Name:

Tarryn Sadler.

Age: 

32.

Location: 

Cape Town.

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

53 kilograms (Have reached my goal weight).

What do you do? [Job]

Admin / Accounts.

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

To be honest, gaming LOL and then also hiking, gym and socializing with friends.

YOU AND SLEEKGEEK

How long have you been a member of Sleekgeek?

Around 6 years.

How did you find Sleekgeek?

Through a friend years ago.

What is your favourite part of the Sleekgeek Community?

The inspirational posts, meal ideas and the sharing posts and the helpful advice given by the community as well as from admin.

YOUR TRANSFORMATION

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

I was 125 kgs and really depressed with no self-confidence or motivation. I also had a bad attitude towards weight loss and I was not willing to make changes even though I could see how badly the weight affected me mentally and physically.

What ignited your initial motivation to change?

A bit of a long story but in short, we wanted a second child and unfortunately, I had complications with two of my pregnancies and couldn’t carry to term.

It was suggested I lose weight to minimize future complications with my next pregnancy so I got my head together and began my weight loss journey.

I started with gym then downloaded my fitness pal, counted my calories and was just overall aware of my intake but still enjoyed general food (within moderation).

I exercised 4-5 times a week and walked every day and when I got to 33 kgs down (a year later), I fell pregnant and had a beautiful baby boy.

Unfortunately, while pregnant due to more unforeseen complications, I stress ate and I gained not only the 33 kgs I had lost but gained an extra 5 on top of it.

When my son was born, I was extremely depressed about my weight gain again knowing all my hard work was down the drain but, I told myself that I did it once and I can do it again but this time aimed to reach my goal weight (75 kgs).

When he was 4 months old, I started my journey again and within 2 years of hard work and a lot of sacrifice, I lost 53 kgs meaning I currently weigh 73 although my initial goal was 75.

I am now pushing for 70 purely because 73 is such an odd number LOL!

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

Literally just everything in moderation, moderation is really key. 😊

I also still push to exercise at least 4 times a week to maintain the weight loss and continue to tone and then for some fresh air, we go on hikes as often as possible with the kids and our friends.

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

Some days to get my butt to gym LOL.

It’s really not easy to push every day and as much as I love gym, you just go through phases where you really just don’t feel like it.

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

Don’t think about it, just get up, get dressed and go because once you are in that gym, you feel relieved you are there and actually end up enjoying your session. 😊

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

Definitely got stuck because of my own choices though (no plateau).

I mean 53 kgs is literally a whole person to lose and when I got to 35 kgs down I kept eating badly 1 day then well on the next day which meant I would go up 2 kgs then down 2 kgs and repeat.

Eventually I regained the motivation because I was tired of staying the same weight and continued to push until eventually, I lost the rest and reached my goal. 😊

What is better since you got healthy?

My confidence and mainly the fact that I inspire others who often ask me for help.

I know the struggle more than anything so I am always happy to help others and remind them that it can be done and it is worth every single sacrifice along the way.

TRAINING

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

Definitely the weight lifting now, especially because I still have so much toning to do considering how much I lost. It really helps that I gym with my good guy friend and husband because we all motivate and push each other, so having that on my side is definitely a bonus. 😊

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

Around 3 years now.

I started at curves at the time and did tons of cardio which really helped the weight loss but, I found because I needed to tone so much, it would be easier to join my husband and friend at Virgin Active.

What does your typical workout look like?

Literally Arms, Chest, Back, Legs etc. Oh, and a bit of cardio but all on rotation. 😊

Favourite Exercise?

A bit of a tough one because in general I like majority of the workouts we do.

I must say though, that as much as I am enjoying the weight lifting now, I will always love cardio because you always know that although you nearly died, you made so much progress while doing it.

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

Lunges…ugh to this day they are just not a vibe for me LOL.

How does exercise make you feel? 

Healthy and happy of course. 😊

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

I don’t mind doing it alone and sometimes prefer it but at the moment as stated prior, toning with my friend and husband motivating me is so much more fun!

