How I lost 4 kg in 2 months?

Yes, I am a food blogger. I am the tamchiak who loves to go around the island exploring new makan places. On some day, I go on a food hunt and conquered 8 different hawker stalls in a day. On other days, I visit 3-4 different restaurants daily for food tasting. The amount of food I take in, is sometimes too much than I can handle.

But, I am also a lady. A lady who is getting married tomorrow. A lady who dreams of becoming snow white, who yearns for a nice body shape so that I can put on the beautiful white gown. The truth is, it is really hard for me to slim down. I visit the gym at least thrice a week and I try to eat clean whenever I can (but most of the time it is highly impossible). But there are just some parts of the body which has stubborn fats and cellulite and doesn’t look great.

May 2014

Since last year, I started to see a bigger size me. I look really bloated when I was filming for my own cooking show. My aunt started to tell me that she can see my double chin. My husband-to-be started to pinch my tummy. All these make me uncomfortable, and slightly depressed. I was probably chubby but I wasn’t overweight. But throughout by 10 years in food writing, I can see myself expanding sideway as the years go by. The water retention in my body is quite serious and I have a bad indigestion problem. Plus all the eating and late night writing, which causes me to grow fat and fatique. I feel heavy, I feel tired and I feel my metabolism rate has slowed down. In addition, stress can cause the liver to imbalance leading to food cravings and uncontrolled eating. Most serious problem – my fat percentage is on the high side. That is really disturbing.

So I decided to go to Slim Couture for help. Now wait wait wait, before you think this is an advertorial and decided to exit this page, please give me a chance to explain myself. THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTORIAL. 

Let’s face it, all ladies are vain one way or another. For some, the face matters to them and they need to put on makeup whenever they are out of the house. For some, their hair matters and will spend a lot of money on hair products. For me, I guess what matters to me most is to keep my shape and live healthier. Plus, the wedding is drawing nearer and no matter how often I visit the gym, it doesn’t seem to be working well on my body.

November 2014

Throughout my adulthood, I have been to a few slimming centres and tried on different slimming products. I will never pop any slimming pills because I am really not sure what ingredients will be going into my body. I have done body wrapping method but my body just doesn’t feel good and I ended up just losing my water retention and feeling giddy after every treatment. I have done accupuncture which is said to boost my metabolism rate and help to control my urge to eat, but it didn’t help. I have tried just relying on eating some organic juices everyday but fell sick after Day 2. I have done almost everything that a lady would do but nothing seemed to work.

So when I have seen how Yina and Shiberty benefitted from the treatments from Slim Couture, I decided to plunge the courage and went for my consultation in May. Why Slim Couture? Many of you may not know, I am a strong believer of TCM. I studied a few TCM modules when I was in university and I nearly wanted to take a minor in TCM. I believe it treats the mind, body and spirit as a single entity. When a person’s vital life force, known as Qi, flows smoothly through the body, it establishes a balance between his spiritual, emotional, mental and physical realms. If that flow and balance is upset, disease and illness will arise.

Well, I have been feeling fatique in my body for the past one year and I felt there is a need to restore that balance of Qi. So when I went for my consultation and knew that Slim Couture uses gua sha and cupping as their treatment, I was all the more intrigued. Can use TCM to restore the body plus slimming, why not?

February 2015

Let’e be honest here. The owner of Slim Couture did offer a sponsorship. However, I rejected her. I wasn’t confident enough it will work for me considering I have tried so many slimming centres before. Plus, I am afraid that people will think “What? Food blogger go slimming?” and the possible backfire I will receive from readers. So I rejected her and paid full amount for 16 sessions. I secretly went for my treatments twice a week for two good months and completed it before my trip to Sydney.

After two weeks into the treatment I have started to see positive changes in my body. I feel lighter, cleaner and leaner. I actually feel good and my shoulders are not as tensed as before. I feel more energized and my skin was glowing. That’s really positive for me. It has been two months after I completed my treatment and my weight still maintains. In fact, I have tried to change to lifestyle bit by bit and I am happy. So when the owners of Slim Couture knew that I am getting married in October, they offered me a sponsorship again. This time, I agreed because I have seen how it has helped me and believed in it.

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Process
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The body is first be lubricated with essential oil. Slim Couture has different types of essential oil catered for different bodies, all of them has a nice smell which is not too strong. Starting from the legs, the therapist will use a clean gua sha tool to stroke in a downward motion. Then vaccum cupping will happen where the use of fire or heat is eliminated. The therapist will apply suction using cups of different sizes on different points on the body such as the torso, arms and legs which stimulates weight loss. Each treatment lasts for about an hour.

