ANDexcess weight. There are many who struggle with the scale, sometimes for years on end, whether for aesthetic reasons or for health reasons – mental or physical -, in a struggle that can take on dramatic contours, from the moment frustrations accumulate. and the extra pounds start to have a truly harmful impact.
That’s what happened to Mafalda Gonçalves. The 39-year-old graphic designer says that she has always “found it easy to gain weight”. “If I wasn’t careful and focused, I would gain a lot of weight, then I would go on a diet and lose weight, but everything would return to the same. I was always a yo-yo and that became a problem when I had been overweight for a long time”, describes Mafalda , which weighed 101 kg.
“I didn’t like to see myself in anything, I didn’t want to appear in photographs, I didn’t go to the beach with anyone, I hid in long, baggy dresses to disguise the state I was in.” Fortunately, he has never had to deal with clinical situations related to his weight. Still, she reached a limit. “I got to the point where I no longer liked myself.” And the fact that she was tall – she measures 1.74m -, which allowed her to disguise the “state she was in”, was no longer enough to alleviate the discomfort.
Over time, Mafalda resorted to some treatments to lose weight and consulted several nutritionists, going on a diet several times, but ended up losing focus “or giving up easily”, he reports.
Until, through a good friend, she discovered PronoKal, starting this program on August 21, 2023. At the time, she weighed 98.5kg. That’s when her “mindset changed” and she “finally had the click she needed.” At this moment, Mafalda weighs 66.5 kg, having lost a total of 32 kg in approximately eight months. “Or rather”, he emphasizes, he previously gained “32 kg of health. Now I prefer to have an attitude of gaining and not losing! My initial objective was to reach 68 kg, I am currently at 66.5 kg and what I intend is to maintain and tone the body I managed to achieve.”
What does the PronoKal program consist of?
The biggest difference that Mafalda points out between the PronoKal program and her previous experiences has to do with the support that is guaranteed, particularly at a medical level. “The biggest difference for me was being followed by Dr. Mara Marques, from Clínica Terrace. The fact that PronoKal products are delicious was also fundamental.”
But, after all, what does the Pronokal program consist of? “The PNK Program is divided into five phases (phase 6 after that is Maintenance, where I am currently)”, explains Mafalda, based “on a ketogenic diet treatment where we have medical, nutritional and coaching monitoring. The PNK scale connected to the PronoKal Connect app is the perfect accessory for this journey along with lots of coaching tips and recipes that the app has”, highlights the graphic designer. And she adds: “we add physical exercise to this (we also have a plan on the app to do specific exercises at home or wherever we want) and we have the perfect combination.”
It should be noted that the ketogenic diet is a diet low in carbohydrates and fat and very rich in proteins, leading to fat loss and muscle mass gain. “In step 1, we combine PronoKal products with vegetables, in different forms (soup, salads, roasted and cooked vegetables, countless varieties and suggestions for cooking vegetables); in step 2, we introduce animal protein into one of the main meals (lunch or dinner ); in step 3, we introduce this same animal protein in the second main meal, leaving only PronoKal products for breakfast and snacks; in step 4, we come out of ketosis and start to introduce different foods into our breakfast/snacks, namely fruit, cereals, bread, among others; in step 5, we then introduce the remaining foods from the carbohydrates and fats group: pasta, rice, potatoes, dried fruits, preferring whole grain options and always controlling the quantities”, details Mafalda.
“When we enter the Maintenance phase, we ensure that we already have an incredible base of healthy eating with all the foods gradually introduced throughout the treatment, in order to give our body the opportunity to adapt to them again”, he also highlights.
Mafalda also mentions that it is possible to “continue with some PronoKal snacks, if it makes sense and we fall in love, because they end up being an excellent way of having snacks on hand ready to eat and not being tempted to go and have a snack at a pastry shop for something that is not be such a healthy option.”
Example of a meal plan
“Currently my eating plan contains everything, without abusing anything”, highlights the graphic designer, sharing an example of the eating routine she follows at this stage of the program:
- Breakfast – Yogurt with fruit and granola (no added sugar) / oatmeal with almond milk and fruit / dark bread with fresh cheese and scrambled egg + fruit;
- Lunch – Very colorful dish, half of which is made up of salad or roasted vegetables and the other half is divided between animal protein and carbohydrates or legumes;
- Snacks – Two snacks a day. They can be mid-morning and mid-afternoon, or both in the afternoon. Yogurt with fruit / sea or rice crackers with Babybel cheese / PronoKal snack (bars, waffles, biscuits, etc.) with fruit;
- To have lunch – Soup and omelet with salad/soup and two boiled eggs, or fish with vegetables.
Physical exercise “is essential” and medical monitoring too
In addition to taking care of your diet, exercising “is essential” for consistent weight loss. “Right now, I exercise six days a week – 4x weight training / 1x cardio and a day of Pilates machines, which combines strength with flexibility and stretching”, says the graphic designer.
At the same time, Mafalda was accompanied by a doctor throughout the treatment. “In the beginning we had appointments every two weeks, which over time became three. Currently I have monthly medical follow-up. At the beginning of the treatment I underwent analyzes to see how my body was doing, I also did a genetic metabolism test ( Genomics from PronoKal), and at the end of the treatment I repeated the tests again to see the huge difference in my health. The day I received the results of the tests, at the end of the treatment, I realized how good this loss treatment was. weight has done to my health and not just on an aesthetic level.”
Setbacks? No way! “I gained freedom”
At this moment, and with 32 kg less weight, which she herself converts in the same proportion into health, Mafalda’s objective is to “maintain and tone the body” that she managed to achieve, especially because she is “not willing to accept any setback”. Thus, she decided to “do the Maintenance phase hand in hand with PronoKal so that there would be no slip-ups”. “I’m still a great friend of PronoKal Connect, who every day gives me food and exercise suggestions and coaching tips to combat my emotional hunger.”
“I am really confident that I have all the conditions to maintain everything I have achieved, I continue with the same focus and motivation since the beginning and every day I try to remain focused”, highlights, finally, Mafalda, who does not feel conditioned by care he received. On the contrary.
“I gained freedom to have a healthy relationship with food, my goal has always been to have a balanced diet and now I feel like I already have that. In my daily life I am faithful to my plan and my eating goals to be guilt-free when I have social events, because I know I can be relaxed at lunch or dinner with friends and the next day my focus will still be there”, she concludes.
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Download our free App.
Eighth consecutive year Consumer Choice for Online Press and elected product of the year 2024.
* Study by e Netsonda, Nov. and ten. 2023 product of the year – pt.com
