Meet Irene Chye. She is a slimming expert.
No, she is not your typical therapist from some slimming outlet that uses methods like putting you in expensive high-tech machines.
Irene is the founder of Absolute Slimming, which has been around since 2002. Unlike others, Irene uses Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) methods to help people bust their fats.
Lest you start thinking of acupuncture and having to eat bitter medicinal concoctions, the methods adopted by Irene are nothing like those; she has been successfully helping people lose weight over the last 13 years by using a special cupping-based slimming technique, combined with guasha, a TCM scrapping treatment to stimulate blood flow.
I met up with Irene at her Absolute Slimming outlet at Holland Village and took an instant liking to the svelte lady who looks a good 10 years younger than her actual age of 50. A mother of three children, Irene first brought the cupping-based slimming technique from China 13 years ago.
“I started off by running a home-based salon back then,” she shared. “It was a good way of making ends meet while allowing me to keep an eye on my kids at home.”
Irene’s customers, having seen great results, constantly encouraged Irene to set up a shop. In fact, the real estate agent who helped Irene secure her first shop at Holland Village is also a long-time customer of Irene and had wanted to help Irene reach out to more customers. The rest is history.
Absolute Slimming is the first in Singapore to use this unique method to help people shape up. Irene had undergone two years of training in China under a TCM expert before she practised the technique here in Singapore.
“The slimming technique I learned in China was from was very different from what I’m practising today. Today, I use cupping and guasha in my programme, but it wasn’t always like this. The original Chinese version actually included cupping and acupoint pressure therapy instead of guasha. Some of my earliest customers will know this.”
The current programme at Absolute Slimming requires one to adhere to a month-long dietary routine by staying away from certain food such as rice, noodles and other carbs, and eating a balanced diet including vegetables, fruits and meat. Interestingly, the original Chinese slimming programme was stricter in terms of dietary requirements. So why did Irene decide to change it?
“The original method calls for one to consume only one type of fruit, and places importance on common food in China such as rabbit meat and bamboo shoot,” explained Irene. “Rabbit meat, for sure, is not for the common Singaporean palate.”
“I want a diet plan that allows my customers to lose up to 6kg in four weeks without actually having to starve. Today, I can safely say that my customers can achieve great weight loss and inch loss, even when I allow them to eat a fair bit of good food like salmon during the programme. This couldn’t be possible without the years I spent on refining the diet plan.”
The diet plan wasn’t the only thing adapted by Irene though. She also replaced the originally used acupoint pressure therapy with guasha, which involves stimulating specific acupoints by gliding a flat piece of stone over the skin in broad, swift strokes. According to Irene, guasha is much better than acupoint pressure therapy because it allows her to work on her customers’ acupoints with greater speed and just as much effectiveness. To complement the treatment, she also uses a homemade cream that contains several anti-cellulite herbs and essential oils that can help firm and tighten the skin.
An Absolute Slimming staff uses guasha, a traditional Chinese medicine method, on a customer. Photo © Absolute Slimming.
Today, Absolute Slimming boasts a success rate of 99 per cent. So what happened to the 1 per cent, I queried.
“There were occasions when a small handful of our customers couldn’t lose weight despite following the diet and the programme. This could be due to genetically stubborn fats that do not respond to our metabolism-stimulating treatment. However for this group of customers, we offer a money-back guarantee,” assured Irene.
This unique slimming technique must be working very well for her customers, for Irene has just expanded her operations and opened her second outlet in town at Bugis Cube two months ago. She has certainly come a long way since her home-based salon days.
Before I ended the conversation, I asked Irene if she uses the slimming method on herself.
“Yes, I have to. I love eating sweet stuff,” she confessed with a laugh.
For details on the programme offered by Absolute Slimming, visit absoluteslimming.net.
Absolute Slimming
211 Holland Avenue, #03-14
Holland Road Shopping Centre
Singapore 278967
470 North Bridge Road
#04-23 Bugis Cube
Singapore 188735
Tel: +65 64630360 / 98613123
