Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie in May before he started his weight loss journey. Picture: Facebook/Gayton McKenzie
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has lost 15kg since he couldn’t fasten his jacket during his swearing-in ceremony early in July.
“The Deputy President Paul Mashatile asked me to fasten my jacket during my swearing-in ceremony, I couldn’t because of my big stomach. I have since started to run and this morning I was wearing the same suit. Don’t be jealous, go run,” he said on Facebook at the time.
The Patriotic Alliance leader then decided to challenge his followers on social media to join in. In a video on Facebook, he invited members of the party to post pictures of them on their scales.
“I weighed 146kg when I became a minister and then I started walking and sometimes running. But I’ve decided to take it a notch further. We’re now having Wednesday weigh-in. Please get your scales. We’re going to weigh in every Wednesday. When you want to eat something, you’ll go, ‘Ahh, I need to weigh in tomorrow.'”
In another video, McKenzie again invited party members to post pictures of weighing themselves. “And if you have ugly feet, just wear socks,” he joked. He then went on to show people his feet, saying there’s nothing wrong with them, jokingly saying: “O, I see now they have a few spots!”
In a video McKenzie posted on X on Wednesday, he said: “I’m back, I lost 2.1kg since my last weigh-in two weeks ago. I have since lost 15kg since I started my health journey. I feel great, start now. Health is wealth.”
He explained that he didn’t weigh himself in two weeks, as he was in Russia. “The food was everywhere, and I ate, but I ran more.”
Getting onto the scale, he announced that he lost 2.1kg on his trip. “This is despite the fact that I ate so much. But I ran, I ran, I ran and I stayed away from carbs and just ate meat. Guys, run! My nine-pack is loading!”
Party members have been inspired by McKenzie’s journey and also show their full support online. “The SA minister of Culture is a whole vibe,” one follower wrote, while another said: “You’re really fetching that summer body Mr Minister”.
Another wanted him to share his workout plan, writing: “Well done Minister. An inspiration to us all. Do you have any plans to release a workout plan for those[who] want to follow your exercise journey?”
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