Instagram inspiration

I am always on my phone. If i am not on Youtube, i am scrolling through social media. Instagram has become a go-to for inspiration, be it fashion, "relationship-goals", quotes, and weightloss advice. On days when i feel like i need some motivation and inspiration to keep on eating right and working towards my body goals, or for ideas on what to wear for my NOW body i go onto my favourite instagram pages: @LADYSHEARS @mimi_thabethe @bodybychloe and @urbanplusssa.

Jessica's story

I grew up trying to "lose weight". Between 2012-2013 I finally cracked the code to lose weight. It was what I ate and the things I did that played a huge role. 

My mistake came when I depended on Duromine and supplements. When you let those things go, you go back to where you started and of you are misfortunate you gain twice the weight you lost.. I was at my highest weight when I started.. At about 124,5 kgs.. And I lost close to 30 kgs between 2012 and 2013.

I was a runner and I exercised a whole lot. I was addicted. If i remember clearly, I hardly ate because of the pills... The recent weight gain came from slacking and eating too much and taking contraceptives.

I've decided to start over now though with just eating right.. (Real food) no junk no sugar. And exercise :)

I can gladly say that I shall soon have another AMAZING before and after picture this time next year!

Even though I gained the weight back. I've been trying to lose it again.

Are crash diets all that bad?

Could crash diets actually improve your health? I mean, losing weight should be good for an obese person who needs to kick start their weight loss... I am not a medical practitioner, but, i honesty believe that, done for a short period of time to reach a short term weight goal, fad diets are not all that bad, provided that they include healthy foods. I decided to do a bit of research and came across this article, interesting read.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/the-shape-we-are-in-blog/2014/oct/16/gradual-weightloss-no-better-than-crash-diets-in-the-long-term

Top ten most rediculous fad diets

I came across this video on YouTube and I just had to share. I wouldn't advise on trying any of these over a long period of time. They are called "crash diets" for a reason. A balnced diet and exercise is the only health and effective way to lose weight. Healthy eating should be a lifestyle. Crash dieting is not healthy and can be very addictive, but, I could definitely live with adding chocolate cake to my breakfast.

How to create a fad diet

I had a good laugh reading this blog post from http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/how-to-create-a-fad-diet/

I have always wondered how people come up with the craziest fad diets. So now, even you and i can create a fad diet. All we need, according to Steven Novella, is:
1. A catchy title
2. Claims of success
3. Testimonials
4. A hidden secret
5. Research supporting your claims... and other steps you can read about on the blog, should you wish to actually create your own fad diet. Mine would probably be called The 3 day Eat Your Heart out diet. LOL. the catch is that you would only be eating foods that contain of mostly water, like watermelon and lettuce for 3 days. But then, not even i would go past the first day.

No to pills, mixtures, powders.

After using all these products, i personally think that everything should be thrown out, except the apple cider vinegar and herbal teas.
Teas can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle, whereas all the other products are not very healthy and have negative long term effects on the metabolism and the body as a whole.

Like i said in the very first post, this blog does not promote the use of any of these brands. I am sharing my experiences and maybe inspire someone with the same struggles to try lose weight the healthy way.

Like everything in life, easy come, easy go.

Kabelo's story. Part 2

 One year after the weight loss,i got too comfortable and forgot my struggle growing up. 

Although i had lost all that weight,i was still a big girl. I still had a long way to go and it wasn't easy maintaining that weight loss. I had a support system but in the one year,i didn't. My life was taking a turn and my weight was the last thing on my mind. I was slowly gaining back everything i had lost. What made it worse was having to come back home for 2 years because in those years,i gained back the rest of all that weight. Now today i have reached a point where i don't know how to lose weight anymore . I'm trying diet after diet...from drinking the pills and trying the different diet plans, but all have been failing me. And its not because they don't work but because i'm embarrassed. I'm in a hurry and don't give myself time to lose it properly. 

I'm still disappointed in myself that i gained back all the weight i fought so hard to lose. Today i'm dead sure i weigh more than 150kg, but i refuse to step on that scale. Not yet.

