How to lose weight the healthy way
The Australian Taekwon-Do team in Inzell for the World Championships Germany 2019. Can you spot me in this photo? [Photo from International Taekwon-Do Federation]
Hey everyone, do you all remember how poorly I felt during my preparation for my Taekwondo competition earlier this year? Well, I’m happy to say that I may have found the key to sustainable weight loss and fitness.
If you recall, for my first competition of the year, which was in Melbourne, I was lethargic all the time. I had very little energy and constantly felt exhausted. It was because I was losing weight for the wrong reason – I felt my ego was on the line if I couldn’t make weight. Therefore, I was focusing excessively on the numbers on the scales instead of thinking about my long-term health.
This time, having sorted out my priorities, I used a completely new line of attack to lose weight for the World Championship in Inzell, Germany. The difference of having an improved outlook was astounding and it showed.
Rather than restricting my calorie intake to the point of starvation – I was barely able to train as a result of this, which frankly doesn’t work for anyone who leads an active lifestyle – I started planning well-balanced meals with the right amounts of carbohydrates, lean protein and vegetables. This made all the difference in the way my body felt. I was energetic and was able to train harder and more frequently. More importantly, I did not have to rely on coffee for borrowed energy the way I used to.
One massive distinction I noticed was how great I felt during my flight to Europe and in the few days I spent in other German cities with my partner, Donna, before heading to Inzell by train. Even though I didn’t make it every far in the competition, having been eliminated in the first round of both forms and sparring, I didn’t feel like death warmed over the entire time. Instead, I just felt like regular old me.
And that was a hugely noticeable difference. I had dropped down to 62.5 kg, a weight I can’t normally maintain, and it should have left me feeling exhausted and starving constantly, but it didn’t. Mind you, I did struggle when lugging Donna’s and my luggage around in Europe (something I offered to do to try and drop a sneaky few hundred grams before the weigh in), but I think that was due to the loss of muscle mass I sustained as a result of taking a break from weight training.
Now that I’ve figured out the key to lose weight and still have energy to exercise and train, my target is to control my weight at 64 kg. That is the weight I compete at and, therefore, I can focus on training to win competitions instead of training to lose weight in the future.
Right, now I have to get back to weight training and regain all the muscle that I lost. And if you want to learn how to get healthy, get in touch with me! It’s as easy as giving me a call at 0430 210 669 or emailing me at contact@liangsfitness.com.