The mother of two once felt self-conscious about her "skinny fat" physique, a term describing individuals who appear slender or have a normal weight but carry an unusually high body fat percentage with low muscle mass. This condition is marked by excess fat accumulation, particularly visceral fat, which results in a lack of body firmness and a risk of severe metabolic disorders. Skinny fat poses a danger comparable to obesity; it is often overlooked because individuals do not exceed normal weight limits, yet it elevates the risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Despite weighing only 49 kg, Yen's sedentary office job and frequent consumption of sweets, such as milk tea, traditional desserts, and starches, led to significant fat accumulation in her abdomen. In recent years, her health declined, marked by persistent shoulder and neck pain and difficulty sleeping. Attempts to reduce her food intake only resulted in constant fatigue.

A pivotal moment arrived when Yen was late for work and had to climb stairs. Despite only a few steps, she found herself struggling to breathe, her heart pounding for 30 minutes, and her knees aching into the next day. This experience spurred her decision to embrace exercise for better health.

The woman exercises regularly every day. *Photo provided by subject*

In June 2023, Yen began exploring and incorporating both gym workouts and yoga into her routine. She dedicated five to six weekly sessions to resistance training at the gym, often combined with walking. Resistance training, which involves using weights, machines, or resistance bands to contract muscles against a load, aims to build muscle strength and endurance. These exercises also offer benefits such as boosting metabolism, reducing inflammation associated with arthritis, preventing osteoporosis, and supporting mental well-being.

During the remaining one to two weekly sessions, Yen focused on yoga to enhance her flexibility. Yoga integrates physical postures, breathing techniques, and mental focus, offering numerous benefits, particularly for individuals with osteoporosis. According to Health, it improves body flexibility, strength, posture, and balance. Research indicates that practicing yoga an average of three times weekly can significantly improve bone mineral density in the spine, hips, and thighs. On busy days, she would also perform 15 minutes of gentle yoga before bedtime.

Beyond exercise, Yen reformed her diet, reducing sweets like milk tea, traditional desserts, and starches, while increasing protein and green vegetables. She adopted a "reverse eating" approach, beginning meals with vegetables and low-sugar fruits, followed by protein sources such as meat and fish, and concluding with starches. She consumed three balanced meals daily, avoiding hunger. Her diet prioritized seasonal foods, limited red meat and unhealthy fats, and favored poultry, seafood, and low-sugar produce like grapefruit, apples, oranges, and tangerines.

Experts highlight that consuming vegetables before a meal slows down food absorption and digestion, particularly of carbohydrates. This helps stabilize blood sugar, preventing sudden spikes and reducing hunger between meals. This method also allows individuals to better manage their food intake, supporting weight control. Moreover, filling the stomach with vegetables quickly promotes satiety, curbing the desire to overeat and enabling better regulation of sugar and fat content in food.

Six months into her journey, Yen enrolled in an online course that provided suggested meal plans and instructional videos. Through this program, her instructor guided her in correcting exercise postures and encouraged her to develop a deeper awareness of her body for optimal and personalized movements. While her overall health improved and her physique became more toned, abdominal fat remained a challenge.

Yen's balanced physique at 40 years old. *Photo provided by subject*

Yen maintained her exercise regimen consistently for nearly three years. She admitted facing initial difficulties, including body aches and occasional lack of motivation, as her body adjusted. Yet, the unwavering support from her family helped her adapt. The noticeable improvements in her physique and mental well-being served as powerful motivation to persevere.

After three years, at 40 years old, Yen now boasts a desirable 58 cm waist and weighs 46 kg. Her health has significantly improved, her spirits are higher, and she looks more youthful with firmer skin. The abdominal fat has reduced, and she no longer suffers from fatigue or difficulty sleeping.

“This is something I didn't even have at 20 years old,” Yen remarked. She advises others seeking personal transformation to avoid haste, emphasizing the need for patience, dedicated time, thorough research of methods, experimentation, and selecting what truly suits their individual needs.

Kha Duyen