Weigh-Less

Natasha lost 29.6kg

When Natasha Daniels came to the point where she could hardly recognise her reflection in the mirror, she realised that her unhealthy relationship with food had finally gotten the better of her. Natasha says that Weigh-Less has been instrumental in helping her to overcome her emotional issues as well as providing the tools that have put her in charge of her weight. After 13 months on Weigh-Less, Natasha lost 29.6kg, regained her confidence and is enjoying a happier and healthier life.

Facts and Figures

Height: 1.63m
Weight before: 95.8kg
Goal Weight: 67kg
Weight lost: 29.6kg
Time taken: 13 months

The high life

The kilos started piling on after I started my tertiary education. Student life took its toll on me with lots of junk food, partying and very little sleep. When I started working, my quality of my life deteriorated even more – I had more money for socialising and bad eating habits.

My health and weight were the last things on my mind at the time. Before I knew it, I had put on between 15 to 20kg and could hardly recognise myself when I looked in the mirror. I hated what I saw and the fact that I felt this way was a turning point for me because I was always taught to love myself, but couldn’t because of what I had become. I began to compare myself to other people such as friends and colleagues. Eventually, I started avoiding social situations altogether and also realised that I only made friends with people who also had problems, because they made me feel better about my situation.

Besides my job as a recruitment consultant, I lecture part-time as well. I wasn’t confident in front of the class and always felt as though the students were judging me. I always try to uphold a good work ethic and felt that my lack of confidence compromised this. I completely lost my personality and felt as though I had to compensate for being overweight. I was the one who worked harder, was always nice and never got upset or angry. I was very good at hiding my feelings, so no one really knew what I was going through. I suffered in silence.

Joining Weigh-Less I had tried many crash diets but would always give up after a while. The menus consist of hardly any food, so it’s difficult to keep up with crash diets for long periods of time. I’d drop a few kilos, stop dieting and pile on all the weight again. Basically, my pattern was to starve myself and when I couldn’t do it any longer, I’d eat anything and everything in sight.

My mother had joined Weigh-Less a few years back and recommended the programme to me. I read through her filo and browsed through some impressive success stories on the Weigh-Less website. Convinced that Weigh-Less could help me, I made the call to the Weigh-Less Call Centre. I joined Crystal Burger’s Group in Cape Town. I remember being very nervous because I felt as though everyone, including Crystal, would judge me for letting myself go. I was terrified of facing my demons by getting on the scale, but Crystal assured me that I could fix my ‘problem’ with some sacrifice and hard work.

Some support always helps Crystal was one of the biggest motivators really passionate about Weigh-Less – she has so much to give and teach. My family and friends were great and always motivated me when I felt down. They respected my choice to be healthier and that this meant that my food choices would change. They never made me feel like an outsider.

Time for change

My weight loss journey wasn’t always easy. It was difficult in the beginning as I was accustomed to an unhealthy lifestyle – it was my ‘normal’. At restaurants and in social situations, it was hard to take the high road while everyone else ate what they wanted. At one point, I was avoiding such situations, but I eventually became used to making the right choices. I also struggled to keep a regular fitness routine. I was never a very active person and didn’t do any exercise prior to joining Weigh-Less. I also had the perception that losing weight was difficult and definitely not something you would enjoy. Because I loved (unhealthy) food that much, I thought that healthy food tasted bland. I also thought that healthy eating meant eating very little and that you always feel hungry. Weigh-Less helped me to see that healthy eating was not about misery and deprivation. With some time, my mental block lifted and healthy eating became much easier for me. Within the first two months on Weigh-Less, I could see a significant difference in my appearance.

My weight plateaued about 5kg from Goal Weight. For about four weeks, the scale would only register very small losses or none at all. I felt demotivated – it was as though my body had let me down. For comfort, I turned to food and remember going on an eating binge one evening. I stuffed my body with so much unhealthy food that I was up the whole night physically ill and in pain. I realised that my body could no longer handle such huge amounts of food rich in fats and carbs. The very next day I started the Re-Balance plan and haven’t looked back since.

Life at Goal Weight

Reaching Goal Weight was truly one of the proudest moments of my life. I’m confident and don’t feel insecure anymore. I’ve become a role model to my friends and family members. They can see how I’ve changed physically, as well as emotionally, and can learn from that. For instance, I’ve become more assertive – I have the confidence to stand up for what I believe in and voice my opinion without feeling judged. I’ve also made my friends and family realise that healthy doesn’t mean boring and surprise them with my creative meals on a regular basis. In the workplace, I have loads more confidence and don’t feel like I must work so much harder to prove myself.

I’ve introduced colour into my wardrobe as I feel confident enough to wear colours that enhance my figure and complexion. Before, I stuck to blacks and greys in order to hide my body. I attend gym three times a week and do two cardio sessions and one weight session. If I can’t make gym, I’ll put on a fitness DVD at home.

Making Weigh-Less a lifestyle

The Weigh-Less principles fully equip you to remain in control of what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat. Make the formula work for your lifestyle, for instance, save your formula if you have got a function to attend, keeping within your limit of carbs, proteins and fats allowed per day and adhere to portion sizes. These principles have become like second nature. No matter where I am or who I am with, I am always conscious of the better choices that could be made. I do spoil myself once in a while, but that I’ll never forget what Weigh-Less has taught me. Weigh-Less changed my life completely.

Natasha’s great advice for your weight loss journey:

• Attend Group meetings every week – a support structure is important.
• Attend Group meetings every week – a support structure is important.
• Exercise is vital, so find something that you love doing. If you don’t enjoy it, you probably won’t continue with it.
• Don’t try to be perfect because you’re setting yourself up for failure.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• You can’t go wrong with Weigh-Less – I am living proof of this!