Mihlali Ndamase shares her weight loss secrets
"That's the biggest I have ever been in my life," says Mihlali about the moment she decided to lose weight.
Mihlali Ndamase has opened up about her weight loss journey and the "importance of practicing self-love during the process of body transformation".
The award-winning influencer and businesswoman took to her YouTube channel this week to reveal all about how she gained and lost weight.
Mihlali says she has always been a petite girl with wide hips. The 25-year-old says she was never insecure about her weight until 2018.
"2018 was probably one of the worst years of my life. I was going through a lot. I just lost my dad; I was going through a terrible breakup. I was just a mess," she said.
Mihlali reveals that she weighed 65kg in 2018 and despite gaining weight, felt comfortable with her new weight. "I love my curvy body," she added.
Mihlali put on more weight over the years and by 2020 weighed 77kg. "That's the biggest I have ever been in my life."
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Mihlali says she decided to do something about her weight gain, not because she hated her body, but because she disliked the inconveniences that came with her new body.
"If you've been a certain size all your entire life there are certain shops that you go to and you know that you are this size," she said.
Comments people made on social media about her weight also made her uncomfortable about her body.
"Sometimes I would look in the mirror... I would notice things like my cellulite is very, very bad, and yes even when I was at my smallest - it is genetic sometimes - I had cellulite. I had cellulite my entire life. When I was petite I had it by my hips and right under my bum in the places I was naturally curvy. Now I had it going down all the way down my thighs to my knees," Mihlali said.
She said she made it her mission to lose some of the weight she had gained over the years. Her goal weight was 65kg as that was the size she loved her body the most.
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Mihlali stressed the importance of self-love during her weight loss journey. She says self-love doesn't mean you are 100% content with yourself, but you love the body you have during all stages of your life.
"If you are someone who is dieting because you hate your body and you want urgent results... you are most likely going to fail. You are even going to hate dieting...
"...you're just discouraged and maybe you even have an unhealthy relationship with food where I starve myself for a week and say ugh I actually hate this let me just order dunked wings. And now you have relapsed back into the cycle of eating unhealthy," she said.
Mihlali says she focused on adopting a healthy lifestyle. She says she became a pescatarian for two months, cut our sugar from her diet, and tried to eat fewer dairy products. The YouTube sensation also cut out carbs, but eventually started eating rye bread.
Watch Mihlali's full video to find out more about her weight loss journey.
Disclaimer: Health-related information provided in this article is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems. It is always advisable to consult with your doctor on any health-related issues.
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Main image courtesy of Instagram/@mihlali_n