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'I lost 3st without jabs or gym thanks to cheap home-made kitchen drink'

Gracie Maxim, 41, says she has the same drink every morning to boost weight loss

[Gracie Maxim, after she lost weight.]

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Gracie Maxim after she lost weight

A woman has explained the routine which saw her lose 3st without jabs or the gym - including a kitchen ingredient that costs pennies

Gracie Maxim, 41, weighed 15st 8Ibs at her heaviest and felt "uncomfortable" all the time due to bloating. She had tried all the crash diets but after researching online and from old wives tales from the Caribbean she decided to implement some simple hacks into her diet.

Now she drinks lemon and boiling water with cayenne pepper first thing, and has a cinnamon-infused drink before bed. Gracie also started eating pumpkin and sesame seeds, drinking homemade ginger shots as well as doing her own lymphatic drainage massages - and said it saw her lose 6Ib in three days.

[Gracie Maxim, before and after]

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Gracie Maxim, before and after

She has also worked to reduce her stress levels and does an intentional thirty minute to hour hour walk every weekend. She says she does not have time for the gym, and sharing her tips and tricks online she hopes to help mums with young kids on their own journeys.

Now she weighs 12st 9lbs and lost 2st 13lbs in a just over year through her natural dietary hacks. Gracie, an improvement manager in quality assurance based in Purfleet-on-Thames, Essex, said: It was approaching my 40th birthday and I wanted to be able to wear a nice dress without feeling uncomfortable.

"As my weight was largely around my waistline so I spent six to eight months trying out different things and seeing what worked well for my body. I used to think I needed to eat less, exercise more and my tummy would go away but I was so wrong. I tried nuts and Greek yoghurts but nothing worked.

Diets in your thirties dont necessarily work when you are in your forties when your body is storing more fat because your hormone levels are changing and you have higher cortisol. The gamechanger for me was finding the right foods which told my hormones to calm down and sort themselves out which helped me to burn the stubborn belly fat.

[Gracie has the same drink every day]

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Gracie has the same drink every day

At the beginning, I felt half an inch go every evening.

Gracie says that she finds the most beneficial foods have been cheap kitchen cupboard ingredients that often cost little more than 1 from local major supermarkets. Consistency of your diet routine equals results, she said. You need to have an understanding what your body needs. You need to look at what you have got in your own kitchen and holistic treatments first before you turn to pills or injections.

You dont need to spend a lot of money to lower your levels of cortisol and inflammation. It isnt about working towards a perfect body, it is about getting to the debloated body that you love. Everybodys bodys composition is different."

Gracie has homemade, nutrition-rich drinks that she swears by every day. She said: Everyone has lemons in their kitchens and what I do is I take a lemon, squeeze the juice then pour boiling water into it, leave it to simmer then add a few flakes of cayenne peppers.

[Gracie Maxim, after she lost weight]

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Gracie Maxim after she lost weight

I have this every morning on an empty stomach and it reduces inflammation and helps digestion. Im not too rigid on it, but I think lemon water is best to drink in the morning. If you have lemon in the evening it can give you acid reflux.

Before bed, I recommend getting a couple of pieces of cinnamon sticks, pouring boiling water onto it, it simmers for 15 to 20 minutes and then you drink it. Clove water is another drink that has an instant feeling of debloating and making you feel more comfortable.

All of these methods mean you can save money, dont have to go to pharmacies and spend hundreds of pounds when cheap, natural ingredients have the same effect. I have cut out gluten and wheat which makes it more likely you are going to bloat and I feel so much more confident in myself."

Despite cutting most gluten from her diet, Gracie says she doesnt limit herself, and will occasionally have bread but it must be either bulgar or sourdough. Gracie also recommends pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, saying they are high in fibre and fight inflammation.

[Gracie Maxim, after she lost weight.]

View 5 Images

Gracie Maxim after she lost weight

She says that her bloating hacks are ideal for people who dont have a lot of time for exercise. I dont limit myself if I want something with gluten in it, she said. The big portions Ive definitely cut out and definitely noticed a difference.

Its everything in moderation. My diet has changed slightly and Ive cut out a few things that just wasnt working for my body type. Everything is done in moderation and people have to be intentional in wanting to lose the bloat and lose the weight.

The 41-year-old has been documenting her alternative wellness journey and dietary tips on her TikTok page @hrhgracie, reaching over 14.5K followers and achieving 176K likes. She has also published an e-book and offers debloating coaching and mentoring sessions to women.

Gracie says she receives extremely positive feedback from the community of women in their forties and beyond who watch her videos. She said: I want women who have had children to know they can still feel glamourous and be comfortable in their bodies, wearing the clothes they feel confident in. 40 is the new 20 and women should be able to feel good in their own skin.

Gracies habits:

• Lemon water and cayenne pepper in the morning
• Drinking lots of water and coconut water
• Intentional walking of thirty minutes to an hour every weekend
• Homemade ginger shots
• Cinnamon-infused drink in the evening
• Eating pumpkin and sesame seeds
• Doing own lymphatic drainage massages

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