FASHION

Stephenie Dookley
FIT AND FABULOUS
By Lynette Botha / Photographs Marsha Dine
5 MARCH 2015 | POTPOURRI
Proof that no matter what life throws at you,
you’re stronger than you think….
At 24, Stephenie is a single, working mom whose life has
thrown her more than a few curveballs, but she’s not taking
it lying down. Literally. Stephenie, who used to weigh 108kg
and wear a size 18, now weighs 61kg and alters between a
size six and eight, thanks to willpower, sensible eating and
lots of training. As we all know, it’s not easy to “just lose
weight” – especially not with a full-time job and a young
child, but Stephenie was adamant about changing her life.
“I was so overweight for a very long time and I didn’t know
how to change. It made me feel depressed and unhappy
and I knew I had to do something to get my weight under
control, not only for me, but for my son too.”
“The struggle is real, it never
gets easier, but you get
stronger.” This was one of
the lines that Stephenie
repeated many times during
our interview. She meant it in
relation to fitness and getting
healthy, but it seems to allude
to the rest of her life too.”
Once Stephenie had her mind set on getting into shape to
lose all her excess weight, she did what most people do –
look for a quick fix. She started taking diet pills to curb her
appetite, but that solution was short-lived; the pills made
her really sick and caused gastric problems so she had
to stop. She then tried starving herself, and going hours
without eating anything, but again this was not sustainable
and left her weak, tired and even more depressed every
time she failed. “I would get on the scale, see that my weight
was the same, and cry and cry. It was depressing. It’s so
difficult when you’re in that place and you don’t see a way
out.” Eventually she realised the only way she was going
to be able to get in shape was with a realistic goal, lots of
exercise and a healthy eating plan. “Everyone is after instant
results, I was too, but there is no secret, it’s all about hard
work and discipline.” She says.
So, where did she start? “I signed up at the gym, got advice
from the trainers there and committed to going every
day. I did a bit of everything; aerobics, swimming, weight
lifting and jogging. With my eating, I started to cut out
carbs – bread, rice, pasta, as well as sugar and junk food. I
started preparing healthier meals like salads and fish with
vegetables. I also added a lot of protein to my diet.”
Changing your lifestyle so drastically is tough and often not
sustainable, but no matter how hard it was, Stephenie was
determined to keep going. “The difficult thing is that you
don’t see results straight away; it’s not like if you eat clean