6 days ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
How this mum of 2 lost more than 15kg and got her confidence back
Riccinni Banham had always loved sugary and starchy foods, and rarely thought twice before helping herself to extra rice at mealtimes or indulging in gelato, cookies, cake, pastries and chocolate.
The Filipino mum-of-two – a former school counsellor and adoption case worker – was an avid runner who had taken part in 54
half-marathons and seven marathons . She was convinced that she could get away with eating as much as she liked of whatever she wanted.
She began to notice that as she ate less healthily, her weight would go up. Her self-confidence began to take a hit.
'I stopped weighing myself when I reached 73kg [161lb], because I'd put on about 15kg by then and knew that I was only getting bigger,' says Banham, who stands 157cm (five feet two inches) tall.
'Being overweight affected my mental and emotional health. I didn't feel good about myself, and my clothes no longer fit. I also had difficulty performing physical activities. Hiking uphill was an issue.'
Eating gelato and other sweet treats had caused Riccinni Banham to gain weight after she moved to Shanghai. Photo: Riccinni Banham
The soon-to-be 55-year-old, who grew up in the United States and lives in Hong Kong, realised that running regularly was not enough, and that she had to do something else to lose the weight.
