Lockdown weight loss success: Okie drops 33kg
A Chinese proverb states, “He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician.”
An individual who espouses such a principle is a high-flying External Communications Manager at De Beers Group and owner of a PR agency, Spontaneous Events, Kesego Okie, who’s thrilled to share her weight-loss journey in this week’s Voice Woman.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, the mother-of-three reveals that after she gained 16 kilograms postpartum weight, she was determined to turn lockdown lemons into lemonade and began the hard task of shedding the kilos.
“I’ve always been ‘fresh.’ In 2019, though, after having my third child, I ballooned to my heaviest weight. I didn’t even notice this as I managed to somewhat contain the weight during the nine months of my pregnancy. I had put on 16kgs in total, from the first month to three months post the baby’s birth. I used the 2020 lockdowns to work on myself.”
Motivated by a desire to be a role model to her children, and those who look up to her, Okie quickly reconsidered her diet and – despite movement restrictions – she would also exercise at home.
“I reduced starch and junk food from my diet, increased my water, herbal tea, fruit, veggies, and protein intake. I exercised in the yard daily with the kids. I believed in myself and still believe in me to reach my target weight,” said Okie, adding that she indeed had enough confidence that she could do it.
The bubbly go-getter, who recently competed for the BFA additional member position, candidly acknowledges that the more pressing reason was in fact her self-love and preservation, “I was obese.
I love myself. First, it was for me.
I knew I had to lose weight in order to avoid having to deal with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, BP, heart attack, and others.
My kids are all very young and the least I can do for them is to take care of myself so that I can be able to take care of them, play with them, and inspire them to also take care of themselves.”
Having lost a whopping 33kg in total so far – from 119kg to 88kg – the self-starter is ecstatic with her achievement but looks forward to reaching her target of losing a further 17kgs, to reach her ideal weight where she will then begin the work of maintaining.
“It’s not an easy journey so I have to work extra hard to ensure I do not reach a plateau before I get to my target. When you’re overweight, you are challenged in a number of areas including looking good. I’ve gone 4 dress sizes down and it feels too damn good! Though my weight never affects my confidence and beauty, this weight loss has boosted me and I feel and look amazing.”
Indeed the year-long journey has inspired Okie to help others who either wish to lose weight or have fallen off the weight loss wagon.
“I have since started a Facebook page ‘Burn It With Kes’ to motivate as many Batswana as possible. I get DM’d a lot, mostly by women who are keen to emulate me, and I use the page to coach them. This confirms that Batswana are passionate about issues of health and wellness. My vision this year is to partner with corporate entities to help their employees transform their lives, which will in turn benefit the economy. A healthy body and a strong mind increase productivity. A healthy lifestyle is even paramount now during the Covid-19 era and, as the experts say, puts us in a better place to fight the virus if we catch it.”
Tips:
• Take everything at your own pace. Do it for you.
• Set reasonable weekly targets and ensure daily adherence.
• Start, walk around the house, online training programmes are available, let’s utilise these.
• Get a fitness buddy.
• If you fall off, get back on immediately. It is doable.
