Hi there. My name is Marianda Geel and was overweight / fat / huge. Until one day. I just had enough of being a fatty. And here is how my story unfold.

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Since I was small I was always the “bigger” one. At school I was used to a lot of nicknames. In 1994 my son was born and I just never lost the weight I picked up. Believing it was due to hormonal problems I soothed my mind with this excuse. I had a hysterectomy in 1998 believing that now my weight will change. Foolish-me still keep on eating the wrong things.

In 2003 I was diagnosed with depression. And what does anti-depressants do – you pick up weight. In 2004 I quit smoking. Even more reason for making my mouth a dustbin. In 2006 I started to work in a large corporate company where my entire day revolved around sitting at my desk working and eating.

In 2011 we moved to Worcester  from Cape Town. And I quit taking antidepressants. Unfortunately we made a wrong career move and it made me start putting everything I could in my mouth because it was a soother for my emotions.  I got even bigger. While we were staying in Worcester my husband won a trip on the MSC Opera to the Portugese Islands. First thing he said to me was that I will not fit a damn in the aeroplane seat. HUMILIATION !!!! Coming from hubbies mouth!

In 2012 we moved back to Cape Town and I started to work at a doctors surgery in Goodwood. With this huge body it was hell to move down the passage. I got tired easily, sweating the entire time, switching the aircon on ultimate cold. But I kept going. I have weighed me on an industrial scale and was so shocked. Two hundred and eight kilograms.  Now what do I do now. Not planning to go and sit in a huge heap, I know I have to do something. But what ??? I hate to measure food like in Weigh-Less. And even worse is the policeman you have weekly. Nope. Not my type. Then I met one of our patients who became a very good friend. She is a gym instructor in Goodwood. Vanessa Smith. I started to ask her what she suggests I must do. She told me why not start with a shake in the morning and shake in the evening and eat my large meal lunch time. Cut out bread, rice, potatoes and pasta and sugar. But still I was “thinking” about it.

By that time blood tests was done and I was on the edge of being a diabetic and I was insulin resistant. My boss prescribed Glucophage to me. My insulin resistance reading was 96. Normal value between 6 and 15. But then ……. One day ….  My boss told me to give a diet sheet for a diabetic patient and explain it to him. That moment that man walked out of that office my mind said to me ” you stupid fool. How can you tell people to lose weight and you don’t do a thing about yourself. You are a very poor example.”

And voila !!! My mindset stuck. Next morning I started. Only shake I had was Herbalife but I got hungry and I hated the taste. Vanessa told me about Precision Whey and I bought enough supply for a year. And so my journey began. 15th of July 2012 at 204 kg. At the beginning it was very difficult to cut the potatoes because I am a total potatoholic. The others was fine. I ate whatever I made the previous night for my family but without rice or pasta and now and then potato. Was struggling but I kept going.

Then I saw an advert on TV of Antagolin for insulin resistance. And I went to buy it the next day. And off I go with the weight. I had such an intensive weight drop the first two weeks after I started the Antagolin the I developed gout in my ankles.  Just remember – up until here I did it all by myself.   I started to feel better during my work day. And obviously better when the weight starts to drop. I did not exercise at all. Was not able to get on a bicycle. Only the walk in the busy surgery.

I started following the Sleekgeek Reboot group and used the tips where I could. January 2013 I had to do an ECG on a lady in the surgery. My top had short sleeves. And she saw my flabby arms. She asked me whether I lost a lot of weight. At first I thought but this lady is quite forward. And I told her that I lost 50 kg at that stage. The next moment she poked me on my flabby stomach-roll that was nearly hanging on my knees and said to me “I also had one like that” and I was stunned because here she was lying in front of me with a flat tummy. Next she asked me “Do you want his cell nr” and she told me she was talking about her plastic surgeon. She gave me his Number but I did not phone. Did not tell hubby about this because of the financial aspect. Thinking – must I or must I not. With me in medical field I realised the huge risk factor and expenses.  (Just remember- I am targetting the aeroplane seat before the cruise) .

February 2013 me and my husband went on our cruise. Fabulous !!!! It had some depressing times – I could not even do the line-dances because I was too fat. I still enjoyed the trip though. One early morning sitting on the deck I prayed and made the decision I am going to phone for my appointment with this doctor. I made my appointment for beginning of March. I went to see Dr Vaughn Roux at Durbanville Surgical Institute.

