Emil Kraemer, 35-year-old assistant business manager from Rustenburg, was eating out or grabbing drinks almost every night. Whether it was with clients or friends, there was always one major point on the agenda: countless calories. At first, he worried about the excess pounds, but wasn’t willing to shift his habits. Concern turned into apathy and, eventually, he was pushing triple digits when he stepped on the scale. At 127kg, he was suffering physically and mentally. It was time to lose some weight.
What Was His Wake-Up Call To Drop the Weight?
When Kraemer developed gout (along with a handful of other minor health issues that tend to follow in the footsteps of rapid weight gain and unhealthy eating habits), it became impossible for him to turn a blind eye. “I ended up on medication to manage my symptoms,” he recalls. One night, he woke up choking on stomach acid – brought on by a brutal bout of reflux. “That really shook me,” he admits. “My gout got so bad I couldn’t wear shoes or even socks because of the pain.”
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Kraemer took a look in the mirror and saw a stranger. “I realised how far things had slipped,” he says. And that was all he needed to snag a gym membership and get to work.
How Did Change His Lifestyle To Lose 32kg?
But those early days were turbulent. He felt self-conscious at the gym; a fish out of water confronted by an arsenal of machinery and metal he barely understood. While he’s since become more familiar with the tools of the trade, Kraemer doesn’t follow a strict plan.
“I still mostly walk into the gym, find an open machine and build my session from there,” he says. This, is proof that just showing up is already half the battle won. And it’s a motto that served him well as he gradually started torching flab.
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His ‘freestyle’ approach extended to his meals. Rather than counting calories or chasing fad diets, he simply picked the ‘better option’ with every meal. That meant skipping second portions at dinner or reaching for healthy snacks like biltong and fruit instead of chips or cookies. “It wasn’t about perfection,” says Kraemer. “It was about making conscious choices every day.”
What Were the Results of His Transformation?
Over eight years, Kraemer’s not only managed to drop 32kg (down to 95kg) but pack on some serious muscle, too. “I sometimes look at my old pictures to remember how I felt, and how different it is now,” he says. The journey is still ongoing, but he says it’s important to hit ‘pause’ and appreciate how far he’s come. And rather than dread his workouts, he’s at the point where he relishes his daily sessions.
His lesson? “Push through, even if you feel like you’re doing something wrong,” he advises. “I’ve realised that nobody is watching or laughing at me, everyone is focused on themselves. So if I do make a mistake, so what?” Remember, this is your journey and you decide how you get to the finish line.
