How much protein should I have per day? Should I avoid carbohydrates to lose weight? It’s so hard to stick to a healthy eating plan—how do I get rid of the Negative Thoughts and keep going? These were just a few of the questions on my mind when I first started putting in the conscious effort to live a healthier lifestyle. I found the answers to them—and then some—along my GlycoLeap journey, thanks to its comprehensive online lessons as well as the numerous enlightening conversations I had with the dietitians.
The lessons can be accessed by logging into your account at http://app.glycoleap.com and clicking on the Lessons tab right next to “Home” in the menu.
The learning program is split into four main phases which stretch across 15 weeks: “Health & Me”, “Eat Smart”, “Get Moving” and “Healthy Coping”. Each week, a new lesson is unlocked so that you’ll always have something to look forward to. Getting information on a weekly basis also helped me digest and implement the important pointers from each lesson more thoroughly before moving on to the next set.
I whizzed through the carefully curated lessons without them ever becoming monotonous because of the interactivity and relatability. I made a point to take notes from the neat little summaries at the end of each one to remind myself to apply them in my daily life. But if you’re short on time, you can simply take screenshots instead to save for viewing later.
Here are some of the benefits I derived from my weeks of following the online lessons:
1. Filled in gaps in my knowledge about nutrition
I’m up to speed on the finer details of each food group and how much is recommended daily. I learnt that proteins should fill up ¼ of a plate and that not all carbohydrates and fats are bad for you. Prior to this, I was eating too much protein and avoiding carbs and fats like the plague, thinking that it would help me lose weight. This was, of course, not a sustainable diet and I gave up soon after.
2. Guided me through creating a concrete diet and exercise plan
Early on in the learning phase, I was prompted to craft my own plan of action with examples and suggestions aplenty. Putting it into words and setting my own goals were crucial for me to start off on the right foot. You can go over your plan with the dietitians for further validation from the experts.
3. Facilitated recall of information through quizzes
As with all forms of knowledge acquisition, it is all fruitless unless you retain what you’ve learnt. The quizzes were a fun way to find out what your misconceptions were and to recall the information taught in previous weeks.
4. Introduced me to strength training
I didn’t realise that cardio and Strength go hand in hand. While I did occasionally cycle for cardio, I never really had a proper strength training routine. For a newbie like me, the Glyco Strength Starter Program under the “Get Moving” phase provided a basic workout routine complete with steps and visual aids to get started on building my strength.
5. Taught me how to deal with obstacles along the way
Obstacles in my weight loss journey came in many forms. One time, I had the goal of cutting on my sugar intake. Unfortunately, I fell prey to the 2-for-1 promotion at Starbucks and had a Venti Mocha Frappe with my friend. I felt really guilty and negative thoughts crept into my head about how I was a terrible person with a lack of self control.
That’s when I remembered what I’d learnt from the “Healthy Coping” phase where I should be converting my negative thoughts to positive thoughts. I reflected on the past week and reminded myself of the good sugars I’d consumed in my daily fruit salads and felt better about myself. It didn’t seem so bad in the grand scheme of things and this motivated me to continue adhering to my healthy eating plan.
Overall, these lessons from GlycoLeap, coupled with the guidance from the dietitians, formed the foundation of knowledge upon which I based my journey to a healthier weight. In an age where everyone claims to be an expert on health issues and differing views exist about what’s best for your body, it’s pertinent to have a reliable source of information and support before deciding on a plan of action that’s best suited to your needs.
Download Glyco app or, take the first lesson “Starting your Glyco Journey” on the GlycoLeap web page to find out more about getting started with GlycoLeap.
