After her mom passed away, Boipelo found comfort in food. And before she knew it, the weight had piled on, leaving her feeling insecure and hiding from the world. When Boipelo hardly recognised the woman she saw in the mirror, she knew she had to make a change. Here’s how she lost 30 kilos in just 7 months.
Boipelo Motlhagodi
Occupation: Self employed
Age: 31
City: Nelspruit
Weight Before: 90kg
Weight After: 60kg
Time required to lose weight: 7 Months
Secret weapon: Consistency and discipline
The Gain
Boipelo was not always overweight. In fact she was a pageant queen, who played netball in school, but had to stop due to an injury. When her mother passed away, she was grieving and she found comfort in eating. Boipelo says that she ate everything that she could get her hands on, “I would at times buy a box of large pizza and eat slices as the day progressed till it was done” she says. Boipelo says that she never paid attention to all the junk she was putting in her body. Hence her weight gain was slow but a steady one, because she also despised exercising. Basically, she never burnt off all the kilojoules she was consuming.
READ MORE: “I Dropped 5 Dress Sizes And Still Had Cheat Meals Every Week”
The Change
It was only when Boipelo looked at pictures of herself, and realised just how much weight she had put on. “I had an AHAH moment when I saw those pictures. I didn’t even have a lot of full-length pictures because I was ashamed of my body. In most group pictures I’d never be fully visible. I was always hiding behind someone,” she says. When she got on the scale, she knew she had to change her lifestyle. She started of with what she hated most, exercising at home. During this time cardio actually became her best friend. Her new exercise routine consisted of jump rope, burpees, jumping jacks and taking the stairs as often as she could. She also did a lot of research about leading a healthy lifestyle to aid her weight loss journey and started eating ‘clean’. Boipelo says she also found inspiration online, and through people’s encouraging comments.
The Lifestyle
Boipelo switched her unhealthy living for a more balanced and healthy life. “I cut carbohydrates and sugar out of my diet, drank 2 litres of water daily and ensured that I got adequate rest”, she says. Boipelo gave up bread and pap for healthier options such as oatmeal, and pizza gave way to chicken and vegetables, with healthy snacks of berries, nuts and biltong. She started going to the gym twice a day, where her exercise regime consisted of cardio and strength training. With these changes, Boipelo says the weight started to melt off and she came to love the process of becoming the woman she aspired to be.
READ MORE: “This Major Life Change Helped Me Lose Nearly 30 Kilos”
The Reward
Boipelo finds that she’s now full of energy, more creative and productive. “My confidence levels have sky-rocketed.” Through losing weight, Boipelo says she has found her true self. “I know that I can do everything that I put my mind to and can succeed at it”, she says. Before her weight loss, Boipelo found it difficult to find clothing, but after her amazing transformation she says retail therapy is now a breeze!
READ MORE: ‘I Lost 45 Kilos Once I Made These Simple Changes To My Diet’
Boipelo’s Tips
No quick fix: “Don’t fall for short cuts and quick fixes — put in the work.”
Be kind: “Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you go off track, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.”
Challenge yourself: “If you ran a 2k this week, aim for 3k next week.”
Looking for more inspiration, check out how this woman ditched her unhealthy lifestyle and lost 15 kilos. Or better yet, check out how a health scare motivated this woman to take her life back!
