Weight increased to 96 kg, Thanh Thuy suffered from fatty liver and endocrine disorders, determined to lose weight with the secret of “eating full and not accumulating fat”.
Phung Thanh Thuy, 26 years old, has gained weight rapidly since middle school due to eating irregularly, consuming a lot of sweets, milk tea, and fried foods. She is “loyal” to the style of T-shirts, fabric pants or dark clothes, “almost every year having to change to a new uniform”. When her weight skyrocketed to 96 kg, she realized the difference.
Excessive weight makes the 1.55 m girl always have low self-esteem, difficulty moving, and slow movement. She often gets dizzy when standing up and sitting down, and is lethargic. A waist of more than 100 cm makes Thuy sometimes unable to buy clothes. She missed her period for a whole year, had lots of acne, and had many dangerous underlying diseases such as fatty liver and diabetes risk. “Just walking a few hundred meters makes me short of breath, lethargic, slow, always falling behind,” Thuy said.
In early 2023, Thuy went to the doctor and the doctor said that “not losing weight is life-threatening.” She realized her health was deteriorating, even though she was at her healthiest age, and decided to be more strict in losing weight.
Thanh Thuy’s image before losing weight. Image: Character provided
“A series of difficulties came,” Thuy recalls. Like everyone else, she practiced fasting, negative eating, and took weight loss pills but only lost a few pounds and then gained them back. Thuy always feels tired and her menstruation has not returned.
“Can I be this fat all my life?” she thought and realized she had to change her lifestyle positively, combining nutrition and exercise.
Thuy decided to choose the deficit eating method combined with the rule “eat full without accumulating fat” to lose weight safely. At this time, her weight was 90 kg.
The girl is not on a strict diet, her daily meals are full of vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, only limited fat and skin.
When hungry, Thuy adds low-sugar fruits such as cucumbers, jicama, grapefruit, dragon fruit, apples and limits mangoes and durian. In the beginning, her standard calories were from 1,800 to 2,000, then reduced to 1,300 calories.
“Previously, I thought that fasting all day and drinking just one cup of milk tea would help me lose weight. However, not making sure to eat enough meals and science both made me gain weight and made me weak, making me more sick,” Thuy. speak.
Every day, Thuy drinks about 2 liters of water, completely limiting soft drinks, fruit juice, tea, and coffee. In addition to three main meals, she drinks unsweetened milk and yogurt to reduce cravings.
In addition to choosing food, she eats slowly, chews thoroughly and eats on time to stay full for a long time. When preparing, Thuy eats steamed, boiled and stir-fried dishes, grilled through foil, pan-fried, and oil-free fryer. She prioritizes healthy oils and fats such as olive oil and avocado oil for cooking and making salads, limiting animal fats, butter, and vegetable oils.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Head of the Department of Digestive Surgery, Central Military Hospital 108, fasting is the first thing 99% of people who want to lose weight think of. This is the most noticeable way to cut calories and also brings certain effectiveness. However, fasting incorrectly will cause immeasurable harm and affect your health.
The rule for weight loss is that the amount of calories consumed must be less than or equal to the amount of calories consumed. Calories ingested (calories in) a day include food and drinks. Calories consumed (calories out) are metabolic processes, normal activities (including breathing or sleeping) and exercise.
After losing 58 kg, Thuy continued to exercise and eat at a deficit, aiming to reduce to 55 kg. Image: Character provided
In addition to nutrition, Thuy maintains gym and cardio every day, for one to two hours each session. At first, she prioritized weightlifting, then combined it with jumping rope and cycling for about 30 minutes to increase her muscles and slim her body. Many studies have proven that gym exercises stimulate hormone production, so muscles can absorb the necessary amount of amino acids and become firmer. Exercising properly at the gym helps the body’s metabolism run more smoothly, losing weight effectively and safely.
“Maybe my results are not as fast as others, so I have to maintain it regularly to achieve the best results,” Thuy said.
Thanks to that, Thuy feels her body is getting healthier, no longer sick, no neck and shoulder pain, reduced acne, regular menstruation, and more beautiful skin. Thuy sleeps well and deeply, climbing stairs is no longer short of breath. She became more confident when she lost 3-4 clothing sizes and her waist reduced to 70 cm.
Thanh Thuy’s weight loss journey. Video: Character provided
The first month, she lost 4 kg, then each month she lost 2-3 kg. Currently, she maintains a weight of 58 kg, aiming to reduce it to 54-55 kg. She shares her journey on social networks to motivate everyone.
“Anyone who starts faces many difficulties. Only when you see the effectiveness of weight loss, this journey seems much simpler,” Thuy shared.