Lose It! – July 2019

VOLUME 31 LOSE IT! 17

God, I was so ill! I had stomach

cramps like I was giving birth

to an elephant. My tummy was

swollen. I was ill, ill, ill,’ she says.

‘It’s not worth it.’ Since that day,

she has not touched bread. ‘It

was difficult in the beginning. I

craved a lot of the sweet treats;

puddings and cakes are

my weakness. But after

that you start getting

excited about losing

the next kilo, and it was

wonderful to finally see

“me” in the mirror again.’

Andrea drew up a list of all

her favourite foods and cheats and

adapted the recipes to make them

‘Banting legal’ so she could eat

without the guilt. One of her all-

time favourite dinners before low-

carb was chicken schnitzel with

chips and mushroom sauce. She

now makes the sauce with cream

and melted cheese, and coats

chicken fillets in almond flour

before frying them in coconut oil.

‘When I go to a dinner, a function

or a party, I always arrive with

my own dessert so that I feel like

I have my own special thing. I

don’t think that there were any

sacrifices made, only investments.’

Andrea felt lighter and

healthier in the first four weeks,

and after five to six weeks she

noticed a difference in the way

her clothes were fitting. She

now weighs 94kg, having lost a

major 40kgs! Andrea’s confidence

has been restored and she feels

happier now. Two years ago,

Andrea was also experiencing the

beginning stages of menopause.

‘You get terrible hormonal mood

swings, so you wake up miserable.

Everything irritates you, and I’m

not someone who gets irritated

quickly. I’d often wake up in a

bad mood, but when I started

losing the weight everything

started to function normally again.

The bad moods went away.’

Andrea plans to lose another

15kg and enjoys discovering

new foods and developing her

own recipes. ‘I have friends and

family asking for recipes when we

entertain. I make what I can eat

and everyone loves it,’ she adds.

Her advice for anyone who

wants to go on this journey?

Really investigate and understand

what low-carb eating is all about.

‘It is a way of life, not a diet! It

is definitely not a quick fix. Once

you’ve made the commitment to

yourself, find someone who has

been successful on the Banting

journey, steal their recipes

and ideas and learn from their

mistakes. Your life will never be

the same again.’ ■

1 cup fresh cream

3 tbsp xylitol (or to your own taste)

2 slabs Lindt 85% dark chocolate,

chopped (200g)

1 tbsp cocoa

4 eggs, beaten

1. Heat cream and xylitol in the
   microwave until warm, but not hot.


2. Add the chocolate to the cream
   mixture until melted, then add the
   cocoa. Leave to cool.


3. Add eggs, beat for 1 minute with
   an electric beater until mixture is
   glossy and a thick mousse consistency.


4. Place into round silicone moulds
   (or a greased muffin pan) and bake at
   150°C for 20 minutes or until cooked.


5. Remove from oven (it should still
   have a slight wobble). Allow to cool.

COLD: Place it in the fridge for a

soft, fudgy consistency. Slice and

serve with crème fraiche and fresh

raspberries.

WARM: Pop it into the microwave for

a few seconds until warm. It then turns

into a fondant-style cake that I serve

with pouring cream.

BAKED

CHOCOLATE

MOUSSE

SERVES 8

ANDREA

NOW!

94kg

PHOTOGRAPHS: LIZA VAN DEVENTER, SUPPLIED. FOOD STYLING: TANI KIRSTEN

KEEP ON TRACK per serving

FAT 19G CARBS 9G PROTEIN 7G