Lose Body Fat Now: The Most Effective Methods Explained

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Just how much body fat should be lost will depend on one's goals. Let's examine the most effective ways the severely overweight through advanced trainer can lose fat. Read on...

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by David Robson May 10, 2006

Losing body fat is not the easiest of propositions; just ask anyone trying to lose that last ten pounds. It often seems the more persistent one is, the harder this stubborn body fat is to lose. Whether it is to get into top shape for a bodybuilding contest or to look good for the beach, fat loss is arguably the biggest incentive to train.

But just how much body fat should be lost to achieve the kind of definition that accentuates the separation between muscle groups, and highlights that all important abdominal area? It really depends on one's goals.

An extreme level of conditioning is needed for bodybuilding purposes, while a smaller reduction is often all it takes to reveal a nice "beach body." A certain amount of body fat is needed for survival purposes - around 3-4 percent for males and slightly higher for females - with higher percentages (around 10 percent for males and 15 percent for females) deemed within the healthy, acceptable range.

Losing the last 10 or so pounds of body fat is generally a hard thing to do, and the reasons for this are many and varied. Losing even more is, as would be expected, even harder. The best ways to lose fat are often dependant upon the level one is at, so it is best to plan accordingly.

Let us examine the most effective ways the severely overweight through to the advanced trainer can lose unsightly body fat.

The Most Effective Fat Loss Methods

The following methods can be used together, or separately depending on the goals one has, or the fat loss stage they are at. Guidelines will be given (see what to do and when section).

1. Exercise Moderately With Aerobics & Weights, Gradually Increasing The Intensity As Fat Is Lost ///

When one is severely overweight, it is probably best to start their fat burning phase with low intensity aerobics and weight training, to ensure that the body is not placed under undue stress at this early stage. For the significantly overweight (those over 25 percent body fat in males and 30 percent in females) it is best to work moderately as a way in which to gradually ease into a higher intensity program.

Moderate aerobics are likely to burn a greater amount of body fat if the intensity is kept at around 70 percent of maximum heart rate, and taken beyond the 30-minute mark (with one hour being the eventual goal).

With weight training, high repetitions with moderate weights would work best for an obese client during the initial stages of training. It is important to remember that lower intensity weight training and aerobics should both be done in the same program to maximise results.

Walking is a perfect, low impact aerobic activity for the obese. For weight training, all body parts should be targeted with basic exercises that work larger muscles.

2. Gradually Cut Back On All Bad Fats, While Strategically Cutting Back On Carbohydrates ///

It has been shown that fat intake of the wrong kind will result in increased fat gains. This stands to reason, as the body will typically burn carbohydrate for fuel and use protein for repair. Therefore it makes sense to cut back on bad fat while increasing the good type.

Good fats such as the omega three and six fatty acids will actually have a fat burning effect as they enhance metabolic function (the metabolic rate is an indicator of how the body uses stored energy). Their use as opposed to the saturated bad type (found in meats and hard at room temperature) should be encouraged.

Strategically cutting back on carbohydrates means to eat specific carbs at certain times to achieve a fat-burning effect. Complex carbohydrates will generally maximise the fat burning effect as they stimulate the metabolism without causing the outpouring of insulin, which causes greater fat storage.

These include brown rice, beans, oats and potatoes, and their use is to be encouraged. However, the short-burst simple-sugar carbohydrates are to be avoided during a fat loss phase as they can cause a large insulin spike and resultant fat gains.

They are also concentrated and generally higher in calories. A third type of carbohydrate, fiber, which can be found in high wheat foods and certain fruits and vegetables, is an important one for fat loss as it increases feelings of fullness and pushes fat through the system to be eliminated.

Best times to eat complex carbohydrates for fat loss are at all meals before 6:00pm. Simple carbohydrates can be eaten directly after training, as the body will more readily store them as glycogen, not fat, at this stage. For general health, the recommended intake for fiber is 30 grams per day. For fat loss an additional 10 grams is advised.

3. Mix Up Aerobic Sessions ///

For variety - to eliminate boredom and encourage adherence - it is worthwhile doing a range ofaerobic activities. These different activities will also have differing fat burning effects, and these combined may stimulate the metabolism to greater heights, therefore enhancing fat loss on a larger scale.

