Lose It! – July 2019

VOLUME 31 LOSE IT! 25

THE CHALLENGE

63 DAYS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH BY SALLY-ANN CREED (HUMAN & ROUSSEAU, 2018, ABOUT R300). FIND AT SELECTED BOOKSTORES. PHOTOGRAPH: LIZA VAN DEVENTER, GALLO IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES, STEVEN BOOTH PHOTOGRAPHY

‘63 Days to Optimum

Health covers a lot

of information, so at

first I was a little intimidated.

Your first week is really about

getting yourself ready for the

challenge. As I went through

everything, I realised it was

simpler than I’d thought. What

I really appreciated was that the

book includes everything from

meal plans, shopping lists and

how to deal with food cravings to

substitutions and recipes. I also

loved the chapter on superfoods

and was happy to include them in

my everyday diet. There’s nothing

better than starting your day

with buttery eggs and spinach,

and cauliflower, broccoli and avo

have always been staples for me. I

discovered a love for coconut milk!

‘I started my mornings by

enjoying some “me time” with a

cup of hot lemon water (great for

weight loss, skin and flushing the

liver), and in the afternoon when

I got home from work, I’d have a

cup of bone broth, which I made

from scratch. It’s amazing how

fast I started feeling better.

‘On Sundays I prepped meals

for the week ahead, which is a

WHAT

WORKED

FOR ME

great habit to have – not only

because you avoid the temptation

of snacking at work or skipping

meals completely, but because it

also helped me save money. During

the nine weeks I saved enough to

pay off the last of my financial aid

• so thanks, Sally-Ann!
  ‘I also felt like I wasn’t really
  depriving myself of anything


• I could still eat some of my
  favourites, just with a few
  alterations. Instead of having
  pasta, I made zoodles or fried
  up some cabbage in butter; if
  I wanted a burger, I swapped
  my roll for a grilled portobello
  mushroom; and I even made
  cottage pie with sweet potato.’

‘As much as I’d love to spend

every weekend at the organic

market, it just didn’t work for

my budget. Instead, I

bought fresh veg from

my local grocer and

steered clear of the

Dirty Dozen (fruits

and vegetables most

contaminated with

pesticides – see page

26). A great hack for

cleaning your vegetables

and removing any sprays

is to soak them in water

and apple cider vinegar

for 15 minutes.

‘I also have to confess

that I did drink, but I

swapped out my usual

craft beer for red wine.

I started with a glass on

special occasions, but

that quickly included weekends

too. Another 63 Day “sin” of mine

was not switching off devices an

hour before bed. I tried, but it’s

too quiet and I need noise to fall

asleep. Instead, I used the Sleep

With Me podcast.’

‘I had the occasional craving

dream, which was new! But even

in the dream, I felt guilty as I bit

down into that buttermilk-fried

chicken burger. The best part was

the affirmation I got from others;

from the third week people

noticed a difference in me.

‘My husband joined in the

challenge, but as soon as it ended,

he planned a deep-fried feast –

I finally got to enjoy my burger!

But as soon as I tucked in, I

immediately felt sluggish. I even

had nightmares that evening and

generally didn’t feel great the next

day. At the end of it all I had lost

6kg. I feel better about myself, I

have more energy throughout the

day, I have less anxiety and my

blood pressure has come down.’ ■

WHAT DIDNT

WORK FOR ME

THE VERDICT

CHARIS

BEFORE

CHARIS

NOW