I have talked about this before,explaining how and why I decided to lose weight but maybe I should make it a bit more practical by explaining what I did.
In January 2014,I was heavily pregnant with my son and awaiting his birth,I weighed 125kg,I was at about 37 weeks,my blood pressure was crazy and I could not wait to have this baby.In March,2015,I decided to wean my son who was now a year and two months old.At this time,I weighed about 118kg and I just told myself I was going to get rid of all these weight,I was going to lose at least 18kg and weigh a 100kg,I told my mum as much and she said to me,100kg is still a lot,try being between 90-95kg at least. I rolled my eyes and told her it was not possible,as at when I was getting married,I weighed about 93kg,you want me to go back to 2009?I am not sure that is possible,she laughed and said,I know you can do anything you really want to.

I decided on my 33rd birthday in June 2015 that I was going to lose weight. I decided I was not going to go on a diet,instead,I would change my lifestyle and find a way to eat myself to better health,so,the journey began,I wrote down what I wanted to do as I knew that putting down my thoughts and decisions would keep me accountable.First thing I did was to take out white bread from my diet,then I took out pastries and fried foods.I started running in the mornings and doing some indoor exercises,I did this till middle of 2016 and then I stopped running,you see,I hate routines and I am not an early morning person at all,I love to sleep late and wake up late, like 10,00am maybe(this is the aspect of being a mum I don’t enjoy,story for another day)By now,I weighed about 106kg and I just got stuck.

[sociallocker]I took part in a Facebook program around September 2016,on the program,I lost about 5kg,eating a certain way and exercising ,it was for 3 weeks,on the program,I didn’t take oil,no rice,no meats,lots of water and fruits and vegetables. After the program, I decided to start researching food that are readily available to me. With the help of an app I found online,I determined how many calories I should be eating,remember I said I did not want to be on a diet,rather,I wanted to change my lifestyle in a way that I could eat well ,eat what I enjoy and still be healthy. I wrote down several pages on my notepad,it was all about food,so I gradually started changing the things I eat.

People believe you have to eat like a sparrow to lose weight,for me,it is what you are eating that really matters. Like I earlier mentioned,I cut out bread from my list of foods,I do whole wheat bread once in a while,I like it toasted with a vegetable and egg sort of omelette.I did a list of everyday foods,once in a while ones and almost never ones.I also began to move away from the 3 square meals a day orientation and began to eat and also nibble if I am hungry and when I feel like it.Sometimes,I wake up ravenous and so I eat maybe sweet potatoes and sauce,or I take oats ,honey and milk(preferably skimmed)On days I am not particularly hungry,I take green tea with honey and lemon,with 2 hard boiled eggs.Then on days when I am feeling particularly bloated,I take a bowl of fruits,or I have a green smoothie(usually I use whatever I can find in my fridge but typically I do 50% fruits and 50% vegetable)I have found green smoothies particularly helpful when I feel constipated and bloated.

However,for lunch,I eat basically anything,I can decide to have beans and plantain porridge,have plantain amala with okra soup,yes,I eat swallow,like twice a week,I eat pounded yam like once in two months(during Christmas though,I had poundo yam and egusi soup twice in one week o).I also eat meat,fish and chicken. It could be rice and stew,or vegetable sauce;I only eat local rice,no more ‘foreign’ rice for me.I changed the way I make my soups too.This write up is getting longer than I planned o,I will just summarize it this way.I started being conscious of the things I eat and how it would impact my health,I stopped eating processed foods and drinks,for instance,I only take water,no fizzy drinks,no sugary drinks,just plain old water. I stopped eating pasta,now that was a battle as spaghetti used to be my favourite food,now,I am not even tempted when I see it. I snack a lot,on things like avocados,apples,dates,coconut,cucumber,groundnuts,cashews,garden eggs.I also cook with a lot of spices,ginger,garlic and so on. I try to eat fruits and vegetables everyday,I like colour in my food,so carrots,greens,purples are good for me.Did I mention that I drink a lot of water,I can’t say exactly how much but thinking about it,I think I may be taking up to 5 liters of water,if not more everyday,

I eat everything naturally grown,I eat more beans now than I have ever eaten.Erm I don’t run anymore,I have not done so for over a year now. I walk every opportunity I get,I take the stairs a lot rather than take the lift,then I do the odd squats when I remember while bathing. I am at 85kg and I add one or two kilograms from time to time,I didn’t think I could lose this much weight after two kids but I did and I feel great and full of energy and my skin looks amazing too.

However,know that whatever plans you have to lose weight or add weight must be what YOU want,not because you want to do it for someone else.Also it has to be something sustainable,that is why I have said it has to be a lifestyle change,there has to be a shift in your thought processes,there is no quick fix. There is no pill,at least not for me.
I like where I am,I hope to remain here for as long as I can.I contemplated going down to 80kg but naaaa,I would look too drawn and dry. And please let me add that exercise is great o,if you can stick with the routine,please exercise as much as you can,it is good for your heart.

There you go!This is a summary of what I did,if there are any more questions, erm…
Remember to be happy with who you are,regardless of your size.
Photo Credit: www.makeameme.org[/sociallocker]