Danielle Takoko says she’s always been easy to spot in a crowded room. She’s the one surrounded by people, her big, booming laugh making everyone smile. But behind the grins, she faced a private battle, one that saw her spend up to $100 a week on chocolate bars alone.
She’s mum to five children – two of whom are adopted, one who is a “foster for life”, and two who are Danielle and husband Brian’s biological children. Four of the children have multiple disorders ranging from ADHD to foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and Danielle’s busy life saw her skipping breakfast, bingeing on takeaways and turning to food as a source of comfort.
“If I had a bad day, I’d have a chocolate bar,” tells Danielle, 44. “If I had a good day, I’d have a chocolate bar to celebrate. I could find a million reasons to eat a bar of chocolate.”
Family fun with (from left) niece Neve, Tiia, husband Brian, Kruz, Zeis, Kaleb and Lann was putting a strain on Danielle.
It wasn’t until her unhealthy lifestyle stopped her from sleeping that she paid a visit to her doctor. “I couldn’t breathe,” she recalls. “The weight on my hips and knees would keep me up at night.”
Stepping on the scales at a sleep apnoea clinic in May 2019, Danielle was devastated to see the number staring back at her – 144.4kg.
“I’d gone so long without weighing myself,” shares Danielle. “I didn’t even own a full-length mirror. To look down and see that number, I couldn’t believe I had let this happen.”
Forced to wear a sleep-apnoea mask to bed for the next three months, she’d pull the covers over her face so Brian couldn’t see her. “It felt shameful to need this nana-like machine to help me sleep,” she admits.
That overwhelming shame proved to be the trigger Danielle needed to finally reach out for help and she joined her local Weight Watchers group.
While going to her first meeting was daunting, when Danielle stepped on the scales, she realised that in the three months she had been using the sleep machine, she’d lost 10kg.
“It showed me what could happen if I made my health a priority,” says Danielle.
Danielle, with son Zeis, found it hard keeping up with her kids.
Together with her WW coach, Danielle decided to tackle her weight loss in five-kilo blocks to “feel like it was more achievable”. First, she began creating small, healthy habits, like making time to have breakfast every single day and swapping fast food for homemade meals the whole family could be a part of.
And then three months into her journey, COVID struck Aotearoa and WW meetings went from in-person to online. “I had no choice but to embrace it,” she tells. “I went to every single Zoom meeting that I could, making that time for myself.”
With takeaways closed, Danielle began making “fakeaway” meals. Each week, her children could pick their favourite fast food and Danielle would create a healthy version – sticky peanut butter chicken and pork chow mein were on high rotation.
And while she always loved going for long walks, as the weight began to melt away, Danielle was able to go on hikes with her youngest daughter and get involved in activities that she never dreamed her body was capable of.
“I love getting in the water and going for a swim with the kids,” she enthuses. “I’ve even tried stand-up paddle boarding. I’m no longer the parent that’s on the side- lines. I’m now the parent that’s running in the game.”
In September 2021, Danielle reached the incredible weight-loss milestone of 60kg and while she admits looking in the mirror is still a nerve-racking experience, she’s now proud of the woman staring back at her. She’s even had the excess skin around her stomach removed, which proved to be a life-changing experience.
Picking up Mum’s light work for Kaleb.
“It wasn’t until the apron was removed that I could finally see what everyone was saying about how different I looked,” she says. “It wasn’t a nip and a tuck, so I still have weird pockets of unevenness, but that’s me. I never wanted to wear a bikini – I just wanted to be healthy.”
She’s been sharing her experience – the highs, the lows and her tasty recipes – on her Facebook page, “Danielle Takoko’s WW journey”.
“I’ve got people who also have kids with disorders who message me and want to know how I do it, how I make time for myself and my health.”
Three years into her weight- loss journey, Danielle still attends meetings twice a week. To anyone who wants to get healthier, she has just one thing to say.
“You don’t have to wait until Monday to make the change,” she asserts. “Take it one meal at a time, one mindset at a time, one day at a time. Do it for you.”
