By Zinhlezonke Zikalala.
Our bodies are capable of so much, it’s just our minds that we need to have control over, says Nompumelelo.
Nompumelelo Ndaba
Occupation: Senior Admin Clerk
Age: 28
Weight before: 65 Kg
Weight after: 55 Kg
Height: 1.55m
Time required to reach current weight: 6 Months
Secret weapon: Change of lifestyle.
The Gain
Growing up, Nompumelelo was very active. “I participated in almost all sporting activities in school,” she says. But she was never actually skinny. Then, in 2011, she gave birth to a baby boy and during her pregnancy, she picked up the most weight. “All I ate was bad food,” says Nompumelelo about her weight gain. “I loved takeaways like KFC, I snacked on sweets, chocolate and chips every single day,” she says. She only tried working out twice. It didn’t work for her, so she gave it up.
The Change
Fast forward four years to February 2015. Nompumelelo was increasingly frustrated with herself. “Nothing I wore fit me. Everywhere I went, people told me how much weight I had gained; I was always tired, my feet were swollen – I just felt that I needed to change my body,” she says. Nompumelelo hated the idea of people walking up to her and telling her how fat she was. That’s when she changed her lifestyle. “I stopped eating junk food, cut down on alcohol and then joined a gym and started working out five times a week for an hour and a half,” she says.
The Lifestyle
Nompumelelo started spring-cleaning her diet. “In the beginning I’d have shakes with an apple for breakfast, then 2 boiled eggs, spinach and piece of chicken for lunch and fish and veggies for supper,” she said. Now she’s more clued up about healthier options and she varies her options. “I eat less and burn more kilojoules.” As for exercising, “I started of with high intensity cardio and functional training, but now I do more aerobics and Tae Bo five times a week, with morning jogs on weekends with about half an hour of home workouts,” she adds.
The Reward
“I’ve worked hard – and I could see the results in my body!” says Nompumelelo. Since she changed her lifestyle, she’s dropped three dress sizes. “I went from a size 36 to a 30! I’ve never felt sexier and happier,” she says. And because hard work deserves reward, Nompumelelo bought herself new gym clothes for motivation. You go girl!
Nompumelelo’s Tips
Food is fuel.
Think of food as something the body needs to reach a certain goal.
Be positive.
Working out is a catalyst for all things positive.
Set realist goals.
Don’t rush weight loss. Like everything else worth having, it requires time and patience.
Looking for more inspirational weight-loss stories? Check out how Darushka transformed her life and became a personal trainer, and how Manini cut our sugar, salt and oil to slim down. Want to kickstart your own weight-loss journey for summer and beyond? Get our Lean Body Blitz 12-week meal and fitness plan to turbo-charge your slim-down!
