Combat The Fat: Part 1

Remember: kilometres are kilometres, as far as your belly’s concerned. “Coming back from injury last year, I needed a plan to stop me piling on weight,” says James Smith from Hemel En Aarde. “I stopped taking the bus and started walking to work and back instead.

I was getting in 10km a day without even trying. The weight dropped off. It’s the perfect way to clear your head before and after the office. And knowing every session doesn’’t have to be an all-out lung-buster is great for motivation. I always start my runs with a walk until I feel mentally prepared to pick up the pace, and if I don’t feel like it, I just walk and enjoy it for what it is.”

“Certain ‘diet’ foods backfire because they leave you feeling unsatisfied, so you eat twice the amount,” says triathlete Gina Kerr. “

After years of trying and failing with ‘diet’ foods, I removed low-fat products from my diet, which were more often than not loaded with sugar, and focused on healthier fats, such as monounsaturates, dairy and fish oils.

I’’ll have a full-fat yoghurt in the morning, which keeps me satisfied until lunchtime. I’ve also cut out fruit from my diet in favour of loads of veg: fruit was too sweet for me and made me crave sweets. I’’ve lost 11kg over the past year, so something has to be right.”

“I decided to shock myself into losing the 13 extra kilos I gained after my second child was born,” says confirmed jogger, Helen Newton. “I pinned graphs and charts of my weight and body fat in the kitchen alongside photos of me before and after.

Every time I reached for a biscuit I was reminded of the consequences of my actions. It also meant that I got comments on how well I was doing from people who came round the house if I got none, I knew I was slipping. It also spurred my husband into sponsoring me R1000 for every six kilos I lost to go towards a new wardrobe. Basically, get everyone involved and make it the main priority in your life.”

“I found that drinking water made a huge difference with controlling hunger pangs,” says Himesh Gohil. “Constantly sipping made me feel less hungry I still eat as much as I want to, but I get fuller quicker, and don’t snack so much.

I always have a bottle with me. It’s actually become a bit of a talking point among my friends and colleagues. I clock between two and three litres a day. It also gives me added energy. The best part is that it’s not part of some faddish diet, so it’s something I’ve kept up even after I’ve hit my target weight.”

The first rule about weight loss is to be true to yourself. “If snack foods are your weakness, don’t buy them: it really is that simple,” says Lorna Gold, a member of the Centurion Running Club. “

People kid themselves into making excuses that chips are for the kids’ lunchboxes, or those chocolate biscuits are for their spouse’s tea, when in reality it’s for them. If you take temptation out of the equation you soon realise how quickly you don’t need these things. And be realistic about how many extra kilojoules you need because of your running habit 1.5km only burns around 400kJ, about the same as a glass of orange juice.”

Read ‘Combat The Fat’ Part 2 – another five tricks to lose weight for good