“You need to lose weight for yourself and not compete with others”.
Leanne fesses up and says, “you soon realise that people will criticise you for being over-weight without knowing anything about you, so you need to choose not to notice. I would like young ladies reading this to not be so hard in themselves and to love themselves for who they are and focus on being fit and not thin.”
Leanne Bentley comes from an over-weight family and although she was active in sports at high school, she gradually gained weight over the years. “We always want to lose weight quickly, but we forget that gaining extra baggage was a lengthy process and so we should have the same view for losing it” she says.
Leanne Bentley
Occupation: Pre-school Teacher
Age: 38
City: Johannesburg
Weight before: 121 kg
Weight after: 98 kg
Time taken to lose weight: 11 months
Secret weapon: Planning meals ahead and not cutting out entire food groups.
The Gain
Leanne made poor food choices — she skipped breakfast (sometimes lunch too) and would spend her afternoons snacking on anything put in front of her. She drank far too much sugar in her coffee and could not get motivated to exercise because of her plantar fascistic. “I am on my feet all day at work and blamed that for my foot problem, but the real problem was the weight on my feet all day,” she says.
READ MORE: 5 Speedy Detox Lunches That Taste Amazing Hot Or Cold
The Change
Leanne avoided being in photos and was always running late because she couldn’t find anything to wear in the morning. “Literally none of my clothes would fit and I was tired of the pain on my feet. I had heard about the Innova weight-loss product and felt like it would be an easy way out,” she says. Leanne had a long conversation with a friend who said she should give it a try. Her family and friends also gave her encouragement, which gave her the confidence to kick-start her weight-loss journey. “I felt like a new person within the first two weeks of my journey. I found that I had energy to exercise and drank lots of water which made me feel better all around.”
READ MORE: These Are Officially The 15 Best Fat-Burning Foods
The Lifestyle
“I started by taking a weight-loss boosting supplement, cut out sugar in coffee completely, drank more water, ate a good breakfast and only had carbs in the morning. Now I try an focus on eating low-carb foods and proteins with lots of salads, low-fat dairy and reach for fruit when I want a treat,” she says. “I was really strict with my eating habits at first. The same goes for my exercise routine. I started off walking on the treadmill for 2 km, 3/4 times a week, and I now I go for Park Runs in my area.” While Leanne still works on her feet all day, she doesn’t experience sore feet like she used to.
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.
The Rewards
Leanne is more confident, energetic and getting dressed in the morning doesn’t derail her day anymore. She enjoys dressing up for functions she would have dreaded a year ago. “When people started complimenting me, it made me feel good and kept me motivated. I have given away the big clothes except one pair of jeans as a reminder of how far I’ve come. I’ve started rewarding myself with new clothes every time I reach a new 5 kg goal.”
READ MORE: “I Feel Amazing Now That I Can Take Long Walks Without Getting Tired”
LEANNE’S TIPS
> Be careful of what you tell yourself. Don’t be negative.
> Be grateful of who you are. There is only one of you – love yourself for who and what you are.
> Never compare yourself. Your journey is yours and yours alone.
Looking for more? Here are five basic rules you need to follow to lose belly fat.
