After many years of late nights, copious amounts of alcohol and early morning takeouts, Mandy Meyer realised that it was time for her to make some serious lifestyle changes. Coupled with the will to change and pure determination, she kept things simple and dropped over 30 kilos! Here’s how she did it…
Mandy Meyer
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Age: 32
City: Cape Town
Weight before: About 105 kg’s
Weight after: About 75 kg’s
Height: 176 cm
Time required reaching current weight: 3 years
Secret weapon to your weight loss: Consistency
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Time to Make A Change
Mandy says that the change came when got tired of people calling her fat and being poked in the tummy. “There’s only so many times one can be told to eat less and join the gym”, she recalls. Deciding that she wanted to make a change, Mandy says that she kept things very simple. “I cut out all junk food and takeaways. Ate as fresh as possible and avoided anything that was processed or advertised as “healthy” or low fat. I tried to add fresh veggies to all my lunches and dinners. And drank copious amounts of water during the day and also I did a lot of research on foods and calories”, she explains. She stopped drinking alcohol for the first few months of her new routine. It’s these simple changes that helped Mandy make lifestyle choices that stuck and ultimately lose the excess weight.
READ MORE: “I Started Weight Training And It Totally Changed My Body”
Keep it Simple
Mandy says that at the beginning of her journey she was focused on weight loss, thus she wasn’t eating much besides salad. ” Like the rest, I believed that salad was the answer to weight loss, so I ate a lot of that. Tuna salad, chicken salad, pork salad, you name it”. Over time as Mandy learned more about nutrition, she realised that she could eat a lot more than salad.
The same ‘keep it simple’ rules Mandy applied to her eating, she adapted to her exercise programme. “Instead of thinking I could run a marathon immediately, I just started by walking. Instead of driving to the shop, I would walk. It was 1km there and 1km back. Total of 2km every evening”. Mandy goes on to say that instead of sitting on the couch watching TV when the food was cooking, she would do basic exercises like sit-ups and planks.
“Initially, the kilos were falling off, and that was great. What I do advise people to do is to track their progress with photos as well, because that is where you see a major difference. The number on the scale is just a number and could be affected by extra water in the body, that time of the month or other factors, but the pictures are actual evidence”.
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Maintaining it
She says that it took two years for her to reach her goal weight and she’s been maintaining that for a year. Given that she’s learnt about nutrition and what works for her, Mandy says she no longer hungry, “In the beginning, I was still very hungry because I wasn’t eating enough, now I eat like a boss”.
As for her exercising, she’s still running- just a whole lot more! “My exercise routine now is just on a different level. It is definitely not for beginners who are just looking to lose weight. I currently spend a minimum of three days in the gym, and I am running about 40 kilometres per week”. And if that wasn’t enough moving, Mandy hikes on the odd occasion. ” In the beginning, I was just exercising to help with the weight loss, now I am exercising because I am training for marathons”, she explains. Mandy’s no frills and ‘keep it simple’ approach to weight loss has gained her a following on Instagram and Facebook. Since her weight loss, Mandy says she accomplished a lot. “I have achieved so much and I’ve changed so much. I have gone from an obese couch potato to a marathon runner. I’m a much nicer person”, she exclaims.
READ MORE: 6 Reasons Your Weight Loss Has Plateaued — And How To Fix Them
Mandy’s Tips
Be Patient: “It takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight”
Be Kind to Yourself: Don’t be so hard on yourself
Don’t stop: “Don’t give up. I tried several times before it actually worked”.
