Q&A with Maanda Nengome:

We sat down with Maanda who placed first in the Men’s Weight Loss category of our Summer Challenge 2023. We wanted to find out the secret to his success and he was happy to share it with us.

Please give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.

I gained a lot of weight during the pandemic, and it has been hard to get in shape since then. I tried a number of methods and self-motivation, but they did not work.

What prompted you to join the Sleekgeek Transformation Challenge?

I needed a community that could support me in my journey. And I wanted a challenge to give me extra drive.

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

The main key to my diet was maintaining a low carb intake and restricting calories. I also used intermittent fasting to boost results. I drank 1 litre of water minimum each day to limit hunger and eliminated sugar intake.

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

In the first 2 weeks, I went to the gym 5 times a week. There after I did 6 days a week. The focus was on sustaining a high-intensity workout for 45-60 minutes depending on what the body allowed. I rotated workouts between cycling, treadmill and elliptical. These are high calorie burning machines.

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

1. Diet and workout are non-negotiable, and they are equally important. However, you can miss a gym session once and be ok, but if you break your diet, you can easily erase a week’s worth of work.
2. Hunger is mental programming – Find ways to reprogram yourself. Use tricks like drinking water and eating calorie-dense foods.
3. Find a goal that drives you harder than the next person.

Why should people enter the challenge?

It’s not just about weight loss, it’s about the transformation that you will gain in your health and the rest of your life as well. Once you achieve your goal, you will literally be stepping into a new world and this transformation is your ticket to adjust things to how you’ve always wanted. Keep that at the front of your mind and let that be your driving force.