On December
7th 2014, as I was walking in our town of Eldoret, I noticed one of
those weighing scales people place on the pavements. There was a man beside it
rattling a handful of coins, ostensibly to attract potential “weighing-in”
customers. I took notice because of late, I had been feeling quite heavy; and
not in a good way. I was fast outgrowing most of my clothes and most of the
ones that fit me could only just barely do so. I had got into the habit of
getting into track suits and other baggy clothes as soon as I got home from
work since I would be quite uncomfortable. I was also feeling pain in my ankles
if I stood for too long.
I had some
coins in my pocket and decided to check my weight. The digital numbers on the
scale flickered like the micro-seconds on a stop watch until they stopped at
101.5 Kilograms. I could not believe it. It looked like a bad joke but there it
was. The man had a chart of ideal weights based on BMI (Body Mass Index). For
my height, the maximum weight I should have is 78 Kilograms. I was 23.5
Kilograms over my ideal weight. I was not over-weight; I was obese. Right there and then I knew I had to do something
but I didn’t know what.
The
following day I was on the internet researching. I found a weight-loss program
which looked simple enough (at least it did on paper). It entailed 3 major
items which I have explained in detail below and which I have tried to follow
since that fateful day in December. They are;
Diet
I came to
learn (the hard way) that all the weight we carry on our bodies comes from the
food we eat. I have always loved my food and could afford room for any tasty
delicacy. I also learnt that the part of the diet that gets converted to fat
most readily is carbohydrates. I therefore had to reduce my carbohydrates to
the kind of amounts that can induce tears in food addicts like me. Coming down
from the kind of ‘Ugali’ that casts a shadow on the table to a slice the size
of my fist took a serious fear of death from obesity for me to pull off. I also
had to go easy on my beloved chapattis all the way down to one from a previous
minimum of four.
Veggies now
had to become the in-thing. All that space previously occupied by carbohydrates
had to be taken over by any kind of greens I could lay my hands on. I learnt
that you can’t over-dose on veggies. Now I know why Popeye was stronger and
healthier than Wimpy (Those too young to get the inference can google).
My aim was
not just to lose weight, but to keep it away. To do this, I had to have both a
short term plan (see about carbohydrates above), and a long term plan. The long
term plan (which is still in operation), entailed building muscle. To do this,
I had to increase my protein intake. Any protein can do but in my case I opted
for cereals such as beans and lentils.
The ratio in
diet was not just in relation to the quantities of the different foods as
explained above. It also had to do with the ratio of amounts taken during
different meals. I therefore take a heavy breakfast with lots of protein. (The
word heavy here is relative; not as heavy as it was before my diet started). My
lunch is a small (I ensure this by using a very small plate). I don’t eat
supper as a meal. I just snack (usually on a cup of nuts or a fruit). I take 10
o’clock tea with 2 slices of bread and 4 o’clock tea plain (no sugar in the
tea).
Water
The
importance of water in weight loss is such that it cannot be discussed as part
of diet. It is a topic all on its own. I have never been one to take a lot of
water. I could go for weeks without drinking plain water. During my research
however, I discovered that water was so important not just for weight loss, but
also for general well being.
It was difficult
at first to take the minimum recommended 2 litres a day. I overcame this by
having a jug of water on my desk all day. I then apportioned how much I needed
to take during every session of the day. I came up with 1 litre (4 glasses) in
the morning before I left for work, 1 litre over the course of the day, and at
least a ½ litre in the evening when I got home from work. I am now able to
comfortably take 3 litres every day.
The benefit
of water in weight loss is two-fold. First, it occupies the space that could
have been taken up by food thereby leaving you feeling full and with less
appetite. Secondly, water is the solvent the body requires to metabolise all
that fat you want to lose. It cleans out all the internal organs and makes me
feel quite vibrant. I prefer to take my water warm or hot instead of cold
whenever possible.
Exercise
All the
people who have been following my progress agree on everything I recommend
apart from one, exercise. Ideally, you don’t need exercise to lose weight. You
can lose weight by just following my diet and water taking regime outlined
above. Exercise however, determines where the weight you lose comes from.
I learnt
that when the body is starved through dieting, it is just being induced to use
what it has stored instead of relying on food. It therefore has two choices. It
can either burn fat or muscle. It is harder for the body to metabolise fat than
it is to burn muscle. Exercise is the only way of convincing the body that it
still needs the muscles so that it can only concentrate on burning the fat.
People who
diet without exercising can discard all the unwanted pounds on the scale and
still retain their unsightly pot bellies. This needs not be the case.
Personally I jog for 20 minutes 5 days a week. I don’t run far or fast, but I
try to be consistent. If you can’t run, try skipping rope for 20 minutes a day.
It will have the same, if not better, result as running.
I have so
far lost 18.5 Kilograms half of which I lost in the first month of my program.
I still need to lose 5 more kilos but am no longer under pressure to do so. I
have also shed 5 inches off my waist from 42 to 37.
P.S. The main disadvantage of weight
loss is the urgent need of a new wardrobe whose budget you will almost always
never think about when you are starting on the program.
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