Showing posts with label ge lai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ge lai. Show all posts

Monday, May 18, 2015

Part 2: Shrink the Belly Project

Read Part 1, HERE. 

5. Kat Power + Lemon Water. Before lemon water in the morning became a thing,  my fitspiration Kat Garcia, was convincing me to take lemon water early on, because it speeds up metabolism daw. 

This is Kat, she's a mom of two and has 6-pack abs

I didn't take it seriously then, but two months after I gave birth, I consulted with her and she said I had to do it as part of my fasting cardio routine, which was safe to do two months post-partum. 
 
Since there was no escaping it, I eventually did so and I saw for myself how fast I lost the extra weight! I am now a believer. She recommends mixing lemon water with some honey and cinnamon, which is actually quite yummy. I take it warm first thing in the morning.

via healthandlovepage.com

Which reminds me, I am actually due for toning sessions with @mamakat na! (She's @mamakat on Instagtram). I don't need to be super ripped, but it would be nice to get toned. If you want to consult with Kat, message her at +63917 620 6876.

6. Watch what you eat. This is going to be a downer, but nutrition plays a key role in losing unwanted weight. What worked for me in general:

- Ge Lai Herbs that my mother in law made me take as a tonic. She says it helps flush out toxins and dirty blood from the body
- NO junk food or salty food so you don't have to deal with water retention while pregnant (I eventually caved in after I gave birth and had my well-deserved share of chips and stuff, about once a week)
- Taking my Food Intolerance results seriously and avoiding gluten, dairy and eggs as much as possible
- Kat recommends avoiding salt and sugar in general, but allowing for weekend cheat days
- Do not deprive yourself, do it the French way and eat what you like, but always in moderation. I now give in to cornick, corn chips and cheeze curls once in a while

7. Clarins scrub down to fight cellulite.  Ladies, if you can have babies early on, do so na. Being pregnant and getting your body into shape in your late 30s is not as easy as when you're in your 20s to early 30s. 

Being an older mom, Clarins pre and pos-natal massages were part of my pregnancy indulgences.


I have to stress, I was more masipag going to the Clarins Spa in Rustan's Makati when I was pregnant with Xavi but was really delinquent when I was pregnant with Tepper and I could see the difference talaga. Cellulite was greeting me with wide dimpled smiles with Tepper.

8. BREASTFEED. It really helps the uterus shrink really fast, and allowed me to eat all I want without putting on the pounds.

9. NO Yaya. This I think is the real secret. If you have no yaya, or you have someone to assist you, but you do most of the work, especially the puyat at night, that's the highway to losing weight, coupled with breastfeeding. 

I figured this out when we were living in the US and most of the moms there were like me, puyat, babywearing and pushing strollers, probably lacking the right nutrition, but dressed in Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant. Eye bags covered by Tom Ford sunglasses. Happy na din. Hahaha.

When we moved back here, and became pregnant with the boys, I kept up with the habit of taking care of them at night, puyat and all. Effective with weight loss, promise.

So there, I won't expect you to do all I did, but this is what worked for me and my lifestyle. Maybe you can take bits and pieces of advice from here, and see what's effective for you!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Jessica Alba Way to Losing that Post-Pregnancy Belly

Moms! Expecting moms! Young ladies who will eventually become moms years from now! Here's a tip from Jessica Alba, hot momma of two, on how to lose that post-baby paunch:

"It was brutal; it's not for everyone. I wore a double corset for three months. It was sweaty, but WORTH IT."

The secret to getting her pre-baby bod back at The Edit via net-a-porter.com

Actually, I can vouch for you that this works. Like a charm.

Unwittingly, I had done the Jessica Alba tactic and wore a belly wrap (just one, not 2. But I also wore a hip shrinking band) for 2 months (ok, I should have worn it an extra month pala!) day and night as soon as I popped Berry and Xavi. Well, not right after, but on the day we left the hospital, which was about 2 days after I gave birth.

This is me a few days before I gave birth

 Ten days after I gave birth

Xavi and me five weeks after he popped out

Yes, it was sweaty. Yes it was uncomfortable. Yes it bulged under my clothes. Taking it off after 2 months felt very liberating. But it was also a relief to have the semblance of a flat tummy after months of just seeing it protrude. Which was good enough.

Unlike Jessica Alba, I need to work on strengthening my core and toning my tummy. Now if only I can find the discipline to do plana forma and yoga religiously. Next week, promise!

P.S.

Oh, I have to say that using a belly wrap  has to be used in conjunction with a belly tightening cream like Palmer's Post Natal Firming Lotion or the Clarins Tonic Oil. My therapist at the Clarins Spa says you have to apply a tightening cream or lotion day and night, and soon after giving birth to see the full effect. I noticed that when I gave birth to Berry, I was younger and my skin just bounced back  with no help from a firming cream. But since I was 34 when I gave birth to Xavi, skin wasn't as elastic and got a bit loose and saggy, hence the needed boost, ahihi.
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