4. Exercise Aerobically After Weight Training Or First Thing In The Morning ///

One school of thought has it that training aerobically directly after weight training, or first thing in the morning, will stimulate greater gains in fat loss. The idea is that glycogen stores will be depleted at this time and therefore fat will be used directly for fuel. In many cases this strategy has worked. However some feel it is not a valid method. It is worth trying though.

5. HIIT Training ///

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is an advanced from of aerobics designed to strip body fat at a faster rate. Although not for everyone, as it can be very demanding, HIIT is one of the more effective fat loss methods for the intermediate to advanced trainer.

As the name suggests, HIIT requires that one train at a high intensity (near maximal) for a series of intervals, before backing off to a lower work-rate. The interval can last anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds, and the entire session might last only 20 minutes, depending on the stage (both in terms of fat storage and fitness level) one is at.

An example of a HIIT session could be as follows:

Two minutes of walking followed by fast running for 30 seconds, for 20 minutes total.

6. Stagger Food Intake ///

At the smooth (a thin layer of fat - independent of water - covers the body) or in shape stage (someone at around six percent body fat) it is probably acceptable to stagger food intake to where high calories (1000 or so above normal) can be eaten for two days followed by lower calories for three days.

There are many variations on this practice, but the guiding principal stays the same: after a period of low calories the body will tend to hold onto fat; on this basis it is thought that upping the calories will up the metabolic rate to burn more adipose tissue.

Generally the extra calories will not be stored as fat as long as the high calorie days are limited to a certain period and are promptly followed by the lower calorie days. The higher calorie days are not open invitations to pig out on all manner of forbidden foods, but should be comprised of clean proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

This strategy is best practiced when aiming to lose that remaining five to ten pounds of fat and when one is in reasonably good shape to begin with. If one is overweight, the higher calorie days could exacerbate their current condition due to the more sluggish metabolic rate they may have.

A greater degree of excess fat would probably require consistency in terms of low fat, low calorie eating, as will be shown in the success stories featured later in the article.

7. Drink At Least One Gallon Of Water Per Day ///

In most of the weight loss success stories I have read, one common theme emerges: a higher then normal water intake is crucial for fat loss. Water intake is important for fat metabolism as it helps the liver to perform the function of fat conversion for energy purposes.

Unfortunately the liver also has to work on behalf of the kidneys (if the kidneys are water deprived), therefore lowering total liver productivity, which has deleterious consequences for the fat conversion process. Therefore drinking enough water is an important step toward fat reduction. Drink at least a gallon of water per day, more if obese and/or living in a hot climate.

8. Weight Training ///

Weight training is a perfect activity for fat loss. Although it doesn't directly burn a greater number of fat stores than does aerobics, weights will build muscle, which in turn will increase the metabolic rate for 24 hours a day. The more muscle one is holding, the better their chances of losing body fat.

What To Do & When

Obese Stage ///

A combination of methods is needed for those who have a significant amount of weight to lose. These are the people who typically need to lose around 40lbs of fat before they even consider achieving muscle definition. The best strategy for these people would be to lose weight slowly with a realistic, longer-term approach.

Crash dieting and intense training probably would not be the best option. In the case of training, the amount of weight to be lost might present excessive strain on the vital organs and joints if the training is excessively intense and/or high impact.

Crash diets - where calories are severely restricted - will likely result in initial losses in water weight and a failure to stick to the diet due to the restriction these kinds of diets place on total nutrient balance. The better approach for the obese would probably be to:

• Exercise moderately with aerobics (walking or cycling) and weights (12-15 repetitions) - gradually increasing the intensity, as weight is lost.
• Gradually cut out all bad fats while strategically cutting back on carbohydrates.
• Drink plenty of water to maintain feelings of fullness and help with fat mobilisation.
• Cut out junk foods.
• Use a personal trainer for motivation.
• Cut back on alcohol, or eliminate entirely.
• Make a plan.
• Be consistent.
• Use a fat burning supplement.

Moderately Overweight Stage ///

At this stage one is visually overweight, but not obese. Typically they are holding around 20lbs of fat and have a body fat percentage of around 17-18 in males and 25 in females.

The best strategy would be to gradually drop excess body fat through a combination of low intensity and high intensity training coupled with a sensible eating approach. The following guidelines can be used:

• Exercise moderately with aerobics (a combination of walking, cycling, and rowing) and weights (8-12 repetitions), while incorporating the occasional HIIT session after the first few pounds are lost.
• Gradually cut out all bad fats while strategically cutting back on carbohydrates.
• Drink plenty of water to maintain feelings of fullness and help with fat mobilisation.
• Cut out junk foods.
• Use a personal trainer for motivation.
• Cut back on alcohol, or eliminate entirely.
• Make a plan.
• Be consistent.
• Use a fat burning supplement.

