After Tania Susack gained weight from emotional eating, she decided to turn to the USN Body Makeover Challenge to transform her lifestyle.
As a web-based system developer, Tania spends long hours sitting behind a computer, often working late into the night to meet deadlines.
“Working in a high stress job and dealing with the lingering trauma following the birth of my son, who spent a month in NICU, sparked my emotional eating habit,” explains Tania.
As a result, Tania gained weight and had given up on looking good. “It wasn’t until the extra weight started to impact my health and ability to function as a mom that I took notice.”
About Tania
- Age: 44
- Lives: Johannesburg
- Career: Web-based System Developer
- Instagram: not_a_fitness_diva
- Facebook: notafitnessdiva
- Tiktok: not_a_fitness_diva
- YouTube: not_a_fitness_diva
Scared into transformation action
In September 2021, Tania’s mother made a birthday wish that her daughter would check her health by getting full blood work done.
“The results showed that I had high cholesterol and the doctors started me on meds immediately to try bring it down.”
Despite the intervention, her health issues escalated. “That’s when I knew I needed to change my lifestyle.”
Tania initially adopted the approach she followed in her twenties – cardio and reducing calories as much as possible.
“I started with walking and jogging slowly in my backyard over weekends, as that was the only time I had available. I also changed my diet by reducing my calories and cutting carbs.”
READ MORE | Tales Of Transformation Success: Loretta’s 12-Week Journey To A New Life
Igniting her competitive spirit
When Tania’s family planned a holiday for November, she decided to start a competition with her mom to see who could lose more weight by their vacation, and she won.
This process helped Tania come to two important realisations. “I recognised that my competitive nature would be an asset in my transformation and, more importantly, I realised that the approach I was following was ultimately unsustainable.”
The extreme restriction in her diet meant Tania was always hungry and, as a result, often overate at meals. And focusing only on cardio felt like punishment, because she is not a fan of that type of training.
“I was no longer in my twenties and knew that my approach needed to change. I needed to shift my mindset and approach to one where exercise does not feel like punishment and food serves as fuel.”
READ MORE | Sihle Tackles Lockdown Weight Gain With USN
Tackling the Body Makeover Challenge
Building on the success she achieved from her contest against her mom, Tania decided to find another form of competition to motivate her. That’s when she came across the USN Body Makeover Challenge.
“When I started following the USN Body Makeover Challenge plan, I instantly fell in love with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). As a result, I started making time to train – no more excuses!”
Tania’s desire to improve at the basic exercises motivated her to keep pushing herself and advancing in her training.
“I would never have tried HIIT or weight training if it wasn’t for the USN Body Makeover Challenge training plan. HIIT was a real game-changer for my transformation because my body and mind react so well to it.”
READ MORE | Emil Lost 25kg In The USN Body Makeover
A lifestyle makeover
In terms of her eating habits, Tania also discovered how important protein is in a balanced diet.
“I realised how my diet severely lacked protein, and when I ate the recommended amount, I no longer had intense cravings.”
Tania’s new diet typically includes skinless chicken breast or hake medallions with lentils, beans, brown rice, and green vegetables.
“I am also a chilli addict, so I tend to have a lot of fun with different spice combinations.”
When it comes to an occasional treat, Tania prefers chocolate or chips. “As I stick to a balanced diet most of the time, a treat now and then is not a problem. I know that being too restrictive led to binge eating or poor impulsive choices in the past, which is why I choose to occasionally indulge in these treats.”
The USN supplement range has also made Tania’s efforts to eat more protein and maintain a balanced diet easier and more convenient. Tania’s USN supplement plan includes:
- USN BlueLab 100% Whey Premium Protein
- USN Z-Mag+
- USN Phedracut Lipo X Night
- USN CLA Pure 1000
- USN All9 Amino
- USN Cramp Block
Path to success
Tania found the USN Body Makeover Challenge approach simple to follow because it suits all types of lifestyles and circumstances.
“For me, the key was that it is 12 weeks long. It was short enough to allow me to make the commitment to focus on me, but it is long enough to ensure you adopt the healthful habits and lifestyle needed to create permanent changes in your life.”
And the approach worked, helping Tania lose 18.9 kg in 12 weeks. Her amazing transformation meant she won the USN Body Makeover Challenge in June 2022.
