mpho motase @mphomotase - Twitter Profile

Can we please discuss my Load-Shedding Stage 14? Not that Load-Shedding silly, I recently shed a load of unwanted weight. Yup, I lost 14 kilograms in just 12 weeks. Well, I didn’t lose them. I happily got rid of them. I know that sounds extreme and you might be thinking, “you didn’t need to lose anything” but the truth is I did. I was starting to look a little chunky. You know, that post-covid-hangover-dad-bod-beer-boep. Not ideal. At first, I set a goal of losing 6 kilograms but quickly realised that a healthy weight for me might be closer to losing 14, so I focused all my attention on getting rid of my flabby bits. How did I do it? I trained bladdy hard (around 3 or 4 times a week)… and downloaded an App that tracks calories - this is not a sponsored post, so the App in question doesn’t matter - but I started tracking what I was putting into my body on a daily basis. Every little thing. The App worked out my daily calorie needs (based on my age, weight, height and daily activity) and then gave me a suggested number to keep to, to lose a few of my jiggly-wigglies. What was pretty rad is that I am already quite active and try to get some movement in at least once a day, so even while working on a calorie-deficit diet, I was still able to eat and drink a bucket load. The whole experience has been life-changing. I have a better relationship with food. And I now have a better understanding of what’s good for me, what’s okay for me and what I should try to avoid. I sleep better, have more energy and feel healthier. I also have my acid reflux under control. Something that I have lived with my whole life and is now pretty much non-existent. Oh, and I can see my abs again. Whoop Whoop. I learnt a couple of things along this journey, so I thought I’d share them. None of this is new information but it could be helpful to hear this stuff again. Also, please note… I am not a doctor or a dietician. Just a guy that went on a new health journey and found a few things that worked for me. So here goes. 1. Our portion sizes are too big. Not sure who created the “standard portion size” for meals but it’s too much. We don’t need that amount of food. Smaller plates. Eat enough to fill you. Don’t over-eat. Step and repeat. 2. Coca-Cola (or insert any flavour soda here) is flipping terrible for you and highly addictive. I am not sure why these things are legally sold anywhere in the world. I had a headache for 4 straight days while weening myself off that stuff. I called it my “sugar hangover”, and it was awful. It’s thankfully gone and I have not drunk a single sugary soda in almost three months. YAY for me. 3. Mayonnaise and peanut butter are HIGH in calories. The problem is that I love the taste; luckily I now know that a little bit here and there is okay… not the amount that I used to think was “okay”. When you know the calorie content of what you’re putting into your body, you start to rethink how much of it you should be shovelling in there. There are also “sugar-free” and “carb” free options. And they taste pretty damn good. 4. Savoury breakfasts are the BEST and way healthier for you than most cereals. Most cereals are packed with sugar. Added sugars offer no nutritional benefit; in fact, it is really bad for you. Seems the marketing campaigns in the 90s were lying to us all. 5. You can eat mostly whatever you like… all in moderation. Yes, burgers, curries, potatoes (in all forms) and even alcohol are more than okay. In moderation. 6. One of the biggest realisations is that my body doesn’t process gluten properly. It was the direct cause of my acid reflux (debilitating heartburn) and I think going gluten-free was the main cause of my weight loss. Main foods that I avoid now: Pizza, Pasta, Bread and Beer. I miss them, but not enough to ever want the bloating or acid reflux ever again. 7. Always take the stairs. Always take the salad. This is a saying that goes back to my Varsity days. If you have the option of an escalator or stairs. Take the stairs. The same goes for fries or salad. It’s always the salad friends. 8. We should all be drinking more water. Yes, even you. Most of us drink far too little water. Go drink some water right now. 9. Talking about drinking… I’ve become such a cheap date. 2 glasses of wine and I am done. I’m assuming it’s because I have less fat now but please don’t take my word for it… again, I didn’t go to medical school. 10. When you track your food (especially with Apps designed to keep a record), you get an overview of what vitamins and nutrients you are missing… and you’re able to adjust accordingly. I used to get super tired in the afternoon (and drink a Coke to perk me up), I added an iron supplement to my daily vitamins (cause the App told me I was lacking iron) and my fatigue is gone! So there’s it. Stuff I already knew but have re-learnt in this process. Maybe some of this can help you in your health journey too. Oh, here’s the photo that made me realise I needed to do something about my weight, taken a couple of months ago. Hashtag new me. But also hashtag same me, just a little lighter. Okay. Love you. Bye.