Smooth Stage ///

The smooth stage could be defined as a puffy appearance with a small amount of visible body fat (around 11 percent in men and 15 percent in women; about 10 total pounds to lose to become "in shape").

This look would probably be regarded as normal and healthy, but there is an absence of muscle definition due to a thin layer a fat - the off-season bodybuilder is usually at this stage. To drop these additional 10 pounds to reveal a muscular physique do the following:

• Train aerobically with one moderate intensity session and four HIIT sessions per week.
• Weight train all muscle groups using 8-12 repetitions.
• Gradually cut out all bad fats while strategically cutting back on carbohydrates.
• Stagger calories (three lower calorie days followed by two days higher calories).
• Drink plenty of water to maintain feelings of fullness and help with fat mobilisation.
• Cut out junk foods.
• Use a personal trainer for motivation.
• Cut back on alcohol, or eliminate entirely.
• Make a plan.
• Be consistent.
• Use a fat burning supplement.

In Shape Stage ///

For those who only have a three or four pounds of fat to lose in order to reveal a ripped, muscular physique, it is probably also best to do HIIT, as this should more effectively rev the metabolic rate while one is at an advanced fat burning level.

For the out of shape beginner HIIT might be overkill, but for the in shape, advanced trainer, it could prove to be perfect as it is, as mentioned, an effective way of improving an already efficient metabolism. HIIT sessions can be done five times a week, independent from any other form of training. Other ways to burn remaining visible body fat include:

• Train with weights using 8-12 repetitions.
• Gradually cut out all bad fats while strategically cutting back on carbohydrates.
• Stagger calories (three lower calorie days followed by two days higher calories).
• Drink plenty of water to maintain feelings of fullness and help with fat mobilisation.
• Cut out junk foods.
• Use a personal trainer for motivation.
• Cut back on alcohol, or eliminate entirely.
• Make a plan.
• Be consistent.
• Use a fat burning supplement.

Additional Fat Loss Tips

1. Cut Alcohol ///

One of the worst practices when wanting to lose weight, drinking alcohol will not only add empty calories but will reduce appetite and lower testosterone levels for up to 24 hours (testosterone helps to burn fat). Alcohol will also reduce the number of fat calories burned for energy.

After alcohol is consumed it is converted into a substance called acetate, which is used in place of fat for energy thus helping the body to maintain its fat stores1. For the overweight person alcohol is a definite problem on this basis alone.

2. Make A Plan ///

Making a plan will ensure fat loss is achieved with greater certainty. Having pre-defined goals and a progress diary will help one stick to their plan, and allow for a greater degree of accountability. The first step is to determine exactly what ones goals are.

3. Be Consistent ///

The ability to do what is required every day without fail is the hallmark of a winner. For fat loss, all the right steps need to be taken at the right times to realise this goal. As will be shown in the following success stories, the individuals featured unwaveringly stuck to their plan and achieved their fat loss goals - they were consistent.

The Epic Eurotrip--Chapter 4: Seizing the Flame (Belgium--Manneken Pis, Grand Place, etc)

This one is gonna be relatively short, as we only stayed in Belgium (Brussels) for half a day. We had lunch there though. It was a good meal, and it's NOT Chinese (Woohoo~~).

The station is very busy in the morning, and you have
to go through custom, like you do at airports.

Since the place is across the English Channel, we have to take train there. Eurostar is the common public transportation for people who want to cross the channel. It either leads you to Brussels or Paris (which is our ending point). The train was pretty comfortable (although the walkway is a little too narrow.) It took us 3 hours to get to Brussels, but the ride felt short as I fell asleep fast. I don't know if it's because it's been running for a long time, but the train is not as new as I expected. I was expecting a new, bright, and big train. Instead I got the opposite. It wasn't bad, though. It was just not up to the expectation.

What the train looks like

Apparently many people would take this train daily to work (it doesn't only stop at Brussels and Paris). I live in US, so going to another country to work daily feels weird to me. I guess it's kinda normal for Europeans as countries here are generally small. Anyway, so we arrived in Brussels. We immediately went to the Grand Place where.....everything is. Honestly, the only thing I knew about Belgium was the chocolate and the beer (and I tried them both this time. Hell yea!)