Most embarrassing training moment?

When I was exercising with my trainer and a bunch of teenagers were like “Go, go and go! You can do it.” Right then and there I was like “Okay, well that just happened!” and we both laughed so much that I struggled to continue thereafter haha!

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

Water.
Towel.
And erm…myself LOL.

Your next training goal?

Toning overall, I am still on that journey and it is a long one but worth every second. 😊

Top 5 songs on your training playlist?

OMG I have soooo many but right now on repeat…

1.Bunt-Paperplanes.

2. Zonder-Zonderling.

3. Bunt-Clouds.

4. Loufi, Jayms & Austin Scheeprs-Breathe.

5. Preston Pablo, Banx & Ranx-Flowers Need Rain (VIP Remix).

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

In a nutshell, I am more fit which means I can do more with my kids, friends etc. than I used to without feeling like its such an effort or mission.😊

NUTRITION

What’s your favourite meal?

Alfredo or Pesto Pasta OMG!

OK, now what’s your favourite healthy meal?

LOVE my wraps and salad because there is so much you can do with it.

Favourite protein?

Chicken and Fish and then of course my Whey Protein because you can add so much to it.

Favourite fat?

Avo to be honest, if I could have Avo with everything I would LOL.

Favourite carbohydrate?

Pizza and Pasta always!

How many meals a day do you eat?

I only have two which is lunch and supper but, I do have my healthy snacking in between.

Breakfast is important especially to kick start your metabolism but I have always struggled with that so I try grab a banana, boiled egg or handful of biltong before I go workout

Generally, I aim for 2 meals and 3 decent snacks but I obviously eat less than I used to so I would not recommend skipping meals for someone starting out.

Do you have a cheat meal / treat strategy?

Not really…

I used to have one cheat meal a week but found that I was depriving myself and would give up and end up eating everything at once so now as I mentioned earlier, I live by moderation which is key (watch what you eat but still enjoy what you eat) and then counting calories and calorie deficit has really been the ultimate key to my weight loss.

Most memorable personal achievement to date. Something you maybe could never have imagined.

Losing a ton of weight twice, winning a trip away for losing the most weight within a certain period of time and having my before and after picture displayed at curves gym on their wall. 😊

MINDSET

Favourite quote?

“Not everyone will understand your journey, just be yourself and carry on.”

Favourite book?

Oh gosh…erm…I am not a book person but I love researching on the internet if that counts haha!

What inspires and motivates you?

To this day…my before and after pictures because it reminds me of how far I have come.

Also honestly being able to go clothes shopping with a lot more ease than I used to and going from “Ugh, nothing fits” to “OMG this actually fits me” is such a good reminder of why I am where I am today.

Then of course as mentioned, there are the people being inspired by me because that inspires me to carry on and maintain what I have achieve, plus the ton of support I receive from my husband and friends. 😊

For what are you most grateful?

The support I receive.

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

I feel you; I really do because I struggled for YEARS to have any motivation but I PROMISE you, it is the most rewarding and worthwhile journey you will EVER walk.

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

1. Firstly, I really feel that having a good support system is KEY, since you are on Sleekgeek, you are in the right place even if the support doesn’t come from anywhere else. 😊
2. Motivation even if it is just the slightest, it is a start and if you don’t have any find someone who does, ask them questions, listen to their advice and go go go!!
3. Find a healthy plan that you know is possible for you to achieve. Remember there really is no (good for you) quick fix so please don’t go on these crazy “starve yourself plans” because they may work for a short period (I have been there done that by the way) but, you will suffer in the long run and most likely end up back at square one.
4. WATER and yes, water is boring but the intake is so important TRUST me!
5. Lastly and most importantly….Deep breathes!!!! Remind yourself of why you are considering this, remind yourself of how so many of us are or have been in the same boat and remind yourself that although looking great is a nice feeling, the better and MOST IMPORTANT of all is being healthy because with that comes extended life, tons of energy, feeling better about yourself and wanting to get up and go every day.