Liz Malan, half the woman she used to be

Weighing in at 125 kilograms, the South African didn’t care that she was classed as being morbidly obese. That was until doctors told her she was at risk of heart attacks and other serious health problems if she didn’t turn her life, and her diet, around drastically.

Liz Malan, 28, from South Africa, has lost 60kg in 2013. She was morbidly obese since childhood and hopes her story will be an inspiration to others. Jaime Puebla / The National

DUBAI// Liz Malan would think nothing of eating two large pizzas for dinner while her morning coffee would be undrinkable without five sugars.

Weighing in at 125 kilograms, the South African did not care that she was classed as being morbidly obese. That was until doctors told her she was at risk of heart attacks and other serious health problems if she did not turn her life, and her diet, around drastically.

She took the warning seriously and, thanks to a major lifestyle change, her weight dropped to a healthy 65kg in just 12 months. Now she is hoping she can become an inspiration to others who are struggling with their weight.

"I had been morbidly obese since I was a child," said Ms Malan, 28, who works as a teacher.

“It had a huge impact on my life and it had got to the stage where I didn’t care what people thought but at the same time I also felt isolated.”

Although she was born in South Africa, Ms Malan spent much of her life in China before moving to Dubai in November last year.

“People had low expectations of me and didn’t take me seriously, in turn I had low expectations about myself.”

The turning point came a year ago when she felt a tightness in her chest during an exam.

“At first I didn’t know what it was, but I had a feeling it was serious so I left the exam and somehow drove myself to the hospital.”

Doctors told her she had suffered heart palpitations, which were a potential precursor to a full-blown heart attack.

At that stage she weighed 125kg. The scare, however, made her determined to lose as much weight as possible.

Ms Malan began her own health and fitness programme while home in South Africa without the help of a personal trainer or a nutritionist.

“I just decided that I didn’t want to live like that any more,” she said.

“I used to eat a lot. I could easily have two pizzas for dinner and would usually have five sugars in my coffee.

“When I started I was so overweight that I could barely walk. I had never seen the inside of a gym let alone know how to use a treadmill.”

In her first month she ate nothing but fruit, nuts and drank only water, while also exercising for three hours a day.

"I did have withdrawal symptoms because my body had got used to the junk food I was eating, but I tried to stay as focused as possible."

After the first month she then began to eat two meals a day, starting with cereal in the morning. This was followed by fruit at 10.30am and a lunch of vegetables, carbohydrates and chicken or tuna while drinking two litres of water during the day.

She maintained her three-hour daily fitness regime for a further three months, adding squats and lunges to her regular runs.

It was only after this period that she began to include an evening meal, usually a chicken or tuna sandwich.

“I had five small meals during the course of the day, usually with some kind of fruit mid-morning and afternoon.”

Over the past 12 months Ms Malan has stuck with her strict regime and lost a total of 60kg.

These days she alternates her daily three-hour workouts between a morning run and gym session followed by another run with boxing or martial arts on alternate days.

“If you set your mind to it you can achieve anything and having the mental focus to change is the key,” she said.

“I’m a much happier person now, both physically and emotionally.”

Marti Wycherley, a personal trainer and body-composition expert, said there is no set way for people to lose weight, although she advised people to speak to a nutritionist and get a personal trainer if they are trying to lose a lot of weight for the first time.

“It’s better to tailor a dietary plan to an individual because everyone is different and they respond in different ways to foods,” she said.

Ms Wycherley’s clients write down their goals and take a picture of themselves before they start and at regular intervals to track progress and to maintain motivation.

She also advises a weight-training programme because building muscle also burns calories.

“I just want people to realise that they can lose weight, in fact they can achieve whatever they want if they set a goal and stay determined,” Ms Malan said.