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Benefits of Gua Sha
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For those who have not had any experience with Gua Sha, you may think that it sounds bad. Well, to be honest, it is very shiok! I sit in front of the computer for a long time and I have late nights, so it results in stiff neck and the flow of qi becomes stagnate. When our blood is not flowing smoothly, it begins to slow down and eventually becomes stagnant. This will create an environment for the development of diseases.

So the scraping technique can release the body of blood stagnation. It quickly releases blockages and promotes circulate of the body fluids. Hence it normalize metabolic processes and release toxic waste from your deep cellular tissues. As your blood and qi circulation increases, it helps to oxidize your cells as well as to nourish them.

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Benefits of Cupping
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Cupping helps in the free movement of the qi by creating suction on specific points where the qi might stagnate. For me, it helps to eliminate water retention, remove toxins from the body, stimulate the digestive system, promote effective metabolism and bowel movements. All these factors when combined lead to weight loss.

In Slim Couture, vacuum cupping is used. A pump is attached to the top of the cup and vacuum is created by pumping the air out of the cup. This is a very common and popular type of cupping because there is no flame needed to create the vacuum. In this case, the skin will not be damaged.

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Pain anot?
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I have low threshold of pain and I won’t by lying to you here. It is quite painful during my first few sessions of gua sha because the body is not accustomed to it. But once I got used to it, I was craving for more and harder strokes. Becase it helps to release tension in my body and make me feel better. As for the cupping, I am quite okay with it. It just feels like your skin is being sucked. In many cases, the skin can show a darkened appearance where the suction is applied. This darkening clears up in a few days.

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Is it safe?
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No need to eat pills leh, how unsafe can it be? The therapists are professional and well trained, they have to go through proper and professional training by TCM doctors, take exams before they can be qualified to work there. Even when they first start work, they don’t deal with clients directly. They still have to learn on the job to adhere to different needs of clients before they can serve them.

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Diet plan
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Whether you are going for slimming or not, it is always good to have a healthy diet. Don’t be threaten by the word “diet” because it is not about starving yourself, it is about eating healthy. For example, try to go for wholemeal bread instead of white bread, try to have more fruits and vegetables, try to skip carbs etc. The diet plan by Slim Couture is logical and nothing too extreme.

Well, I am really not the best example because I never follow closely to their diet plan due to the nature of my job. The only thing which I have added to my meals is cherry tomatoes and try to cut down on carbs. I still have cravings every now and then, so I will take it as a cheat meal for me. But when you diligently try to follow the diet plan, you will slowly realise the change in your body. Like you feel lighter and healthier. When complemented with the gua sha and cupping, my entire body feels so much better!

Again, let’s be realistic here. Don’t expect to get results from the treatments if you continue to eat 3 bowls of rice and 10 chicken wings everyday. It takes two hands to clap. Treatments only help you to a certain level, it is your lifestyle that will help to enhance and make it better.

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Results
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July 2015

August 2015

September 2015

I have known a few friends who have got very effective results from Slim Couture, i.e. steady weight loss in each session. A friend of mine who followed the diet diligently eventually lost 7 kg within 2 months!

As I have mentioned, I didn’t have the time to put in strict diet plan due to the nature of my job. After completing all the sessions, I have dropped about 4 kg which I am already very happy. However, what makes me happier is that I have become smaller overall. Before my treatment, I have reached a point of wearing size L. Now I am back to wearing S. My fat percentage has dropped, YAY! If you follow closely to the diet plan, you will probably lose more and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Here’s my stats if you need to know:
Waist : 32 inches to 27 inches
Thighs : 21 inches to 18 inches
Arms : 11 inches to 9 inches
Hips : 34 inches to 30 inches

Note that the amount of actual weight loss could vary. Thus the therapist will recommend the number of sessions as per individual patient needs.

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Look Beyond the Scale

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– My jeans: My clothes are looser. They are fitting better and more comfortable.

– My gym performance: It has improved and I can train longer and complete my exercises with more ease.

– My daily tasks: I find it easier to carry heavy bags and I don’t feel as heavy as an elephant anymore.

– My energy levels: I find myself less exhausted and more pumped when I wake up.

– My reflection: I look good when I appear in the mirror. It’s firmer and I like what I see ☺

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A lot of readers have been asking me how did I slim down. So here it is! I don’t believe in losing a lot of weight within 5 days because it is not doing any good to your body. For me, I am sharing this because I have seen positive changes in my body and I am losing weight in a healthy and happy manner.

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Slim Couture @ China Square
Address: China Square Central, 18 Cross Street, #02-06, Singapore 048423
Tel: (+65) 6536 8586

Slim Couture @ Singapore Shopping Centre
Address: 190 Clemenceau Ave 2, Singapore Shopping Centre #05-29, Singapore 239924
Tel: (+65) 6336 8665

Website: http://www.slim-couture.com
Email: [email protected]

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No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are honest and are my own.