FIRST, MY STORY...

New year, new things….

A year ago I never imagined I would be doing what I am doing now, let alone be writing about it.  A year ago I never thought I would get to a point where i would become passionate about living healthy or helping someone else become healthy.  Ha! Who would have thought? My weight-loss journey has been a very long and emotional one and writing about it means sharing a sensitive part of me with the world.  Shortly I will share how I came around to starting my weight-loss process but first of all let me explain why I have decided to blog about it.

The past few months a lot of people, especially ladies, ask me so many weight-loss related questions and in trying to answer them the best way I can, I realize that a lot of them are clueless, ignorant or have simply soaked up in myths about weight-loss. Sometimes I find it difficult to reach out to everyone who sends in their questions because of my tight schedule. So I decided to create a section on this blog which I will use to cover a broad range of topics regarding weight-loss. I do realize I will be putting myself in the spotlight by doing this but having given it a good thought, I decided it is best to share what I do with other women who are struggling with their weight especially in Nigeria. I still have a long way to go but I have also come a long way and I believe my experiences so far will help someone decide to hop on this fit wagon or help someone struggling with their journey.

I will like to emphatically state that I am NOT a nutritionist, weight-loss expert or professional health coach or trainer. Whatever I share over time will strictly be what I do that works for me. It can be used as a guide especially for people who are just starting out ; but I encourage everyone to do their own research and find what works for them because everyone is different.  I intend to share recipes of healthy meals (Nigerian foods especially) that I make, my workout routines, how I stay motivated and generally any other things that comes with my journey.  if there are any other aspects of weight-loss anyone is interested in seeing me discuss, please drop your comments below or send me a message directly and I will try to be as honest as possible

so here’s my story:

THE BEGINNING - I grew up as the chubby kid, chubby friend, chubby

R: Me in 2012 during my NYSC,  L: Me in Dec 2015

schoolmate…wait, who am I kidding? I was FAT! Lol.  I was constantly taunted about my weight and to make matters worse I was blessed with big hips and a generous behind. It was called baby fat as a kid and all the adults then said “she will outgrow it” Well I didn’t. Fast forward to when I had to stay at home for a year waiting to get into the university and the baby fat graduated to obesity. This time around people said “not everyone is meant to be slim” At 17 years I weighed about 75kg and by the time I finished university at 23 years I weighed over 100kg! I am barely 5ft 3" so you can imagine how all that weight made me look like - ROUND

Don’t get it wrong, I did try so many times to lose weight (especially trying fad diets and taking all manner of pills or concoctions) but somehow I piled it on again and I gave up so easily when I wasn’t seeing results fast.

MY EYE OPENER- In June 2014, after series of tests in the UK I was diagnosed with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome popularly called PCOS That was the first time I was hearing about it and I was truly afraid. Thankfully I was told it wasn’t cancerous or deadly but it messes up with a woman’s hormones. Sadly, one of the side effects of PCOS is USUAL WEIGHT GAIN and guess what? There is NO CURE for it. However, I was told that it could only be managed by losing weight. Hello???? How can I lose weight when the damn thing makes me gain weight? Of course this means that any effort to lose weight will be fought and I will have to put in twice the effort a normal person puts in. Phew! Was I ready for this stress? I took about two weeks to think about this and I eventually decided to try it out.

I began my weight loss journey in July 2014 weighing over 125kg and with a BMI of 49 screaming OBESITY. I decided I wanted a faster method so I went with the Cambridge diet –just another sophisticated fad diet if you ask me. This diet involves not eating any regular food but their shakes and soup. I really don’t know how I survived the 2months I signed up for but I managed to and lost a whooping 18kg in just those 9weeks! Yea the feeling of victory was good and I was beginning to love the new me. But it was short lived.

In September 2014 I lost my dad suddenly. That loss was unbearable and I was in a huge shock. I became depressed and by March 2015 I had automatically gained nearly all the weight back (about 13-15kg) 

GETTING IT RIGHT- April 2015 I decided to start all over again but this time the right way. I began to read about the best and effective way to shed weight without gaining it back. I wanted something sustainable. My research told me it was exercise and eating healthy! Of course I thought that meant not eating certain foods but I was wrong. I realized I could eat ANYTHING and still get results. I saw people on social media (Instagram doing it and I wanted to do it badly too).  I started out by jogging for about 45mins – an hour, 4-5 days a week then later registered in a gym. I later discovered the benefits of weight lifting and I incorporated that into my routine. NO, weight training doesn’t make a woman look like a man (topic for another day lol). 

My workout now includes cardio and weight training 5-6 days a week.  I changed my method of cooking and way of eating- I eat small portions, I eat less processed foods, use little or no oil to cook even my soups or stew, avoided simple carbs, eat more complex carbs, lean protein, vegetables and tons of water!  Like the popular sayings – WEIGHT LOSS IS 70% WHAT YOU EAT AND 30% WORKOUT and ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN.

PROGRESS- so far I have lost over 29kg bringing my weight to 95kg. I know PCOS slows down my progress but I am still happy with how far I have come. I have another 20kg to go but I will be taking it one day at a time.

CURRENT PROGRESS- 125kg Versus 95kg

I want someone reading this who has lost hope about losing weight to know that it is still possible!

I want women to realize that there is no magic about weight-loss, you simply need to put in work and get results!

I want someone to know that you can enjoy yourself and still lose weight. No need for the strenuous restrictions we hear about.

Is it easy? NO. but is it doable? YES! Will it be worth it? Oh YES!!

**P.S- you can follow my journey on Instagram for daily motivation, my daily workout routines, meals  and struggles (@ella_az) 

ELLA