Certified Weight loss Coach Gertrude Nyirenda spent most of her life struggling with her weight. After years of yo-yo dieting, she decided she needed a different approach.
The Weight She Carries caught up with Gertrude and asked her about her transformation.
Tell us about yourself – achievements, background and family life
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe before I relocated to the U.K. in 1999 where I have been based ever since. I live a quiet life in a small town in South East Essex with my husband and our two boys. I hold a First Class Honours Degree in Adult Health Nursing and work as a Health Promotion Nurse on a maternity ward.
I am a published author of a book entitled “Weight Loss Wars”, which I penned detailing the steps I finally followed to take total control of the one area I had battled with for so many years (obesity), and finally experienced a complete and sweet victory – managing to lose just over 40 kgs. In the book I came up what I term “The ABC’s of Weight Loss.”
I am a certified weight loss coach. I work with mothers who are struggling to lose weight by helping them change their lifestyle by changing their eating habits and starting an exercise routine so they can get not only their confidence, but also their sexy back too!
What pushed you to write the book on weight loss and have so much passion in enlightening women in that area?
For nearly seventeen years I battled obesity. I even had an eating disorder in my early teens. Throughout that period, I would lose weight only to put it back on after a few months. I used to be that girl who would pick up all the unhealthy eating habits and look for quick fixes to try and lose the excess weight. When the quick fixes didn’t work, I turned to excuses – creating a vicious cycle which made me incredibly unhappy as the excess weight governed my life.
It wasn’t until a friend’s brutal honesty finally helped me approach weight loss in a totally different way. I came to the powerful realization that there is no magic wand and quick fixes do not work. If you want to lose weight for good, it requires:
1) A total mindset change; followed by
2) Hard work and lastly self-discipline. So after conducting an extensive research and studying various diets on the market today, I discovered that for any change to occur, or to overcome whatever challenges life throws at you; your first steps towards achieving victory starts in your mind.
Drawing from my own experiences, I want to empower other women going through what I went through and show them that there is hope. If I could do it, then surely, they can too. I want my audience to realize that the very struggles they might be facing and going through are all integral in shaping and molding their destiny. It wasn’t until I lost the excess weight that I discovered my destiny.
Who was your support system?
Through it all, my husband was my key support. But I also came to a powerful realization that you must learn to believe in yourself, especially when no one else does. When I started my weight loss journey, I thought friends and family would be happy for me, so I shared my plans of how much weight I intended on losing with them. That’s when I got the negative comments. But, hey, they can only give their truth and what they believe, not out of unkindness, but it may be what they genuinely believe. If I got a penny for every negative comment I received, I’d be a multimillionaire.
I’ve had negative comments such as: “You cannot lose all that weight because you are big boned.” Then when people started seeing the results they said, “Stop!! Don’t lose anymore, it won’t suit you.” Then there was, “Your face looks too skinny.” The classic one I still get to date is: “She must have had surgery,” meaning I had a gastric band fitted.
What main challenges have you faced as a woman in pursuit of your dream?
The biggest challenge I faced was garnering support from other people who did not understand my dream or my purpose. What I wanted to pursue was different from everyone else’s expectations of what they expected of me or what they felt I should be pursuing. In addition, it seemed impossible.
What Key lessons have you learnt so far?
I’ve learnt to believe in myself, especially when no one else does. You need to be comfortable enough to go against the grain. If you are clear on your purpose and on what you want to achieve, then you will be successful. Never let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve something. As said by the late Nelson Mandela, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
What/who inspired you to advise other women who seek to be successful and live their lives to the fullest?
My greatest inspiration comes from Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou and various other people who have shared their stories. Maya Angelou once said: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I am where I am today because someone shared their story and gave me hope. I want someone to also look at me and say, “Because of you, I never gave up.” That’s the reason why I also share my story!
How have you kept the weight off?
The only way to lose weight and maintain is by changing your lifestyle completely. Decide you want to lose the weight and identify your WHY. The reasons for wanting to lose weight are important. So have conversations with yourself, ask yourself what sorts of things you are holding you back from achieving because of all the weight you are carrying. Then make the changes you need to make – permanent changes. Make gradual sustainable changes to your diet and add exercise to it. Then remain consistent. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
