Want to lose 10 lbs in one month?

I just turned 43 this month. And I am overweight. But in one month, I was able to lose 10 lbs, which was rather done easily. I really thought that there was no hope for me. Want to know what I did? Read on. What I can assure you is that, it’s cheap, it’s painless, and I did not exercise.

Note: Not sponsored

Why I Am Overweight

Many of you know that I am a Bacolod food blogger while also maintaining this parenting blog. So people just assumed that because of the so many events I attend and the Bacolod restaurants I visit, I would naturally gain weight.

But that’s not the reason I am overweight. These occasions do not happen every day.

I just eat a lot, period. If I don’t like the food at home, I will whip something that I like in my kitchen and indulge.

Eating every 2 hours

And I can get really hungry. Imagine, I eat breakfast at 9am (usually with rice and coffee), then have heavy snacks at 11:30am and then eat lunch at 12:30pm. Afterwards, it’s naptime at 2pm, wake up at 4pm, then have snacks again. Plus, there’s heavy dinner and then midnight snacks.

In between my eating, I would work in front of the computer. My husband is also very lenient with me, as we both eat together. He doesn’t complain, even when I gained so much weight. Eventually, he got concerned when I started feeling the health concerns related to being overweight.

I would lose 1 lb and gain 2 lbs the following day. How could I even lose 10 lbs?

I Need to Lose Weight Fast

Honestly, I am not very vain with my looks. Nor does my husband require me to maintain a slim figure. But my back and my knees are already complaining. I have a top-heavy body shape, so when I gain weight, the fat gets stuffed from my waist up. The additional weight makes me look like an apple.

This imbalance in weight distribution causes my lower back and right knee to ache so much. A regular exercise regimen at the gym has really helped managed the pain.

I used to go to Fitness Mecca here in Bacolod and I love it there. They have new and modern exercise equipment. Their coaches are knowledgeable and helpful. I would love to go back working out after my schedule has stabilized.

However, I realized that a three-hour me-time at the gym (1 hr workout + 2 hr travel time) is a luxury that I cannot afford.

But I really needed to lose weight. And fast. To lose 10 lbs is an ideal goal for me. It’s not the lowest that I could go, but it’s good enough. I just want to be lighter and healthier.

The Frustration with Diets

When I was younger, what was effective for me was the low to no-carb diet. I would fast from carbs for two weeks at a time then take a break. But in the two times that I got serious with the low-carb diet, I got pregnant, so the diet was put aside again.

Sluggish Metabolism

When I reached 39, I noticed that my metabolism had already become very sluggish. With just a little food intake (especially of carbs), I would feel bloated–like a pregnant woman.

I have a confession to make–I almost threw away our digital weighing scale. For the past two years, it always showed the same number – 130 — as in lbs. At 4’10”, that means I am 30 lbs. overweight.

The only thing that stopped me was that, the kids’ weight steadily increased while my husband’s weight fluctuated. So that means, the weighing scale is not malfunctioning.

Like a Ball

Then one day, I went to see my Kumare Pynky. Suddenly, she commented, “You look like a ball.” Yeah, I know, friendships can be brutal. Anyway, when she said that, I was bothered. So when I got home, I weighed myself and got the shock of my life–the scale moved! But instead of registering a lower number, I was now 132 lbs!

That’s unacceptable so I need to do something! If I could just lose 10 lbs, I would already be very happy!

Stomach Discomfort

One day, I couldn’t stand the discomfort in my stomach. It wasn’t acid reflux or anything painful. It just felt like my stomach was being folded or something. That would happen every time I ate rice or anything that’s heavy. It seems I have difficulty digesting my food.

On Facebook, I already asked for a referral to a gastroenterologist. But then Chef Pauline Banusing of Brewery Gastropub Bacolod and Brewery Gastropub Iloilo chatted me up. She advised me to try drinking ginger tea (salabat) with turmeric. This kind of drink can already be bought in powdered form in stores, so it was pretty convenient for me.

I started drinking hot ginger tea twice a day, usually after lunch and dinner.

What I Did to Lose 10 lbs in 1 month

What I noticed was that ginger tea helped in digestion. During the first days, I would burp a lot. So the gassy feeling was relieved.

Also, it made me feel full longer, so I didn’t need to eat so much for the next meal. Sometimes, I could go the whole morning without food, just black coffee. My cravings were also curbed.

