Being overweight is a problem that a lot of women face.
House of Zwide actress Lwazi Mthembu is on a weight loss journey, but not by herself, she is doing IT with her family in a social media campaign.
Family Food Matters is a social media campaign that's here to fix our country, she says.
“It sounds dramatic, but there are no jokes here. This campaign is about putting our bodies where our minds are at. The Eat Well Live Institute has been researching South Africans and their lifestyle decisions since 2020, this campaign allows them to deepen their insights by following two families on a quest to eat well and live well.
“The campaign follows both families as they navigate the hurdles and victories of changing behavioural habits today, for long-lasting gains the tomorrow.”
Her little family is just made up for herself and her daughter, Zethembe-Azania.
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“Fortunately, it was not very difficult to get my family to agree. I have a very small family of just my crazy daughter and me. I am still enjoying the era of ‘Mama is king’, so it wasn't too difficult a negotiation. The real truth is that my daughter just wants to be ‘TikTok famous’ so this is the closest I'll let her get to that dream at the moment.”
Lwazi (31) says she and her daughter are the ones primarily involved in this campaign. They have roped in many of their nearest and dearest. Her sisters are greatly invested in their own health journeys.
“I wanted to be a part of the Family Food Matters campaign because your girl wants to look snatched. Lol, I’m joking but I'm not going say I don't want to lose weight, because I most certainly do. But for me, I wanted to find more sustainable ways to gain health and steer away from all these chronic illnesses that are rife in my family and throughout the black community.
“I had been on a weight loss journey for a while before seeing this campaign and I was struggling greatly to reach targets, stay consistent, and trust the food and lifestyle decisions I was making.
“I aim to obviously move to less strenuous body weight, to learn and develop healthier habits to deal with stress and celebration. I aim to fix all my nutrient deficiencies and teach my daughter a lifestyle of health that she won't have learned only later on in life.
“I aim to get tons of knowledge from all these wonderful [coaches] and pour it back to all the wonderful ladies who are a part of my lifestyle organization called ‘The Good Health Stokvel’, I hope to be able to help many more like me.”
Lwazi says weight has always been a problem for her.
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“Weight has always been an issue for me, I was born at 3,8kgs and I've always been the big girl in any setting. Fortunately, I don't think it ever truly affected my self-esteem, but I have never been in a body I enjoy, and I sincerely hope to change that.”
Cyberbullying is her biggest fear as she embarks on this journey because internet trolls can be very mean.
“My only fear about having my journey live on social media is just how heartless people can be. I fear that people will forget that both families are just people struggling through life, trying to make different decisions, and change the trajectory of our lives. I fear people will lack grace and be unforgiving.”
She says as a public figure, she has noticed that though there are some pockets of society who try to be inclusive of people like her, it is taking too long.
“The industry is still struggling to see plus size actors as romantic leads, or deep intricate story bearers who aren't there for just comic relief.
"Fat-erasure is still a very tense conversation in casting rooms, and I believe that until we can all have the seemingly difficult conversations, and make bold choices that truly represent South Africa, we will continue to raise a society filled with unnecessary shame, a warped understanding of beauty and the striving for unrealistic aesthetic standards. The conversation is bigger than just seeing fat people on screen, the conversation is bigger, deeper, and definitely political.”