And that day before I walked out of his office he said 3 times that he will help me. Being a very religious person I knew he will help me and will do magic. This was a God-send situation. I kept on with my diet and the 16th of April 2013 I went to theatre. Weightloss at this stage -60 kg. After 6 hours in theatre first thing I did was to feel and my tummy was flatter. And I cried. Because that THING (burden) was gone. A nurse told me IT weighed 14 kg. I was cut from hip to hip. My hernia was repaired. And I had a new belly-button. Got little infection but responded good on 4 courses antibiotics. But after 3 weeks back at work.

Unfortunately because of my still high amount of bodyfat I developed a large spot of fat necrosis (fat that dies get hard like a rock) that attached to the muscles in my abdominal area and it caused immense pain. Back to theatre 25 June 2013. All healed well. And then my continuing of my weightloss started again.

October 2013 I joined a WeightLoss challenge group in Durbanville for 6 weeks. Sponsored by Herbalife. But I refused to use their products, I kept using mine. LJ Kuylaars was our coach / nutritionist. I learned a lot from him regarding proteins and a lot more nutritional information which I started to implement in my daily eating habits. By then I lost a total of 80 kg. I bought myself a bicycle exercise stand and hubby bought me a mountain bike. And I took out my Trojan fitness stepper. And started to exercise. All by myself, in my garage, with nice doef-doef music on my headphones. Pushed myself very hard. My record was 2000 steps and three quarter hour spinning. On one night.

But then I developed chest infection and had to stop exercising. And I got lazy. Holding late working hours as excuse not to exercise. But still eating properly. And healthy. Here and there a lillte sweet thing. But not overboard as I used to do. After standing still for more than 6 months I still dont know what happend and I started to lose again. Stopped my Antagolin and Herbex tablets. Want to do its the proper way.  Slowly but surely. Started to cycle again. And started to read more info first on Sleekgeek Reboot group and then on Sleekgeek SA page.

Motivation on the page was very important. I just thought, if these people can – I can do that too. October 2014 I went for a mammogram where some funny things was picked up and I went back to dr Roux. I am due for a breast reduction and another small tuck on the 17th of February. In the meanwhile Christmas time came . And I picked up 5 kg. I was SO disgusted and angry with myself. But…. On the 19th of January this year I decided – no bread, no potatoes, no rice, no pasta, no dairy products and bottles of water.

I eat clean and train dirty ( even-though it is still my bicycle) but I got the results. I am still drinking my shakes twice a day. And eat my large meal during lunch time. No fruit. Nuts and biltong for snacks. Tea I take with cream. And I lost 7 kg since 19 January. And my current weightloss is 112 kg. I weigh now 96 kg but still not done.  I want to lose more and start to tone my body after my next plastic surgery on February 17th. I have a huge support system and I am so thankful to them – my friends ( even people I met on facebook from overseas) , my family ( they are the happiest of all that I saved my live because I was committing suicide with my teeth) , my surgeon, my employers,  colleagues and patients ( the patients faces tell a story when they have not see me for a long period.) and then the people I can inspire and support with my knowledge.

UPDATE:

January 2015 I posted my before and after pic on SG and BOOM…my life changed. I made a lot of friends inviting me to do fun walks with them, I have met people who shared their happy and sad times with me in their weightlos journey, and I was invited to tell my story at the SG dinner.

I want to lose more and want to start to tone my body. I have a huge support system and I am so thankful to them – my friends ( even people I met on facebook from overseas) , my family ( they are the happiest of all that I saved my live because I was committing suicide with my teeth) , my surgeon, my employers,  colleagues and patients ( the patients faces tell a story when they have not see me for a long period.) and then the people I can inspire and support with my knowledge.

My entire personality changed. I feel better about myself, have more confidence, learned to handle compliments, and I am not scared to talk to people about their weight issues. I have started to take part in fun walks, I love medals, I was able to go for a ride on the Cobra at Ratanga Junction, I started to love myself, love a camera, to compare the old me with the new me. Sometimes Im looking for the happy-me in the fat-me, but only see a very sad person who was trapped in a heap of fat. I am proud of what I have achieved, because it is hard work. I know I will have to stay on this road forever but it is worth every moment.  

My motto I live by everyday is—-> The best is yet to come.