Jonno caught up with Sam Young, one of RMR’s coaching clients, shortly after she finished her three month One-on-One Coaching Program.
Tell us about your approach to your health before engaging with RMR.
My approach to my health before engaging with RMR was rather concerning. I kind of pushed it to the back end of my priority list. Everything else came first; my career, social life, friends, family and my daughter. I had this strange idea that it would take up too much of my time to prioritize my health…and that I didn’t have this time. That makes NO sense to me now. When I look back – I realise I did not take care of myself, but rather lived in a constant rush, neglecting my health, neglecting myself, and putting everything else ahead.
Not to say that it didn’t bother me or that I didn’t try or – it was constantly on my mind and concerning me…I tried many things, but mostly failed, with a few wins in between – that were definitely not sustainable. This only caused more frustration and anger with myself. I also had many “excuses” – it’s too hard, I will never have the time to prepare everything I need to, I’m too busy, it’s too expensive, I’m too far gone, I’m constantly hungry, I’ll lose the weight one day, I’m stressed, I’m tired, I don’t have the energy, I’ll never get there – and the list goes on. With this constant negative attitude I was on a downward spiral to rock bottom!
How did you see food?
I saw food in many different ways. I’m a foodie & love socializing, my life revolves a lot around food & gatherings. I didn’t want to have to give this up. I didn’t realize I didn’t have to give it up! There are always going to be celebrations & birthdays & holidays, I just needed to make the right choices and i could still enjoy myself – even more. I saw healthy food as boring or a mission to prepare, and unhealthy food as delicious, quick & easy! I am also definitely a stress eater, and an emotional eater of note!
How did your health make you feel?
My health made me feel angry & disappointed with myself. It was a constant battle in my head – which was more focused on my weight. I knew I was overweight and that I needed to do something. I constantly complained about it. I hated trying on clothes – I would find whatever I could that was big enough to hide the fat! But the excuses still kept creeping in, and I kept putting it off thinking I will have to sort this out eventually, but today is not the day – “Monday” it is! I like to do everything right – I am an all or nothing kind of person. I definitely felt like my health was out of my control. I was in a complete negative head space and felt like I had a huge mountain to climb and just did not know where to start. So I put it off and shifted my focus to everything else in my life that I did have control over.
How bad was your health, your energy levels?
I was put on medication for being insulin resistant in 2014 – and was told this played a big part in being overweight, and the Glucophage would actually assist with weight loss. It did to a degree – and I focused on some exercise programmes, and ridiculous eating plans, which were just not sustainable and I went on a rollercoaster ride with my eating habits.
I have been overweight as far as I can remember. From school days I struggled. But after my baby was born in Dec 2017, I reached my absolute max, and 3 years later still fluctuating between 101kgs and 103kgs. This absolutely devastated me. I had no energy, I was unfit and constantly tired, moody, and disappointed with myself. the struggle of wanting to be better but not being able to be better was really getting me down.
How did this impact your confidence and other parts of your life like your relationships, your career, love life etc?
Being overweight definitely had an impact on my confidence. I was constantly self-conscious about it and angry at myself for always failing and not managing to get my health under control and actually keep it under control. The more negative I was, the harder it became to get a grip on it! If I think about it now – the amount of time I spent thinking about it and pep talking myself, but not actually committing to it, is an unbelievable amount of time lost. I only wish I had made this change a lot sooner.
What made you decide to make the change?
There were a few wonderful people, and incidents that made me decide I just need to make the change and go for it with 100% commitment. I couldn’t live like this anymore. I needed to prioritize & care more about myself & my health, I needed to be better for my daughter. I needed the energy. I needed to stop with the excuses. I am blessed with the most beautiful friends and family. During lockdown March 2020 I started training at home over zoom with my sister who was overseas and a friend of mine nearby. We were stuck at home – I did not have the excuse of work taking up too much of my time and focus. We were committed and dedicated and it felt so good to get back into exercising. I then started having problems with my knees, but pushed through. After lockdown I went to see a biokinetics for a couple sessions.
Life started going back to normal, the constant rush returned, and my training took a back seat. In Sep 2020 I got an email from my biokinetics about an 8 week “running for beginners programme,” 0 – 10km. I sent it to my friend who is always on board, motivating and a positive influence, so she joined me.
I found myself in Oct running my first 10km. This was huge for me. I was always last, and always at the back throughout the programme, but one of the trainers put in a little extra effort with me and constantly kept me motivated. He told me his story about his incredible lifestyle change and it pushed me to keep going. This programme came to an end. I didn’t see much weight loss and got de-motivated again….
How did you discover RMR?
My friend in Cape Town, Nicky, then introduced me to RMR in March 2021. Throughout our friendship, we constantly chatted about our weight, made light of it when we needed to make each other feel better, and met for sneaky cappuccinos & cake Nicky lost around 24kgs with the support and guidance of RMR. I was SO proud of her and in absolute awe of her achievement. I did not think I would be able to do it. Nicky’s words to me were….”Sammy, just give it a bash – commit properly for 30 days and I promise you, you will want to continue & it will change your life”
What were you expecting?
