We’ve long asked ourselves just how some women manage to look so incredible. Those hard-working ladies who inspire us with their dedication to their jobs and family, and yet still manage to pull off a glamorous look.
Leanne Manas is a perfect example. The SABC 2 Morning Live host, wife, and mother admits she has battled with her weight throughout her life, adding that it became harder to shed the kilos once she became a mother. However, she has found a diet plan that works for her and will be sticking to it!
Leanne follows a diet plan by pharmacist Paula Galvão, founder of Eden Life Wellness Clinic. It comprises a low-carb eating plan and herbal supplements. Paula’s golden rules? Have your first meal of the day at 10am, and eat grapefruit.
“Grapefruit is Paula’s diet tool: if you start your day with grapefruit, you are going to have a good day. I like that [the eating plan] is balanced; I didn’t have to cut out sugar completely and was allowed one carb a day,” says Leanne.
After a year of strict eating habits, Leanne lost 17kgs and felt fabulous! ‘”I had more energy and was more comfortable. It is a wonderful feeling,” she says.
Going off the diet, Leanne unfortunately saw the kilos pile back on. She attempted other diets including the Banting diet, but gained double the weight when she stopped it. “Then, I thought, ‘Hang on – I know what works for me’; I contacted Paula in the beginning of 2015.”
Leanne is back on the plan and has lost about 10kg. This time her plan includes an intense training regime, as she is preparing for her climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in July. Her workouts consist of boxercise, cycling 15km to 25km twice a week, and running up and down the Westcliff Stairs. “There are 207 steps and one set is both up and down – I do ten sets.”
Leanne’s conclusion: “I know the reality is this diet plan has to be a way of life, but if I put on weight again, so what – I won’t lose hope and will lose the weight again.”
Leanne’s tips:
- Don’t eat what your children give you, rather throw it away.
- Find out what your stumbling block is – Wine Gums were mine and I had to cut them out.
- No matter how much you exercise, if you don’t eat right you won’t lose weight.
- The older you get, the harder it is to lose weight – accept that you have to work harder.
- Pay attention to what your body doesn’t do well with and avoid it; for me it is sugar and carbs.
