Benon reveals how he shed 35kg – Sqoop

Swangz Avenue boss Benon Mugumbya has opened up about his weight-loss journey, revealing that although Ozempic helped him shed weight, he later regained it after stopping the medication.

Benon said he turned to Ozempic around 2019, at a time when the drug had not yet become the global weight-loss phenomenon it is today.

While in the United States, he bought three pens, each costing about USD800, hoping they would help him manage his weight.

“It works, but when I ran out of the pens, my body revolted. That’s the issue with Ozempic. It’s a good tool, but it has to be used as a kickstarter for you to start going to the gym so that it becomes part of your lifestyle,” he said.

Benon said his experience taught him that medication alone could not deliver lasting results without changes in lifestyle.

“But don’t think it’s a silver bullet that fixes everything. It doesn’t work that way. I found out the hard way. Above it all, the lifestyle has to change,” he said.

His weight struggles became more pronounced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, Benon had been working out regularly and expected to become even more committed to fitness.

However, the prolonged period of inactivity took a different turn.

“Having a lot of time without intention is bad. We just ended up partying through the pandemic. Because we were idle, we would just eat and drink randomly. So I gained way more weight than before,” he recalled.

At his heaviest, Benon said he weighed 121 kilogrammes.

He now maintains a weight of between 84 and 86 kilogrammes, which he attributes largely to making exercise and mindful eating part of his everyday routine.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘strict,’ but I am intentional about my diet,” he said.

Although he still enjoys foods such as rice and occasionally has a drink, Benon said his eating habits have changed significantly.

“I love rice, and sometimes I drink a little, but it’s not daily like it used to be,” he said.

He has also increased his intake of protein, particularly meat, chicken, fish and eggs, which he describes as a staple in his diet.

“Eggs are like my go-to. I rarely stock my fridge with stuff that will tempt me. It’s actually usually empty, but eggs and water are a must,” he said.

Benon now incorporates daily workouts into his lifestyle and regularly shares aspects of his fitness routine on Instagram, where he also encourages his followers to take their health more seriously.

Looking back, he says the biggest lesson from his experience was that losing weight is only one part of the process.

For him, maintaining the change has required a sustained shift in how he eats, exercises and approaches his everyday lifestyle.