These last few months i've been struggling to breathe and just a walk up the stairs to my room blocks my air tubes. I'm always tired and my body hurts. My sinuses have escalated sky high and i'm having problems sleeping at night. Some days i can feel my heart painfully beat against my chest and i would say a little prayer to God to keep me alive. Some days my feet get swollen so bad, the nurse tells me it's high blood pressure and i need to work on my weight . I know i have to. I need to. I think moreover if i had the finances for gym and correct food,i would succeed. A healthy lifestyle unfortunately is not cheap. 

Sometimes i feel like maybe this is my life. And even with these thoughts,i still try n somehow lose weight. 

I may be a bubbly happy person inside and out, but i too have flaws i don't like, and mine is my weight. I'm just grateful to God it is only my weight because that is something i can change. I just need help.

- Kabelo Mabina

Kebelo's story. Part 1

My name is Kabelo Mabina. I am 28 years old.
The last time i weighed myself,i was about 145 kg and that was a few months ago.
In those few months,i have sadly gained more weight that i'm afraid to check how much. My weight problem did not start now as an adult,it has always been a part of me. IT IS ME. Here is my story...

I grew up being told i had to finish my food because if i didnt its a waste. I grew up in an environment of family chefs and big family gatherings with lots of food and more than enough for all to eat. We celebrated achievements with car rides to the nearest restaurants and were spoiled by being told we could eat anything we want. A buffet was my personal favorite. And because i had all this food in front of me, even when i was full,i still forced myself to eat more n more. Before i knew it,i piled up weight as a child and the only shops my mom could find my size in was at Miladys and Donna Claire, and ones in a while a top or two at JET.

I have always been the big boned student in class in all my primary and highschool years. It never bothered me...i was used to it. 

The older i got,life caught up. I was starting to be aware of my imperfections because of being bullied over my weight by other students. Every girl i knew had a guy liking her at school but no boy liked me. They did not want to be the boy dating the big girl with the dark skin and mosquito bite scars all over her body. And the icing on the cake,she even had a gap between her teeth to go with the weight.
Although they never said it to me straight, deep down i knew why. I knew because of the comments they whispered about me in class or when i walk passed them thinking i don't hear anything. By the way,this was primary school.

My parents seeing my weight problem as a child tried their best to raise me up to be a tough,good hearted, happy, and strong young women,who never let anyone bring her down-and they did a damn good job at it. I had to grow up very fast because by the time i reached High-school, people got used to me and i  was never teased. I think because i also did not live my life according to my weight. I still did everything my skinny friends did. I was never one of those big girls who read a book in the corner and sat alone and was very quiet. I was out there. I made sure people saw that i too can do it all. I was not lazy. I was no bum- statements people use when they think fat people. So i was determined for people to never think i'm like that. I ran,i played,i laughed, i sang, i jumped. I did it all. It used to make me sad seeing my fellow fat girls being the opposite way because they did not have that guidance and support. And in all of these things i was doing,they were never enough because in reality,i was still the last choice and still the big girl with the dark skin , with mosquito bite scars all over her body and the gab between her teeth....

pic: http://www.welliamchallenge.files.wordpress.com

Doctors opinion on fad diets

My story

I am the most self-conscious person about my body. Even at my smallest size I still felt fat. It would be easier to blame it on my childhood, my problems, stress, or any emotions. But, honestly, when I am happy- I eat. When I am sad- I eat. When I am depressed, I eat. So, what it really is, is that I love food.
I go on different diets and I use different products but I would give up because every time I call my myself to order, to start losing weight the healthy way. I always fail, dismally. I signed up for gym twice. Both  times I was dedicated for 2 - 3 months. After that I slacked. I become lazy and the monthly gym fee debit order notifications on my phone didn't motivate me either. It only hits me when I am around smaller people and I tower over them. When I am alone I am comfortable. But that is always the case with overweight people, we do not realise how big we are until it bad.
I can say that I lack the motivation and self-discipline to take my weight issues seriously.

