Cape Town – Hers is a typical tale, the story of a woman who felt she had let herself go and piled on too much weight. Lerato Maluleke weighed 140kg. “When I saw my reflection, all I could see was a young, fat, ugly person who I didn’t want to be associated with,” she recalls.
The 33-year-old mother of two and corporate personal assistant living in Tshwane would even try and hide her body from her husband. “I was scared he wouldn’t find me attractive anymore, that he’d reject me because of my size.
“I was negative about everything. I’d take things personally, I became anti-social and often I’d cry for no apparent reason. I looked down on myself.”
Every woman who starts a weight-loss journey will tell you it wasn’t easy, but worth it in the end. Maluleke started it by walking around the block in the evenings, then going to the gym.
“At the gym, I met someone who looked really toned and good. She said she was going to Adventure Boot Camp, so I decided to try it. I joined up late in 2013,” she says.
Adventure Boot Camp (ABC), a Cape Town-based business with franchises across the country, is an invigorating outdoor exercise programme for women, a rigorous full-body workout set in a natural environment. It lasts an hour, either in the morning or evening, and the workout moves change with each session.
Maluleke used it as a kickstart to losing weight, going three times a week for four weeks, and it proved highly effective.
“Women often give up on their exercise regime because of lack of support and motivation. At ABC, you get the support of your trainer, a dietician, a personal eating plan and a network of like-minded women,” says Adventure Boot Camp managing director Danica Bloomberg.
At Adventure Boot Camp you can opt for a four, 12- or 20-session package (one, three or five days a week for four weeks). Workouts include short-distance running, skipping, abdominal exercises, focused core work, Pilates, circuit training, team work, free weights, mat work, games and hiking.
It required Maluleke to be emotionally and physically strong. “Before I went to the boot camp, I was like exercising in the closet. You know, sometimes there are certain exercises or moves you can’t do in a gym because of the weight. And climbing on a scale every morning can be depressing. The motivation and support I got from my fellow boot campers and our trainer was very important,” she says.
In the third week, Maluleke noticed the first real changes in her body, “and that became all the inspiration I needed”.
After her four weeks were up, Maluleke escalated her own exercise regime, taking to the streets and running for longer and longer distances. She has since lost a whopping 56kg, and today weighs 85kg.
Maluleke can now do all the abdominal exercises, burpees (squat thrusts) and push-ups that fit members of a gym can do. Not only that, she runs 10km every day, 5km in the morning and 5km during lunch or in the evening. She even participates in Saturday races organised by Athletics South Africa, running between 21km and 42km.
“I run about 70km a week now. I’m much stronger,” she says.
Maluleke admits her diet before was poor, and this was part of why she became overweight – “that, and bearing children”.
A dietary overhaul was an essential part of her weight-loss goal, but it didn’t involve following any particular diet.
“It was a gradual shift to healthier meals. Now, I just eat right. And I plan my meals every day. I’m in charge of my kitchen now. I am the door keeper to my stomach. Exercising and eating healthy are now a way of life for me. I don’t feel there is any alternative to this way of life, and I feel so much better,” she says.
ABC in-house nutritionist Maryke Bronkhorst says that based on her body mass index (measure of body fat based on height and weight), Maluleke probably needs to lose up to 20kg more weight to reach her ideal weight.
“The BMI doesn’t take account of people’s frame size or muscle gain, and in Lerato’s case, she has gained a lot of muscle from running. The fact that she has lost so much weight is really amazing, and shows huge commitment,” adds Bronkhorst.
Maluleke says that aside from the support she got at ABC, the encouragement from her husband Mandla was important, as was being constantly mindful of her goal.
“Getting down to this weight, which is the lowest weight I have ever been, is like a gift to myself. It’s never been about competing with anyone, it was about me,” she says.
The ABC dietary plan advises basic, nutritious meals, and there’s a slew of recipes on the website, including some tasty salad ideas. Starches are there, but in small quantities, for example a green club sandwich with wholewheat bread, avocado, hummus, rocket and tomato.
“To be honest, being part of Adventure Boot Camp was the kickstart I needed to turn my body and my life around. Now I have myself back.”
* For more information about Adventure Boot Camp, visit www.adventurebootcamp.co.za or call 021 447 2746.