#Journeyto135: Slimmer, fitter, happier
While many of us are steadily gaining weight while we wait for COVID-19 to blow over and gyms to reopen fully, one bold woman is on a mission to lose 23 pounds in a month. TV presenter and communications specialist Tamara McKayle is taking All Woman on her journey to 135 pounds, which she hopes to accomplish in an intense exercise and diet programme with our in-house nutritionist Donovan Grant — in four weeks.
AT the end of her four-week journey to 135 pounds, McKayle is slimmer and fitter than she has ever been, and is very much pleased with her progress. Weighing in this week at 139 pounds, she is four pounds shy of her ideal weight, but she is happy with how far she has come. She has lost 19 pounds over the last four weeks, and that is definitely worth celebrating.
“I’ve really enjoyed this challenge as I’ve become more disciplined not only with my eating habits and exercise, but it has transcended to other areas of my life, which is a great thing,” she told All Woman right before her weekly weigh-in.
“This final week was pretty great for me nutrition wise. I stuck to a diet of mostly natural juices, but I also deviated a bit and had some fruits to help with the cravings I was having. I, of course, informed Mr Grant, who suggested the portions of fruits I should have. I also drank his recommended detox herbal tea nightly, which also helped.”
McKayle even curbed some of her food cravings by watching food videos. She lived vicariously through food vloggers, and found that the visual gratification staved off the cravings, even though her friends found it a bit weird.
“I was also able to keep up the meatless mission and I feel so good about this, that while I’m not committing to be a vegetarian after this challenge, I see myself having less meat going forward in my diet,” she added.
With more sunny days this week, she was able to resume her outdoor hikes, and she also did some indoor workouts for three days.
“I didn’t do much of the other exercises though, and my body definitely now needs strength training, as while I have lost and am still losing the weight, my skin is getting soft and needs to be toned. So that is the next personal mission for me after this challenge,” she shared.
McKayle, who is now fitting into a lot more of her clothes and has glowing skin, is feeling more confident than ever.
“The highlight of the week for me was going to the river, which I love, and feeling comfortable wearing a swimsuit,” she gushed. “The last time I wore a swimsuit I felt self-conscious because I didn’t like how my body was looking. This time I was so happy to have my friends take snaps of me that we ended up doing a mini photoshoot. Body-wise, that was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time!”
Grateful for Grant’s commitment to her weight loss goal, and energised by the positive feedback her journey has received, McKayle knows that losing the remaining four pounds and maintaining a cleaner diet will be a piece of (low fat) cake.
“I will be continuing the healthy eating, albeit not as extreme as I am now, and will now be focusing more on strengthening exercises to build my muscles,” she revealed. “This challenge was a jumpstart, but I intend for this to be a lifestyle for me moving forward to keep in shape and to be fit and healthy. My mantra and encouragement for those who have fitness goals is to just do it, because the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step.”
You can also track Tamara’s #Journeyto135 in video format on YouTube at ‘The Trailblazers with Tamara McKayle’ and follow the #Journeyto135 on Instagram for updates.
