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!

Daphne Home Scents at Bench & Dimensione

When I got home, I just had to open the package right away and use my Daphne Home Scent in mint jasmine

You know how sometimes finding a hostess gift can be such a chore? That's how I feel sometimes when I am pressured to come up with something for a friend who invites us to their home. We often end up bringing a bottle of wine or some yummy specially ordered dessert. But food & wine, they don't really last long enough to make an impression. The fun in it can be fleeting, if not forgettable. 

That's why when Daphne Osena-Paez launched her line of home scents at Dimensione on Bonifacio High Street, I knew I found myself a winner. Because scents don't just linger, they leave memories too.

The scents, which come in lavender, mint jasmine and homemade lemon tart simply smell divine, are prettily packaged (reminds me of Jo Malone scents, in that simple but striking clear glass bottle with a black cap) and are special and thoughtful enough to give to hosts as gifts for housewarmings, play dates, or as a little something extra during pot lucks. I think these make great presents for our children's teachers and tutors too, or for colleagues at work!

While you can never really go wrong with any of these three scents "or flavors" as Berry calls it, if you are worried about choosing the right scent as a present, my suggestion is - simply get all three! At Php348 a bottle, you've got something that will surely please, at just a little over Php1000.

Meanwhile, for all of us especially, who read Daphne's blog, you may be well aware that she started her eponymous furniture line sometime back. Her first piece, which also debuted at Dimensione, is a range of chairs fashioned from farmed mahogany wood. Considered her signature piece, the Daphne chair is "whimsical yet rooted in practicality".

Apart from the red, white and blue you see above, the Daphne chair comes in an array of ice cream colors, like yellow, pink and lavender, as well basic black.

Daphne Home Scents retail at Php348 each and are available at Dimensione stores and selected Bench stores nationwide. Daphne chairs are available at Dimensione.