Linh poses with her children after her successful weight loss journey. Photo courtesy of Linh |
Linh, who stands 1.63 meters tall, weighed only 52 kg before her first pregnancy. After each of her three pregnancies, she experienced significant weight gain, reaching her heaviest at 86 kg, exacerbated by complications from gestational diabetes. This condition resulted in severe varicose veins and a thyroid nodule, significantly impacting her health.
“At that time, I wasn’t even 30, but my health felt like that of an 80-year-old woman,” Linh recalled.
She described having a frail body, suffering frequent illnesses, and encountering great difficulty in daily activities.
“Every time I went up and down the stairs, my thighs, which were too large, rubbed together painfully.”
Living with her in-laws, Linh felt pressured to ensure her children were well-nourished, which often led her to eat more than necessary to maintain a sufficient milk supply. This period also saw her relationship with her husband grow distant.
“In deep sorrow and despair, I fell into depression and would often ride my motorbike aimlessly around,” Linh shared, marking this as the moment she decided to turn her life around.
Initially, Linh experimented with extreme diets, which only led to low blood pressure and dizziness. She then tried drinking vinegar to burn fat, but this resulted in acid reflux. After a severe scare with a prolapsed uterus and significant blood loss from pushing herself too hard in workouts soon after childbirth, Linh received a critical warning from doctors about her health state.
Unable to sustain her dieting and unfit for intense workouts, Linh took a week to reconnect with her body, beginning with tightening her core muscle through deep breathing exercises. After a week, she felt a renewed control over her abdominal muscles and gradually returned to her fitness regime.
She adopted low-impact cardio exercises that did not involve jumping but still allowed her to engage her whole body, move slowly to feel the muscles work, and effectively burn fat. Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is popular worldwide for its benefits in increasing heart rate, boosting metabolism, burning excess fat, and aiding in blood circulation.
Linh also purchased a watch to better monitor her calorie-burning progress. Initially, her body burned 124 calories during a 30-minute workout. A few weeks later, this increased to 289 calories for the same duration. Even while resting, her body continued to burn calories at an elevated rate.
“It turns out that knowing how to use my muscles, training slowly and steadily, made calorie burning increasingly efficient—that’s when I knew I was on the right track,” Linh noted.
She dedicated 30 minutes each day to exercise at home. Alongside her physical activity, Linh ate until she was 80% full, ensuring she ate slowly and chewed thoroughly. She had between five and six meals a day, ensuring she included all four essential nutrient groups: carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Science has demonstrated that the stomach requires approximately 20 minutes to relay fullness signals to the brain. Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung of the National Institute of Nutrition advises that stopping eating when you are still slightly hungry helps the body to later feel comfortable and satisfied, which can also support weight loss efforts.
After three months, as Linh’s youngest child began their weaning stage, she switched her breakfast to smoothies, made from a healthy blend of seeds, vegetables, or fruits. Combining this dietary change with her consistent daily cardio, her weight reduced to 58 kg.
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Linh showcases her slimmer figure following a nearly 28 kg weight loss. Photo courtesy of Linh |
Linh once found herself tempted to give up when her weight loss plateaued. “Why am I failing like this?” she questioned herself and even considered returning to drinking vinegar for better weight loss results. However, haunted by past health concerns, she reminded herself to stay persistent.
She then came to a solution: taking two days to indulge in anything she wanted, a “cheat” period to trick her body, before returning to her regular diet. This reset helped her body to resume progress, and her weight began to drop further.
The method Linh applied is endorsed by many nutrition experts, who explain that consuming fewer calories than you burn prompts the body to adjust its metabolism, slowing it down to conserve energy. By having a “cheat day” with a higher calorie intake over a specific period, you effectively “trick” the body, restoring your metabolism to an optimal level for continued weight loss.
Today, Linh is not only nearly back to her pre-pregnancy weight but also enjoys improved health and a renewed zest for life.
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