Name: 

Elaine Briedenhann

Age: 

44

Location: 

Krugersdorp

How much weight have you lost on your journey so far?

I have lost 46kg since 2016.

What do you do? [Job]

I am a Centre Manager looking after 4 shopping centres.

What else do you do? [Hobbies, non-work stuff, etc]

I enjoy playing online games (to escape reality 😄) I like to work out every day and I hike and walk on the farm as often as we can get away from the city.

YOU AND SLEEKGEEK

How long have you been a member of Sleekgeek?

I have been a member since late 2016.

How did you find Sleekgeek?

A friend of mine introduced me to Sleekgeek shortly after I started my healthy journey.

What is your favourite part of the Sleekgeek Community?

I enjoy that it is a safe place to interact. I have not found any judgement, members celebrate the wins and support on the “bad” days.

YOUR TRANSFORMATION

Describe the “old you” before you made your transformation. How did you get there and what were you like?

I used to be extremely active right through primary and high school. Shortly after Matric, I was involved in a car accident which resulted in me breaking my back. The doctor at that time told me that I can never run again and that unless I do some operation (I think it was a fusion) I will probably end up in a wheelchair by the age of 40.

From then the weight started to pile up. Fast forward to 2 failed marriages, and 2 children I ended up weighing 142kg.

Emotional eating became to go-to. If I felt sad, I get some chocolates and chips or takeouts to make myself feel better.

What ignited your initial motivation to change?

I saw some photos of myself in 2016 and it scared me, although I believed I was a happy girl, it is not fun being the fattest in the room. There were so many things I wanted to do, but I just could not do them.

I had a very traumatic event happing in 2016 which did cause me to lose the first 5kg in just over a week. It then clicked in me that I can use this to learn how to get healthy and my journey started from there.

What are some of the things that the new you does differently now?

I have a much better idea about nutrition, and I have learned how to control my emotional eating. I have also learned how to use physical exercise to make me feel better about myself instead of eating.

We changed our lifestyle about 3 years back to a full keto lifestyle, cutting out all wheat, carb, sugar and inflammatory foods.

What are some of the things that the new you still struggle with?

I do still struggle with emotional eating. My husband and I call it “my jaw gets bored” I need to stay moving in order to not fall back into the trap of eating just because I am bored.

If you could give yourself one piece of advice to help with that struggle, what would it be?

My first step normally is to acknowledge the difference between hunger and boredom. Sometimes I succeed.

Did you plateau, get stuck, or get disillusioned, or even slide backwards a bit on your journey?

Oh yes, I got very sick with covid late 2020 and had some lung damage.

It took a year for me to recover fully from that and in that time I did pick up 10kg.

I did not focus on eating, it was easier for the daughter to cook and we stopped eating keto.

What is better since you got healthy?

Everything is better, my general health is better, my emotional health is better and even my mood is better.

TRAINING

What’s your favourite form of exercise? [Running, yoga, weightlifting, etc]

My favourite is running, I also fit in yogalates twice a week and Zumba twice a week.

How long have you been training and how did you get started?

I used a lot of boot camps and hiking for exercise until 2019.

I saw a Facebook post in 2019 about a run coach that was doing a workshop and I joined them. Since then I have signed up with In-reach Run for run coaching and have been running ever since.

This year I joined FromB to Z Dance fitness for Zumba classes and also joined Donna’s Health and Fitness for yogalates.

What does your typical workout look like?

I am very strict about making sure that I do my workouts.

Monday I do yogalates, Tuesdays I have a training run, Wednesday yogalates, Thursday Zumba, Friday training run, Saturday Zumba with a short run and Sundays are my long run days

Favorite exercise? [Distance / pose / movement / etc]

My favourite exercise is a 10km run, it is long enough to train nicely and short enough to enjoy.

Least favorite exercise? [Distance / pose / movement / etc]

Weight lifting and a general gym

How does exercise make you feel? 

It makes me feel alive, it makes me feel happy and I do enjoy it a lot.

Do you prefer to train alone or with others? Why?

I prefer class setups, although I actually train alone even in a class set-up. Runs are done solo, that is my time.

Most embarrassing training moment?

Having a small “poep” during a plank in yogalates.

Top 3 things you must have at the gym or in your gym bag?

1. Water
2. Towel
3. My watch

Your next training goal?

I am currently training for the Two Oceans in April. I got an entry for the half marathon.

Top 5 songs on your training playlist?

1. Eye of the Tiger (stupid song, but still so awesome to run to)
2. Final Countdown
3. Every Rose has its Thorn
4. With or Without you
5. Anyway You Want It

How has exercise/training/Sport Changed your life? [Made it better, etc – please be specific]

Being able to run and exercise again after almost 20 years of believing I can’t, it has changed my life completely.

I am not only looking a lot better, but I am also stronger, and I am more stable emotionally. I can do more things now at 44 than I could do at 30. My self-confidence is a lot higher than it was 10 years ago.

NUTRITION

What’s your favourite meal?

I don’t have favourite meals 😄

OK, now what’s your favourite healthy meal?

Still don’t have favourite meals 😄

Favourite protein?

Steak

Favourite fat?

Avocado and chia seeds

Favourite carbohydrate?

We do not eat any carbohydrates

What’s your nutrition philosophy / approach? [If you have one]

We (my husband and myself) have been doing a Keto lifestyle for just over 3 years with a 10-month break during my recovery from Covid.

I also do intermittent fasting between 20h00 and 10h00.

How many meals a day do you eat?

I eat 3 meals a day within my eating window.

Do you have a cheat meal / treat strategy?

Not really, we stick to Keto about 99% of the time, even our snacks, sweets and desserts are made with keto-friendly ingredients.

MINDSET

Most memorable personal best achievement to date. Something you maybe never imagined you could do?

I have a series of best achievements, probably the best achievement is to run 10km without walking and doing races again.

Favourite quote?

There used to be a story about a little train locomotive (can’t remember the name) the little train used to tell him self – “ek wil ek kan, ek wil ek kan.” That is my quote to me often.

Favourite book? 

I don’t have a favourite book, I read everything except for ‘self-help’ books.

What inspires and motivates you?

To see how my progress can motivate someone else. Every time someone comments on my progress it inspires me to work harder to show myself that I can.

For what are you most grateful?

I am most grateful for my husband. Without his support and his cheerleading, it would have been a very lonely journey. He is my biggest cheerleader.

I am super grateful for meeting Corne from In-Reach running, he is a great motivator to keep me accountable for my running.

I am super grateful to have met Bronwyn from B to Z dance studio. She is such an inspiration to me.

I am so grateful for my ability to run and be active. We sometimes take it for granted.

What do you want to say to other community members who might be nervous or hesitant to make a start?

I would like to say to them, any small start is a start, it took a traumatic event for me to start my journey. A start even means just increasing your water intake and letting it lead you to where you want to be.

What are your top 5 tips for anyone starting on a healthy journey

1. Believe in yourself.
2. Give yourself achievable goals, my goal and your goal will differ, don’t try and reach someone else’s goals.
3. Align yourself with people that motivate and keep you accountable. We all have bad days, and on those days we need people that support us.
4. Plan…. the road to a healthy journey doesn’t come overnight, it does not happen automatically. Plan your days, your meals, and your exercise. Not only does it keep you motivated, but as soon as you plan something on paper it becomes easier to follow and it becomes a habit.
5. Celebrate your wins, but celebrate your failures as well. A failure does not mean that you are not good enough, you are always good enough, but a failure gives you the steps to take to turn it into a win.