MY WEIGHTLOSS STORY: HOW I LOST 50KG IN ONE WEEK

By Sejoro Tonuewa

You probably clicked on this, hoping to see a “magical” method which would help you lose weight with little or no efforts – probably tea or other supplements. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, no such method exists! Yes, I’m pretty sure you’ve come across a lot of adverts promising you similarly outrageous results, with very convincing pictures to prove it. If indeed such a product that would result in you losing weight so drastically in such a short amount of time exists, then you’d not want to try it out as it would be unhealthy, with dire consequences. WHO defines obesity and overweight “as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health” and is often measured using the BMI (body mass index). This is simply the ratio of one’s weight to the square of their height (weight/ height²). Generally, a BMI within the range of 18.5 -25.0 is considered ideal/desirable for healthy adults. Less than 18.5 is considered underweight and greater than 30.0 is considered obese.

There are several health benefits to losing weight: obesity is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thus, losing weight helps to reduce the risks for these conditions, as well as to improve management. Also, losing weight helps to reduce the risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, alleviating sleep apnea, osteoarthritis as well as some allergenic reactions. So, while it is desirable to lose weight (if overweight), it is also important to do it the healthy way. Most products including teas and supplements, techniques aimed at drastic weight loss are at best ineffective and at worst harmful. If you’re looking too lose some weight, then here’s how to do it right:

Eat right: You probably weren’t expecting that, right? I mean that’s all you see and read about in all weight loss programs. They keep saying, you don’t eat this and don’t eat that, basically – all the good stuff!!! Eating right doesn’t mean not eating the “good stuff”. It doesn’t mean skipping meals, becoming obsessed with counting calories, binge eating or any other harmful eating habits. It simply means eating healthy things. This is not just good for losing weight but for your general health. A school of thought believes (and probably rightly so) that every disease can be linked to what we eat.

Still don’t understand what eating right means, maybe the following tips might help:

• Cut down on carbohydrates, especially refined grains and sugars.
• Eat food rich in proteins and whole grains.
• Eat food low in unhealthy fat (sources of healthy fats include: olive oil, peanut butter, canola oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, avocados, nuts, walnuts, fish oil, soymilk, mackerel, salmon, trout etc. Eat more of these)
• Eat lots of fruits and low carb vegetables such as bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach etc.
• Drink water instead of sweetened drinks. You can also substitute with low-fat milk and small quantities of 100% fruit juice.
• Eat smaller portions of food more frequently (every 3-4 hours). Don’t eat large portions of food all at ones.
• Snack on proteins instead. In place of cake or fries, try nuts and eggs.
• Include proteins in all your meals.
• Don’t skip breakfast.
• Avoid eating late at night.
• Drink a lot of water regularly.
• Control emotional eating. Find better ways to deal with your emotions and stress. Recognize your triggers and deal with them.
• Your meals don’t have to be boring! Be creative. Research. Discover new and healthier ways to prepare your dishes, and you can do this even on a low budget. Instead of that gala, how about an apple, or instead of that soda how about soya milk?
• Be active. A sedentary lifestyle is a gateway to a whole lot of diseases. So, get active! Your heart and general health will thank you for it. This doesn’t mean 3 hours of benching or other rigorous exercises. Start small, start with what you can handle and build it up. Spread your workouts over the day, rather than 2 hours at a go, how about 30mins at several times in the day. It also mustn’t be in the gym. So, rather than use a motorcycle or tricycle, how about taking a walk to that place instead? The 20 minutes spent walking would be worth it. If it’s a walkable distance, walk instead.

It is important, to know, however, that what works for A, may not work for B, so that diet regimen or exercise plan is not the gold standard for weight loss. Don’t be discouraged even if that plan doesn’t work out for you, don’t be scared to try out new things. However, don’t expect results to be immediate. Patience, commitment and consistency are paramount.
Most importantly, get your information from the right sources. Your local pharmacist will sure be a good start.