Here’s a quick catch up with Hermien Elago, who placed FIRST in the Women’s Transformation Category in our Winter 8-Week Transformation Challenge.
“My issues with my weight have consumed the larger part of my life. I cannot, for the life of me, think back to a time when my weight issues did not affect every area of my life!
There is nothing that I have not tried in the past to lose weight, you name it; from starving to pills, to shakes, to hormone injections… I was a sucker for those very dodgy “Lose 40 kilos in one month by using this amazing new product” adverts… A sucker!
My binge and emotional eating ways were further fuelled by my great need for approval and acceptance from others, I have always wanted desperately to be liked. To feel like I belonged. And so I sought comfort in food.
I finally answered the wake up call, that had been ringing for years, on the 1st of September 2013 when I stepped onto the scale and saw a number that I never thought I would see… 100. I had officially entered the triple digits. I decided right there and then that something had to give, and that something had to be me.
I started with small changes: Walking for 45 minutes, 3 days a week, limiting my intake of refined carbs and sugar and upping my water intake.Within 4 months I was down 17kg! Seeing the great progress that I was making really spurred me on to keep going and within a year I has lost 30kg… I say lost because in 2015 some serious stuff hit the fan, my family and I went through a really horrible time and I went back to old habits and within a period of four months, I had found 21.4 kilograms again.
In 2015 I stumbled upon the safe haven that is the Sleekgeek community and I found myself doing my first UYC (now SG8) challenge on the 18th January 2016 weighing in at 91.4 kilograms. Since that challenge I slowly started shedding the weight again, this time around it was much harder than the first time… And then I met my coach who has been one of the best investments I have made towards my health goals which helped a great deal with figuring out what works for me.
During the Winter challenge, I followed a carb cycling plan (I eat more carbs on training days and fewer carbs on rest days, I eat a lot of lean proteins and vegetables and some healthy fat) and had the occasional treat, I went to Crossfit 5 days a week and ran 4 days a week. I have never been as focused as I was in those 8 weeks which really proved to me that through hard work, sacrifice, commitment, sweat and dedication, I really can reach my goals!
My advice for those doing the challenge:
1. Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent!
2. Those 56 days fly by faster than a jet plane. Buckle down and get it done.
3. Bernice Bannister, one of my favourite Sleeks, told me to draw a line in the sand and pull out all the stops.
And finally, believe in yourself. No one in this world should believe in you more than YOU do!
