LIGHTER AND HEALTHIER
Lifetime dieter shares weight-loss journey towards being slender
The days of treating her body badly are over for Boitumelo Pule. For years, she left no stone unturned when it came to weight loss tactics. She was always desperate to lose weight.
“Right from my time at university, I used to try different things in an attempt to lose weight. When I started working I spent money on going to the gym, diet foodstuffs and most of these other popular products in an attempt to lose weight.
“In 2012 when I was preparing for my wedding, I went to the extent of bracing my teeth still in an attempt to lose weight,” she says.
But with the yo-yo dieting, losing 10kg today and regaining it back the next, Pule realised she was hurting her body.
“I was overworking my body but under nourishing it,” she shares.
But she hated being fat. “It drew a lot of unnecessary attention to me such as bullying and sexual harassment,” the 41-year-old says.
Above all the things, she says being obese hurt her selfesteem.
“I just couldn’t look myself in the mirror. My health was greatly affected as my knees would sometimes hurt, and always felt like my heart would just stop beating.” She would also get diagnosed with prediabetes.
Pre-diabetes means that ones’ blood sugar is higher than normal, but hasn’t reached diabetic levels. Blood sugar, or blood glucose, comes from the foods we eat. Too much glucose in the blood stream can damage the body over time.
According to Pule, it wasn’t until she stopped looking at weight-loss as an event, but focused instead on changing the way she did things and developing new healthier habits, that the wheels of lasting change began to roll.
“Until you have won the war against your habits, it is difficult to win the war against body fat and associated ailments,” she says.
There wasn’t any defining experience or “lightbulb” moment that forced her to make a change. But it was the realisation that after years of failed diets and the physical toll of obesity, she had had enough.
“After trying and failing on my own for many years, I decided to seek professional help.
I consulted a nutritionist, who recommended meal plans specific to my dietary needs. I also included physical activity, which is basically walking, jogging and basic body sculpting exercises just on my own, no gym no personal trainer!”
Following her doctor’s plan, she also self-educated about nutrition and learned what and how much to eat to get the results she wanted. Within two months on the programme, the pre-diabetes had cleared and the weight was gradually falling off.
From 135kg, she has lost over 40kg in a space of 12 months. And it is not just a remarkably smaller body she has to show off for her hard work, she also has a new mind-set when it comes
to life and food.
“It’s about teaching your body how to eat right for it. I had to teach mine a balanced diet. And to also understand that while it is important to eat all the food groups, it doesn’t have to all be in one serving. I also had to drill it into myself that I will not die because I’m a little hungry.”
Growing up, Pule wasn’t the kind of child people would have called fat or even chubby. She remembers being thin but things started to change as she approached adolescence.
“I think most of my weight was due to junk foods since my parents were working so most of the time we were eating anything available, which was mainly bread, biscuits and drink,” she said.
Over the years, her relationship with food worsened, becoming an emotional eater with food always being her goto whenever she would feel bad. She entered the familiar cycle of dieting, losing weight, having the diet fail, feeling demoralised and turning to food for comfort.
“I can’t sugarcoat the truth.
Losing weight means changing everything, how you think about food and how you think about yourself?” She does eat everything even as she makes sure she eats a balanced diet.
“You just need to know portion control and understanding that I am fully accountable for what I put in my body.”
While her journey back to health has not been easy, Pule says the benefits are well worth it.
Now, she hopes her story can motivate others struggling with weight issues.
“Do not lose hope and keep fighting because we only have one life, and it’s well worth fighting for it,” Pule said.
She has since decided to create a Facebook page called “Fighting Obesity with Boi” to both inspire others and to keep herself accountable for achieving her weight loss goals.
She has also set another goal for herself, running the 10km Kazungula marathon next year, one that a few years ago, she would never have even dreamed about.