How to eat to help 40-year-old mother keep slim waist

Hanoi Anh chooses to eat according to the "hand rule", specifically a handful of green vegetables, a palmful of protein and half a handful of starch to lose weight and keep her waistline.

Nguyen Thi Anh, 41 years old, currently self-employed, used to weigh 40 kg and was 1.55 m tall. After giving birth to her second child, she gained 12 kg. She fasted and exercised but still could not get back to her original figure.

In addition to gaining weight, she often got sick, had headaches, colds, and walked more slowly. The situation of taking care of a small child and being obese made the woman tired, depressed, and often angry.

"I have to lose weight," Anh told herself. She searched online for methods and realized that losing weight had to start with balancing the body's internal metabolism, first of all changing the diet.

Meals prepared by Anh according to the hand rule. Photo: *Character provided*

Specifically, she chose to divide food into portions according to the "palm rule". The palm rule is proposed by nutritionists to roughly estimate each person's daily food intake. According to Good Health, this is a simple and easy-to-apply method, because usually the nutritional content and size on the packaging are listed in grams, but few people care and do not know how much to eat. Adults with larger hands need larger portions and vice versa for children. This method is quite popular and is applied by many people.

Accordingly, Anh eats enough food groups (fiber, protein, starch, good fat) in a suitable ratio. She applies this rule to the whole family to add the most vegetables and fiber.

For example, the amount of vegetables eaten is equal to one hand; the amount of protein including meat, fish or eggs is equal to one palm; the amount of starch is equal to one fist. She prioritizes food diversity, good fats and supplements calcium, omega-3, vitamins...

The mother of two prioritizes fresh foods and fruits with low sugar content such as cucumbers, jicama, grapefruit, dragon fruit, and apples. Meals often limit processed products, fried foods, greasy foods, and bland foods. She drinks enough 2-2.5 liters of water per day, completely limiting soft drinks, fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc.

Anh does not diet or fast. For her, losing weight is a long journey, "if you eat extremely, the results will not last."

Anh's figure at the age of 41. Photo: Character provided — In addition to working out at home, Anh works out at the gym to gain muscle and stay in better shape. Photo: *Character provided*

In addition to nutrition, she spends 30 minutes in the morning exercising. Due to belly fat, Anh chooses cardio exercises to burn fat all over her body. After exercising, the woman stretches for another 10-15 minutes to avoid pain and injury. Currently, she has switched to resistance training to support the muscle gain process.

Normally, she does dumbbell and resistance band exercises at home. At the gym, she lifts heavy weights and incorporates more equipment. This method helps increase muscle strength and endurance, and improves the immune system. Thanks to that, Anh maintains a weight of 44-45 kg, with a waistline of 60 cm.

A study from the University of Alabama (USA) showed that women who lift weights lose more belly fat (even deep belly fat) than those who only do cardio. This not only helps exercisers lose weight and have a more toned body, but also reduces the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and some cancers.

Weight training is often thought to make women “big,” but the truth is that the more weight comes from muscle (rather than fat), the smaller the person becomes. While weight gain is common when weight training, the size of the clothes the person wears will drop by a size or two.

[Caption]fffff — Current appearance of the 40-year-old mother of two. Photo: *Character provided*

Looking at her now, no one would think that Anh is over 40 years old. She feels younger and more active after losing weight and eating clean.

"At any age, women should prioritize their health. As women, you must be beautiful, then everything around you will automatically become beautiful," Anh shared.

Thuy An

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