We sat down with Nicoleen who placed third in the Women’s Weight loss category of our Winter’s 8-Week Challenge 2023. We wanted to find out the secret to her success and she was happy to share it with us.
Please give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.
Grieving my husband’s death brought on stressful events. I felt lost and lonely. My emotions went haywire and because of that, I became an introvert and emotional eater. Fast foods were my downfall and I felt comfort in eating chocolates and drinking cups of coffee. I developed severe headaches and heartburn. These habits affected my health tremendously. During this time, I had a spike in blood-pressure and cholesterol. As a health professional, I knew I had to make drastic changes to my health. Knowing where these conditions lead to, I decided it is either “live” or “die”.
What prompted you to join the Sleekgeek Transformation Challenge?
Seeing photos and reading peoples successful transformation stories on Sleekgeek’s facebook page, inspired me tremendously. I signed up for my first 8-week transformation challenge on 7/2/23 which ended on 4/4/23. I was very impressed with my end results. I had lost a total of 16.3 kg and ended up 9th under the Top 10 candidates for body weight percentage loss. It motivated me to sign up for the 8-week winter transformation challenge which commenced on 5/06/23 until 30/07/23. I did exceptionally well the 2nd time around with a total weight loss of 10.1 kg and body weight percentage loss of 14.9 %. Overall weight loss = 26.4 kg over a period of 6 months.
Give us a quick overview of the nutrition and eating plan that you followed during the challenge.
My eating plan was simple and mindful. I followed a combination of Plant-base and Low-carb, High protein eating plan with intermittent fasting (16:8) in-between. X 2 Meals, plus x 1 snack. If I had a cheat meal, it consisted of a small slice of blueberry cheesecake or a small tub of Marcell’s ice cream or a small bowl of corn chips.
Give us a quick overview of the training and exercise plan that you followed during the challenge.
My daily routine (Mon-Fri): Exercise started @ 5pm, which consisted of walk/run for 1 hour, followed by other exercises such as core, abs, waist, Zumba or step classes for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Saturdays and Sundays are meant to be my rest days, but I went for a 1 hour walk/run session, depending on the weather.
If you could give 3 pieces of advice to future challengers, what would they be?
Motivation is what gets you started; discipline is what keeps you going.
Everything starts off with a small step. Don’t be afraid to take it, because you never know how far you’ll get.
Nutrition is the key to successful weight loss, but with it goes exercises.
Why should people enter the challenge?
The word “Transformation” says it all. It’s a good opportunity to get leaner, fitter, healthier and happier. You as an individual are accountable to help you stay on track, by regular check-ins throughout the challenge and it keeps you motivated. A healthy lifestyle is sustainable, and it encourages you to become a better version of yourself.
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