Penny lost 30kg in 9 months
"I am loving being more active"
Jan 2009 - FAQ
Q: How do you lose 30 Kilograms?
A: One Kilogram at a time.
 My weight fluctuated radicall y from adolescence onwards and after leaving school began a steady upward climb. I thought that we ate healthily enough, but only with the benefit of hindsight can I now look back and see clearly that our diet was not balanced or nutritious enough. After the birth of my second child I had reached the triple digits and although I was large, believed that I was coping with my weight, as I walked regularly, played squash, joined a spinning class and had a generally active lifestyle. I would only pay mild attention to my size when I appeared twice as large as everyone else in the group photos, but was not bothered enough to actually make any changes.
During the 2008 Christmas Holidays I broke my ankle and ended up having to go into theatre to have the bone set. For the first time I acknowledged my morbidly obese status as I realized that my treatment was being adjusted to accommodate my weight. The 6-week recovery period on crutches proved to be particularly arduous and at 106 kg I can remember being completely exhausted and despondent by midday.
In March 2009, after going to a braai at a friend’s house and finding a Sureslim catalogue lying on the kitchen counter, I made the decision to join Sureslim. The before and after photos looked so good, but the time-frames seemed so long - “so and so lost so many kilo’s in so many months…”. I wished that it could be days or weeks – anything for that quick fix.
When I received my personal body analysis report, I was shocked to learn that more than 50% of me consisted of fat and that the healthy range for my age and gender was less than 27%. My BMI or Body Mass Index was 37,5 - normal for my height and age is 25 - putting me at “severe risk” for diabetes and heart disease, as well as skeletal and muscular challenges. The cholesterol test indicated an increased risk of artery disease and my blood pressure was slightly elevated at 151/89 with a resting heart rate of 82 beats per minute. It was also recorded that I was smoking more than 30 cigarettes a day.
The Sureslim Quick Loss Programme made it possible to break down these challenges into “digestible portions” (excuse the pun) by helping me to understand that of the health risks that urgently needed attention, 84% could be changed by making lifestyle adaptations, while only 16% were beyond my control and due to my age, gender and family genetics. It was pointed out that should I choose a more regular, active approach and incorporate moderate exercise 3 – 4 times per week, I would achieve my goal weight quicker and it would help to maintain my weight loss. I received my unique eating plan and although it was daunting and looked complicated at first, it only took a few days to learn portion sizes and combinations. My husband offered me the most precious support that I could have hoped for and joined the programme – even though he only had about 8 kgs to lose.
By the end of November 2009 I was very close to my goal weight of 75kg and by the start of 2010 I had so many more options to choose from for my New Years’ Resolution 2010.
Jan 2010 – FAQ
Q: How do you run 42,2km?
A: One kilometer at a time.
Training started in January of 2010 and my goal was to complete a marathon on or before my 40th Birthday in November. By now I was following the Sureslim maintenance plan.
By February I had realized that there was no way that I could run and carry on smoking in excess of 30 cigarettes per day.
In March 2010 I made the decision to become a non-smoker by May of that year and set my sights on a 15km race called the Diesel Depot, which incorporates a particularly daunting hill (read mountain) that I committed myself to running up. I did.
On 3 October 2010 I ran my first Marathon in 05h 36 mins, and although it was not pretty, I got the medal. At my 40th Birthday Party on the 3 November 2010, I knew without a doubt that the weight that I had lost was the best gift that I could have given myself. Some friends had clubbed together and bought me a custom made wetsuit – which would have been a preposterous thought just 18 months previously!
That December we did a PADI open water scuba diving course with the whole family in Mozambique. To see my children’s complete and utter wonderment 15m under water along with very large potato and brindle bass was an honour. I would not have had the confidence to dive if I had not lost the weight.
Jan 2011 – FAQ
Q: How do you balance life work play?
A: Just do it.
I will run my first Ultra Marathon – The Two Oceans Marathon - over the Easter Weekend this year. Looking back it has been nearly 2 full years, but the hard part was getting started – the journey itself was painless by comparison.
I am loving being more active and knowing that I will be joining my children on a couple of the trail runs, adventure days and diving holidays that we have ahead of us. The encouragement that I have had from friends and family has been overwhelmingly supportive and I am so grateful to have them in my life – both on the road, along the road and at the finish line.
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