Dr Bongi
Dr Bongiwe Vilakazi (Dr Bongi), is passionate about weight management and the provision of sustainable weight management solutions. There are no short-cuts. Sustainable weight loss requires commitment, support, an ability and willingness to learn, to change, to adapt. She has been quoted saying, “Weight management is like learning a new language. We teach our clients to understand their environment, their triggers, to understand and speak Healthy Lifestyles, Nutrition, and Physical Activity. It is a process, not an event”.
Dr Bongi understands that beyond tailor-made individual weight management programmes, South Africa requires an affordable, and sustainable downstream weight management model.
South Africa is faced with significant obesity and overweight rates, which have impacted on the rise of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, Heart Disease, some Cancers, etc. A rise in NCDs on the back of ongoing Communicable (Infectious) Diseases, have resulted in the quadruple burden of disease that South Africa faces today. This has a direct impact on the cost and strain on the country’s healthcare system, and the economy of the country as a whole.
Dr Bongi is a qualified Medical Doctor, with extensive local and international experience. She has a BSc in Physiology and Biochemistry, an MBBCh, a Diploma in Emergency Medicine and is licensed to practice medicine in South Africa and in the USA. She also holds a Diploma in Aesthetic Medicine, and a Masters Degree in Obesity and Weight Management. Her interests lie within obesity and the management of obesity; the impact of obesity on the disease burden in the country; and the development of sustainable models to address Obesity and Overweight, and the resultant NCDs that can have a negative impact on a person’s activities of daily living. She has approached weight loss management and wellness with a clinical point of reference, placing an emphasis on positive clinical outcomes and early, sustainable and preventative health care interventions.
Addressing Obesity and Overweight therefore aims to curb NCDs at the root cause, thus supporting lengthier, healthier lives for all South Africans. At Wellness360, our aim is to help you on your weight loss journey, and drive change in our community and country as a whole towards preventative health care.