With all these observations, I thought maybe I should try to intentionally cut down on my portions and in-between snacks. As I did that, I noticed that my weight started dropping. My tummy isn’t bloated anymore, so I no longer look 7 months pregnant.

Ginger Tea Helped Me Lose Weight!

In short, because of the effect of ginger tea with turmeric internally, I was able to effectively lessen my food intake. That brought my weight down.

For the first time in more than two years, my weight gradually decreased and I felt good. 10 lbs off my frame really improved my mobility as well.

Action Plan

Now at 122 lbs, I feel great. Additionally, my clothes are more comfortable to wear. But I want to lose some more so that I can completely eradicate the pain on my knee and lower back. So, I am trying to keep lessening the carb.

I also plan to increase my physical activity, like doing some exercises at home and some brisk walking if the weather is good. That is because for now, my weight has reached a plateau. If I want to lose more weight and tone my muscles, I need some exercise.

Weight Goals

My target weight is 110 lbs. I am working to reach it and maintain it already. Actually, if I follow health charts, the ideal weight for my height is only 100 lbs. But I have been there before. I was skinny but also sickly. So I don’t want that anymore.

This mama is not getting younger so I need to be healthier, as I still have my family to take care of. Plus, I acknowledge that I have a big bone structure, so I could never be waif-like (believe you me, that was what I was trying to achieve back then). I would just be a very happy mama when I am in healthy shape.

Low Carb Diet

As carb is really the bane of my figure, I try to keep my carb intake in check. But I eat everything, just in small portions. I still indulge in cakes and chocolate as well as soda–anything that I like–just as long as these are in small portions.

However, I do try to make healthier choices. If there was a choice between meats and vegetables, I would pick the salad already. For breakfast, I drink milk with chia seeds and sometimes with barley grass.

There is no real diet plan here except that I eat everything in small portions, take lesser amount of carbs, make healthier food choices, and avoid midnight snacks.

Sometimes, I also take malunggay capsules along with my multivitamin supplements for optimum health.

If you want other weight loss supplements, you may want to check out something like Gundry MD supplements to see if they would suit your lifestyle.

Other Health Benefits

There many health benefits of ginger and I will write about them in a separate post.

The health benefits of turmeric also abound. One of them is in dealing with allergies. I have not really minded this part, as I was already focused on the weight loss part. But since the ginger tea that I buy from Merzci Pasalubong has turmeric, I am also reaping the benefits.

Sun Urticaria 

One of my greatest problems is sun exposure. After 30 minutes under the sun, I would get rashes on my neck, the inside of arms, hands, the back of my legs, and other exposed areas. The only way I can combat them is to apply SPF 50 sunblock. It’s fine, but when the activity is all day, I usually suffer for dayssss.

And I really suffer during and after family vacations because my kids love the outdoors and swimming. Last week, we went to Leyte and then Cebu. It was a week-long trip. Some of the places we have been to are the Upside Down World Cebu and Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.

Naturally, I was out in the sun many times every day. I even went swimming with the kids. What I immediately realized upon our return is that, I did not have flare ups. I am still trying to observe but I think that turmeric worked wonders on my skin allergy. Hooray for turmeric!

Affordable Weight Loss Product

Aside from loving its taste (I am actually craving for it), ginger tea with turmeric is very cheap. A small pack of 180 grams is only P100. And it could last me for a week. That’s so cheap, as compared to other weight loss products. To lose 10 lbs is not easy at my age, but ginger tea has really helped me.

Plus it’s natural and has a lot of other health benefits.

I buy my ginger tea from Merzci Pasalubong branches. It’s made by the Estrella family of Silay City. Honestly, I have tried so many brands since I have started taking ginger tea. But I have gone back to this kind because it tastes just right. Others are too spicy while others are too sweet.

Others, meanwhile, has some minute black things floating around. Ewww. haha

In Conclusion

I waited for some time before writing this post because I wanted to make sure that my weight loss is sustainable. So far, so good. After more than 2 years for struggling, I was finally able to easily lose 10 lbs in just one month.

I can definitely say that ginger tea has helped me jump start my weight loss journey. Will keep you posted if I have reached my desired weight. Hopefully, I can lose 10 lbs more in another month or so.

Let’s do this, mommies!

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