I'm going to post bunch of pictures before writing somethings again, so enjoy the photos.

Part of Grand Place. I wish the flag wasn't there......

I mean......I would add some history or story for these buildings,
but there are so many of them, and I didn't really go into any of them.
So forget it. I'm not gonna do anything.

Again, my photo taking skill sucks. This one could be so much better.
The sky was beautiful that day.

A couple getting married here. The girl is pretty.

Wedding at a public place is kinda cool. So many free photographers
spreading your wedding photos on their blogs or websites......if you like that. lol.

The famous Belgium Waffle, something I shouldn't eat before lunch.

Besides the buildings, this place is known for the Flower Carpet. However we got here too early, so we didn't get to see it (it's only there in August or something like that). Judging from the pictures online, it looks very beautiful. Almost makes me wanna go back just to see that.

The statue is actually really small. Look
at the size compared to the head of
these tourists.

A little further into the neighborhood, you get to see the Manneken Pis, the statue of a little kid peeing in public without being arrested. What a pro. There's a story (more like a myth) behind this. in 14th century, this city was under attack, and the enemies were trying to blow a hole in the walls or something, so they planted bunch of explosive near the wall. This little kid saw it and pissed on the gun powder line, thus seizing the fire. He therefore became a hero......for publicly peeing. Go kid! Since the streets are really narrow, it's kinda hard to find this place without a guide or asking around. Oh guess what. It's a pain in the butt driving around here, especially at this spot. Yes, this thing is on street side. Imagine a crowd standing on the street you try to drive through. Good luck with that. Surprisingly, drivers here don't honk at you. Who said Europeans are rude (well some of them still are)?

Another statue near the Grand Place is the statue of Everard't Serclaes. He was a hero for driving the invading Flemish out of the city. Honestly, without a statue, he would just be "one of those with a somewhat heroic story." There are just so many of them in history. i mean, I have respect to them, but sometimes I feel there are just too many of them, especially for tourists (I know, I know. I'm a dumbass who doesn't know anything). Well, at least I took a picture with him. Apparently touching his arm gives you good luck.

So I did this. I couldn't resist, you know?

I hope the local people are not mad. Pretty sure some people did worse things than me......right?

Almost forgot to talk about lunch. I had the mussels and chips. There's another popular dish here that I didn't try. It's a tomato topped with other stuff. Looks really delicious on the menu, but I wanted to save some money for other countries (which is a good idea since I was short on cash on latter part of the trip.) Their mussel dishes always come in a bucket (or pot.) The price......I heard people can get it for cheaper, but considering it's a tourist spot, it's quite okay. Plus, tip is not mandatory, so 10% is considered really good tip. Crap, sometimes I wish I could do that in US (even though you're free to leave no tip, but people in general expect tip, unlike Europeans)

Mussels, chips, and local beer. Mmm~~~delicious!

The tunnel that leads to the food street.

The food street is located near the Grand Place. Through a tunnel (not exactly) you can see bunch of restaurants with outside seating. Outside seating really is a thing in Europe. Sometimes they charge you extra for sitting outside (cover charge, music charge, scenery charge,a cup of coffee can be 8 euros at some places.)

There is one place I really wanted to go but couldn't. Old Chinese people don't care about the awesomeness of this place. Come on! There's a giant statue of an iron atom!! Who doesn't want to see that? I did see it from far away and wanted to ask the guide for more info, but apparently he doesn't know much about this place, either. I had to wiki when I got internet, and then I realized how much I had missed......




Next stop: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The Epic Eurotrip--Chapter 3: The Other Side (London--Misc.)

This is going to be the last post of London as everyone should get tired of it already (if you're tired of my posts, you can stop reading, but I'll be sad.....or will I......)

The same afternoon after visiting Westminster Abbey, we went to Piccadilly Circus, a main plaza where local people meet (one of those "let's meet at _____" place.) There were a lot of people, mainly just sitting around waiting for people or shopping around. There are many interesting shops around here, and there are, of course, bunch of name brands (H&M, Hollister, etc. H&M is HUGE in Europe for some odd reason, and it's always super expensive. Beyonce is their main model at the moment.) We got to spend around 2 hours (including lunch.......at a Chinese restaurant. I'll rant about Chinese restaurants later, so you don't see too much of this.)

