It is no secret that first impression matters, and complete strangers size you up in a fraction of a second. Be it a job interview, going on a first date, or just casually meeting new friends, our appearance and body language can make or break the deal.
From your physical appearance to your outfit, grooming, and your mannerisms, people formed their opinion about you within a mere minute of your self-introduction. While we are not advocating a need for plastic surgery, slimming pills, or extreme diets, we do feel that young women should have a well-maintained image, take good care of their own body and be confident in ourselves.
As we celebrate International Women's Day, we interview two women from Indonesia, on how they overcome their weight issues and put their best foot forward to make a good first impression.
Maria Grenita (student), 21 years old
Maria is a college student at Surabaya University and just like other ladies in their 20s, Maria loves to hang out with her friends and indulged in culinary feasts. As she got older, she realised that it was getting harder and harder to lose the pounds she gained from her unhealthy diet.
“I started to put on weight when I was 15. I love to eat potato chips and drink sweet drinks since I was a child. Unlike my younger days, it is harder and harder to lose weight now,” says Maria.
Maria puts her trust in Marie France Bodyline for her slimming needs. “I was 80 kg before and I told myself that this was it. I need to take charge of my body, so I started my weight-loss regime with Marie France Bodyline and managed to lose 15kg. Now, it has become much easier to buy clothes and on top of that, I feel lighter, fitter, healthier. However, I don’t want to stop here, I want to a few more kilos to reach my ideal body weight”
Quote/Values: “The journey to a successful slimming program starts with the determination to change from yourself.”
Beauty and wellness with Maria: Control is key, consuming high calories food is always okay as long as you know the limitation of it, and of course to balance it out with workout routine and treatment.
- Learn from the experts – 20s
We spoke to nutritionists from Marie France Bodyline to understand how we can cope with the demands of being in our 20s, just like Maria.
• If you put on weight easily and find it hard to see weight loss results: Understand your body type so weight loss can be a lot easier and more effective. You want to make sure you’re losing fats, not muscles. A Marie France Body consultant will be able to help you identify your body type and make recommendations accordingly. Speak to a professional and get a free consultation and analysis of your body type.
• If your diet is causing you to see thicker waist and heavier bottom: Be more conscientious about picking lower fat food. To kick start this resolution, try to avoid fried food and food that are doused in gravy. Also, say no to processed food, which is usually high in sugar, salt or fat – ingredients used to preserve food – they are the key culprits to weight gain. Instead, focus on foods that contain calcium, fibre, folic acid, and iron, such as broccoli, figs and celery. These essential minerals will help the body reach its health potential.
Frida (housewife and mother of 3), 31 years old
Being a mother is perhaps the toughest and yet most rewarding job that a woman can have. Frida, who is a mother of three, shares the same challenge like many other mothers out there. She found it difficult to juggle between family, pursuing a master and doctorate degree, work, and at the same time, wanting to get rid of her post-natal weight gain.
"Being a wife and a mother, I have more responsibilities and less free time as compared to when I was still a single woman. Heading for a workout can be so tiring and time-consuming with my hectic schedule, and extreme dieting is definitely out since I need to make sure that I get enough nutrition to care for my baby and family," says Frida.
Frida had previously lost 10kg in 3 months with the help of Marie France Bodyline back in 2006. Today, she still puts her trust in Marie France to help her with her 3 post-natal weight gain issue.
“Even though it was demoralising when I knew that I gained 30kg after giving birth, I didn’t lose hope. I would like to prove that I can still look good after 3 kids,” she added. Since then, Frida has lost 26kg and she weighs only 64kg now. That’s not the end, her weight-loss journey still goes on till she reaches her ideal, healthy weight.
Quote/Values: “It is never too late to achieve what we want. Just believe in yourself, not worrying what other people think.”
Beauty and wellness with Frida: Commitment and consistency are essential for a person to create a change. And then let the results speaks for itself.
- Learn from the experts – 30s and post-natal
We spoke to the consultants and nutritionists at Marie France Bodyline, who gave us some advice on coping with the post-natal weight gain challenges
No extreme diets, no pills: when you are lactating and recovering from giving birth, you will need enough nutrition. Thus it is not advisable to do extreme dieting. Consuming pills or slimming tea is also not advisable, as it will contaminate the milk you produced for your baby. So the key is to eat right and use the slimming treatments that are safe.
Getting back in shape: Age-related muscle loss at 30s can slow down our body’s metabolism, and at the same time, calorie requirements also begin to decline. Couple this with the desire to reduce body excess fat from pregnancy after childbirth, weight management goals become frustrating to attain. Consider trimming calories from unhealthy fats and refined (white) starchy foods, as well as sweets and sugars that are added to beverages and foods. Emphasize instead, on foods that are rich in calcium, folic acid and iron.
More and more Indonesians are leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating out more often and as a result, a higher percentage of the population is now considered overweight, as compared to the past. High-fat food and an imbalanced diet, together with the lack of physical activities, are concluded to be the main culprits of the population’s weight gain.
Take control and speak to a nutritionist from Marie France Bodyline should you need any advice. You can get a free consultation with one of Marie France Bodyline’s nutritionist to receive an analysis of your body fat mass and fat percentage. Let the professionals help you on your journey so that we can always leave the best impressions behind.