34kg Down In Just One Year... And Counting!

Done with being overweight, unhealthy and exhausted, 41-year-old Candice Cleland decided it was time to change everything. She embarked on a low-carb journey, which has seen her shed 34kg and gain more energy than ever before.

- Ashleigh Roman

Originally from Zimbabwe, Candice and her family moved to South Africa in 2000 when she was pregnant with her twins, Joshua and Sarah. Her eldest son, Kyle, was very young at the time. ‘We’re hardware store owners,’ says Candice. ‘For a long time, our focus was getting the store up and running, making sure everything was set in place. I was also very focused on my young children.’

As a result, Candice’s own health and wellbeing fell by the wayside, and her health issues began to mount: high blood pressure, stomach ulcers and severe acid reflux. On holiday in July last year, she realised it was time to make a drastic change to her lifestyle. ‘I really battled to do simple things, like going down to the river to fish. Everything was becoming increasingly difficult. I was also on a lot of medication for different things and that’s when I decided I had to do something!’

The low-carb lifestyle somehow found her when she needed it most. ‘I went out and bought a number of different health-related books and became very interested in healthy living,’ she says. ‘I basically started with intermittent fasting and, because of that, I didn’t eat carbs because they messed with my sugar levels. I actually started Banting without even knowing it.’

As she did more research on low-carb living, Candice realised how similar it was to the way she had already begun to eat. ‘By adopting and sharing this lifestyle, I’ve also helped my sister and mom lose weight. They’ve lost 28kg and 12kg respectively! It’s something I was really interested in and became really passionate about,’ says Candice.