MEET OUR RESIDENT WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH ADVISOR

ROPAFADZO'S JOURNEY TO ACHIEVING THE PERFECT BOD!

BY ROPAFADZO A. BANHWA-PHYSIOTHERAPIST

My name is Ropafadzo A. Banhwa aged 24 years and currently weighing 87kg.  My journey started in August 2013 when my weight had peaked up to 130kgs or more.  I was having issues with people telling me to reduce my weight.  My answer was always “I am big boned”, “its genetics”, “all my family members are big”.  It just dawned to me one day when everything changed and I realized that there is more to life than food.  Well, I have always been big, but I think what worsened it was the fact that I was a stress eater and am still am.  The difference is that now I stress eat on healthy food.

Well it’s easy to lose weight.  All you need is determination.  I started at 130 kgs and all I could do was healthy eating, reduced starch portions, increased vegetable content and water intake.  In 2 weeks I had dropped to around 120kgs.  I started exercising continuing with a non-starch diet.  By December 2013, I had dropped to 97kgs.  I then started to exercise more but obviously in life you do get ups and downs. My weight plateaued at some point and started dropping again.  Now I am 87kgs.

Basically eat all vegetables, fruits, lean meat, white meat and plenty of water.  A point to note when you are on a weight loss journey, is to know your blood group.  I got to know mine and realized some food stuffs are not healthy for me.  I burn at least 1 500 calories a day and consume an average of 2 000 calories.  I love running and I can go for 25 km non-stop.  My goal is to be 70 – 75kgs by February next year and all I nee rd is determination.  I have lost from 50 years of age to 24 years of age or less!!  All you need to do is GO!! Don’t wait for TOMORROW because if you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow will never come.

 

Ropa now graces our facebook magazine page, giving expert advice on health and weight loss.

  in her own words......

" I am an Active and dynamic 24 aged young lady. Decisive and haste. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention especially when it comes to weight loss. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people's problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional, Stubborn and Hasty at times. Definitely have a Good memory. I really enjoy Moving, motivating oneself and others. I Love to travel and explore."

any questions to zimmums@mail.com 

MUMPRENEUR SPECIAL

extract from The Zim mums Magazine edition 10- CHRISTMAS 2014

Zim mums caught up with Astrid Burnett the managing Director of Sistazinc Ltd, supplier of designer children’s wear who also provide a personal shopping service. Located at Shop 8 Strathaven Shopping Centre in Avondale west Harare.
SistazInc.… tell us about the name and the meaning behind it
*The name Sistaz Inc. denotes (sisters as it is usually women that buy children’s clothing. Inc. is short for Incorporated Kidz.

Why children’s wear specifically and where did you get the inspiration from?
*The world changes when you become an aunt. You become legally insane! Of all the job titles I’ve held in my life including senior internal Auditor, “mom in the uk” as my sister’s kids call me is by far the most important and fun title I’ve ever had. I have always been involved in the fashion industry from an early age. I took an image consulting course at the London school of Fashion but decided to concentrate on kids wear as I just love dressing up the little one especially in their early years before they start exercising their own minds.

How do you keep afloat in the current economic situation?
*It has been very challenging to keep my business afloat especially considering that I run the business remotely from the UK. I have never believed in price wars in any business, instead I concentrate on the quality of my stock and every time I have staff meetings I make sure I train my staff on new business development techniques and keep a close eye on costs but also making sure that I don’t over-sacrifice.

You have been involved with Zim mums directly at a time of need for one of us; you chose to be charitable when others had only words for the young mum. Tell us what giving means to you?
*The bible teaches us that ‘THERE IS MORE HAPPINESS IN GIVING THAN IN RECEIVING” James 2;15-16 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and on elf you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled.” And yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

Tell us 3 things that no one knows about you?(Astrid)
 I go out of my way to eat junk food but can’t put on weight to save my life.
 I hate flying though I travel a lot
 I won the Miss Kitwe (Zambia) beauty contest 1992

Any words of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs?
*keep away from people who try and belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that but the really great make you feel like you can be great

