‘A short walk no longer felt like a task’

February 20, 2023 Luisa Rey

Image: Nine IJff

Eke Brouwer (38) is single mother of Max (8) and Storm (4). By changing her relationship with food, she lost 30 kilos.

“I was an inactive mother for the first six years of Max’s life. One of those who watched from the bench in the playground. Shame, I think now. Nowadays I run after my offspring and merrily swing along, because I’m only on the swing again.

Emotion food

A few years ago, my now ex-husband said, “Maybe you should do something about your figure.” Logical, he is a sports teacher, but I thought: you can do something with me. I hate sports and, okay, I was quite curvy, but my figure had never really been an issue. Still, his comment stuck in my head. I often felt lethargic, had little energy – getting fitter might help.

On Insta I saw a waste app that focused on your psyche. What is your relationship with food? How do you change it? I decided to download it and took out a subscription for three months as a stick behind the door.

I learned that I was an emotional eater and got tips on how to break bad habits. For example, I would paint my nails or do something else that made me happy, as soon as I felt like something tasty. I also found out that I didn’t have to eat much to get energy, because your body has reserves, and that the evening can be just as fun without that bag of chips.

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To persevere

With the breaking of the habit, the need to sew disappeared more and more. I had to weigh myself daily. My goal was to lose 2 kilos in three months, but it went much faster. After six months I had lost 8 kilos and was already a lot fitter. A walk to the supermarket no longer felt like a chore.

“I used to not even start if I knew that something was not going to work, now I have learned that I can finish things”

I’m still not a fan of sports. But by moving more and more – walking, cycling, taking the stairs – and watching my diet, I lost 30 kilos. Many people praise my new figure. That’s great, but I do emphasize that I’m still the same person and I’m especially proud of my perseverance. I used to not even start if I knew something wasn’t going to work, now I’ve learned that I can finish things. Take the odd jobs in house; since my divorce i have to do that myself. A challenge, but I torture myself until I succeed.”

lost a lot of kilos Eke