Metabolism death foods - Dr. Oz

The Antidote

Topics about weight can be depressing. its really frustrating trying to find a crash diet that works for you. while doing my research on the topic, I came across this podcast on YouTube. It should cheer you up...

Water Slim Packs

I loved drinking these. They taste good and i was forced to drink a lot of water because i needed to stay hydrated.  The bloating went down a bit. It is not a bad product at all, but you cant rely on it alone for weight loss.

Kangmei slimming capsules

I am not big on pills, but i was convinced to these after seeing a friend lose weight over a month. I did not experience any side effects and they came cheap. Swallowing pills everyday became too much for me. I still do not know if this product works or not because i quit.

Herbex slimmers drops

My experience: The only reason i tried this product is because a friend advised so. I did not see or feel the difference. The jury is still out on this one.

Black Forest Herbal tea

My mother, grandmother and aunts swore by this tea for weight loss. Of course i had to try it. My experience:

I did not particularly like the apricot flavour, the regular Black Forest tea was better tasting, in my opinion. As it states on the packaging, It's useful for relieving constipation. It took a couple of hours to take effect. I felt lighter after a day or two.

Weight lost? Not really.

Herbex Hlasela Amafutha

I am yet to meet someone who has been struggling with their weight who hasn't tried these products. 

My experience: I wont lie, it did suppress my appetite at times. I just did not give it time. The taste did not make it any harder to quit. the tea, however, tastes good.

Tried and tested products

For the longest time, i've always been keen on trying out new weight loss products (those that their advertisements seem believable). In the posts to follow i will talk about my experience with each of these products.

Disclaimer: I am not promoting any of these brands, my posts are for information purposes only.

What i know about AVC

It has been touch and go with this product. It is one of the products i believe in because, like Black forest tea, my cousins, aunts and grandmothers have recommended it.

It has been said that apple's contains pectin, which is responsible for suppressing appetite, and the acid in the vinegar helps with digestion. For more information on the benifits of drinking apple cider vinegar for weightloss, see: http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/healthy-eating-tipstips/how-does-apple-cider-vinegar-work-to-help-you-lose-weight/

Fat problems

I've been overweight my entire adult life, and every day im reminded of it. The struggle i go through not finding a size when shopping, the flack i get from relatives at family events, the "special" front passenger seat that's always reserved for me because i am too fat to sit with others at the back... I came to realise that my weight bothers others more than it bothers me. To find out if more people shared the same problem, i took to asking a few ladies what annoys overweight people about their weight:

Weli Matshivha (@Weli_M): Not being able to find clothes i actually like, sweating, and having to be overly confident to cover up the fact that i'm fat.

Bonolo Molewa (@bon_2bon: I was my biggest in high school. i couldn't wear the normal 13-14 size clothes, i had to wear "adult" clothes.

Palesa Mathibeli (@mrs_Langa): I can't wear what i want, when i want. I would see an outfit on a mannequin but it won't look as good on me. Another thing that annoys me the most is when people tell me what and how i should eat.

It took a reflection in the fitting room mirror...

I found myself lost in my thoughts, thoughts of how different my life would be if I was a few sizes smaller. I am usually okay with my body; I just have random days where I am super depressed. Those days usually follow after being called off on my eating habits or being made to feel FAT. 

My relatives are dispersed all over the country, so we hardly get together. When we do, it is usually at funerals, weddings, and parties, and even then, not everybody shows up. So there I was, actually looking slimmer than I have in years, an aunt who hasn’t seen me in years walks up to me. She starts off with a hug and a kiss, which, by the way, I hate. You never know what virus’s people have and they just go around kissing people. After greeting me, she went on to say how fat I have become.

My whole adult life I have stomached such comments, even though, in my head, I would answer them with “well, have you seen your ugly face” and “yes, because I eat good food”.

As annoying as my relatives can get, it still hasn’t been motivation enough for me to try harder. Until recently, when I went shopping for clothes. I swear, those mirrors in the fitting rooms are made different, because I saw my stomach in a way I have never seen it before. I stood in there for a good 10 minutes staring at my reflection, shocked more than disgusted. Self-hate and self-bashing doesn’t help, but maybe, this is the wakeup call I needed TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT MY HEALTH.

