Cape Town - Being big, bold and beautiful are characteristics which the all-girl group, 3 Tons of Fun, have always celebrated. Now they’ve added tons of health to their daily routines too.
Julia Goedecke, senior specialist scientist for the Medical Research Council’s unit for exercise science and sports medicine, watched the trio perform in November last year and approached them about taking part in a nine-week programme which would see them get healthier.
In February, the group underwent a full battery of tests at the Sports Science Institute to establish their fitness levels and health. Two months later, they’ve had their last set of tests and are well on their way to a healthier lifestyle.
The trio have been exercising at least one hour a day, three times a week, doing mainly running and walking. Goedecke says many people don’t have access to a gym, but everyone can access a stretch of road on which to walk or run.
Sthe Mfuphi had a headstart on her fellow group members, Bulelwa Sakayi and Michelle Thomas. She started going to gym in October when she found she couldn’t sleep properly because of excess weight, sleep apnoea and heavy snoring.
“But I went about it all wrong,” says Mfuphi. Instead of adopting a healthy eating plan, she ate only once a day.
Then in February, she started the nine-week programme, and coupled with her earlier efforts, lost a total of 20kg, the most out of the three women.
Because she started exercising in October, the transition was not that difficult for her. However, the biggest change was learning to eat properly.
The programme, specifically designed for the trio, has resulted in the women being more energised.
“Our performances are always high energy, but afterwards we’d be tired and out of breath,” says Mfuphi. “Now we have more energy, and it feels like we can go up and do another performance.”
She also “sleeps like a baby” now, and doesn’t snore any more.
For her, the hardest part about losing weight has been watching her bosom shrink.
“I love my babies, but now they’re getting smaller,” Mfuphi says in mock sadness.
When speaking about weight loss, she says the group’s goal is not to be “skinny”. And Sakayi agrees.
She says their objective is to get healthy, but it hasn’t been easy for her either.
“I didn’t like exercising. I have equipment at home, but I just used to look at it,” says Sakayi.
Since she started exercising with Mfuphi and Smith, she concedes there have been benefits, including increased energy levels. And as the mother of a one-year-old and four-year-old, she needs all the extra energy she can get.
Sakayi has also involved her family in eating healthy foods.
“Before we’d eat lots of pap and meat and not worry about vegetables or portion sizes.”
She still enjoys the same food, but in smaller portions, and has introduced her children to vegetables. She says getting them to eat the greens was a battle at first, but they’re getting used to it now.
Sakayi has lost 10.4kg to date.
“I feel much lighter and I don’t snore any more. Losing weight has made me feel more alive,” she says.
The third group member, Thomas, is a diabetic and has been down the road to a healthier lifestyle before. Only, she didn’t get very far.
She explains that her doctor sent her to dieticians, but because they tried to implement radical changes, she became discouraged and never stuck with the plan.
This time around, the changes happened gradually and were less restrictive.
As for the heavier weight, she says it was ideal for work and “never bothered us socially”.
When they were approached by Goedecke, the trio was excited because they knew they had to make some lifestyle changes.
“When you’re overweight, people think you eat two chickens and drink a two-litre Coke every day. With us, it wasn’t like that at all,” says Thomas.
Because of the nature of their work, the women spend a lot of time on the road and perform until late into the evening.
It wasn’t unusual for them to eat dinner at midnight, and at that hour, take-aways were the easiest option. Because of the late nights, they would sleep in and have breakfast at noon. They also didn’t include a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables in their diets, something they have since learnt to eat.
These days, they plan their meals. If they’re going to be on the road all day, they pack simple lunches, instead of grabbing fast food. This way, they know exactly what’s in it. And on show nights, they eat dinner as early as 5pm.
The trio still indulge in burgers once in a while, but swop their chips for salad. If they really want chips, they share one portion among themselves.
Thomas has lost 8kg since the start of her journey. Her exercise routine consists largely of swimming as she has a bad knee and a stiff hip. Thomas says that in the beginning, she was always out of breath, but the benefits were soon apparent.
She now has better mobility, and is no longer in pain after performances.
However, she admits that taking the first step was very difficult, and sometimes people do need a “bit of a push”. But, the trio are happy they took it.
“We’re not perfect, but we’re getting there. I just feel a lot better. I can see the progress we’ve made,” says Mfuphi
For those wondering whether the group will have to consider a name change soon, Mfuphi says: “We’re losing fat but gaining muscle. We’re still 3 Tons of Fun. We can’t be 3 Toothpicks of Fun.”
Portion size a thinner winner
Julia Goedecke has done 10 years of research into the body and how it works. She’s been published in several academic journals, but says she wants to get the information out to the public.
In approaching 3 Tons of Fun, Goedecke says she wanted to create something that could be sustainable for ordinary people.
Collectively, the group lost six percent of their body weight in nine weeks. This, in turn, has translated into massive health benefits.
But the focus was never on weight, she says. “The point was to do something sustainable. We didn’t forbid any foods. Instead, we focused on portion control and being more aware of what they eat.”
Traditional pap and meat are still dietary staples in black communities and Goedecke says this is all right, but the portions should be downsized and more vegetables introduced. This should translate into one helping – and not a mountain of food, she says.
“I don’t recommend cutting out any food groups because you can’t sustain it,” adds Goedecke.
Sarah Chantler, a dietician working with Goedecke, says the idea was to make small changes.
Chantler says that when buying food, people should read labels. The unholy trinity of food – sugar, fat and salt – are the main culprits to look out for. To get an idea of what the product should contain, compare different brands and choose the one with the lowest quantities.
Processed foods should also be avoided. “If it doesn’t look like it does in its original form, it’s probably not healthy,” she says.
How to be a loser
Weight-loss tips from Julia Goedecke:
* Instead of eating an entire slab of chocolate, have two blocks once in a while.
* When eating chips in front of the television, put some in a small bowl, and pack the rest away. This avoids mindless eating.
* Vegetables should make up at least 50 percent of a plate of food.
* When preparing food, people should cut the fat off meat and avoid adding oil. If oil is necessary, refried oil – very prevalent in fast food outlets – should be avoided. The more oil is reused, the more unhealthy it becomes.
* A good way to introduce vegetables is in soups and stews. - Cape Argus