By Zinhlezonke Zikalala

To Katleho, losing weight was not just about her appearance, it was more of an ‘inside out’ job.

“I’m a different person altogether.  Now, I’m determined, dedicated and disciplined in a lot of areas in my life. I’ve grown spiritually, to being more confident, caring, selfless and driven to make changes in other people’s lives,” she says.

Katleho Magwaza

Occupation: Student
Age: 20
Height: 1.56m
Weight before: 80 kg
Weight after: 62 kg
Time taken to lose weight: 3 years
Secret weapon: A change in mindset

The Gain

Katleho’s biggest downfall was eating in large quantities, which was usually in the form of junk food. “Even though I was never slender, I put on a lot of weight during my high school years,” she says. Her typical day looked like this:  “five slices of bread with lots of butter, tea with three spoons of sugar, a snack which was another three slices with fish paste or mayo, lunch was chicken and rice, snack again on junk food and before ending the day with cereal with powdered milk and 4 spoons of sugar,” she says. With this daily diet and zero exercise, Katleho started to balloon. Added to that, she was consistently grumpy and fatigued.

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The Change

Katleho started to feel uncomfortable in her body, and that’s what fuelled her weight-loss journey. “In July 2014, I looked at photos I had recently taken, and I realised I was actually humongous and totally uncomfortable with letting it become the norm,” she said. In her quest to attack the fat, she resorted to change her diet – and took up running. “I slowly but surely began to see the results,” she says.

The Lifestyle

“My diet has evolved so much, I now have oats in the morning with low fat milk, at around 10, snack on a fruit twice, lunch on brown rice, chicken and veggies. For supper, I don’t eat any carbs, especially after 6pm. Instead, I opt for mixed veggies wither either chicken or boiled eggs. I make sure I stay hydrated throughout the day,” she says. She also started taking exercise more seriously. “I train seven days a week, alternating between leg day, intense cardio and group training with my fitness group called ‘The Alphas’,” says Katleho. After some time, more fat just melted off as her routine advanced.  “People started asking me for weight-loss tips – nothing gave me greater joy then helping other women better their lives like I have mine,” says Katleho.

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The Reward

“The only reward I needed was to be comfortable in my own body, and I achieved that through increased self-love that I’ll carry for years to come,” says Katleho. We feel you girl. “I am no longer the grumpy and moody person I was, instead I’m kind, loving and full of life,” she says. “As the kilo’s dropped and I saw my body transforming, I felt light, not just physically but emotionally too. It was as though a burden was lifted off my shoulders. I was more optimistic about life;  I smiled and laughed more. I was happy and more comfortable with being myself – I was genuinely a better person then I was before,” she admits.

Katleho’s Tips 

What’s worth it is never easy
Make a choice to become a victor and not a victim.

Everyday is a gift
Start over and create a better you.

Have a goal
Write it down and paste it on the wall. It’s not over till you win.

Looking for more inspirational weight-loss stories? Check out how Belinda and Darushka changed their lives and became personal trainers? 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!