Piccadilly Circus and the famous statue,
Eros, the Angel of Charity.

Apparently this plaza (or circle) is known for the neon signs (according to Wikipedia, your best friend when you need random information.) Since we went there in day time, we did not get to see the lights being lit up. Still, it's quite a scene to see what local people do. There's a Chinatown (more like a block of Chinese stores and restaurants) near the circus. Along this trip, we see many "Chinatown's," and they are always near the busiest or crowded location of a city. These Chinese really know how to choose locations.

The London Chinatown

The Chinese food.......is crappy, and I thought bay area Chinese food is not authentic. Well, at least bay area food tastes okay. The European Chinese food is always either too salty or poorly made. It's like they are saying "eat it or leave. We don't care. We are the only place selling Chinese food around here." Many of our group members went ahead and bought Chinese pastries for dinner (since dinner is not covered.) I skipped that (DUH!) and went around taking pictures.

There is actually another plaza that's very close to Piccadilly Circus. It's called Leicester Square. More stores and more people are here. I really like how all these famous places are pretty much linked together. It makes touring very easy (you just have to walk a lot, that's all.) Like I said before, London is really tourist-friendly as they have a map at almost every single crossroad. It even shows you how far you can walk in 5 minutes and 15 minutes. This additional features wins me over. Trafalgar Square is around this area, too, but I don't get to see it as I ran out of time. I only took some photos when I was on the bus on the way to Buckingham Palace (yes, the posts are slightly out of chronological order. Nonetheless, everything is still on the same day so far.)

A view of Leicester Square......I think. I hope I didn't get
it wrong......

The other day I was watching Fast and Furious 6 with my friend. (Spoiler alert for Fast 6! Skip this paragraph if you don't want to know anything about this movie.) When Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez were racing on streets of London, it was showing all the famous places or tourist attractions around London, and I was like "OMG I was here! OMG I was here, too!" every time they pass something I recognize, I got excited. They even drove on the very street that i almost got lost on (yea, with the maps I described earlier, I still managed to get lost. I could easy get lost if the maps were there though. That's for sure.) It was a nice experience when you recognize places in a foreign city in a movie. Now I guess I have to go to Australia so that I can tell everyone I know this place in the future when we watch LotR.

MI6. Not a nice view, but good enough to see it i guess.

Besides these places, we also drove along River Thames and got a beautiful view of the city. Oh, and we passed by this place. Recognize it? Well, if you don't, you should still know this guy. Not the actor, but the character. Yep! That's the place! MI6! I normally wouldn't get excited to visit a place that's in a movie, but I guess Bond movies are the exceptions. (I once visited the place where they filmed Secret, by Jay Chou, and I didn't feel anything. Then again, this is Bond vs. Jay Chou.......Bond wins for sure.)

We also passed by the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel built in year 2000. It was raining at the time, so I didn't really take good photos. :(

Oh, did you know that most of the museums in London are free? Well I didn't know at least. Apparently this guy, Prince....Albert? Too many names......Anyway. Let's just say Prince Albert is the guy. He made tons of money for the Expo in.......1851? So he's like "well, as a gentleman in England, I will do something nioce aboot ze monay. I will make all museums free!" and he did, to help those poor kids and give them a chance to learn. We should make a Good Guy Albert meme for him.

Okay, this post should end as I run out of things to talk about London. There IS one more picture I want you guys to see though. See if you can recognize this place.

You might have to enlarge it to see the name.

The Epic Eurotrip--Chapter 2: Making A Royal Home (London--Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc)

Let's start from Westminster Abbey today. This building is located at approximately the center of London. It can be considered a church only for royal families. Many royal weddings are held here, and the crowning of Elizabeth the 2nd also happened here. So yes, they transported the jewels all the way from Tower of London to this place.

A nice view of Westminster from the front.

Remember Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding back in 2011? The one that for some reason everyone was so crazy about? It happened here. Of course later on they moved to Buckingham Palace for the kiss, but that's another story, I guess. (Seriously, it's probably cool for the British people, but why is everyone in US excited, SOOOO excited, about this wedding?)

This place, along with many other places that can be related to the royal family, is a huge tourist site. Many tour buses stop by and people take pictures. The thing is there's not much parking near this spot, so everyone kinda just stop anywhere they want, thus causing horrible traffic. It's convenient for the people taking photos, but it's so inconsiderate for the rest of the people. This happened again and again on this trip, and I might mention it again later.

