Mother sheds 10 cm off waistline in 60 days

Currently an online nutrition coach, Ngan, 36, says her diet and active lifestyle help her remain healthy and with beautiful skin.

Weighing 48 kg before child delivery, the 1.55-meter-tall Ngan used to be considered a petite woman. However, she gained a lot of weight during her pregnancy, and her body had a lot of stretch marks after she gave birth.

Ngan gains weight during her pregnancy. Photo courtesy of Ngan

Ngan adapted a diet plan postpartum, and started practicing yoga at home. She managed to lose the excessive weight she gained when she was pregnant, but her body muscle rate was low and she did not look fit. She also suffered from frequent exhaustion.

Considering her body state, Ngan realized that she had to lose weight with more healthy methods.

Ngan signed up for a nutrition course in July 2021, an act out of her determination to gain scientific knowledge about weight loss. She then started taking up the "eating clean" method, which motivated her to consume mainly raw or minimally-processed foods.

She also cut down on sugar and salt in her daily meals. According to her, a salty diet may lead to cardiovascular issues, including high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure. Meanwhile, limiting sugar intake helps maintain - body shape and reduce the risk of getting conversion disorder.

Ngan regains her slim body shape and good health after following a healthy diet plan and maintaining an active lifestyle. Photo courtesy of Ngan

Ngan also limited her calorie intake as much as possible, as she learned that the most basic principle behind weight loss is to burn more calories than taking in.

She provided herself with all of the mandatory nutrition groups and prioritized the quality of her food sources over the quantity of food she ate. Sources of protein, fiber, and carbohydrates were always included in her daily meals, though she always made sure that the total amount of energy she took in her body did not exceed the figure she listed for herself.

Her main cooking methods were steaming, boiling, and air-frying, while a large part of her meals using healthy ingredients such as chicken, fish, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains.

Ngan divided her daily food intake into five small meals throughout the day, including three main meals and two snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon to avoid starving herself. Her morning snack contained fruits, while her afternoon snacks were often nuts, aiming to provide herself with more vitamins. She also drank a lot of water throughout the day and cut fast food snacks from her diet plan entirely.

After two months her waist measurement had gone from 70cm to 60cm, and her body had achieved a more toned look in general.

Her buttocks had also increased to 92 cm, making her figure look more attractive.

Ngan now looks toned with her muscles. Photo courtesy of Ngan

She kept the lifestyle and by late-2022, decided to spend an extra hour at the gym every day to tone her body even more. She also ran 5 km a day to enhance the fat burning process. As she expected, Ngan gained more muscles and lost more of her body fat, which fulfilled her desire to have a more fit body.

Various studies have pointed out that gym exercises may help release more hormones, which assist muscles in absorbing more necessary amino acids and become more toned. Frequently hitting the gym also aids the metabolism process and helps burn more calories, which leads to weight loss.

Based on her own experiences, Ngan said diets contribute 80% to weight loss results, while the remaining 20% comes from exercises. She suggested people should apply healthy weight loss methods instead of following unhealthy ones like starving themselves or using pills.

"You should chase a sustainably nice figure instead of losing weight rapidly and bouncing back to initial shapes immediately," Ngan said, adding that staying in shape helps women have happier lives thanks to their increased confidence.