After a three-year break, Korean actress Song Hye-Kyo made her return to showbiz with a lead role in K-drama Now, we are breaking up, released in November last year.
Looking at the 40-year-old celebrity in the show, we are blown away by her youthful-looking skin and slim physique.
While we’ve always remembered Song Hye-Kyo looking as stunning, you’d be surprised to know that she was once overweight and weighed around 70kg. The actress started dieting and managed to lose 17kg – and kept the weight off, thanks to these tips.
What we liked about these tips is that she didn’t rely on unhealthy crash diets. Instead, these diet and fitness tips can certainly help any of us shed some weight the healthy way.
1. Eating till 80% full and substituting rice for tofu
When one is looking to lose weight, the first things they would adjust would be their diet and exercise schedules. The Descendants of The Sun star tends to eat only till she is about 80% full during each meal to ensure that she does not overeat and sticks to light foods for her meals.
She avoids high-calorie foods and sugary drinks, and for dinner, she substitutes tofu for rice as tofu is rich in dietary fibre and low in calories. Tofu is high in satiety, so you will still feel full after your meal. However, remember not to overdo skipping carbohydrates as they are essential in giving you energy and keeping your body healthy.
2. Have regular meal times
Having irregular meal times can actually cause you to gain weight, so Song Hye Kyo sticks to strict timings for her meals, eating strictly at 8am, 12noon, and 6pm. She also avoids eating anything after her dinner at 6pm.
3. Walk when you can
It is hard to find time to fit in a full workout when you lead busy lifestyles.
Walking is an easy way to incorporate some exercise; did you know that you could lose up to 150 to 200 calories by walking for 30 minutes every day?
Song Hye Kyo revealed that she tries to find time to walk each week, walking for more than 30 minutes and covering a distance of 3 to 5km minimally.
She suggests walking for short distances if you are unable to go on long walks, and recommends walking instead of driving if you are able to. You should also try to find other instances in your day to day when you can fit in the time for a short walk or substitute other modes of transportation with walking.
4. 15 minutes of aerobic exercise daily
Other than daily walks, the actress also does 15 minutes of aerobic exercises daily to burn fats and improve her cardiorespiratory capacity. She tries to reach an optimal level of panting each time she exercises, and on top of helping her keep fit, it also helps improve her mood and relieve stress.
5. No snacks
Snacking is one of the many joys of life, but this is also what makes it one of the hardest things to cut out when dieting.
The disciplined Song Hye Kyo has completely cut out snacks and does not even allow potato chips and sugary foods into her house as she will be too tempted to snack on them.
Whenever she has a craving a snack, she goes for fruits or high-fibre and low-calorie bites.
6. Drink lemonade to promote metabolism
Other than drinking plenty of water, Song Hye Kyo also consumes plenty of unsweetened lemonade to help boost her metabolism.
Lemons are rich in Vitamin C, which has antioxidant properties, and also contains citric acid to help promote gastrointestinal motility and remove any toxins from the body. Do note that you should avoid drinking lemonade on an empty stomach due to its high acidity.
All images are credited to @kyo1122 and @songhyekyo.ig on Instagram.
