“This Can’t Be the Same Person”: SA Reacts to Taxi Driver’s Physical Transformation After 3 Years

• A man on TikTok surprised netizens when he showed how his taxi driver friend changed in three years
• The taxi driver went from having a slim physique in his first week on the job to currently having a fuller figure
• Internet users were in disbelief and expressed their shock in the comment section when they saw the man
• Rudo Tshabalala, a clinical dietitian, shared with Briefly News the foods taxi drivers can eat to keep healthy while on the road

Local online community members were surprised to see how a Cape Town taxi driver's physical appearance changed within three years.

Taking to TikTok, a man using the handle @theobal4 shared a video of his friend starting as a taxi driver on 23 January 2021. The smiling driver had a slim physique as he sat in his vehicle during the first week of his new job.

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The video then cuts to a recent look of the driver, who has a fuller figure, sitting down and eating a plate of food in a home. @theobal4 shared two more clips of the man looking completely different to what he had looked like three years ago.

@theobal4 captioned his post:

"What is it that these taxi drivers eat at this rank? My friend is fat now."

Watch the video below:

Clinical dietician advises what taxi drivers should eat

Speaking to Briefly News, clinical dietician Rudo Tshabalala explained that taxi drivers spend most of their days seated, which increases their risk for conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

"Taxi drivers also spend so much time on the road that they mostly eat what is readily and easily accessible, such as vetkoeks, street foods, cooldrinks and energy drinks. This further increases their risks for diseases of lifestyle."

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Rudo does not suggest that drivers travel with home-cooked meals, as they must be warmed and may get spoilt in the heat. Instead, she suggests having a whole-grain wheat breakfast and pairing it with fruits like bananas. For lunch, a full plate with starch, vegetables, and protein or a sandwich with simple fillings such as tuna, eggs, beans, chicken, or tinned fish can do the trick.

While it is important to drink fluids throughout the day, the clinical dietician adds:

"They can drink water or a cordial drink, like Oros or a zero-sugar cooldrink, rather than having an energy drink with caffeine."

Regarding dinner, Rudo says:

"Supper might be the only meal they can eat in a relaxed environment. They can try to include at least two vegetable servings and a protein with this meal. It is also important not to have supper too late, at least one to two hours before bedtime."

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Mzansi in disbelief at taxi driver's physical transformation

Social media users flooded the comment section to express their shock about the man's weight transformation.

@lockgod5 jokingly said:

"My guy hits his target early and just enjoys the rest of the money."

@tshepotsomo wrote in the comments:

"I had to watch the video twice to confirm it was you. That signifies happiness."

The transformation shocked @tth0073, who said:

"Never, this can’t be the same person."

@maphakathi3 humorously compared themselves to the taxi driver:

"Then there's me, who always has the fridge full, but I eat one or two small meals a day. I am too lazy to chew. I can't even finish a burger."

@zona_zilungile laughed and said:

"Nothing slaps harder than a plate at the taxi rank."

Taxi driver babysits woman's three-month-old daughter during interview

In a related article, Briefly News reported a woman who shared that a taxi driver saved her day after he looked after her infant child while she attended a job interview.

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The lady's story touched many people as they flooded her comment section to praise the man for his kind gesture.

Source: Briefly News