THE ZIM MUMS MAGAZINE CHRISTMAS ISSUE

THE ZIM MUMS MAGAZINE CHRISTMAS ISSUE

Season’s greetings! A massive thank you to all the mothers and aunts who worked tirelessly for this issue to hit the digital world, the phrase we coined… ‘FOR MUMS BY MUMS’ was greatly acknowledged. With this issue we welcomed new and exciting talent to our pages, I’m sure you’ll notice by how lush the cover looks. We had exciting interviews with mumpreneurs and I don’t know if it would not be sooo corny to call them auntpreneurs as well, forgive me and we highlighted these magnificent women’s lives to aid aspiring entrepreneurs. November saw Zim mums being invited to the wonderful radio program; PHENOMENAL WOMAN’S HOUR on sfm too…a highly blessed month. As I look back on the months since our last issue with the lovely Storm as our cover model, Mary Mary’s song plays in my head and on every gadget I own- God in me. It goes…"what is it in me you see when you see me…it’s the God in me!!" so when you think your life is falling apart, hitthe floor on your knees girl behind that closed door. When we started on this issue there was nothing Christmassy about Harare at all. Back in the day the shops would have been enticing and full of Christmas goodies already. I love Christmas and do the whole works, tinsel, tree and baubles! There’s something magical about this time of the year, all the year’s disappointments are put on hold to be delt with when doing New Year resolutions. The weather is cool, the air filled with promise and mystique. I do admit to still buying a Christmas dress for myself, the redder the better. It is the memories from growing up that brought such a magical feel to Christmas. We must strive to make lasting memories for our own children and recapture the magic for them. Many might be wondering about the revamp to our food column on the Facebook page.the yummy yummy corner; re invented by the lovely Busisiwe Doris Chinosengwa. In this issue she shows us how to make a yummy celebration cake. Our food section has everything you need to serve up a mean Christmas dinner party for children to be talked about months down 2015. Meet Riley our cover star from page 39. 4 pages of bravery and hope.

Wish you a Christmas and festive season filled with love, warmth, joy and love.

Signing out…

Sam. Xx




 

TO SUBCSRIBE SEND A BLANK MESSAGE TITLED "magazine" to  zimmums@mail.com or sam@columnist.com

Maggoty trend of primary scholars snorting Jolly jus/ mudhoko

Jolly jus hit the scene as a substitute to the diluted drink we all knew as the perfect company for the lunch box. they were cheaper and some might say handy as they come in a small packet which in turn makes loads of juice to slurp on. However recent turn of events would be any parent's nightmare. Zimbabwean children are snorting this powder just for the kicks of it!! they call it ganja or mudhoko.Some admitted to using sherbet powder.

Zim mums Magazine spoke to 40 kids from different schools around Harare who all confirmed this trend.

• • The boy who started with the confessions told me he used to do it almost everyday but now he has stopped coz it made him sick. he said people clap and cheer for you and that feels good but the snorting hurts.KEVIN GRADE 7- Waterfalls , harare

  • a girl said she did it just to prove that girls can do it too . she's the one who teaches the girls at her school to snort . CHIDO GRADE7-PARKTOWN

  • TINO a grade 4 at a school in Chitungwiza snorts it using the barrel of a finished lollipop and revealed that most girls and boys at the school at times ingest the powder and exhale through the nosestrills. GRADE 4 -CHITUNGWIZA

  Asked on why they do it, the answers were the same..."hapana chaunonzwa asi its cool."
   A similar trend has been noted in schools in the uk and america. with Smarties being crushed and used for the same purpose. however both contain no addictive ingredients and do not provide a high when ingested.
  The worrying issue is that, have these children seen someone close using drugs or it is all fuelled by watching tv not age appropriate. A study in the uk showed that those exposed stand a higher likelihood of using real drugs at a later stage in life and that is worring to any parent. please educate your chid on the dangers of this seemingly harmless trend as listed below. 
  Infection: sugar residue may remain in the nasal cavity, sinuses and/or lungs, leading to infections, cough, wheezing, and respiratory arrest
  Scarring: anything snorted can lead to scarring of the nasal passages
  Irritation of the lungs: smoking or snorting Jolly Jus can lead to a smoker’s cough
  Allergic reaction: if the child is allergic to sugar, snorting or smoking Jolly Jus can lead to an immediate allergic reaction
  

  Possible maggots: frequent snorting could rarely lead to maggots feeding on the sugary dust inside the nose. according to a ear, nose and throat specialist, this is rare but can happen.
  
