Hustle-free weight loss

Irene Githua weighed 110kg at some point. She hit the gym for months in vain. Then she discovered a magic bullet that inspired her to start Body Contour Slimming Spa. She shares with NJOKI CHEGE her secret 

Countless weight loss methods have emerged in the market, all promising astonishing results. From yo yo dieting, to fitness dancing and even excessively strenuous exercises…the list is endless.

 All these methods have been tried and tested, with some passing the test and others declared downright bogus.

Today, the ‘alternative’ weight loss methods have emerged, where you can literally lose weight from the comfort of your seat, without breaking sweat.

Irene Githua, knows this too well. Two years ago, she weighed 84kg, with her weight rocketing up to 110kg at some point. She tried all diets she knew about, hit the gym for months, danced her heart out, but nothing. Not even a single kilo was shed off. Then she began searching the Internet to find out what’s new as far as weight loss was concerned.

She made phone calls to spas in UK to find out what they were doing to help reduce weight.

“I found out that they were actually using highly advanced machines such as the electrotherapy, and treatments such as the non-invasive liposuction and body wraps to aid in weight loss,” says Irene.

She sought the treatments locally, which were ridiculously expensive. She would spend up to Sh75,000 a month for the treatments. As expensive as they were, the treatments actually worked.

Four months later and Sh300,000 gone, she lost 20kg. And she loved every minute of it.

“I would lose weight so fast, that I couldn’t wear the same clothes I wore a week before. My friends were equally perplexed and everyone kept telling me ‘I want what you have’” she says.

Impressed by the results and by the reactions of those around her, Irene embarked on a journey—to start her very own slimming spa and share the secret to losing weight.

And that is how Body Contour Slimming Spa was born.

“I found a solution for my problem, now I wanted to help other women with their weight issues,” she says.

Irene bought her first weight loss machine— the electrotherapy machine and began using it in her house. Then she would have clients come over for the treatment, and no client left the same after each session.

She wanted to make these treatments accessible and affordable for clients who could afford the usual Sh6,000 per session.

There was such high demand for the treatment that Irene left her eight to five job as freelance web consultant to start a slimming spa.

“Clients would come at 5pm after working hours and leave much later. Soon I had to decide what I really wanted,” she explains.

Although they only recently gained popularity locally, these treatments have been used for weight loss since the 1950’s in Europe and America. It was only until recently that the craze began locally.

“They are the best kept secret for weight loss,” says Irene.

Today, Irene has two body slimming spas in Westlands and Hurlingham, Nairobi and she uses three main treatments to aid weight loss.

The first one is the electrotherapy which  is a lightweight, portable machine designed to deliver electrical signals through adhesive electrode pads that are placed over specific areas of the body.

The electrical impulses stimulate the nerves and cause the muscles to contract. The device is computerised with different programmes that deliver varying strengths of stimulation. The number of electrodes varies with manufacturers, but your body will have anywhere from 16 to 24 pads placed over strategic areas—like hips and thighs—at one time.The stimulation of the muscle by the electrical current creates a significant energy demand on the muscles so surrounding fat cells are burned for energy.

Release of toxins

The stimulation also agitates the fat cells causing release of toxins and reduction of cellulite. In addition, the deep muscle stimulation helps tighten and tone the skin and improve circulation.

“The process is similar to working out in the gym as you will sweat a bit, but the difference is that is absolutely relaxing and painless,” says Irene.  The electrotherapy is a favourite among new mothers, who want to get rid of the belly fat on the thighs.

Before a client is taken through these treatments, they go through a complete body assessment to record the weight and measurements and body fat analysis. A session on the electrotherapy machine takes between 45 minutes to one hour.

Studies have shown that electrotherapy machines can also be used for pain relief and to reduce swelling on the skin surface.

Earth clay

The second treatment is the body wrap, a weight loss method that takes advantage of the power of earth clay and seaweed ingredients to aid in weight loss and general detoxifying of the body.

 The first step, as Irene explains, is to get rid of the dead cells on the skin surface by scrubbing the body with ‘kawa’ scrub. The next step is applying the organic clay on the entire body, after which you are wrapped with hot bandages (of tolerable heat). You are then directed into the sauna or a sauna blanket for 45 minutes. The beauty of a body wrap is that it instantly reduces inches on the mid riff area and thighs, as well as tightening your skin.

The non-evasive/ non-surgical liposuction is another treatment that guarantees the burning of fats around the areas with excess fat.

Non-surgical liposuction is a popular method to remove fat with the similar results as liposuction but it does not include surgical cutting on your body, as traditional liposuction requires. For this reason, non-surgical liposuction has become a desirable alternative to liposuction for those people who aren’t confident with an actual surgery.

In this treatment, a laser is used to ‘melt the fat out’ in areas you may feel excess fat building up.

This method is state-of-the-art and modern, and it also resembles the same kind of procedure doctors’ use for a non-surgical facelift.

 It is neither painful nor scary, as it only requires you to place the laser on the area with fat to melt it out. The laser uses ultra sound waves to create tiny bubbles within the fat cells. These bubbles create pressure around the fat cells, making them burst open. You then pass out the fat as you would other waste products.

Irene advises clients to first take a trial of these three treatments, all of which take a minimum of three hours.

 “The non invasive liposuction and electrotherapy treatment takes about 45 minutes, and the body scrub and body wrap takes another 45 minutes. This package goes for Sh3,000,” explains Irene.

These procedures, if done on a weekly basis can guarantee weight loss of between 5kg to 7kg every month. However, since these procedures do not have much cardio-vascular workouts  which increases your heart rate, clients are advised to incorporate as much physical activity to complement these treatments for general body fitness.