Chantel Erfort

IT’S EVERY journalist’s dream to reach the top of their careers and become an editor. But that job is not always as glamorous as it sounds. Sometimes the demands can even have a negative impact on one’s health.

While Chantel Erfort was busy studying for her Master’s degree in Journalism – her research focused on South African community media – she gained too much weight, which was detrimental to her health.

Her story has a happy ending, two years later, Erfort lost 39.2kg and is now only 3.2kg away from her goal weight of 65kg.

Erfort ,who has worked for Independent Media for 17-years, has now made health a priority and has led to her starting a blog titled “Edited Eating”. She also writes a regular column for the Weekend Argus.

Being appointed editor in 2007 was not only a high-light for Erfort but possibly the steepest learning curve of her career.

“It may sound a bit sentimental, but every time a reader calls me to say a story touched them, or we made a difference through a story we published, it is a highlight for me,” she says.

Erfort says she now she feels more comfortable in her own skin and clothes.

“My lifestyle has changed significantly; I spend a lot less time eating out and much more time cooking my own meals and experimenting with making Paleo diet versions of the foods I love.

“The biggest transformation for me has been a psychological one. I think about things differently and am more cognisant of what I put into my body. I’m more confident and more open to trying new things.

“I’ve also been enriched by learning about nutrition and exercise and have become a passionate advocate for healthy living through my position in the media,” Erfort says. – Viwe Ndongeni

Janice Johannes