Lose It! – July 2019

6 LOSE IT! VOLUME 31

BY CAROLINE PETERSEN

INSPIRATION

fter 16 years in an

abusive relationship,

Heidi Cilliers had

all but given up on

life. ‘I was in a very

bad marriage and

just wasn’t interested

in anything any more. I was abused and

had to look after my four kids all alone.

My only pleasure in life was eating. I had

to look after the kids, go to work, eat –

that was it.’ A typical day included a pie

for breakfast, hamburgers and chips for

lunch, takeaways for dinner, and chips and

chocolates as snacks in between meals. As

a result, Heidi’s weight climbed to 121kg.

‘I just sat in front of the TV. That was my

life. My version of fun was doing grocery

shopping. We lived on junk food.’

After divorcing her ex-husband, Heidi

met James, and her life changed for the

better. But just five years later, James

suffered a fatal heart attack. Her fiance’s

sudden and unexpected passing was a real

wake-up call for Heidi. ‘That was the

moment I started thinking I really needed

to start prioritising my health again.’

It wasn’t until September 2017, when

Heidi started dating her long-time friend

Wayne Tucker, that she really took action.

60kg

DOWN

At 121kg, Heidi

had no lust for

life: her only joy

was indulging

in junk food.

But switching to

low-carb and

getting a solid

support system

behind her –

plus a newfound

love of cycling –

helped her turn

her life around.

HEIDI

BEFORE

121k g

A typical day

included a pie

for breakfast,

hamburgers and

chips for lunch,

takeaways for

dinner, and chips

and chocolates

as snacks in

between meals.

‘

’