Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Ropafadzo lost 103 pounds, going from 297 lbs to 194 lbs. Our sister from Zimbabwe started with raw vegan eating for 2 weeks and then moved on to make more changes to her eating and exercise habits as she did more research. Check out what she shared with us about her journey.
It started off as a joke. I never noticed that I was this big until it was already too late. Imagine hitting 135kg (297.6 pounds). I am sure I even weighed more than that. There’s only one way to be fat…. JUNK FOOD, PROCESSED FOODS, FAST FOODS, FIZZY DRINKS, AND NOT BEING ACTIVE.
Before I gained weight I was never skinny. Maybe my skinniest was a size 38. I was always the bigger one. However, I played sports so I always managed to maintain my body to around a 38/40 size (UK). Then it happened. I stopped basketball and boom, I hit 135kg. I didn’t realize it until I went to South Africa to do some shopping and I couldn’t find anything that I could fit me. In the end, I didn’t even use the shopping money.
So, I decided that this was too much. It motivated me to lose weight. People had tried to tell me in the past that I was big, but my excuse was that I am big boned and it’s a family thing. (Yah, right! Everyone has an excuse. Very silly ones in most cases). I went on the Internet and researched about losing weight. All I found were articles talking about vegetables, water and fruits. I was like, won’t kill me so let me try this. Though what I was doing was too drastic, but it worked. I spent 2 weeks living on fruits and vegetables and 10kg were gone (22 pounds). I felt so excited.
I decided to read more about weight loss and about best ways to do it that are not harmful. I found information about being active (i.e. 30 minutes of exercise a day, using stairs instead of an elevator, walking more often than driving, etc.). I also found information about eating smaller potions, eating more frequently (like 4 to 6 times a day) and eating more vegetables and fruits (4 to 6 potions – eating 2 different fruits and 4 potions of vegetables). Drinking a lot of water e.g like one liter for every 25kg of weight was also a common tip.
I started to change my habits bit by bit. The most difficult part for me was and is still the food. Exercise I’m fine with, but the problem is that to lose weight and maintain the loss is 80% what u eat and 20% exercise. However, I never gave up. Weight loss is a journey. You will get stuck, you will gain and you will lose, but all you need to do is believe in yourself. Love who you are. Chose an exercise that you enjoy and it won’t hurt. You need to tell yourself that you are not fat, you just have fat. Stop calling yourself fat first, then change ur ways.
1st step – Check what you eat first and see if it’s good or bad. I did and realised I was eating a lot of junk food.
2nd step – Correct what’s wrong with your diet. I totally erased fast foods, junk food and starch. I did it drastically, which is not recommended, but I did it. I started by eating only vegetables and fruits and drinking water. No fizzy drinks, nothing sugary and in 2 and 1/2 weeks I had lost 10kg.
3rd step – I checked my exercise routine. Before, I was just stationary, like a copse. Correct yourself if you are like that. I started with what I could manage and that was a stepping stone. Don’t do too much. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits. Rome wasn’t built in one day. I started with running.
4th step – You need to change up your routine of exercise. If you stick to one thing your body will get used to that. Do stuff like swimming, Zumba, skipping, running, jogging, power walking, stair climbing, yoga and dancing. Don’t isolate the body and say I just wanna lose my tummy because your body is not isolated.
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5th step – You need to know your blood type because whatever you eat should at least be linked to your blood type. People are not the same and what works for me won’t work for you. When I discovered my blood type I started changing a lot based on what I learned. I realized I needed to work extra hard and realised meat would help me lose weight.
Consistency is the key. The problem we usually have is that we want quick fixes and that only works for a while but when you go back to eating regularly you will gain more weight than you had lost initially because your body will store the fat for future use. Eat well balanced meals, rich in vegetables and you won’t go wrong. After all has been said and done, it all comes back to consistency and determination. Love who you are right now and it will be easy to achieve what you want.
So, my journey was more focused on exercising rather than eating well in the early first days. I did eat well but in most cases I still ate some bad foods. I was exercising 2 times a day. For me, my strength is in running, so I would run in the morning and go to the gym in the evening. Started off with 2 km now I can do 42 km non stop. I love running and stairs, so I do between 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes of running 3/4 times a week. I do 30 minutes stairs and 20 minutes weights at least once a week. I get needed rest and mix up the types of workouts I’m doing. I also do a lot of sprinting, especially hillsprints and most of my runs are on hilly roads. I aim for 1 hour of exercise a day, but I range from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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