Q&A: Jerome Van Der Merwe

Here’s a quick Q&A with Jerome Van Der Merwe who came 2nd in Men’s Weight loss, losing 19.2kgs in Sleekgeek’s latest ULTIMATE YOU 8-Week Transformation Challenge (sign up for the new challenge now at www.ultimateyou.co.za)!

QUESTION 1: Give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.

A: Weighing in at a pretty large amount I have been searching around for a solution for quite some time, I joined Sleek Geek SA on the 7th October 2014 (yes 2014) and from there I have been trying to wrap my head around what everyone actually does to lose so much weight in a very healthy manner, I followed the group on and off and then saw the free section for a reboot, I downloaded and was going to start but never got around to it.

I then started to get regular notifications of the group and later in 2015 I queried some information and was still not sure of what everyone was actually doing and if the results were real. I then believing in fate at the end of 2015 entered a competition for a free entry and was not selected, getting more desperate to do something about my health and wellbeing I gave it one last shot at the competition entry that was posted and Elan chose me as a winner on the 10th June 2016 being the day I decided to start in Heat 5 and immediately give up all my bad habits and start looking for healthier options before I do any further damage than what I have already done.

Working long hours and on many projects fitness commitments for me are not practical at the most part and due to workload and personal commitments. I usually ate one meal a day being supper and was not getting enough nutrition, the biggest issue was sugar in the form of soft drinks, sweets, cakes and anything that would give an immediate rush and make me feel full. In addition to this Fast Food from the major outlets was always a solution when hungry and meal preparation was never something within my household.

QUESTION 2: What prompted you to join the ULTIMATE YOU Transformation Challenge?

A: The biggest motivation was the previous challengers and the activity on social media that was very motivating and was very authentic. There were many posts where there was a

major debate and it opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong and what I should be doing to change my habits. I have always wanted to sign up but have been very sceptical

about the weight loss of the people and as many would think it is an altered image or there is some catch but silly as I might be I should have started the challenge way back in 2014 !

QUESTION 3: Give us a quick overview of the nutrition and eating plan that you followed during the challenge.

A: In order to curb previous bad habits it was essential for me to cut out all sugar, processed foods and dairy whereby I used the Green / Orange / Red list for quick reference from that a combination of the Paleo and Mod Carb plans was adapted for most of the challenge, in certain instances I travelled and was restricted to food choice therefore the basics of the Green / Orange / Red were adhered to with the various food immediately available to me.

QUESTION 4: Give us a quick overview of the training and exercise plan that you followed during the challenge.

A: In all honesty I was not able to do any training and exercise however I am exceptionally active during the day and movement is constant therefore with me being active within the workplace has made a difference to speeding up my weight loss, I plan to sign up at gym and get into a set routine but it has been proven that what you eat is 80% of the problem and fitness accounts for the other 20%. I think if I did get more active with training and exercise I would have excelled with an even better result.

QUESTION 5: Did you use any supplements or do anything else worth mentioning to help you get results?

A: No I did not use any supplements, lotions nor potions during the challenge and stuck to fresh and healthy food choices and my water intake was very high.

QUESTION 6: If you could give 3 pieces of advice to future challengers, what would they be?

A: (1.) Plan and if possible prepare your meals for the week ahead of time. (2.) Do not deviate from what you goal is even if it feels difficult or if you cheat! (3.) Tell others your commitment and what you wish to achieve in 8 weeks.

QUESTION 7: What did you find most valuable about your experience?

A: I found that the support group and general motivation on the group was the most valuable as everyone has their challenges and we are all in it together with a common goal and my team #FatMustFall was very rewarding.