All are necessary in your diet. It is important to choose healthy carbs, protein, and fat sources though.

4. Food with high calorie doesn’t mean it’s bad. Food with low calorie doesn’t mean it’s healthy. “MODERATION IS KEY.”

5. When I plan my diet, I always leave some room for delicious snack—something that I absolutely enjoy. Such as marshmellow rice krispie treats, chocolate bars, ice cream, crackers, etc. However, CONSUME THEM IN MODERATION! I never have more than 2 servings of these less healthy snack.

6. When buying snacks, pick out the smallest packet possible. Even better if each serving is pre-packed so you don’t lose count of how much you’re eating.