Activate your Meridian to lose weight

Before you ask, “Activate your Mer-what?”, let me backtrack.

Five months after my baby came out, I started to panic when last few kilos of weight I need to get rid refused to be shed.

Granted, I haven’t got back to my exercise regimen (unless you count carrying up and putting down a 16-lb baby a workout, which trust me after a couple of hours, it is) — I used to run at least 5km every other night (10km on good ones where I manage to conquer Mount Faber) and hot yoga at least twice a week. Gone are those days (for now only I hope). I haven’t been eating much either — no time is one thing, but when you have to juggle caring for an infant while doing household chores and managing a business, I’m lucky enough to be able to get a few hours of sleep. And I’ll choose sleep over food any time.

I’m not into weight-loss fads or crash diets so I’m not interested in those. Pill-popping, a definite no no.

So when I saw the invite to try this “all-natural” Metabolite Wellness Treatment at iBeauty Medispa, I was stoked to give it a shot. I mean, anything to get out of the house and get kneaded for 30 minutes AND lose some weight in the process, right?

These are the benefits that were being purported (and if you are anything like me, these key words are bound to get you suckered in!):

• Minimise fat cells size
• Fat cells being drained through the lymphatic system
• Body in constant state of aerobic cell activity and heightened state of silent metabolic activity (in layman terms, it means your body is burning more calories than before and without you having to move a muscle)
• Reduce intestinal absorption of fats and starch and inhibits excessive appetites
• Regulates hormonal secretions
• Reduces excessive insulin secretions
• Expect 100 to 800g weight loss each day

My therapist first took my weight, BMI (Body Mass Index), visceral fat (the ones that surround your intestines), the composition of body fat, water and muscles in my body.

The result was abysmal: I was still about 6kg away from my pre-baby weight and my visceral fat has gone up by 2%! As if that’s not enough to ring the alarm bells, based on the analysis, my biological age is a few years older than I really am. Yes, *insert sad face*.

We then move on to the therapy room. The session began like any other massage — a good pressing of the acupressure points along the spine (that’s where the 106 metabolic meridian points of our body are located, according to traditional Chinese medicine speak. See illustration above). But that was not before some “slapping” done to, I guess, awaken the nervous system of the body.

Contrary to what I thought, the process was rather painless and was chemical-free. I was totally baffled. How’s that possible?

Well, believe it.

According to some testimonials I read off of the press release, satisfied customers include a 52-year-old who went from a size L to a size S in 6 weeks!

Of course, I did not expect to see results in just one treatment – it is not a miracle worker.

It is recommended that one completes a round of 2 to 3 treatments a week and a total of 15 sessions (priced at $2,000) to see a dramatic change. According to the Hazel, the owner of the beauty chain, she guarantees a 5kg fat loss at the end of those 15 sessions. But like any good accompaniment to a slimming programme, she advocates a sensible diet (“but I don’t believe that anyone should starve themselves”) and at least two to three sessions of 30-minute of aerobic exercise a week.

I weighed myself after the session and found myself 500g lighter but I think I would need to go back for more perhaps to get rid of the other 4500g. And then, I have to stop having babies.