Moving on. The next stop is the Parliament Square, where Big Ben is. It's actually right next to Westminster Abbey. You can walk there in about 3 -5 minutes. People commonly mistaken Big Ben as the tower, but it's actually referring to the bell inside the tower. I think the "Ben" comes from the name Benjamin (and it's not Benjamin Franklin, of course). I don't know if they still use the actual bell or just the soundtrack nowadays. Either way, the building is why everyone is here for. The building now serves as the political center (like Capital Hill) where prime minister and the House make decisions. I wonder what they think when they see so many tourists everyday right in front of this place......

Parliament Square is not just about Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, this place is very lively. People come here to chill and read. Many would bring lunch and their iPods. The entire square was crowded but not to the point where you couldn't walk when I was there.

The Parliament Square, with Big Ben (tower). 

There are some statues around this area. These are some great people in the history such as Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. Abe Lincoln is here too.

Chill life of students......while the tourists are busy taking photos in the back.

You can see many groups like that. Students from other European countries come here as well.
I think this group is from France.

Another major tourist attraction, even
when it's supposed to be a private house.

Now, let's move to Buckingham Palace. It's the Queen's residence. She literally lives there. Now look to you right...... There are so many people! If I were a person living in this house, I'd be like "fuck off!" to all of these people. It's so annoying seeing this many people walking in front of your house every day! It reminds me of the houses in San Francisco where they filmed "Full House." People would literally go up to the door and take a picture with the door and the placard. Isn't there a law that you can legally shoot those people who invade your property? Lol. I guess this is what happens when you're a celebrity in some way. I wonder how those Hollywood stars handle this type of problem (I only know some don't handle well......)

Oh yea, there's a balcony behind the gate on the second floor (or I should say 1st floor, as Europeans call 1st floor the "ground floor") That's where royal family members show themselves, and that's also where the kissing happened during the why-is-everyone-so-obsessed wedding. 

Another view of the Palace.

Oh yea, do you see the flag on top of the building? That's a British flag. This means the queen is not home right now.If the queen is here. Another flag will be raised.

On the opposite side is the Victoria Memorial. It's a giant statue along with some water fountains. Honestly, if this thing is in a park, I'd love to just bring my laptop and sit there. it's really beautiful. BUT this is in front of someone's house, so never mind. I don't want those royal guards to think I'm setting up a bomb or something.

The Victoria Memorial. Pretty, huh?

Wanna hear a sad story? Prince Charles, 64, is the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth. He once complained about his mom not letting him getting the throne even when she's already 87 years old (and very healthy). Elizabeth II's goal is to pass the record of Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years. Oh, the current queen has reigned for 61 years, so getting there. Still, I wonder if she will get off right after passing the record or will try to get as long as possible. It'll be funny (if it weren't so sad) if Prince Charles never gets to wear the crown.

Lastly, for this post, I give you the picture of a guard....ON HORSE!!!! Holy crap this is awesome.

The plate on the left says: "BEWARE. Horse may kick or bite! Thank you."

The Epic Eurotrip--Chapter 1: Dawn of the Romance (London--Tower of London, Tower Bridge, etc)

Before I start, I want to tell you guys that this is not going to be a typical "encyclopedia of Europe" type of posts. It mainly tells you what "I" experienced (yes, I'm narcissist like that.) So don't be too disappointed if you cannot learn too much from these posts. So here we go.

The first stop is the Heathrow Airport located west of London. While waiting for the other group members to arrive, I saw this girl who looks like a combination of Emma Watson and, like, Miranda Kerr or whatever ( YES, THAT'S HOW THE TRIP STARTED. Don't worry, it gets better later....or worse, depends on how you see it). I approached to try to talk to her, but she seemed frightened (lol). Apparently she thought I was a thief or pickpocket and tried to avoid me. I later learned that there are so many pickpockets who wait at the airports and target the tourists. I mean, i heard about it, but I didn't know it was so serious. In fact, one of the airport workers approached me later when I was wondering around and asked me bunch of questions like where I'm from and who I travel with. They never told me their true intentions, but I was pretty sure they thought I could be a pickpocket after learning that there are many of them around.

