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When I look in the mirror, I see the person I have wanted to see for years.
From an early age, Renata struggled to manage her weight. This is understandable, as health is not on the top of most children’s agendas. She would always take her pocket money down to her local general store and buy sweets – rewarding herself with the sneaky sugars every so often. This built a habit and the habit became a routine, as more and more unhealthy foods crept into her diet. A toxic relationship with food developed, and Renata ballooned at a rapid rate. She could not understand why she was picking up so much weight, as she tried her best to stay active most of the time. Renata has a great group of friends who all love her no matter what she looks like, but a year ago she was the fat friend in the group – something she did not want to be anymore. Healthy pressure from her friends and colleagues, coupled with concern from her family, prompted Renata to look seriously at getting her health and wellness back on track.
Renata had tried multiple diets before joining Weigh-Less, but they all seemed to throw her weight into a sort of bungee motion – dropping rapidly and rising sharply soon after. The yo-yo dieting began to take its toll, and all Renata wanted was a weight management plan that could help her lose the weight – and keep it off for good.
Renata joined with the idea that Weigh-Less was just another diet to try – this negative mentality caused her to drop out of the programme shortly after first joining. “To get your body right, you have to get your mind right first – and I failed to realise this the first time around,” Renata explains. Time went by and Renata fell back into her old self-sabotaging habits, until the point came where she could not take it anymore. “Buying larger and larger clothing sizes didn’t deter me, but simply seeing a photograph of myself looking really big was the shock-and-horror seed that planted itself in my mind.” She decided to try the Weigh-Less Way a second time, but was still sceptical and approached her Eating Plan with a negative attitude. For Renata history repeated itself, and a short while after joining she decided to drop out. She struggled to come to terms with these two failed attempts, and began reflecting on what she could have done differently. The penny dropped, and Renata began planning her third and final Weigh-Less journey. Substantial weight loss and a drastic lifestyle change cannot be attempted without proper planning and sufficient preparation. She was going to make her third attempt the lucky one – she was prepared,
she was motivated, and she was finally going to become the person she had always wanted to be.
Losing 40kg is a task of mammoth proportions, but Renata was up to the challenge. She hit the ground running and made losing the weight and taking back her health the number one priority in her life. This meant that when her friends would want to go out for an evening of feasting, Renata would excuse herself and prepare herself a delicious Weigh-Less meal instead. She was delighted in the fact that her Eating Plan did not require her to give up carbohydrates, and the occasional sweet treat was permitted. She stayed motivated by repeating to herself the phrase that, “the best motivation for weight loss – is weight loss.”
Renata admits that once she had changed her outlook, the weekly Group Meetings were actually more enjoyable and thought-provoking than she had originally thought they would be. She decided to be happy in the fact that her future self would be amazing, instead of being unhappy that her present self was not. She needed a changed mind-set to see the path to better health, and revelled in the weekly opportunity to be inspired – and to inspire others. Renata would love to drop a few more kilograms, but achieving her personal Goal Weight was the best thing to ever happen in her life. The 40kg weight loss has empowered her – proving that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. Renata describes her journey with Weigh-Less with two words: It works. She states that the best way she could be an ambassador would be to become publicly active by telling her story, while staying true to herself. Honesty about the ups and downs is key, and Renata feels that she will be able to motivate many people to change their lives with Weigh-Less.
Renata has gone from the fat friend to the friend that has a water bottle attached to her permanently. Referring to her journey to Goal Weight, she discloses that her motivation and determination increased as her clothes became more and more loose. She now loves fashion, and gets excited when she puts outfits together for herself. She can now walk into any clothing store and know that the clothes she sees on the shelves will fit her. Renata admits that, “there is no end to Weigh-Less, it is a constant. You do not simply lose the weight and that is that – the real work begins when you reach your Goal Weight and work towards staying at it.” When the successful slimmer now looks at herself in the mirror, she sees the person she has wanted to see for years – the healthy, happy version of herself. Speaking about her journey to Goal Weight Renata suggests, “Take responsibility for your health and happiness. As you gain more and more experience with Weigh-Less, you learn to navigate testing situations with more ease – and if you can’t, just say NO! Nothing is out of reach these days. By being honest with yourself and taking your Eating Plan seriously, you WILL achieve your goals.”
With Weigh-Less, however, I had come to discover a solution to one of the problems I had been struggling to live with – my weight. Somehow, the opportunity to deal with this problem in a healthy manner made it easier for me to overcome the other obstacles in my life. I no longer had to pretend to accept myself or try to be like someone else, someone who had his life together. Instead I could focus on bettering my life and being the best Jaco I could be... a healthy and happy man.
