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Humans of RCL FOODS: Bianca Waterman
Bianca Waterman is 24 kilograms lighter than she was a year and a half ago. But that number isn’t where her story starts. It starts with a decision to take her health seriously, and to keep showing up for it, even when life stayed busy.
She grew up in Johannesburg and moved into the working world young. Straight out of high school, she stepped into her career and kept going. Thirty years later, she’s still someone who knows how to show up, do the work, and carry responsibility without making a fuss about it.
Today, Bianca works as an Assistant Category Manager in pies at RCL FOODS. Outside of work, life is full in a different way. She’s part of a blended household with four children, which means there’s always something happening. School runs, dinners, conversations that only really start once the day finally slows down. In the evenings, she often walks with the kids, not as a routine, but as a moment. Time to talk. Time to breathe.
For a long time, Bianca did what many of us do. She focused on what was right in front of her. Work needed attention. Family came first. Her own health became something she assumed she’d get to later.
She didn’t ignore it. It just quietly slipped down the list.
That changed at a doctor’s appointment in 2024.
Tests showed she was pre-diabetic, with cholesterol levels far higher than they should be. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was sobering.
“I realised I had to look after myself in order to look after my daughter,” Bianca says. “I’m her person.”
There was no big reset. No perfect moment. Bianca started where she was.
She began with food. Cutting back on empty calories. Reducing processed foods. Cooking more at home. Reading, researching, figuring things out as she went. She learned what worked for her body and, just as importantly, what she could realistically stick to.
“It had to work in my life as it is,” she says. “Otherwise I knew I wouldn’t keep it up.”
Nothing was banned. Pizza is still her favourite meal. Rice and potatoes never disappeared. Meal prep never became something she loved, and she’s honest about that. Dinner often becomes lunch the next day because that’s what works in a busy household.
Movement followed the same thinking. Bianca joined the gym, but walking became her constant. Morning walks when time allowed. Gym sessions during the week. Circuit training to build strength. Evening walks with the kids that felt more like family time than exercise.
Five days a week is the aim. Some weeks she hits it. Some weeks she doesn’t. What matters is that she always comes back.
While the changes showed up on the scale, more importantly, they showed up in how she felt.
She talks about feeling healthier. Having more energy, getting sick less often, feeling comfortable in her clothes again and her doctor noticed the difference too. Medication helped manage her health conditions, but it was the lifestyle change that made the real impact.
At work, her colleagues noticed early and encouraged her along the way. The National Office gym challenge added a layer of friendly accountability, and Bianca went on to win it. What stayed with her was the support, not the title.
At home, the change showed up in a small moment that meant everything.
“My daughter told me she can put her arms around me properly now,” Bianca says.
Bianca still has goals. She’s honest about that. But she’s not chasing a finish line. She’s built something that fits into her real life. Busy. Full. Sometimes messy.
If you ask her what advice she’d give someone starting out, she keeps it simple.
“Make changes you can live with,” she says. “Then keep doing them.”