READ MORE | USN Body Makeover Challenge Helps Andrew Find His Winning Way
Valuable lessons learnt
“I learnt so much about myself through this journey. I’ve learnt that prioritising me is not the worst thing in the world as it adds value in other areas of my life. I am also learning to let things go, instead of letting one slip up in my diet spiral into months of poor choices, feeling guilty and giving up.”
Tania says she now chooses to practise self forgiveness and looks to learn lessons from failures or setbacks, rather than let them hold her back from trying new things.
While Tania doesn’t look to external sources for motivation and tries to inspire herself by striving to be a person she is proud of, she found support from a friend who was following a similar transformation journey.
“I was fortunate to reconnect with a childhood friend via a Facebook weight-loss community. We now speak regularly and she is someone I can open up to. My son has named her ‘Krystal’. He says it’s her superhero name, and she is my superhero.”
READ MORE | [TRANSFORMATION] USN Inspires Sinalo’s Body Makeover
Making meaningful changes
However, it was Tania’s son who served as her main motivation to change her lifestyle and improve her health.
“I resolved to no longer sit on the sidelines and watch other people play with my son. I felt like I was missing out on so many memories and I wanted to be fit and healthy enough to play with him.”
And the USN Body Makeover Challenge helped her achieve her ultimate goal. “I am now the fun, youthful mom who can play, go down a slide and climb a jungle gym. And, at the end of the day, I have the strength to carry my tired boy home, happy. I also feel so much more engaged with life around me.”
Tania plans to explore other opportunities with her new-found strength and capabilities, like self-defence training. “It has been such an empowering journey so far that I just feel like it’s the natural next step for me.”
Feeding this desire to explore has become Tania’s new driving force. “My goals keep shifting as my transformation progresses. At the start, the number on the scale was everything. Now, it’s all about how I feel and the relationships I have with food and my body.”
Based on her experience and success, Tania would like to encourage others to try the USN Body Makeover Challenge as a means to change their lifestyle and physiques.
“I believed that I would never get the old me back without some crazy expensive cosmetic surgery. I just felt so far gone that I stayed stuck. But I was shocked at how simply starting with a few small changes can create the momentum you need to make a big transformation. It’s not all or nothing.”
Quick facts
- Favourite healthy dish: Spicy red bean salad
- Favourite training routine: HIIT
- Top diet tip: When a craving strikes, eat some protein then wait 5 minutes
After Tania Susack gained weight from emotional eating, she decided to turn to the USN Body Makeover Challenge to transform her lifestyle.
As a web-based system developer, Tania spends long hours sitting behind a computer, often working late into the night to meet deadlines.
“Working in a high stress job and dealing with the lingering trauma following the birth of my son, who spent a month in NICU, sparked my emotional eating habit,” explains Tania.
As a result, Tania gained weight and had given up on looking good. “It wasn’t until the extra weight started to impact my health and ability to function as a mom that I took notice.”
About Tania
- Age: 44
- Lives: Johannesburg
- Career: Web-based System Developer
- Instagram: not_a_fitness_diva
- Facebook: notafitnessdiva
- Tiktok: not_a_fitness_diva
- YouTube: not_a_fitness_diva
Scared into transformation action
In September 2021, Tania’s mother made a birthday wish that her daughter would check her health by getting full blood work done.
“The results showed that I had high cholesterol and the doctors started me on meds immediately to try bring it down.”
Despite the intervention, her health issues escalated. “That’s when I knew I needed to change my lifestyle.”
Tania initially adopted the approach she followed in her twenties – cardio and reducing calories as much as possible.
“I started with walking and jogging slowly in my backyard over weekends, as that was the only time I had available. I also changed my diet by reducing my calories and cutting carbs.”
READ MORE | Tales Of Transformation Success: Loretta’s 12-Week Journey To A New Life
Igniting her competitive spirit
When Tania’s family planned a holiday for November, she decided to start a competition with her mom to see who could lose more weight by their vacation, and she won.
This process helped Tania come to two important realisations. “I recognised that my competitive nature would be an asset in my transformation and, more importantly, I realised that the approach I was following was ultimately unsustainable.”
The extreme restriction in her diet meant Tania was always hungry and, as a result, often overate at meals. And focusing only on cardio felt like punishment, because she is not a fan of that type of training.
“I was no longer in my twenties and knew that my approach needed to change. I needed to shift my mindset and approach to one where exercise does not feel like punishment and food serves as fuel.”
READ MORE | Sihle Tackles Lockdown Weight Gain With USN
Tackling the Body Makeover Challenge
Building on the success she achieved from her contest against her mom, Tania decided to find another form of competition to motivate her. That’s when she came across the USN Body Makeover Challenge.
