I was at the beach one day. I knew I was overweight, bordering on obese, but never actually wholeheartedly did anything to lose weight. I had a shake once in a while and took diet pills here and there, but my mind was never focused on losing weight. I suffered from severe IBS and iron deficiency, which were mentally and physically debilitating. My IBS was so bad that if I didn’t lie down flat on my stomach immediately, I would start screaming from the pain. I couldn’t even walk upright. I was always tired because of my low iron levels. Yet I drank almost two litres of Coke a day and lived on takeaways. My body was a ticking time bomb.
So at the beach my friend’s husband took a photo of us and she sent it to me. That is the day it all changed for me, the day I received this horrendous photo of myself. Am I really that fat? I asked myself. Surely this photo must be wrong? How could my husband love this thing?
That day, 30 April 2015, was the day I decided to change my life and the way I thought of myself.
My cousin had told me about Banting and how well it worked for her. She is a walking promotion for Banting. After two children, she’s got a rocking hot body, but it wasn’t always so. It took years of hard work and dedication. So I phoned her and asked her a lot of questions, and that was it: I was doing this now.
On Monday 4 May 2015, we went to our local restaurant with my in-laws. They never order pudding, but on this day they did. Everyone was eating sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake, and I thought, Gee whiz, this is going to be difficult. But here’s the thing, it wasn’t! I ordered a chicken burger with guacamole (without the bun and fries and onion rings). And I enjoyed every single bite.
The next day, someone told me that I lacked perseverance and follow-through, that I could not possibly do this ‘Banting thing’ forever. So now I was on a mission, not only to lose weight and look awesome, but to prove this person wrong.
Keto flu. Note to self: not a very good feeling. I felt pregnant all over again … migraines, nausea and cravings, lots and lots of cravings. But I stuck with it.
On my three-month mark, 30 July 2015, I have already lost 9 kilograms. I now seldom suffer the consequences of IBS and I feel more energised. My friends are all commenting on how good I look. I feel so much more confident now. I can actually get naked in front of my husband and not feel like a whale. I still have about 11 kilograms to lose, but even if it takes me a year, I’m happier and better off.
I am 49 years old and have been battling with my weight since childhood. From one diet to the next, one doctor to the next, one pill to the next injection, nothing helped long term. I would invariably lose some weight but then pick it all up again, and more. I desperately wanted to have children, but because of medical difficulties I could not conceive. One doctor at the infertility clinic told me I was too fat and needed to lose weight. I was so angry I stormed out, and for weeks was in a state of depression. I was miserable to everyone around me. But I started thinking about what the doctor had said. At the time I had never even heard of Banting, but I changed my eating habits and lost 70 kilograms in 11 months, and only afterwards realised that I had actually been following the Banting lifestyle.
Despite the weight loss I still can’t conceive, but now I am content and have accepted the path that has been laid out for me. Banting has changed my life. Banting, together with the right mindset, will bring success and be sustainable. It is now almost nine years and I am still going strong.
On 31 December 2014 my husband showed me a picture of the front cover of The Real Meal Revolution. He said a colleague’s brother had success with the eating plan and my husband wanted us to try it. I was sceptical; somehow the whole LCHF lifestyle had passed me by completely.
When I actually read the book the next day, every concern I had disappeared. My husband and I discussed our options and decided to give Banting a chance. It just made so much sense. He is 47 years old, I am 40 and our son is 20. Our family started Banting on 1 January 2015 and our lives have changed.
The weight loss has been incredible, but it’s not the only benefit. I don’t have to take afternoon naps any more. My husband, who was diagnosed as prediabetic, now has no need for his Glucophage, as his blood sugar is normal. No more heartburn for me, even if I eat green peppers. My husband and son can now eat onions and garlic, where we had to cut them out before because they caused flatulence. Even my dry and cracked heels have healed. Best of all is the freedom. We are free from the hold that food had on us. Before Banting, my life was planned around food. I had to eat something every three hours to keep my blood sugar stable. If I skipped a meal or snack I would start shaking. I could not concentrate and generally felt extremely bad until I ate. I always had some ‘healthy’ snack available just in case.
Now we can leave home on a Saturday and only eat for the first time in the afternoon or evening with no problem. We find it easy to stick to an LCHF lifestyle. We only have green-list foods available at home and I basically cook whatever I feel like. And I love cooking again! It’s wonderful to know that the food I prepare is good for us. Our meals are always so colourful and tasty. I watch our protein portions and keep our meals simple and fresh. I’m lactose intolerant, so we only have dairy on very special occasions. We avoid Banting baking at all times. We don’t look for replacements for things like bread; we have learnt to live without it. I have no desire for anything that is not good for my body. Whenever I am in a situation where there is nothing good available to eat, I don’t eat. I am not tempted by snacks at work or catering at functions; I don’t see those things as food. I don’t get unhappy or upset if I’m with people who are eating sugar- and carb-loaded meals. I know better now and nothing will convince me to turn my back on LCHF. My son describes it perfectly: ‘Banting saved our lives. Why didn’t we know about it years ago?’
In eight months my husband has lost 35 kilograms, my son has lost 25 and I have lost 27. Total weight loss for our family: 87 kilograms, which is more than my son now weighs! My husband and I still have a long way to go, but we will get there. This is our lifestyle and we love every meal on our journey.
Palesa is a 22-year-old caregiver. In April 2015 she came across Banting while searching for weight-loss programmes on Facebook. She weighed 98 kilograms and looked much older than her 22 years. This drew unwanted attention from much older men. Changing to an LCHF diet, Palesa found that she actually saved money on groceries. On an average day she eats a couple of eggs with bacon, tomato and avocado for breakfast, and then meat (chicken) and vegetables at lunch. She is often not hungry at night, so skips the evening meal. To date, Palesa has shed 24 kilograms and is still on her weight-loss journey.
Where to begin? The weight gain started after I had my two boys. I got so big that I was a size 40/42. I would join gyms but then struggle and quit. I was the biggest yo-yo dieter. Weighing 96 kilograms in July 2015, I heard about Banting on the internet. Eager to find out more, I took the five-day trial on the Real Meal Revolution website and joined the Banting for Weight Loss Facebook group, and my whole life changed. In the first two weeks I lost about 5 kilograms and I felt more determined and more energetic in the gym. After six weeks I had lost 9 to 10 kilograms. My life will never be the same again. Banting is so easy to follow because you know what is forbidden and what is allowed. For anyone struggling to lose weight, my advice is simple: Bant, Bant, Bant!
I became a housewife and gained a lot of weight. A friend introduced me to the Banting lifestyle after I told her that I was desperate to lose weight. Soon after, my husband joined me on the Banting lifestyle and our house became Banting friendly. I lost 22 kilograms in nine months and my husband lost 11 kilograms within the first two months. We are still losing weight and will never revert to our old lifestyle again.
In 2012 I was diagnosed with Barrett’s syndrome.1 After suffering for a year with nausea, vomiting, etc. and gaining 20 kilograms within two months, I started on a low-carb lifestyle. After only two weeks I noticed a difference, not only in my health, but also in my weight loss, and I quit taking any medication. After two years, I quit the low-carb lifestyle and was back to square one. I gained weight and was back on medication. At the beginning of 2015 I decided to start Banting. I am off the medication and have lost 18 kilograms in nine months. I will never change my Banting lifestyle again, as it clearly helps me to stay healthy and keep my weight down. I’m still going strong!
