There are no tricks, no gimmicks: Losing weight and especially keeping it off is all about discipline, says Silvana Pinter-Könemann. © Tobias Mühlenschulte
4 min reading time
After the birth of her son, Silvana Pinter-Könemann decided to lose weight in 2021. And with the group “Kilos leave me”, the “ultimate weight loss and exercise course”, she managed to do it: Within two years, the weight of the 1.68 meter tall woman from Recklinghausen dropped from 105 to 65 kilograms. Today she is at 63 kilograms and gives courses herself. She told this editorial team how she managed to achieve what so many others cannot in the long term without diets and without powders.
The big question right at the start: How do you manage to maintain your weight? Do you still have to resist many temptations?
Silvana Pinter-Könemann: It’s getting less. It’s no longer a daily battle. I don’t have any cravings anymore. My biggest enemy used to be the display at the bakery. Now I can look in there without anything happening. My breakfast used to consist of two chocolate croissants, two baked cheese rolls and a cappuccino with three sugar cubes.
When was the last time you were tempted?
Of course, I have cravings from time to time. Two weeks ago, I really wanted a spaghetti ice cream and went to the ice cream parlor with my son. But when we got there, I said to myself: you’ve already eaten, you’re full. And I have to keep telling myself: you’re not hungry! So my son only had a spaghetti ice cream – and I didn’t even have a scoop.
Barely recognizable: In this photo, Silvana Pinter-Könemann weighs 99 kilograms.© Private
Is there anything that you would still call your kryptonite today? The display in the bakery doesn’t seem to be it anymore.
For me it’s peanuts. One peanut and I’ve already lost. Then the bag is empty. You take one and your brain says: it doesn’t matter now, now empty the bag. And there’s a lot of fat in there! That’s why I have to forbid myself from doing that. But it’s really rare that I’m in that danger. I don’t drive somewhere anymore and buy something and eat it in secret. That used to happen. But that’s completely over.
Because I always know: I’ve eaten, I’m full. I eat regularly. I actually eat everything. Anyone can lose weight. But the brain doesn’t become slim immediately. The ultimate challenge is to maintain your weight and, ideally, to continue to live like this for the rest of your life. We can’t lose weight and then fall back into old habits. You won’t be able to see how quickly the weight comes back.
So you have to reprogram yourself in a way?
Exactly, the hard drive is overwritten. Sure, there was sugar withdrawal at the beginning. But that was over after three days. Now it sounds like I’m a junkie. And I actually compare myself and my course participants to junkies. That’s always a big topic in our discussions. Sugar is a legal drug. But a life without sugar is almost impossible because it’s in everything these days, not just in sweets. And many people are simply addicted to sugar, even slim people. But they’re lucky that they don’t get fat.
In the past, she never had a scale in her house, but today Silvana Pinter-Könemann can no longer imagine life without one. But she only checks her weight on Fridays.© Tobias Mühlenschulte
And you learned this iron discipline in the weight loss course “Kilos leave me”?
Exactly. First as a participant and now I pass it on as a course leader – and benefit from it myself. Sometimes it seems to me as if I need my participants more than they need me. Of course you have to do without. And that – like everything in life – is a matter of discipline. It’s nothing else. There are friends who say that I’m totally obsessed now. Then I am. But I never want to be fat again.
Do you step on the scale every day?
No, only every Friday. I didn’t have a scale before, but I had to buy one for the weight loss course. Now I can’t imagine life without one. But you shouldn’t step on it every day, otherwise you’ll lose track and risk failing to lose weight. I tell my participants that too.
When people have reached their target weight, we recommend a buffer of two kilograms, because weight always fluctuates – regardless of diet. This is especially true for women during their period. But men can also be affected: if you eat too much salt, your body stores water. You can also weigh more if you are ill or taking medication. That’s why you need a buffer of two kilograms.
Where is your buffer, your limit?
I never want to weigh more than 65 kilos again. When I get close to that, I ask myself what I did wrong, what I can do differently. Then I talk to my colleagues in the team. And they quickly bring me back down again. I’m not cured, I’ll always be fat. The temptation is there for me too. It’s just like with an ex-alcoholic or ex-smoker.
In a good mood: In this photo, Silvana Pinter-Könemann weighs 63 kilograms. Her buffer is two kilograms. When the needle on her scales moves towards 65 kilograms, the 43-year-old doesn’t indulge in anything anymore.© Private
Do you avoid alcohol? It contains a lot of calories.
I’m not a picky eater, and I’m not a picky drinker either. I have a glass now and then, but it does take its toll. Alcohol is just terrible for your weight. That’s why I have this two kilo buffer. If I see on the scales before a weekend date that I’m running low, I have water instead of white wine. I’ll do anything to make sure I never get fat again.
“Kilos leave me”
Anyone interested in a weight loss course with Silvana Pinter-Könemann can visit the homepage www.kilos-verlasst-mich.de Look for dates and get in touch. A course costs 68 euros per month. There are courses in Suderwich, Dorsten, Dortmund and Schermbeck.
