My decision to lose weight wasn’t like most people would describe theirs, I wasn’t insecure to a level, I didn’t care about what people would say and I wasn’t trying to exactly fit clothes better.
I had often had arguments with certain family members and friends when they would comment on how I looked, I was stubborn to a fault so I could handle them and make them even feel worse than me. I had even experienced situations where guys would make fun of how I looked in comparison to my then very skinny best friend but who cared right? Not me.
The day I decided to lose weight was a very normal day, I had woken up and just felt empty, I never really cared for mirrors but on this day I looked at myself and for the first time I wasn’t liking what I saw, I remember crying my eyes out and making the decision to lose weight. I wasn’t a big child growing up but without the knowledge of the right foods, I did lose myself. I remember saying to myself “you have experienced all of adulthood fat so maybe you should try the other side of the spectrum”.
A picture of me when I was younger.
I began by first making research, most people’s friend was google but mine at the time was YouTube. Just a simple search opened my eyes to endless possibilities of what I could do and the results from people who did them. Of course, I had tried losing weight before and simply failed but this time something was different, I was different.
My trial with weight loss first started with counting calories and practicing a 16/8 hour intermittent fast which involved limiting consumption of foods and calorie-containing beverages for a set window of eight hours per day and abstaining from food for the remaining 16 hours. Well, it wasn’t easy eating in just an 8-hour window because sometimes I had to sacrifice eating around friends and family. Also, counting calories wasn’t the easiest because most apps didn’t have the right calculations for Nigerian foods (I ended up using my fitnesspal app) but it still wasn’t all that. I had to learn certain tips like using green tea and coffee as an appetite suppressant during the 18 hours, moving my meals in case there was an event, and drowning in water which made a difference.
During this period, I also did try a lot of fad diets i.e. The three days water fast which aided me to lose my first 3kg, the military diet which I lost almost 2 kg and the 900 calorie egg diet which I lost 3 kg but gained it all back immediately I ate. To me, it was a trial and fail period and I didn’t mind the process at all.
I then started introducing certain exercises like the Chloe ting’s get abs in 2 weeks and the Koboko fitness HIIT workout and at a point, I could run, jump rope and do more complex exercises.
I continued with the intermittent fasting but I gradually had reduced my eating window to 4 hours daily and took a step to cut down fried foods, noodles and soda and at this point, I had lost about 10 kg which was very noticeable to even the visually impaired. I had started getting comments from people to stop losing weight and how awful I looked smaller but on the other hand, I also received loads of compliments. I really didn’t care about both though, I was doing it was my self and I had a goal.
Gradually, I moved on to practicing OMAD(one meal a day) after hitting a plateau which meant I only had an hour to eat while fasting for 23 hours. Now, this pushed me to my limits because at the same time I was exercising twice daily, I never encourage people to do this unless you really want to because it came with a lot of headaches and dizzy spells. I gradually learned to eat more in my window and that made everything better.
I overtime lost the remaining 10kg making it 20kg that was lost. I had started at 88kg which was considered overweight according to the BMI and in a year dropped down to 68kg.
It wasn’t easy but I would say one of the reasons I kept going was being able to exercise with my brother at the beginning of my journey. I haven’t gotten to my goal yet but I know I am gradually getting there.
SOME THINGS I LEARNED WHILE LOSING WEIGHT
•Do it for yourself and make up your mind because you cannot be forced to lose weight.
• You would feel so much better after you have lost a couple of pounds, both mentally and physically.
•People are going to talk, I still get comments on how “ugly” I look now. Just know your happiness is all that matters.
•It is a gradual process so don’t rush or overweigh yourself.
• Some days are harder than some, take it easy.
• Your diet plays a big role in weight loss, and there are so many empty calories we take daily.
• People will treat you differently and that is fine.
• Some months you wouldn’t lose anything and it is normal so just keep it up, Weight loss takes time.
• Find someone or something that would constantly be a source of motivation.
• Water is your friend, it helps with a lot.
• Try different things, what works for others might not work for you.
I have been able to help two people experience their weight loss journey through tweaking some of these tips and I hope it helps you too
Disclaimer
I am not a dietician or medical personnel, I am just sharing what worked for me, make your research also.
REFERENCES
For research
https://www.healthline.com
Chloe ting's ab workout
Koboko fitness HIIT
