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'I lost 35 kilos and now I'm a personal trainer'

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With persistence and perseverance, a goal can be achieved.
With persistence and perseverance, a goal can be achieved.

A lifetime of unhealthy eating habits had Darushka weighing almost 100 kilos by the age of 28. Unhappy with her appearance and where her health was heading, she joined a gym and fixed up her eating habits. She lost an amazing 35 kilos, found her passion for fitness and is now helping others live healthier lives.

This is her real weight-loss transformation story.

Darushka Williams

Occupation: Personal trainer

Age:38

City: Port Elizabeth

Weight before: 95.3kg

Weight after: 60kg

Height: 1.62

Time required to reach current weight: 18 months

Secret weapon to your weight loss: Good nutrition and consistency

The Gain

Darushka says that she had been overweight since she was just nine years old, and by the time she was 13 she was wearing an adult women’s size 36. Her unhealthy habits followed her into adulthood, where it only got worse. “My diet was unhealthy I would have a litre of coke a day and any time of the day I would have junk food. Anytime was a good time for fizzy drinks and Mc Donalds,” she says.

The Change

She started to question those unhealthy habits when she saw pictures of herself at her 28th birthday party. “I looked absolutely huge and felt uncomfortable in my skin. I was only 28 years old but looked a lot older, I needed to look and feel my age”.

The need to feel her own age drove Darushka to make some much-needed changes. She joined a gym and began training six times a week. The next thing to change was her eating habits — fast food and gassy soft drinks made way for healthier alternatives. She cut out all pasta, bread, and sugars, and started following a low carb high-fat diet.

“I started cutting out fizzy drinks and junk food, and at first and obviously my body responded to this,” she says. These changes led to Darushka losing her first 15 kilos rather quickly, and she’s been living a healthy life ever since.

View this post on Instagram

Yes its not transtormation Tuesday, bt it is monday the day of the week that sets the tone for the rest of the week ,transformation doesnt happen sitting at your desk, the universe serves u if action takes place , then change happens physical change ,the mind adjust bt not fully ,even after my major weightloss drop i have lots of insecurties that i im working through, not easy cos excepting compliments is tough cos u cant believe that someone think you thinner or beautiful ,i always turn to the back to see if they talking about me or the person behind me,the truth is the body transforms bt the mind takes a little longer ,that is were self love comes in and thats hard work bt doable. Every coach trainer shud have gone through some sort of transformation as it helps to understand your clients struggles,anything earned without struggle is not understood or appreciated If there is no growth from any struggle that struggle will def repeat itself ,glad i felt my struggle ??

A post shared by Darushka Chetty Williams _PT (@darushkachettywilliams101_pt) on

The Lifestyle

It’s been six years since Darushka dropped the excess weight, meaning that has the weight shifted so did her eating and training. “As my training has changed so has my diet, when I was dropping body fat, I did an hour of cardio six times a week and ate very little carbs. Then when I needed to tone up, I introduced weight training to my programme.

My diet became super lean with complex carbs and high proteins. Now I’m currently maintaining, so I’m lifting weights and my diet consists of lean proteins like chicken and shrimps, veggies and all the good fats like avocado and nuts. And I limit my dairy intake,” she explains.

READ MORE: “I Lost 36 Kilos When I Started Running and Eating Low-Carb High Fat”

The Results

A few years ago Darushka left her job as a sales rep to become a full-time personal trainer. “As a trainer, I inspire women on their journey and it helps that I can easily relate to their struggles,” she says. When it comes to the secret of weight loss, she says that there isn’t one — it’s all about just keeping it simple.

“The more you consume the more you need to burn, so I prepare my own meals so that I can stay in a calorie deficit. If you keep at it, pretty soon a diet will turn into a lifestyle,” she explains. Darushka adds that fitness has become a huge of her life as it as taught her gratitude for her body and all that it does, “this has been a major growth process in self-love and appreciation.”

READ MORE: “I Lost 30 Kilos By Making These Simple Changes”

Darushka’s Tips

Make a change: “If you are not happy with the body you’re in, start by making the change and commit to yourself. Show up, don’t cancel on yourself, join the gym or a class and find what awakens your physical body”

Just move: “Honestly, just move more”

Be aware of what you eat: “Eat consciously and eat well. Make better food choices and feed your body with good nutrition, just be more aware of what you put into your body and make sure it’s beneficial to your goals”

This article was originally published on www.womenshealthsa.co.za.

Image credit: iStock

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