Cape Town - A Banting follower has praised Professor Tim Noakes on the sidelines of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) hearing into his professional conduct, saying he saved her life.
Having been slim for most of her life, Amanda Younglison, 60, from Constantia, said when she was diagnosed with high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol during a routine check-up, she cut out fatty foods from her diet. She was then 50 years old.
“I was told the reason I had bad cholesterol was that I was eating a high fat diet. I was then given the mainstream diet… with low fat. I started cutting out saturated fat, no skin on the chicken, no fat on the meat.”
Despite this, Younglison said nothing changed in her blood markers, and her weight ballooned. “I became intensely hungry and I went from 58kg to 77kg.
“I’ve been so skinny all my life, but since I was on this diet I got fatter. My stomach grew. I felt tired after each meal. I felt like I had curtains of skin hanging on my face… I had a double chin… and wanted to have surgery to have this skin removed,” she told the Cape Argus.
She picked up 19kg in the years that followed her cholesterol diagnosis and was desperate for a solution to lose weight.
Three years ago, Younglison adopted the Banting lifestyle and began the low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet.
She had been put on medication to control her cholesterol, but she said this had negative side-effects. “When I converted to the LCHF diet three years ago, I was on statins to lower my cholesterol, but these had caused so much muscle damage that I had to be taken off the meds.”
Younglison has attended the HPCSA inquiry, since Monday, to support Noakes.
The self-employed designer and painter took time off work on projects to thank Noakes “for saving my life”. Since starting the Banting lifestyle, she has lost 12kg, and said she has regained her health and energy.
“I feel fantastic… I think I’m getting my looks back. Professor Noakes has a life-giving message to many people who just don’t know the solution to diabetes, pre-diabetes and obesity. We are loyal and passionate… we’re here to show that we fully support him.”
Cape Argus