Hello 9jafoodie nation, I hope 2015 has been kind to you. I am starting off the year with something I do not usually do; it’s a very personal post about my weight loss journey. Healthy eating and weight loss on an African diet is something near and dear to my heart and such a big part of what I intend to do in the future. I am currently in school learning more about Healthy eating; nutrition & weight loss and I hope to help as many people as I can with my education.

A little about my journey:

I wasn’t completely conscious about my body until I was about 16 years old, this was after high school and I was about 110lbs (50kg). I stayed back home for two years and I gained 30lbs (14kg). I am only 5ft 4 so I was a chunky teenager. I still wasn’t very serious about my health/weight at this point. I moved to Canada for university and by late 2006 I was 164 lbs (74kg). This was the heaviest point in my life and a very dark point in my teenage years. See, excess weight has a very funny way of making you look way older than you actually are.

Majority of the weight was gained in one summer, I completely remember that summer, eating egusi soup with goat meat for lunch almost all summer and being a complete couch potato

Fat Routine

This picture was taken in my college dorm, this was my diet and cooking routine twice a week

It was later in the fall of 2007 that I decided to take charge of things and I have been on that journey ever since.

Weight loss is a journey, it’s something that happens over time and requires conscious effort. My journey started with just exercises, I worked out six days a week but didn’t pay much attention to my diet. I gained muscle definition but there were absolutely no changes on the scale. It wasn’t until I completed an overhaul of my diet that I saw changes in my weight and reduction to my waistline.

Between late 2011 and 2012, I was at my lowest weight since my large weight gain at 134 -136lbs (<62kg). I wasn’t working out at that point and I was on a complete Nigerian diet (I honestly cant live without my naija food)

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L-R 155lbs (This wasn’t my heaviest & I wasn’t 20 yet!) , 140lbs (optimal weight), 136lbs

Another major issue for most women I have spoken with is pregnancy weight gain. I have recently experienced this first hand. In 2014 I was pregnant with first child and by 40 weeks, I had gone from 138 lbs (63kg ) to 186lbs (84kg). Mind you, I didn’t have pregnancy cravings and my portions were just a little bigger than prior.

The 48 pounds gained scared me; I was concerned about being chubby again. I heard so many stories of how weight “fall off” with breast-feeding; this definitely wasn’t the case for me. The first 15 lbs came off easily (this happened in the first week). Then everything stopped, 3 weeks went by and there were no further changes. This was when I got on a personalized meal plan and lost another 25lbs over the weeks. 3 months postpartum, with conscious diet management, I have lost 40lbs (18kg)

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L-R 40 Weeks 186lbs , 3 months postpartum 148lbs

My point being, don’t be discouraged if you gain a lot of weight while pregnant, you can have your body back with healthy modifications to your diet.

This is going to be a great year, I intend to do a lot more in the healthy eating space and I will keep all of you informed as things unfold.

My Healthy Journey Mantras

  • Never take weight loss advice from someone who has never been fat
    • I really just hate it when people who have never been fat talk about weight loss – maybe I am just hating though. Two of my closest friends are size zeros; they eat whatever they want at whatever time of day and just don’t gain weight. Some people are genetically predispositioned to be skinny and that’s okay. But please! If you haven’t been there, sussssh!!
  • Seek personalized help for weight loss from professionals; one size DOESN’T fit all when it comes to diet.
    • I cannot stress this enough. What works for someone else will not necessarily work for you. Metabolisms are different. If you are serious about your health, you need to get on a plan designed specifically for you.

I hope this post encourages everyone on a healthy eating journey in this new year, do not give up, do not fall for gimmicks, seek professional help and remember that one bad day does not ruin your journey.

We have so much to share and I hope we can all learn from one another. What are your weight loss / healthy goals for 2015?

For those looking to just lose belly fat, I have a post coming up for you. What are your thoughts on losing belly fat without losing weight?

Are you on weight (fat) loss / healthy eating journey? Please share your story.

If you will like professional diet/nutrition help, please send me an email & I will connect you with the right people. (Ronke at 9jafoodie.com)

For those starting out, read published articles below on quick ways to lose weight with Nigerian Food

Lose Weight on a Nigerian Diet with Lose It Nigerian (LIN)