Nombuso lost 36.6kg, Weigh-Less is her way for life
Medical practitioner, Nombuso had several weight ‘up’s and down’s’ during her years as a young adult. Yo-yo dieting and a stint on Weigh-Less all worked for a short time, but she was never able to make them long-lasting lifestyle habits. This all changed when she re-joined Weigh-Less at the right time for the right reasons, and now she is a living example to others that weight loss success is achievable the Weigh-Less Way.
Facts and Figures
Height: 1.72m
Weight then: 117.4kg
Goal Weight: 81kg
Weight lost: 36.6kg
I’m a medical doctor and I enjoy working with and helping my patients. As such I have always known the complications of being overweight and understood the importance of healthy eating, and exercise, however I simply never managed to put that into practice.
Weight ups and downs
I knew deep down that I was overweight, after all I loved my food – especially meat! Growing up in a typically African home you are told to always finish the food on your plate. The food that we ate had more starch then vegetables, and fruits were a luxury. I never worried much about my weight until I started university, but the real weight gain occurred when I started working, and was able to eat anything I wanted, as I was earning my own money and could spend it on the foods I desired. However, I ate all the wrong foods and went from a size 36 to a 44. My unhealthy eating started with excessive amounts of meat, which I absolutely love, then it was cakes and muffins. Gaining weight wasn’t a lengthy process for me, and by eating a lot my appetite increased and so I increased the number of meals I consumed, as well as the portion sizes. Looking back it is unbelievable that I could have finished a whole rack of 600g ribs all by self and still have dinner or a snack.
Whist doing my community service in a small town in Mpumalanga (Groblersdal), I joined Weigh-Less with my best friend, and I lost 10kg! However, moving out of Groblersdal, and leaving Weigh-Less, led to more weight gain, and by the time I had my first child, I was back to a size 44. Post delivery, I lost the pregnancy weight but, was still a size 44, and yet again returned to my unhealthy eating habits.
My poor husband, Kennedy, tried to assist me in losing weight by encouraging me to start numerous diets, but I never completed nor maintained any of them. I think me trying the diets was more to please him than to lose the actual weight. It’s not that he loved me less, but as I grew bigger, we stopped going out to functions together and I think he didn’t want to be seen with this big woman. By the time I had my second baby, my weight gain got worse, and I was up to a size 46. I stopped buying clothes, and hated shopping, yet I continued to eat. By then, I had come to terms with my weight and accepted that it was a part of me and there was nothing I could do about it.
Returning to a plan that works
As my 40th birthday approached, the more I realised that I didn’t want to go into my 40s looking the way I did. I knew that the only thing that had worked for me previously was Weigh-Less, so I joined a group in Roodepoort just before Christmas. I did not want to gain more weight during all the festivities and believed that it was the right time to begin. My Group Leader accepted me without any judgement; she weighed me and explained how to follow the Eating Plan.
In the first week I lost 2kg and that gave me courage to continue. The Eating Plan was still easy-to-follow and enjoyable. I loved that I didn’t feel as though I was on diet and was always full! Losing weight every week gave me encouragement to stick to the programme, and I looked forward to weighing in every Saturday. The experience of eating and losing weight was exhilarating and exciting!
I followed the Weigh-Less programme diligently; I packed my lunch and snacks the previous night, and always made sure my bag had fruit and the Best Choice foods. My car was always equipped with rice cakes, crisp breads and apples, as well as one litre of water. Doing that ensured that I never strayed onto the wrong foods.
Because I love my meat and traditional African foods, I had to find a way to incorporate the Eating Plan while still eating the foods that I enjoyed, including incorporating traditional foods into my Eating Plan. Thus I employed the Formula shuffle and ate only half a protein during the day when I knew that I was going to have a good helping of meat in the evening, so I never felt I had cheated. The Weigh-Less Eating Plan allows you to plan ahead and is great if you are you are attending a function or eating out; I was able to eat fruit for breakfast, knowing that I was going to have a big lunch, and so would not overindulge in any particular food group.
Encouraging weight loss
My husband was the first person to notice my weight loss and would encourage me as I continued losing weight every week – I would lose between 0.5kg and 1.2kg most weeks. This may sound small, but when combined it was a grand total weight loss of 5kg per month! My friends and colleagues began to notice my weight loss in the third month, and the compliments encouraged me to continue on my journey. My Group Leader was my guardian angel throughout my weight loss; every weigh-in we would both jump for joy when I lost weight and when I gained weight, she didn’t ever admonish me, but rather encouraged me. At one point she introduced me to ‘the food diary’, and using this was a real eye-opener, as it caused me to take stock off what I had eaten in the past 24 hours. It became very handy throughout my weight loss journey, as I could pick up on my bad habits and where I was going wrong with my eating, and easily correct them.
As I started to lose weight, I felt better about myself and gained more confidence. I remember that after losing 10kg, my clothes started sagging, and so I had to have most of them tailored. But after 15kg my tailor told me to go and buy new clothes! I could even fit into all my old clothing from when I was at medical school, which I had kept for many years believing that I would one day fit into them! I felt as if I was at a fashion show fitting and changing clothes. I gave away all my fat clothes except for one pair of trousers, which remained as an exhibit, and a reminder to other and myself as to how far I have come.
I believe the decision I took to lose weight was a personal one, and unlike before, when I did it to please others, I was doing this for myself. For this reason I felt I was committed and knew that I would be successful; although, I must admit that the last few kilograms were the most difficult to lose. My Group Leader never ceased to encourage me and even got me to join the gym, (even though I’ve always hated exercise!) The day I reached Goal Weight was the best day of my life; it was so emotional, and my husband even took me out to celebrate. I couldn’t believe that I had actually lost all that weight. After reaching Goal, shopping in the normal weight section became exciting and gratifying.
New way of life
I have discovered that Weigh-Less is not a diet, but rather teaches you the correct way of eating. The trick is to plan your day, pack your lunch and always keep Weigh-Less-friendly foods around you. I now even go to gym every morning before I go to work! This allows me time to reflect on the day ahead. I believe that through my learning to eat healthy and the correct portions, I have instilled in my family a lifestyle of health and wellness.
I’ve gained a lot from my Weigh-Less experience, both emotionally and spiritually. I’m now closer to my husband and it’s like we have a brand new loving relationship. We are more outgoing and spend more time together. It has been an exciting experience. I am proof that Weigh-Less works!