By Zinhle Zikalala
How one woman lost 16kg in just two months through diet alone! Plus: her surprisingly simple tricks for staying on track…
Vitals
Janice Johannes, 34, Cape Town
Occupation: Content producer, Son newspaper
Height: 1.5m
Weight before: 83kg
Weight after: 67kg
Time taken to lose weight: 2 Months
Secret weapon: A dietician
“I lost 16kg… and it wasn’t that difficult”
Weight gain happens to the best of us – and often when we aren’t even paying attention. Never in Janice Johannes’s wildest dreams did she think she’d be overweight. “I was so skinny,” she says. Here’s how she gained the weight – and then shed it just as swiftly!
The gain
An emotional eater, Janice indulged to feel better about herself. “When I was depressed or sad, I’d treat myself to ice cream, sweets, chocolates, sushi platters and cold drinks,” she admits. At her heaviest, she could be found eating M&M’s in bed at 3am… Being inactive just added to the problem. “Everyone thought I was pregnant,” Janice says of her lowest point.
The change
Her clothes didn’t fit, her hair was thinning and her skin was bad, but being hospitalised twice with Bells palsy finally opened Janice’s eyes to her weight issue. “It was then that I told myself I wanted to be healthy. As a single mother to two boys, I owed it to them.”
First up, her eating habits urgently needed to change. “I gave up carbs and sugar and ate more fruit: apples, grapefruit, strawberries and pineapple,” she says. Included in the process of elimination? The bucket-loads of coffee she consumed – each cup laden with three heaped spoonfuls of sugar. “I stopped that, switched to sweetener and went for fat-free or skim milk.” Eventually, she quit the coffee entirely, opting for two litres of water a day instead. We’ve got The Solution To Help You Give Up Sugar in three simple steps.
The lifestyle
In addition to following her new eating plan meticulously, Janice checked in with a dietician once a week, where he weighed her, took her measurements and administered a vitamin B injection to get her through the week ahead. Find out: Does A Vitamin B Injection Work?
Another key to staying on track: a support network. “I started the diet with three other people and we’d chat to each other via Whatsapp when we were struggling to stick to the plan.” Many dieters are turning to Facebook, Instagram, apps and other tools to help them slim down: How Social Media Made Me Thin!
She also ditched the normal lazy routine of taking lifts at work and in malls and opted for the stairs instead. As for exercise? Janice is first focusing on shedding the kilos, then she plans to start hitting the gym. Baby steps…
The reward
With good food choices come even better body rewards: dropping two dress and jeans sizes and feeling amazing! “I make healthier meals for my whole family now,” adds Janice. And, after a good week, she’ll treat herself to chicken biltong and popcorn!
Janice’s tips
Don’t forget: “Think of how you used to feel when your clothes didn’t fit.”
Keep a reminder nearby: “I keep looking at pictures of my fat self and remind myself that I don’t want to be that woman again.”
Invest in healthy recipe books: “You’ll be surprised by how yummy ‘diet food’ can be.” Go to Fitshop.co.za for a range of health, fitness and diet books – plus more!
