I DECIDED TO TAKE MY LIFE & MYSELF BACK
AFTER YEARS OF FAILED FAD DIETS, SIOBION CAMERON-DIRKS HAS LOST 31KG AND IS FEELING HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER THAN EVER.
‘Aculmination of factors made me decide to switch to an LCHF lifestyle. My anxiety and depression were so crippling I didn’t recognise myself any more. I decided to take my life and MYSELF back.
After the birth of my daughter, I was told that I suffered from post-partum depression. It explained a lot, such as why I found it so difficult to connect to my child and why I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I had so many questions, but my depression was so deep that I didn’t care to find answers. My pregnancy wasn’t the best either: my daughter was born two months premature and I was hospitalised for a month after her birth. I think this also contributed to the haze I found myself in.
I had been yo-yo dieting for 12 years without much success. I’d tried all the popular diets; Herbalife, the 10-Day Egg Diet, the Juice Diet. Nothing worked long-term. I’d be so excited after losing a few kilograms that I would celebrate by treating myself with a burger or some other kind of junk food. At the end of the day I was celebrating so much I was no longer on any diet – and I’d gained back the weight. My family and I would also have chips and sweets at the end of each day – we saw it as “family time”.
In 2016, I went for a job interview. I was sitting in the interviewer’s office and he looked at me and said, “I don’t hire fat people”. I was shocked. I knew I should have felt offended, but I just felt hurt.
I had joined a gym and made an appointment with a dietician a few weeks previously and even though I’d been following the meal plans and working out rigorously, I still wasn’t seeing results. Clearly, there was something not quite right.
I made an appointment with my gynaecologist, who told me, “Jy kan maar op jou kop staan!” – you can eat lean and work out seven days per week, but you will NOT lose a single kilogramme. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which causes cysts to form on my ovaries. These cysts cause a hormonal imbalance, and this was contributing to my weight gain. All of my health issues, both mental and physical, were piling up. I thought to myself, “Sio, you’re almost dead.”
I had been prescribed antidepressants for four consecutive years, but I’d never used them. That changed, however, after I picked my daughter up from school one day. I went into my bedroom, closed all the curtains, and I just slept. When I woke up, I made the decision to take my antidepressants. I saw the way my daughter looked at me and I didn’t want her to look back at her childhood and remember me as a mother who was always distant. I didn’t want her to say, “My mother was always sad”. I started searching for low-carb meal plans online and found a personal trainer in my area.
Many people have a goal when they start working out, but I didn’t; I just wanted to be healthy. I worked out five days a week, ate only what was on my meal plans – and was elated when I discovered at my first weigh-in that I’d lost 5kg! I didn’t even think of cheating; I cut out all the nonsense food and I was unstoppable.
The gym I attend had group sessions that focus on functional fitness – exercises that simulate everyday activities, such as squatting to replicate sitting down in a chair. We do pushups, exercise our core muscles and do a lot of kettlebell training. I used to do my push-ups on my knees, but now I do them without any problem. I recommend group sessions because everyone in the group started somewhere. There is no shame if you’re just starting out and struggling; the people in your group provide a system of support. I made my progress a competition, albeit a secret one, just to motivate and push myself. Every day I would loook at someone and think, “Hmm, okay. I’m slowly but surely overtaking you”.
I remember taking my husband along one morning. He was so upset that no one was going easy on him despite it being his first time there. I’m happy that no one eased me into working out or babied me. I like that working out forces me to wake up immediately. Sometimes I go to the evening sessions as well, but I usually stick to the 5am ones.
I think that not having a set weight-loss goal has helped me; it’s less pressure. That doesn’t mean that I have room to be lax; it just means that I can do things at my own pace. I think that’s very important. Before, when I yo-yo dieted, family members would
‘I wtEbwtebldouhruggeiheenntglgioeaogcnsh1akhshDwe0otftftriao- naae? oDnrsten’, anttsd, styly,
laugh at me because I always tried a new diet before someone’s wedding. Who doesn’t want to look good when all your friends and family members are going to be there? I lost weight on the 10-Day Egg Diet, but honestly, who wants to eat eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner? A lot of fad diets work, but how sustainable are they for your body in the long run?
I’ve never been much of a drinker. I would have a glass of red wine in a social situation, but never on my own. I had a glass of punch at the Christmas lunch of 2016, then a glass of champagne at my sister’s birthday a few days later, but that was the very last time I drank alcohol. All the people in my gym group were complaining about gaining weight over the festive season, but I had lost 3kg, no problem!
I have modified my Banting diet to allow for a slightly higher carb intake, because I work out so often and so rigorously. I also snack more often, and I have more protein; so I have a tuna or chicken salad for lunch and then I add steamed vegetables for dinner.
The Banting diet is so practical, and I love that there are so many low-carb convenience foods on shelf now. I also love that more and more fantastic LCHF eateries are popping up. I can now Bant wherever I go!
When I look into the mirror I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. I can only thank the woman I used to be – without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. She had to go through a lot for me to emerge as I am right now, and I am so grateful.’