Since it was the first day, I was very excited and took a lot of pictures (which I later deleted a lot of them). London, like many cities in Europe, has an old appearance but new interior. Many buildings are renovated inside while the outside look is saved. This feels weird to me. Imagine seeing a middle age building and thinking to yourself: " This must be full of history," but then you see an "LA Fitness" sign on top of that building.......yea, this is exactly how I felt.

LA Fitness, H&M, or any modern store could
appear in these buildings. This one is a Coach.

At first I really couldn't get used to it, but I guess human is very adaptive. After seeing so many of them, these are not so weird anymore.

I thought British accent was just an accent, and I should have no problem understanding since it's still English. I was wrong. For some British, their accent is so strong (to a point that I question if it's really the British accent that I know) that you really have a hard time understanding what they are trying to say. This plus that the words they use are sometimes different from how Americans say it. Lift, chips, motorway, and biscuit (which is cookie, by the way) are just some examples.

But overall, their life style is not as what stereotype describes, at least most of them. I don't see people chilling at tea shops in the afternoon, and many of them look really busy (walking really fast, serious face, etc). I don't know how much of the stereotype I can trust.

Let's get to the tourist attraction. The first spot we went to was the London Tower (or the Tower of London), which is located near River Thames and the famous Tower Bridge and London Bridge. Oh, by the way, the London Bridge that everyone knows is actually here. The new bridge is just a plain, boring looking bridge. The Tower Bridge, though, is beautiful.

A view of Tower Bridge from far.
I apologize for the horrible photo taking skill......

Tower of London is built by William the Conqueror in 1066 . The middle of this old castle is the White Tower, which was a really solid fortress back then (it had its own well system and tons of food stored. The base of the fortress was made of layers and layers of rocks and was surrounded by water. The entrance was even high up, like on 2nd floor or something. A wooden stair was used to connect the ground and the entrance. It's wooden because they could burn it if enemies tried to enter using that.)

The White Tower, with its wooden (enhanced with metal bars) stairs.

Many of you guys may know, the tour guides often use raise flags to gather people. In many places in England (especially royal places like palaces), raising a flag is not allowed. The reason being "we love our queen and we should only raise the British flag or queen's flag, but now you're raising a flag that belongs to neither!? In a royal palace!? You gotta be kidding me!" So nope. No flag.

In this castle, the royal crown and royal scepter ( the same ones Queen Elizabeth used during her crowning. And yes, the ones with those giant diamonds) were displayed. Too bad we were not allowed to take pictures. That place also shows a video of Elizabeth II's crowning. It was pretty cool as someone tried to restore the color of that video (as color video wasn't invented at that time).

The building where royal jewels are displayed.

The guards at the castle. They look pretty friendly, and fat.

The sign says "Bloody Tower"

Here's an interesting story about one of the towers called Bloody Tower, which originally named Garden Tower. I might get the names wrong. Correct me if you find any mistake (if you even bother, that is) So this king names Charles the 2nd was reigning, but he died before his sons grew up to be old enough to take the throne. Their uncle, Richard III took the throne instead, and he placed these two princes in the Garden Tower. Many rumors say that Richard III poisoned the little princes as they all of a sudden disappeared. Some reports (can't find source) claim that they found two little kids' skeletons in the base of the chapel in White Tower. People gradually started calling the Garden Tower the Bloody Tower, because of such legend. Is it true? Since there's no official report proving such story, I would say "who cares." Lol.

Here it is, the Garden Tower, or the Bloody Tower.

Another story to be told is that there were once a lot of ravens here, and legend says that the day the ravens are gone, the throne will collapse. Therefore the king took good care of these little black birds (okay, they are actually pretty big) so his power will not be taken. Today, only 6 or 7 of these remain in the castle. People clipped their wings so they can't fly too high and escape the castle. Animal abuse? Your call.

"Can I has cheeseburgerz??"

The location where head chopping happened, lol.

There's one spot where they used to chop off royal members' heads. They have to do it in the castle area so that the news (affair, murder, assassination, etc) doesn't spread out to common people. In fact, some of king's wives died here, if I remember correctly. Now there's only a monument here. Back then the blacksmith skill was pretty bad, so the weapon they used to chop people's heads off were bad as well. It was a small axe that's not even sharp. You have to hit the SAME spot like 3 or 4 times before the head will come off.......sounds very painful.......

That's a good amount for one post. Last but not least, of course I have to get coffee, right? So here it is.

Their Mocha is too rich. Don't get it here.