LOSE IT-04.2019

22 LOSE IT! VOLUME 30

PH

OT

OG

RA

PH

S:

LI

ZA

VA

N^

DE

VE

NT

ER

,^ S

UP

PL

IED

,^ C

RA

IG

SC

OT

T.^

FO

OD

ST

YL

IN

G:

JU

ST

INE

K

IG

GE

N.

When she got the pictures

from Ricardo’s matric dance

and found herself trying to

crop them to show herself

only from the chest up,

Nalini realised she needed

to make a difficult and

permanent change.

Now a size 34 and

weighing 65kg, Nalini

reveals there were many weak

moments and cheat days, but

with her family’s help, she

stuck to her goals. ‘I had to

cut everything down. It wasn’t

easy and I cheated a lot in the

beginning,’ she says. Nalini’s

family even locked any red-

list items in a drawer that

only her husband, Roland,

had a key to.

At one point, things took

a drastic turn for the worse.

As a result of going cold

turkey on all the sugar Nalini

had been eating, she started

blacking out. Fortunately,

that’s all in the past: her body

has adapted to no longer

being dependent on processed

sugar and the blackouts

have ceased. And as for that

sneaky sweet drawer ... she

is no longer tempted. ‘In the

beginning it was absolutely

tough. I felt like crying, I felt

like giving up. But I carried

on pushing though.’

She’s learned to be kind to

herself, and that’s the advice

she’d give anyone embarking

on the same journey: ‘If you

cheat, don’t beat yourself up.

Start afresh the next day.’

When she started out,

Nalini decided only to weigh

herself eight months into her

low-carb journey, knowing

that scales don’t always reflect

the truth. ‘I started in April,

but only weighed myself in

December 2018. It was more

motivating to not know and

obsess. I didn’t want to get

disheartened and go back to

my old ways.’

Now, after losing 31kg

and being mistaken for her

14-year-old daughter’s older

sister, Nalini isn’t planning

on quitting low-carb anytime

soon. Her new lifestyle has

spread to her family as well:

Roland has jumped into

low-carb living and joined

a gym. Q

INSPIRATION

KEEP ON TRACK per serving

FAT 16G CARBS 3G PROTEIN 26G

TUNA FRITTERS

SERVES 4

2 x 170g tins light meat tuna

in brine, drained

50g cheese, finely grated

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

100g baby spinach, chopped

½ tsp garlic salt

1 tsp mixed herbs, dried

1 egg, whisked

chopped red onion

fresh herbs and chilli to garnish

1. Place the tuna and cheese into a bowl.


2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add
   the onion and spinach and sauté until
   soft and all the water has evaporated.
   Add the garlic salt and dried herbs and
   stir to combine. Remove from heat and
   allow to cool.


3. Add the spinach mixture to the tuna
   along with the whisked egg, and stir well
   to combine.


4. Form the mixture into 12 patties, heat
   the remaining olive oil in a pan, and cook
   the patties for 5 minutes on each side or
   until golden and heated through.


5. To serve: Serve warm, topped with
   chopped red onion. Garnish with fresh
   herbs and chopped chilli.

NALINI’S

DOCTOR

WARNED

THAT HER

HEALTH

ISSUES WERE

A RESULT OF

HER WEIGHT.

SHE FINALLY

TOOK HIS

ADVICE

TO TRY

LCHF AND

DROPPED

FOUR DRESS

SIZES.