How I lost 12kg in 5 & a half months

As with any change that anyone succeeds at implementing, there are many factors that contribute to  successful weight loss. Even when a number of people follow the same plan/programme, the participants could all have different results, because of these factors.

I will share my story with you. And that’s all it is – my story. If any part of it sparks something in you, to tackle a challenge you’ve been considering, that’s very cool.  

1.       I’d been feeling dissatisfied with my weight for a while, and knew I’d reached an all-time  low, when I started dreading looking at photos of myself.

2.       I watched, throughout 2017, as a friend who had changed her eating habits, steadily lost 33kg in one year. (Her name is Chantel Erfort Manuel.)  

3.       I admitted to myself that I needed to make a DRASTIC change, to address my situation.

4.       I acknowledged that I needed HELP.

5.       I approached Chantel to be my COACH; she was someone I TRUSTED, and someone who’d been through what I was about to embark on. She’d basically proved to me what was possible.

6.       I decided to try the same programme she had successfully used - no need to reinvent the wheel.

7.       I started with the Sleekgeek 30-day Reboot programme, to rewire my brain and body.

8.       Within a few days, I started feeling the benefits, and I knew that this was right for me. 

9.       The enjoyed the foods on the Allowed list, and realised that I could actually sustain this way of eating.

10.   I also realised that I needed to ‘’Trudify’’ it a bit, to make it something that I could stick to for the rest of my life: I basically included a few items on the Not Allowed list, because I believed I could still be healthy eating/drinking them: I ate oats for breakfast, legumes as my main source of protein and I added milk to my coffee.

11.   My coach created a WhatsApp group for the 13 people who'd started on the same day, 8 Jan 2018.

12.   I joined a Facebook support group (Sleekgeek Reboot Support), where people on the programme shared their recipes, experiences, challenges and successes. Never underestimate the power of photos!!!

These groups became an important part of my journey. I liked the fact that I could check in with other people, read their stories, and still pursue my authentic journey. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to GO anywhere – everything was just a click away. But the hard work was still up to each of us, as individuals.

13.   I loved being free to tailor-make the Sleekgeek programme to my unique preferences.

14.   I made a conscious decision to ENJOY EVERYTHING I ATE, so I prepared meals with INGREDIENTS I ENJOYED EATING. (I still do, and I look forward to every meal. This is a great approach, I find. I have NO intention of suffering!)

15.   I did the mental exercises I needed, to keep myself motivated and inspired.

16.   I watched motivational Youtube talks.

17.   I read inspiring books. (Am busy re-reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.)

18.   I WROTE ALL THE TIME, reflecting on my achievements, talking myself through my challenges, and setting new goals. (Writing/journalling has always been my best way of processing life’s ups and downs.)

19.   I shared my success story with whomever was interested. I share the Sleekgeek website  (http://www.sleekgeek.co.za/reboot/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/SleekgeekREBOOT/)  as often as I can.

20.   I have taken PHOTOS, throughout my journey, to keep track of my progress. (This is very important, because you will plateau and you will be tempted to think you’re a failure – that’s when you need to look at your pics, to get some perspective.)

6 Jan 2018: 84,7kg

9 June 2018: 72,6kg

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I’d like to add these three points:

- I’ve been clear, from the start, that THIS WAS JUST ONE AREA OF MY LIFE WHERE I HAD BECOME STUCK. I chose the most difficult one, to prove to myself that I was capable of making meaningful change in my life, and that I could do so while remaining true to myself. I didn’t have to become someone else. I believed that if I could nail this one, I could tackle other parts of my life where I felt stuck; I would just apply the same principles.

- Even before I started the Sleekgeek lifestyle, I used to read people’s weight loss stories, and something saddened me: many people, despite having lost weight, or even having reached their goal weights, still had very low self-esteem, and carried the scars of the years of ridicule and discrimination they’d endured, as a result of being overweight.  I told my coach my view on this: I believe that a parallel process of psychotherapy is necessary, when on a weight loss programme.  If not psychotherapy, then a similar process that helps the person re-align the self-image/esteem with the physical changes. Things change, and you need to be comfortable with who you are becoming, as you lose weight. (On a deeper level, losing weight will not make you happier if there are serious emotional/psychological issues you need to work through.)

- Thirdly, and most importantly, the way we feel about our bodies is a very personal matter. I chose to lose my excess weight, gained over 24 years, because I was not comfortable. I do not want this to be confused with fat-shaming. This is my personal choice for myself. As my friends and colleagues will attest, I never criticise other people’s bodies or meal choices. It’s inappropriate.

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This is my list of 6 Trudy Rules, since 08/01/18:

1.       Eat a low-carb, sugar-free diet, with a focus on fresh food and a move away from  processed foods.

2.       Drink lots of water and green tea.

3.       Exercise three times a week. (I dance in my room for +- 45 minutes.)

4.       Do the mental work to support the physical activity of eating healthily. (I do Mind Power exercises, watch motivational videos and read inspiring articles and books.)

5.       Write, throughout the process.

6.       Enjoy every day of my life.

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TWO important things that help me stay on track:

i) Eat five meals a day, roughly three hours apart.

ii) Be prepared – I shop with a plan, prepare my meals ahead of time, and take a healthy snack with me in case I’m delayed somewhere. Every night, I prepare my lunch for the next day at work.

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A typical day’s meals:

Breakfast: oats cooked with some chia seeds, eaten with a few dabs of butter, sliced banana and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Ok, I sometimes add honey (Not allowed!).

Mid-morning snack: A handful of nuts & seeds from Allowed list. I sometimes add raisins, sultanas or dates.

Lunch: Stir-fried chicken strips (in butter, with spices of my choice), on a bed of salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, yellow pepper, dhanya, whatever). At work, I re-heat the chicken and toss it with the salad veg. Oh, and I add a bit of mayo (Not allowed! I need to learn to make paleo mayo).

                  Lunch: hot chicken,  bit of smoortjie and a basic salad. And mayo! Mmmm!

Mid-afternoon snack: Sliced fruit. I prepare this the night before - usually apples and oranges. I’ve been getting really hungry in winter, so I often take a banana to work.

Supper: Can either be exactly what I had for lunch (depending on how much chicken I prepared) or some other kind of protein (sautéed chickpeas, for example), a smoortjie ( I love!) and hot veg. I have grown to equate healthy-meals-that-make-me-happy with salad, so I eat salad with lunch and supper.

                         Supper: salad, chicken strips, smoortjie and roasted butternut strips.

I drink water throughout the day, and enjoy hot drinks as well.

I am not enjoying winter, and can’t wait for it to end!!! 

And that’s that!

Don’t say I keep things to myself! 😊