Her story

I am a "big-boned" girl naturally. I fell pregnant in my second year of varsity, at the age of 20. I gained more weight during my pregnancy. After i gave birth, i went through post-natal depression which affected my appetite. All i could stomach was porridge and rooibos tea. I wore a waist-trainer to reduce my stomach and breast-fed for two months. Still going through post-natal depression, i returned to varsity to continue my studies. I started drinking and smoking a lot, more than i ate. i gradually started losing weight. I went from a size 40 to 34.

- *Anonymous

Before

After

Weight loss poison

When a friend of mine lost a traumendous amount of weight, i obviously wanted to try whatever she was using and doing, except going to the gym. I am not a fan of the gym. She then recomended this bottle. It has no name and no ingridients on the label. I was sceptical at first, but seeing that she was fine, i tried it.
It has a bitter taste and did supress my appitite for the first week. After the first bottle my appitite escalated. I suppose my body did not recieve it the same way as my friends.

I call it weighloss poison because, although it worked wonders for my friend, we do not have any idea what is in this bottle. That is dangerous and i advice people NOT to use it.

Beautifully flawed - Nkosana Nkosi

B-E-A-UTIFULLY FLAW'D!!

"Mirror, mirror on the wall...who's the fairest of them all?"

It's quite fascinating... How this mere object, created by man himself, has the ability to distort our perception of beauty....

How this mere object, made of glass, has the ability to dictate our imperfections....

How this mere object has the ability to have one caught up in the realm of attaining pure perfection.... But truth be told, this mere object has no such ability, for YOU have given it that ability.

Therefore reclaim what is yours, for YOU are uniquely and divinely created in the image of God.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!

PS-I too have my own flaws and they're mine to own!! BOOM!! You've been Edu-Ma-Cated!! xxo

#BeautyOfFlaws #You_R_Beautiful #BeautyIsSkinDeep #NudeArt #VanityInsanity

- Nkosana Nkosi

What guys think...

Do you really have a problem with your size, or is what other people think of you that bothers you? Is society easier on men than women when it comes to weight? These are some of the things i think about... i asked a few of my male friends about how they feel about their bodies and what, according to them, is the "perfect" female body. This is what they had to say:

Thabo (27)* - My body only bothers me when someone points out something about it. They media puts alot of pressure on both males and females to look a certain way and portrays overweight people as ugly or smelly. i personally like women with a big bum, D-cup breasts and a flat stomach.

Siphiwe (28)*- Society is easier on men when it comes to their bodies because we will in a patriarchal society. i love my body, i take good care of it. My perception of a perfect female body would be what we see on social media, big bum and big breasts.

Leruo (24)*- men have it easy, that's for sure. As i guy, as long as i dress well, have a lot of money and drive a hot car, i can get a lot of women. However, the same does not apply to women. Females need to look a certain way to be taken seriously by both men and woman. it is unfortunate that we live in a superficial society that cares more about looks and material possessions than anything else.

*not their real names 

Welcome.

My weight loss journey started in high school, that is actually were i started gaining weight anyway. I use the term "weight loss journey" loosely, as i have not yet reached or departed for my destination. LOL!

I was a skinny child growing up. Went to boarding school for my secondary schooling, and that was when i started ballooning. The menu was not exactly healthy, and the fact that we could bring our own food/snacks did not help much. I had cornflakes, cookies, noodle, biscuits, sweets and money for tuck, where i would buy pies and fizzy drinks. 

Throughout my 20s i tried out different fad diets and failed at them, dismally. I lack the patience and such diets do not exactly offer instant gratification. however, i am always willing to try out different diets as i am not big on exercising.

I will be sharing all the crash diets, pills, teas, and every diet i have tried and failed at, as well as those i've heard of.

DISCLAIMER:  This blog is only for information purposes and does not substitute the advice of medical practitioners.