“When I started following the USN Body Makeover Challenge plan, I instantly fell in love with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). As a result, I started making time to train – no more excuses!”
Tania’s desire to improve at the basic exercises motivated her to keep pushing herself and advancing in her training.
“I would never have tried HIIT or weight training if it wasn’t for the USN Body Makeover Challenge training plan. HIIT was a real game-changer for my transformation because my body and mind react so well to it.”
READ MORE | Emil Lost 25kg In The USN Body Makeover
A lifestyle makeover
In terms of her eating habits, Tania also discovered how important protein is in a balanced diet.
“I realised how my diet severely lacked protein, and when I ate the recommended amount, I no longer had intense cravings.”
Tania’s new diet typically includes skinless chicken breast or hake medallions with lentils, beans, brown rice, and green vegetables.
“I am also a chilli addict, so I tend to have a lot of fun with different spice combinations.”
When it comes to an occasional treat, Tania prefers chocolate or chips. “As I stick to a balanced diet most of the time, a treat now and then is not a problem. I know that being too restrictive led to binge eating or poor impulsive choices in the past, which is why I choose to occasionally indulge in these treats.”
The USN supplement range has also made Tania’s efforts to eat more protein and maintain a balanced diet easier and more convenient. Tania’s USN supplement plan includes:
- USN BlueLab 100% Whey Premium Protein
- USN Z-Mag+
- USN Phedracut Lipo X Night
- USN CLA Pure 1000
- USN All9 Amino
- USN Cramp Block
Path to success
Tania found the USN Body Makeover Challenge approach simple to follow because it suits all types of lifestyles and circumstances.
“For me, the key was that it is 12 weeks long. It was short enough to allow me to make the commitment to focus on me, but it is long enough to ensure you adopt the healthful habits and lifestyle needed to create permanent changes in your life.”
And the approach worked, helping Tania lose 18.9 kg in 12 weeks. Her amazing transformation meant she won the USN Body Makeover Challenge in June 2022.
READ MORE | USN Body Makeover Challenge Helps Andrew Find His Winning Way
Valuable lessons learnt
“I learnt so much about myself through this journey. I’ve learnt that prioritising me is not the worst thing in the world as it adds value in other areas of my life. I am also learning to let things go, instead of letting one slip up in my diet spiral into months of poor choices, feeling guilty and giving up.”
Tania says she now chooses to practise self forgiveness and looks to learn lessons from failures or setbacks, rather than let them hold her back from trying new things.
While Tania doesn’t look to external sources for motivation and tries to inspire herself by striving to be a person she is proud of, she found support from a friend who was following a similar transformation journey.
“I was fortunate to reconnect with a childhood friend via a Facebook weight-loss community. We now speak regularly and she is someone I can open up to. My son has named her ‘Krystal’. He says it’s her superhero name, and she is my superhero.”
READ MORE | [TRANSFORMATION] USN Inspires Sinalo’s Body Makeover
Making meaningful changes
However, it was Tania’s son who served as her main motivation to change her lifestyle and improve her health.
“I resolved to no longer sit on the sidelines and watch other people play with my son. I felt like I was missing out on so many memories and I wanted to be fit and healthy enough to play with him.”
And the USN Body Makeover Challenge helped her achieve her ultimate goal. “I am now the fun, youthful mom who can play, go down a slide and climb a jungle gym. And, at the end of the day, I have the strength to carry my tired boy home, happy. I also feel so much more engaged with life around me.”
Tania plans to explore other opportunities with her new-found strength and capabilities, like self-defence training. “It has been such an empowering journey so far that I just feel like it’s the natural next step for me.”
Feeding this desire to explore has become Tania’s new driving force. “My goals keep shifting as my transformation progresses. At the start, the number on the scale was everything. Now, it’s all about how I feel and the relationships I have with food and my body.”
Based on her experience and success, Tania would like to encourage others to try the USN Body Makeover Challenge as a means to change their lifestyle and physiques.
“I believed that I would never get the old me back without some crazy expensive cosmetic surgery. I just felt so far gone that I stayed stuck. But I was shocked at how simply starting with a few small changes can create the momentum you need to make a big transformation. It’s not all or nothing.”
Quick facts
- Favourite healthy dish: Spicy red bean salad
- Favourite training routine: HIIT
- Top diet tip: When a craving strikes, eat some protein then wait 5 minutes