I was expecting to start another diet again & that it would be difficult to maintain – I had this idea of counting calories and tracking everything I ate for the rest of my life and that it would not be sustainable. In all honesty, I did not expect to last, especially with my busy lifestyle and being on the road often. I thought It would be impossible to prepare and stick to “a plan”. Nicky gave me a run-down of what it was all about and motivated me to try. My first engagement with my coach was amazing, I told her all the reasons why I thought it was going to be difficult and hard for me to follow, she had a calm and confident approach that we would make it work to fit into my lifestyle.
What did you actually get?
I got the most amazing surprise at just how easy it is!!!! Tracking my food was a breeze with an incredible app which has most food pre-loaded to select. I did not even need to focus on tracking calories…..(WHAT!) but rather macros and ensure I was eating to be full. I was not restricted to eating dry chicken breasts with half a cup of broccoli! The food is DELICIOUS! The recipes are amazing, and easy. I wanted to try everything!!! There are so many different meal plans to choose from that are suitable to different lifestyles. It was all so exciting and a lot of fun. I also did not have to actually stick to any of the meal plans if it didn’t work for me, I could change them up while tracking to ensure I was within my macros. I learnt about the different food groups and what works for me and what doesn’t agree with my body. Initially it was a lot to take in, but having a coach to guide me along the way and answer any questions was extremely helpful and motivating. What amazed me the most was figuring out together with the help from my coach, what worked best for me & my lifestyle, and not necessarily sticking to 1 generic plan that was not going to be sustainable.
What are some of the significant changes in your life that you believe came from RMR?
A significant change in my life since joining RMR is my self worth & prioritizing my health and wellness all round. Realising it does not take a lot of time, and it is not as expensive as it seems. Now that I know what works for me, and what doesn’t work for me – it’s makes it so so easy. This is something I can continue to do forever, and enjoy. I have changed my mindset completely. I am motivated, confident, seeing results and feeling a whole lot better.
How did your experience differ from other health or diet experiences you have had before?
RMR differed to many diets & fitness programmes I had personally tried in the past. This one actually is an easy & sustainable lifestyle change. I have learnt so much & understand so much more since joining RMR. There is so much more to weight loss that what one thinks. The workshops are so empowering. I learnt a lot about what being insulin resistant and what that actually means and how it effected me.
Give us some physical stats. How much weight have you lost? What other physical or mental benefits are you experiencing?
I joined RMR at the end of March 2021. I lost 16.7kgs in just 3 months….with very little exercise. The first month I did not exercise at all and rather focused on getting my eating right. From the 2nd month I found myself wanting to exercise but not pressuring myself into a structured routine. I have so much more energy, I feel lighter, it’s much easier and more enjoyable to exercise now. I have gone down 3 pants sizes. I have a clear mind and a clear goal.
What kind of people do you think would benefit from RMR the way you have?
If you’re the kind of person who has tried to lose weight & create a lifestyle change but failed, and really wants this change without starving yourself and exercising like a crazy person, then you will benefit from this programme. Start today and take it 1 day at a time. DO NOT think or feel that you are too far gone or its going to take years to achieve your goals. I honestly saw results in my first week – which was extremely motivating to keep going. If you want motivation, guidance & accountability then this is for you. If you want to learn and empower yourself with the right knowledge then this is for you. If you are in your 20s or 30s and are overweight and feeling sluggish….do this now….do not waste another day, week or month feeling how you are feeling. The time is going to pass anyway…let the time pass while getting healthier instead of getting worse. For something that feels so hard and scary to overcome, this is the easiest and most sustainable lifestyle change, and you don’t want to spend another day beating yourself up – love your life instead!
How has this impacted your confidence?
I have definitely become more confident and have gained self-respect, self-control and self-worth. I am happier and healthier.
And what has the impact been on your relationships, your career or your love life?
My relationship, career and love life have all only improved along the way
Throughout the entire programme I surprised myself so much by not actually wanting to cheat. It wasn’t difficult – I genuinely did not want to cheat . Firstly – I didn’t feel the need to, the food I was eating was delicious, filling and satisfying. I had learnt and figured out how certain foods made me feel and so it was more a case of “I don’t want to eat that” rather than “I’m not allowed to eat that.” After tracking consistently for 2 months it then became easy going forward without tracking to know how much food I needed. Life became so much more enjoyable and I was not constantly focused on food, disappointment and guilt, like I was before I started RMR.
I definitely still have a while to go to reach my goal, but am extremely happy with my 3 month results and so excited to keep going. This last week has been tough with the unrest in KZN and not managing to get much from the shops. I found myself stress eating for the first time in a while, and the wrong foods for me. Instead of beating myself up about it, I was kind to myself, gave myself the time to do what I needed to do and knew I would get back on track – because I want to and because I feel better when I am healthy – so why wouldn’t I! What was interesting was how I immediately felt bloated, uncomfortable and lazy – and this just reiterated how important it is for me to focus on living a healthy, happy lifestyle.
A HUGE shout out to my coach, Victoria, who went above and beyond my expectations. You are a phenomenal woman, and I appreciate you and the support and motivation so much. This has been the most life changing and most rewarding experience for me. I have the knowledge, tools and motivation to keep going and I will never look back