If you are one of those people who tried practically everything just to lose some weight, then you are just like me. Over the years, I have drunk herbal teas, swallowed diet pills and tried different diet regimes. I have discovered my obsession with self – the constant glance at the mirror just to remind me of my imperfection and that frustration and angst when I pull at my skin. I, like many women, is a victim of pregnancy fat most obvious from my bulging tummy, which has managed to attract the wrong attention and caused me to receive the wrong questions – the kind that further sinks you into your frustration at self at your inability to have shed the weight. It worries me more because I was much slimmer prior to my pregnancy nearly three years ago; I was a size ten, and now a size fourteen. You can imagine that I have to shed as much as ten to fifteen kilos to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight as I’ve got a wardrobe full of gorgeous clothes waiting to be worn and adored!

            There have been benefits though – I’ve got fuller breasts and bigger hips and buttocks which drive my husband crazy!!! Funny but it is true. I should be grateful that as a Nigerian woman married to a Nigerian man, being size fourteen should not be a problem at all, being that the majority of Nigerian men prefers voluptuous or curvy women. The average Nigerian man wants to see flesh, big breasts, wide hips and big, bouncy buttocks. It is fetish down here but we like it that way. I can’t begin to see reasons why Hollywood stars and celebrities have to be so skinny that they look like they need food! These days, E! Television leaves a sour taste on my tongue, so also is their sister network Style Network. I succeeded in ridding the negative and guilty feeling I got from watching Hollywood stars or reading glamour and style magazines. But I was not pleased with how I looked. After exploring diverse weight loss programmes, I finally succumbed to the truth – fad diets only lead to yoyo dieting. One season you are slimmer, next, you’ve gained the weight back. This was when I began to see things differently. I had to learn to tame my desire to lose weight and rather channelled my energy and passion into living healthy. So I started by introducing vegetables and fruits to my every diet, including toast. I indoctrinated my family as well so we were eating greens every single day. Nigeria is one country blessed with over one hundred tribes and cultures so I was opportune to learn various healthy soups and foods from every region of the country. I began cooking freshly sourced foods, eating much more fibres and thinking positive about my body and myself. I worked hard to love my body as it is, learning that I must love myself if I expect to be loved. I also learnt some great tricks about wearing the right kinds of clothes, which gave me added confident. By learning this new way of life and learning to take care of myself, my body and health, it became easier for me to embrace the weight loss regime.

If there is one thing that I have learnt, it is that exercising still remains the sure way to lose weight. So rather than depending on those diet pills or herbs that you love, complement that with adequate exercising. Start by setting realistic goals; work towards shedding some few pounds at a time; live right, eat right, think positive; feed your heart, soul and mind. Set yourself free from the obsession with self, love yourself like crazy and work towards living a good life. Have fun! Do something new each day! Embrace new ways of living! Before long, you will see that weight coming off.

Be good to yourself.