Journey back to self

Before my wedding in 2010,  I was a size 12. I really cannot remember my weight back then, but I  guess it was somewhere around 76kg . My height  is 1.7m.  so even though I was slim by some people’s opinion I was still overweight.  However, I was able to shed a lot of weight due to preparations for the wedding as I remember that my size 12 wedding gown which was fitted four weeks before the wedding was loose on my wedding day..

October 2010

I got pregnant  three months after my wedding and I just blew up out of proportion. I gained so much weight during the pregnancy that on the day I went into labour in October 2011, I weighed 100kg. I was so bothered by my weight gain during pregnancy that I tried a few times to watch what I ate so as not to add more weight. At some point during that pregnancy, I had an episode of glycosuria (sugar in my urine) which is a pointer to diabetes in pregnancy. That episode got me really scared, and from them on, I avoided sugary stuff for that period. But out of ignorance, I was still eating white rice, white bread etc. luckily I didn’t have another episode of glycosuria and it didn’t progress to diabetes in pregnancy.

After my first child, I maintained 95kg for a while. During this period, I was working at a clinic where I worked Mondays to Saturdays. I tried a number of starvation and fad diets during that period to shed weight and take me away from the 90 range. I would lose like 3kg, get tired and stop, then add the weight back. And then I go back to where I was coming from. The process became a swing for me

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I later got another job where I was not obliged to be at work every day. I had more time on my hands to sleep most of the days. During this period, I ate a lot of junk and at a point; I reached 100kg (thanks to my husband). My waist circumference was 40 inches and I couldn't dare to go out of my house without my body magic.

November 2012

When I was pregnant for my second child, I was ill, vomiting and couldn't eat for like the first 4 months. I l lost quite a lot of weight and as at 4 months,  I was 91kg. On the day that I checked into the hospital for my delivery, I was 108kg.  wow, you would say. That was my highest ever. Few months after delivery I had maintained my weight at 101kg and waist circumference 42.

October 2013

Then came January 7, 2014, the day I decided to take charge of my weight. I didn't want to be referred to as the fat doctor anymore. I didn't want people older than me almost kneel down to greet me cos i looked 

like 7 years older than I really was.

And then I started studying food and with the help of my cousin Peju, and a few online courses on nutrition, the journey back to self and beyond began. I understood carbohydrates and their place in the body system. I was educated about the food type that is suitable for the body. I understood the devastating effect of sugar in all forms particularly High Fructose Corn Syrup on my health and waist line. The place of proteins and fats was well understood. I appreciated the importance of fruits, vegetables, nuts etc. and the importance of nutritional supplements and which was best for me. The essence of physical activities and water was emphasized. Then the effortless weight shedding process began.

Every month I stepped on the scale, I would smile .

The first day I saw 8 in front of the values on the weighing scale, it was like I just won a million bucks. When I go out and people commented on my weight loss, I felt like a star.

April 2014

When the 70s on the scale came, everyone wanted to know how I did it. Thereafter, I started coaching people, helping them change the way they see food. I’ll like to tell you there was no time during this period that I was starving myself. Particularly, when I got the right nutrition supplement. It just got easier from then on.

There were temptations along the way (with me living with the King of Junk, wink), but I learnt how to deal with them and I gave myself occasional treats. And I learned to make those treats myself using healthier alternatives.

Right now I weigh 71kg and a size 10 or 8 (if it’s for tall people) and my waist circumference is 30.5 inches.

August 2014

I am not there yet as after reaching ‘self’, there is still the ‘after self’ which is at most 65 kg.

Now you've heard my story. What's yours?

 You can do it, if I could.

ADVICE OF THE DAY: Listen to your body