Why she lost 50 kg in just One Year – Sumara’s story



 Our lifetime inspiration this week is Sumara, a mother of 6 who lost 50 kg in a Year, and  YES she’s still going strong! Sumara suffered two heart attacks and a stroke at a bodyweight of 140 kg. Taking it one step at a time, Sumara retook control of her life and hopped on the banting wagon, “Banting not only saved my life but saved my marriage.” 

Here is Sumara’s Story:


Sumara :

My name is Sumara, and I am 40 years old. I have been chubby my whole life, not the kind of chubby that borders on obesity, but the cute( I think) Betty Boop kind of chubby. Marrying the love of my life and having four beautiful children left me with a couple of kilos extra, but still comfortable and not too bad. I qualified as an electrician and even though I was more active, the extra income and the fact that I was working during the day, tempted me to buy takeaways about five times a week. When I did make dinner on the odd occasion, it consisted of anything quick, like Russians and chips, burgers, etc. In 2009, when my mom died in a car accident; by this, I fell into a deep depression. I lost my job, and this caused my family and my substantial financial distress. Meals consisted mainly of carbs because that was the cheapest at that stage. The meat was a luxury seen maybe once a week.



I was even admitted to Denmar psychiatric hospital because of severe depression. At that stage, I had gained close to 40 kg. I was morbidly obese and very, very unhappy. My happy marriage was going backward very rapidly. My husband was not even allowed to hug or kiss me. I started to fall asleep on the couch every evening for fear of him touching me and feeling all my fat and rolls. Things were very, very bad.

I got sick very often and was in the hospital every 4 to 6 weeks for illnesses ranging from pneumonia(regularly), kidneys, blood pressure. I had two heart attacks and a stroke that left the left side of my body paralyzed for about four months. My doctor got very strict with me and told me that if I carry on gaining weight like this, changes were excellent that I would not see my kids grow up. I was in absolute denial. In my opinion, I was not that big. A photograph that was taken of me and a very dear friend(I thought all the time that we were the same size)and I was so shocked. I was three times her size!!! At that stage, I was wearing a size 52 pants, and I had to squeeze into it.


I saw keto groups on Facebook and started to gather info on the lifestyle. The info led me to Sara’s tips and Banting. I started Banting in January 2014 at 140kg. It was tough at first, me being an addict to bread and sweets, but I was determined. The first two weeks were hell!!! I was tired and hungry all the time, but the thought of that pink blob sitting next to my friend kept me going.




Suddenly I had boosts of energy, and I felt great!! Where I normally wheezed when just walking to the kitchen, I now started walking around the block. The weight began to drop off, and even the depression subsided. I worked out a light exercise program and started that every morning. Weeks turned into months, and I was still going strong.

With the help of Sara's tips, I could not believe it! After a year of Banting, I am 50 kg down, and I am feeling fantastic! I traded in my size 50 pants for a comfortable 39, and I am still going strong. My kids love the fact that I run and play with them, and my husband and I go for long walks again. Hahaha, I have not fallen asleep on the couch for a very long time, so that is a bonus.
These days I love it when my husband holds me, and we are as happy as we were when we got married! I can even tie my shoelaces again!!! These days I walk 5 km every morning and afternoon, I exercise in the morning and gym with my husband and friends every evening.