Ho Chi Minh City Once weighing more than 100 kg, Tra My was fed up when looking at herself in the mirror, not daring to go out or meet friends for fear of being criticized for her appearance.
Before getting married, Tong Thi Tra My weighed 54-55 kg. After two years of being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, staying at home and giving birth, her weight doubled. Many times, looking at her flabby body and "fat" waist, the young mother felt bored. With a height of 1.63 m, My was compared to a "dwarf" or a "mobile barrel", making her afraid to go out, not meeting friends, just staying at home alone. In addition, gaining weight quickly made My often sick, climbing a few steps made her out of breath, and going to the doctor discovered high blood fat and high blood pressure.
Before losing weight, My only wore black clothes to hide her flaws. Photo: Character provided
Mr. Nguyen Huu Lam, Solid Fitness Center, who is also Tra My's personal trainer, said that she tried many negative methods such as fasting and taking weight loss pills to lose weight but they were counterproductive. After giving birth, My had back pain, weight obsession, and lost confidence, making the "transformation" journey even more difficult. My works in an office all day, so she needs to have a complete exercise and diet plan to achieve the desired results.
"For My, there is no need to eat elaborately or too strictly, just make sure the calories in are less than the calories out and combine that with persistent exercise," Lam said.
However, My's body has accumulated fat for many years, so training is even more difficult. To get results, she tells herself that she must work twice as hard as other students. The woman sets herself each goal to achieve. For example, she challenges herself to lose 10 kg in two months. The next exercise must be higher than the previous one, gradually increasing depending on her own strength. She asks the trainer to give her a precise diet, not to consume food based on estimated quantities.
"I bought a digital scale to make sure I eat the required grams," My said, adding that she eats a variety of meat, fish, eggs, and milk, but no more than 1,700 kcal a day.
In addition, the mother of two children constantly changes her menu, not just eating one diet. For example, in the first month, My ate a deficit, the amount of calories in was less than the amount of calories out. According to experts, one of the most important factors in weight loss is a calorie deficit, meaning the amount of calories taken into the body must be less than or equal to the amount of calories consumed. Calories taken into the body (calories in) a day include food and drinks. Calories consumed (calories out) are the process of metabolism, normal activities (including breathing or sleeping) and exercise.
My prepares a variety of meals and limits oil and fat. For example, in the morning, she eats stir-fried beef with broccoli; fish for lunch; meat for dinner. In the first month, she lost 11 kg.
In the second month, My switched to 16:8 intermittent fasting, which means eating from 6 to 8 hours and fasting for the remaining 16-18 hours. However, she applied this regimen on the two weekends to let her body get used to it, while maintaining a deficit diet the rest of the time.
In the third month, My ate intermittently on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and on the other days she ate in deficit. In the following months, she constantly changed her diet to avoid boredom and to avoid weight gain. However, when eating in deficit, My limited herself to no more than 1,600 kcal a day, and intermittent eating always ended before 6 p.m. She absolutely did not eat after 8 p.m.
"Many people think I'm hungry, but I always try to eat a lot of meat and fish during the day, up to 800 grams, so I still have enough energy to work," the woman said.
In addition, she believes that losing weight does not necessarily mean eating chicken breast or just boiling and steaming food. My only limits her consumption of oil and sweets. When her weight is stagnant, she allows herself to "eat freely" (also known as a cheat day) to regain energy, then continues to lose weight.
Thanks to that, she lost more than 40 cm of waistline and was confident in choosing clothes. Coach Lam assessed her as a disciplined student with weight loss results worth learning.
When she went to the gym, My weighed 96 kg. Now, she weighs 53 kg. Photo: Character provided
In addition to nutrition, My was instructed to do resistance training to improve her weight better. "Because of her weak constitution and poor physical strength, it took My a long time to get used to the intensity," said Mr. Lam. In particular, the calves are the hardest part to lose due to her "pear-shaped" physique, so My added plank and cardio exercises to increase muscle and reduce fat faster.
After 8 months, My lost more than 30 kg. She said that although her body measurements are not perfect, she is confident in mastering the eating rules to avoid gaining weight again. The mother of two children understands that losing weight is a long-term journey, requiring 100% effort in both exercise and diet.
Currently, My still persistently practices 4 sessions a week, from 1.5 to 2 hours to become healthier and more beautiful.
Thuy An
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