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She’s never been skinny but two years ago she hit rock bottom – morbidly obese, on the verge of developing type 2 diabetes, and deeply depressed. The worries about her family’s unique challenges had worn her down.
But Helené van Loggerenberg from Pretoria decided she wanted to change. And she stuck to her guns, no matter how difficult it got.
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Now, the mom of three weighs half of what she did back then. She’s healthy, super-fit and glowing – an inspiring example to anyone who sometimes feel as if life is getting too much for them.
“I was fat. I weighed 110kg, I was depressed, and my marriage was falling apart,” Helené (46) tells YOU. Both her 22-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son are on the autism spectrum and caring for them had been tiring at times, causing her to neglect her own self-care.
“I was a stay-at-home mom who home-schooled my children because mainstream schools couldn’t accommodate them,” says Helené, who also has a six-year-old. She’s been married to Dewald (45), an IT specialist, for 23 years.
“Our circumstances at home were unusual because two of my children suffer from sensory sensitivity and don’t enjoy social interaction. Any mundane noise such as a vacuum cleaner or even a hairdryer would drive my eldest insane. We’ve always had to turn the volume of everything down and for a while we didn’t even own a TV.”
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Helené had an unhappy childhood and says she started finding refuge in food at an early age.
“I’ve been drowning my sorrows in food from a young age. And over the years it just escalated,” Helené recalls.
But Monday 22 May 2017 was a watershed moment for her. “I was at my wits’ end; beyond breaking point. I realised I couldn’t carry on that way – seeking comfort in food. That day I decided I wanted a new life. I prayed for something to change.
“I started dieting again, but not the fad and yo-yo diets and shakes and pills of the past. I knew I had to do it right this time,” she says, adding she registered for a course in sports nutrition.
“I studied at night. I poured everything into it and applied everything I learnt. Basically, I used myself as a guinea pig. This time I did it the right – the healthy way.”
It all comes down to kilojoules, she says. It’s about consuming healthy food in the right quantities. And by doing this she lost 40kg in eight months.
“I started exercising vigorously. I joined an affordable gym and at first I felt quite lost. But I also completed a course in personal training where I learnt everything about exercise, muscle groups and the benefits of different weights and equipment and then I applied that knowledge.”
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That’s when Helené discovered bodybuilding. She now weighs 55kg with 15% body fat and last week she competed in her first competition, the Pro Diva in Midrand in Gauteng.
Helené says she feels fantastic in every aspect. She follows a strict exercise regime – two hours a day – and she still believes the right eating plan is crucial. She avoids processed foods and prepares her meals fresh.
“I eat to give my body the proper fuel and to feel healthy, for example I eat a lot of chicken, fish, spinach and broccoli. We do get takeaways once a week but I’ve learnt to control my portions and they’re now much smaller.”
Helené now work at two gyms and she enjoys inspiring other women to change. She emphasises that the key to her transformation was self-discipline.
“There’s no such thing as magic products. The only way is with hard work and eating right.
“My advice to other women is to persevere, even if you don’t see any results in the first few weeks. Don’t constantly change your programme because you’re impatient.”
Helené dreams of one day owning her own gym where she can motivate and inspire other women, but in the meantime she’s looking forward to her next body-building competition.
