How To Lose or Maintain Weight During Chinese New Year?

CNY Tip 1 – Start your day on a high! A breakfast that is high in protein, such as milk, chia seeds, eggs or quinoa. It will keep you feeling stuffed for a longer period of time, which makes it easier to fight off that pineapple tarts temptation.

CNY Tip 2 – Today’s tip is…eat slower and chew longer. The trick is to keep talking. So before The Relative fires you with a when-are-you-getting-attached/married/kids/a pet cat, fire first with when-are-you-retiring / how-much-savings-you-have / when-is-your-son-getting-attached/married/kids/a pet rat. Good yeah?

CNY Tip 3 – When you go for your house visit today, take to the floor! No we don’t mean break into a hip-hop dance but rather, stand or walk about to work off those calories. Besides, it’ll make you look good too when you offer your seat to the seniors. Who knows you might get more than an $8 angpow?

CNY Tip 4 – Before you reach out for that glossy piece of bak kwa, STOP! One slice of bak kwa is equivalent to a 47-min run. But…you need to eat something right?? Opt for mandarin oranges instead. You can binge on it and gain lots of Vitamin C instead of calories!

CNY Tip 5 – Opt to climb up and down the stairs instead of taking the lift. It’ll give you a natural glow to your skin too when you meet The Relatives.

CNY Tip 6 – Who can resist the all-night mahjong session for CNY? Down a cup of coffee/milo/horlicks with a teaspoon of maca powder and get ready to ‘pong’ the house down!

CNY Tip 7 – Give your yusheng dish a healthy twist by adding in some quinoa for added crunch and bite. Just remember to add quinoa AFTER you’ve tossed your yusheng high in the sky and chanted all your CNY well-wishes. You wouldn’t wanna see your quinoa goodness splattered all over the table and gone to waste!

CNY Tip 8 – Reunion dinners are such great feasts! Substitute white rice with quinoa or add quinoa to the steamboat for some crunch. It goes oh-so-well with intense flavours like pencai and ngoh hiang and roast meats and sauteed prawns and…ok you get the point.

CNY Tip 9 – With all the CNY goodies ambush in every household, how does one resist?? Easy! Carry some gum and chew away instead! That way, you’re actually ‘tricking’ your body to think you’re eating. You’ll have fresh breath all day while keeping away from all the calories while everyone else is smelling like hae bi hiam. Win!

CNY Tip 10 – We know there are times you have gotta eat something cos you’re at The In-laws. We suggest you borrow the tiny toddler’s plate and cutlery instead of using full-sized ones. It will ensure you take smaller portions and eat at a slower pace. Just remember to give toddler a big, fat, angpow in exchange for his plate and cutlery! ‪

CNY Tip 11 – Bring a CNY Survival Kit which is simply, a bottle of water full of chia seeds in them with some lemon juice. For every bite of a snack, take a big gulp of chia-lemon water and repeat till you’re full. Eating in moderation is as easy as that!

CNY Tip 12 – Keep a log of what you plan to eat with all the calories listed for the popular CNY goodies. A person’s daily calorie intake is between 2000-2500 kcal. Make sure you keep to your daily goals! FYI: 1 serving of yusheng is 561 kcal, 1 slice of Bak Kwa is 370 kcal and 3 pieces of pineapple tarts equals 246 kcal. Yes, the truth hurts, all that binge-ing comes with a price in the form of inches to your waist!

CNY Tip 13 – We know you cannot avoid the many rounds of feasting from the company to the in-laws to the relatives. And that you end up clutching your belly in grief because someone gave up his seat for you on the mrt thinking you’re pregnant. So we have this tip for you – prior to starting your meal, down a cup of green tea with chia seeds soaked in it. It will help to suppress your appetite so that you will eat lesser!

CNY Tip 14 – Impress your guests with your culinary creativity! Make a quinoa salad and toss in some bakkwa bits for an added CNY flavour. That way, you get to satisfy your yearly bakkwa craving and eat healthy at the same time. Be prepared for lots of compliments crowning you culinary god/goddess.

CNY Tip 15 – Steamboat dinners are such a hearty affair for families and it’s hard not to overeat! To keep yourself from OD-ing on steamboat dinners, start your feasting with vegetables first, then fish, then seafood/meat. You will find yourself putting down that pair of chopsticks sooner than you think.

And that concludes our CNY Survival Health Guide! But don’t stop applying these tips into your daily routine! Tips are contributed by the founders of Superlife Co! Enjoy reading!