34KG DOWN AND READY FOR MY BIG DAY’

‘ By changing to a low-carb lifestyle, Santasha Marais can wear the wedding dress of her dreams

Santasha could picture her perfect wedding: the dream dress, a reception packed with people, her fiancé beaming from the altar and her daughter toddling along, presenting the rings. But her weight ruled out the dress she’d always wanted. She knew she had to make a lasting change.

Santasha Marais was never bothered by her weight. ‘I used to live off takeaways,’ she says. ‘I’d get whatever was easiest: usually McDonald’s or KFC. But beyond all of that, I also just didn’t worry about it. Everyone used to say, “You’ve got such a wonderful personality, your weight doesn’t even matter!”’

After meeting her fiancé Julian in 2016, Santasha’s weight took even more of a backseat. ‘I fell pregnant very soon after we met and threw caution to the winds! I used the pregnancy as an excuse.’ But after her daughter Lousindie was born, Santasha noticed the emotional and physical toll her weight was taking. ‘I tried crash diets, I tried 28-day challenges, I tried weight loss pills, I tried

everything! Nothing stuck. I’d lose four or five kilograms and then I’d just be over it because you’re basically starving yourself.’

Once Julian and Santasha decided to take the next step and start planning their wedding, she was struck with a sudden realisation: she would never be able to wear the dress she’d imagined herself in.

After almost four years of wondering if LCHF (she kept reading about it on Facebook and everywhere else), was really the lifestyle change she needed, Santasha decided to give it a go in October last year. ‘I complained to Julian about how just eating salads and lots of fruit made me feel as if I wasn’t eating “real food”. Then something just clicked: what about banting? After I mentioned it to him he

'I was never hungry, the food is delicious and there's such a huge variety of options. It just stuck'

was skeptical but I told him, “Let me just give it a try”.’

Within the first six weeks she dropped 10kg. ‘I was never hungry, the food is delicious and there’s such a huge variety of options. It just stuck!’ Now, even skeptical Julian is banting along with his bride-to-be. ‘He started with me in December and he’s lost about 12kg.’

Santasha’s weight dropped from triple figures to double digits – she lost 34kg and now weighs 89kg. Those impressive numbers were tough to reach – not because of the food, but because of well-meaning friends and family who didn’t want her to be so strict with herself, fearing this was just another fad that would leave her unfulfilled. ‘But once they saw how serious I was about it, everyone supported me. I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth, so cutting out sugar didn’t faze me, but when people brought out the pastas and potatoes, that bugged me. Now I’ve become so used to not dishing up those foods that it doesn’t throw me any more. People ask me, “Do you miss carbs? Do you miss sugar?” and I honestly don’t.’

For Santasha, the confidence she’s gained is far better than those takeaways, especially when she walks into a gathering of people who haven’t seen her in a while. Their jaws drop and they often joke about her being half the person she used to be. ‘I can buy clothes anywhere now. I cannot even tell you what a confidence boost this is! I would never have dreamt of getting into a dress, and that’s basically all I

wear now. I’ve even started doing my nails and my make-up again. It’s crazy how weight can affect your self-confidence.’

Before her weight loss, Santasha held back when it came to playing with her daughter, too. ‘We’d be with the family a lot on weekends but I’d always be quite shy to get up and run around with her because I literally couldn’t do it. Lousindie always just asked her dad to play with her.’

Since shedding the weight, bonding with Lousindie is easy, Santasha says. ‘She’ll come to me now and I’m not shy to get in the pool with her, play with her and run around because all these things are possible.’ Along with feeling lighter, LCHF has also given Santasha renewed energy. ‘Before, I couldn’t keep my eyes open by eight o’clock at night. Now I still find myself up and awake by 10pm without being dead tired the next day.’

Santasha’s newfound confidence has also had an impact on her wedding plans – starting with that dream dress.

‘When we were initially discussing getting married, I was looking at plus-size wedding gowns, but they were just not what I wanted for myself. I’m young! I’m 24 and I was having to look at flowy dresses that covered my arms. Now my whole perspective has changed, especially with regard to how I want to look on the day. When I showed my dressmaker a picture of the dress I had in mind, he said, “This is the perfect dress for you! You’ve got the exact body type that you need for this dress.” I almost burst into tears.’

Santasha will be walking down the aisle with the man and the dress of her dreams!