Nondumiso tended to turn to food after a long, hard day at the office and it took a while for her to realise the effects of her unhealthy eating. It only hit her when she couldn’t wear her favourite outfits anymore – and her confidence started to crumble. It was time for a change.
Nondumiso Ngobese
Occupation: Financial coach
Age: 25
City: Pietermaritzburg
Weight Before: 72kg
Weight After: 65kg
Time required to lose weight: 6 months
Secret Weapon: Commitment and consistency
The Gain
Nondumiso admits that she has never been an active person, because, as a working woman, life can often get stressful. Food was her comfort through these tough days and she’d often indulge in sweet things full of sugar after a rough day at the office.
Her weight gain wasn’t something that happened overnight – it took her a while to notice that she’d picked up a few a kilos, but she eventually did. Understandably so, because with all the junk food she was indulging in, she wasn’t doing any form of exercises to burn it off.
READ MORE: How Many Kilojoules Do I Need To Lose Weight?
The Change
The turning point for Nondumiso was on the 19th of November 2016, when she tried on her favourite outfit, a tight fitting avocado green dress. To her horror, it no longer fitted – it was way too tight. “It just didn’t look the way I liked any more,” she says.
She no longer liked the person she saw in the mirror and felt uncomfortable in her clothes. Her confidence was shaken and she knew it was time for a change. Nondumiso decided she was going to join a gym and ditch her unhealthy eating habits.
READ MORE: People Have Been Obsessed With The Zone Diet For Years—But Does It Really Work?
The Lifestyle
Her new diet included more greens and weight-loss supplements to help put a stop to the cravings for sweet things. “I slowly started reducing my carb intake, and after a couple of weeks carbs were no longer part of my diet,” she says.
At the gym, she did a high-cardio workout from Monday to Friday that had the kilos falling away. Nondumiso’s workouts began with 20 to 30 minutes on the treadmill. She soon began to add weights to her routine, three sets of shoulder presses followed by three sets of squats.
Like all bad habits, the old lifestyle was hard to kick, but a few weeks in Nondumiso says she fell in love with her new healthy routine. The support of her friends encouraged her to keep going and ditch the laziness and bad eating habits.
READ MORE: How To Hack Your Metabolism To Lose More Weight
The Reward
Nondumiso says that her outlook on life has changed. She feels so much healthier and lighter. Her confidence has returned and she can wear exactly what she wants now – and feel comfortable in it. “I’ve dropped a dress size and lost four centimetres on my waist,” she says. Her healthy lifestyle keeps her feeling energised and she can easily run 5km now, something her old self would never have believed – nor done.
READ MORE: Your Guide To Carb Cycling For Weight Loss
Nondumiso’s Tips
> Start Small. “Start with a 15-minute jog or walk and build up from there.”
> Be Realistic. “Make easy diet changes, like six small meals, rather than three big ones.”
> Switch Up Your Workout. “Lift weights to lose weight. And don’t forget the cardio…”
Feeling inspired? Here is the best weightloss plan for you according to your favourite workout.
