Beating the December body deadline with UltraShape-VDF

MANILA, Philippines - Each Filipino has a different take on acknowledging the Christmas season. It could be the gridlock traffic around the metro or Starbucks Philippines telling us to double up our coffee expenses to get their yearly planner. For me, I know Christmas has entered the building when the gym gets packed. I have observed that when it’s around October-November, I have to fight over the treadmill with a freak who needs to look good in either a bikini (The Boracay Crash Dieter) or a hideous gown (The December Bridesmaid) while I need to work on my “Christmas buffer weight” to accommodate my good friends Amber (pancit) and Mrs. Yulo (Strawberry Shortcake). Lucky for me, I hit the weight loss panic button early this year when my life insurance company classified me as high risk since I weighed 210 pounds at 5’5”.

So I spent the summer letting go of bad habits and acquiring new ones so I don’t live the rest of my life as a walking time bomb. I tried different programs from the Dukan diet (a.k.a. Europe’s Atkins diet) to joining a local health magazine’s weight loss challenge. I’m proud to say that I have lost a significant amount of weight and it feels good to be able to wear a belt again. Thanks to rigorous H.E.A.T. class targeting the core or my midsection, I no longer look like a walking fridge because I have curves like a real woman! But every night when I change into my pajamas I am reminded of the days of eating twister fries until the roof of my mouth gets numb and being able to find clothes in the men’s section. My tummy is a reminder that I may have lost 20 pounds but it would take another decade and a thick face for me to wear a bikini or at least look good wearing sleeveless. This is where Marie France comes into the picture.

Marie France was the place where the super hot moms with kids attending Chinese schools went in between school and the salon. It had this mystique: to me, it was the place where only the bold and beautiful women with bucks went to become a new person each session. So when Bea Ledesma of YStyle asked if I wanted to try the latest offering from Marie France called Ultra Shape VDF treatment, I immediately said yes.

When I got to the spanking new Marie France clinic in Eastwood City, I was offered lunch but I was too nervous to eat. Frankly, I did not know what to expect from Ultra Shape-VDF apart from it being non-invasive (Aside from getting shot in the face, I fear liposuction). I felt relieved it didn’t involve Marie France’s most famous contribution to Philippine society known as the cold wrap. I met Dr. Ariel Torres, the center’s doctor, who has been with Marie France since 1998. Upon hearing he has given lectures on weight loss here and abroad, I bombarded him with so many questions and he gamely shared his knowledge with me — from anaerobic versus aerobics activity to the importance of lean mass. Though I realized that I needed to lose more weight before I could fully appreciate the contouring, Dr. Torres explained everything I need to know about UltraShape VDF since I gushed how I dream of — no, how I plan to work on — a body like their endorser Dawn “Emilia Guidotti” Zulueta.

VDF stands for vertical dynamic focus and uses ultrasound technology which, according to Marie France, “is the most advanced and focused ultrasound treatment that instantly, selectively and permanently destroys fat cells in specific areas of the body” This treatment has been around for quite some time already and currently, Marie France uses the updated version V3 which has “multiple focus” in blasting fat. The UltraShape VDF is also combined with radio frequency technology (RF) to treat the deep fat, which Dr. Torres explains why it is more time efficient. It is like two machines in one.

Since this treatment is safe and surgery free, women who have a December deadline can blast problem areas laden with subcutaneous fat (a.k.a. trapped fat) such as the permanent fanny pack around the waist, saddlebags and arms with bingo wings. Dr. Torres recommends this treatment for adults 18 years old of average weight. Also, those who plan to undergo the treatment should have the time to undergo sessions every two weeks to achieve optimal results (as much as 6.3 cms after the first three sessions). Not bad considering the older treatments required a three-week gap.

It was time for me to try my first-ever Marie France treatment and I admit I was very excited. So excited I checked in to Facebook with the status “Project Emilia Guidotti.” I was led to a pinktastic room where the nurse made sure I was comfortable. Since the room was cool and equipped with Internet connection and a flat screen TV, I told her I could stay in here forever. The treatment lasted about an hour but it went by so quickly. Since I have a high tolerance for pain (except for YouTube videos of old people getting bullied), the only pain I experienced was wearing a tank top and shorts in front of NJ Torres and the nurse. The majority of the time was spent on my tummy and I actually felt good; it started to feel ticklish since I presumed my belly fat had turned to cement. I thought I was going to be on house arrest or recovery mode but I was allowed to do my usual brisk walking on the treadmill and light weightlifting that evening. So, calling all holiday gym rats: when everything else fails, there is always Marie France to beat the December deadline.

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For more info, call 894-BODY or visit www.mariefrance.com.ph.