“I Decided To Replace Alcohol With Water And Lost 11 Kilos”
Faith Ngwenya lost 11 kilos not only by exercising and eating healthy but also by replacing alcohol with drinking lots of water and green tea.

July 18, 2017

faith ditched alcohol for water and lost weight

By Boitumelo Moloto

“I am happy with the way I look and that’s all that matters. Self-love is KEY”

When Faith was younger she used to exercise often. “My active days were in primary and high school, I ran cross country and only in University did I start picking up weight,” she says. Here’s the story of how she got back to being the healthy and best version of herself.

Faith Ngwenya

Occupation: Self Employed
Age: 29
City: Johannesburg
Weight before: 79
Weight after: 68
Time taken to lose weight: 3 months
Secret weapon: Exercising, healthy eating, lots of water, and green tea

The Gain

“Growing up, I was always known as ‘skinny Faith’, she admits. It was after she faced a couple of life challenges that she turned to bad food. “I lived on takeaways, I ate KFC, never drank water, in fact alcohol was my water, at the time it felt right, not knowing I was gradually damaging myself,” she says. It was only later that she realised something had to be done, and that was a wake up call to embark on her weight loss journey.

READ MORE: “I Gave Up Alcohol For A Month — Here’s What Happened”

The Change

Faith had bought new clothes for an engagement party she was attending. As she was getting ready for the party she realised she couldn’t fit into the clothes. “We tried everything, and at some point we had to use scissors to cut the top off because it was difficult to take it off,” she explains.”I got really emotional and I told myself I would never feel like that again.” It was then that she decided to change her life. “On January 5th 2017, I made the best decision of going back to gym and eating healthy,” says Faith.

READ MORE: THIS Is How To Get Toned Without Spending Any Extra Time At The Gym

The Lifestyle

At first Faith struggled to exercise.  She felt as though people were looking at her funny because she was overweight, not realising that they were there for the same reason as her — to look good. “The first step was going to gym 6 times a week, which was not easy but I was pushed by my trainer, Botle Kayamba,” she says. She also upped her water intake. “I cut out all carbs, had lots of veggies and a bit of meat, drank 3 litres of water every day and at least 4 cups of green tea a day.”

READ MORE: Is It Dangerous To Drink Too Much Green Tea?

The Reward

“I have never felt so good in my life, everywhere I go people tell me that I have a nice body,” explains Faith. “I went from size 38 to 32.” She also rewards herself with one of her favourite foods once a week because she deserves it. “I don’t stress about clothes fitting me anymore,” she says. “I feel lighter, I don’t have problems breathing anymore, I feel great”.

Faith’s Tips

  • Practice Self-love. Love yourself so much that the only feeling you want is to feel good, every day.
  • Don’t pressure yourself. Do it at your own pace. You will see results eventually.
  • Have fun. Don’t look at it as a diet or gym, make sure you enjoy yourself.

Ready to transform your life too? Sign up to Women’s Health’s expert-approved eating and exercise plan — Lean Body Blitz — and watch the weight disappear. Are you a weight loss winner? Tell us your story and you could be featured in the magazine! Read more weight loss success stories.