  SIGNS TO CHECK FOR;
  
  according to this group, when you snort jolly jus  it hurts really bad and sometimes causes nose bleeding and  runny nose which goes on for a long time . 
  
  EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN ON THE DANGERS! NO KID IS SAFE, BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS ARE DOING IT TO PLEASE PEERS!!!

competition; THE FONDEST MEMORY I HAVE OF MY MUM

Our mothers day competition received so many touching entries and some funny ones too. prizes were provided by Gourmet Treasures. we share with you the winning entries and the funniest one too.
Dudu Phakathi
I have sooooooo many fond memories of
my mom,but this would have to
be the fondest and very funny... let me tell you about the
time my mom chased me down the
road with a broom stick whipping on
my sorry butt...
Now days,the neighbors would definately call
the police on her ...but back then the
neighbors caught me and held me
down for my mom to catch up and really work on my butt..kkkkkk
My mum is so special and i love her so much.

 THE WINNING ENTRY!!!

By Hildah Maritinyu.

>My mom is late,so all I have are ...memories...she wasnt educated,my mum,her father sent boys only to school...but my mom she was bright.
>She used to make beautiful clothes,food covers,she used to crotchet beautifully,make cross stitch and beautiful baby clothes by looking at a pattern in a book dhe couldnt read....she was a hard worker....she kept a clean house,modest thogh it was,and put six kids to school with money from her handiwork...
>She was a paragon if virtue...she taught me soo much...hey I digress..let me get to the heart of the matter...
>Of all the memories I hv of my mom one stands out vividly..she had been in a plaster for six months and two months after it had been taken off I had a Caesarean section and I stayed in hospital for 12 days
>Every day 3 times a day my mum would make a 5 km trek from my aunt's place in Highway in chinhoyi to chinhoy hospital to visit,on that still painful leg..30km everyday for 12 days....it wasn't easy,there wer no kombis then in 1999 and we couldn't afford to pay taxi fares....
>
>Thats my mom...a once in a lifetime woman..

>Thank you for letting me share.

VIMBAI ALSO WON A PLATTER FROM GOURMET TREASURES...her entry...

Being raised by a single mum i have many fond memories but one stands
out.i was 15years old&i fell sick.after going to the doctor i found
out that i had tonsilitis&had to have them removed.i had no medical
aid,mum was unemployed&well dad was absent.i remember seeing my mum
cry in her room coz it hurt her to see me in pain.we had a tiny
television which was faulty&for several months my mum had managed to
save up enough money to buy a new bigger one in SA.the day after my
diagnosis she woke me up early in the morning,helped me to
bath&literally carried me to Baines clinic for my operation.it was
only after i had been successfully operated&discharged that i realised
she had sacrificed her money for a new tv to pay for my
operation.....even as i think abt it now,i cant help but smile... :)
Vimbai Deliwe Babyshoes Miga

 Nompumelelo Marilyn Samambgwa.

My fondest memory of my mum not
exactly a happy one. My mum is a
single mum and has been since I
was 8 now I'm 27. Three years ago
when I was in my first year first
semester of university she found
out she had a tumor in the stomach
and had to go under a major
operation, it took a long time for
her to recover she dropped 4dress
sizes cos there was a complication
which prevented her from eating. At
this time she was on an unpaid sick
leave. I got so worried about my
fees and tried getting a job and all
but couldn't. What touched is mum
needed more time to recover and
could have used her accrued leave
days bu she decided to trade them
in for money to pay my fees (I
repaid her with 5 distinctions and a
book price that semester) and went
back to work before she recover,
she said she was doing it for my
sister and I. Not only did she pay
my fees but she also paid for cousin
whose mum was very well and
working in England but had no
money at that time. My mum is not
an active to only my sister and I but
to her sisters' kids too

 

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