Eight years ago, I was at the peak of my heaviest and unhealthiest – I hit 101kgs and was steadily heading towards building concrete 3-digit-figure on the scale. I suffered from, and struggled with obesity. I was trudging down a very slippery and precarious road health-wise. Many a times, I wished I was slimmer, had a toned body, looked my age or perfectly fit in skinny jeans. Unfortunately, my all-round shaped belly and corpulent burst had no room for my fashionista desires. My stout deltoid muscles seemed alien in sleeveless garments, I could go on and on. I was FAT, SHAPELESS and OBESE!! The notion of being declined by boutique attendants even before my right foot made it passed the first square meter of any boutique entrance was disconcerting! ‘We don’t have anything in your size’ was a familiar greeting! On several occasions, I had to provide justification for my age for I didn’t look like it. I looked twice as old! I was in a sorry state with my health and wellness. The sad bit is how much ignorant I was about the fatal risks and implications I had zoned myself in because of my weight. Once in a while, I tried swimming and even subscribed to a couple of gyms in hope that the weight would go low but all was in vain. The more I tried, the more weight I gained! I was so frustrated and convinced that my weight was here to stay.
I got the final wake-up call in 2015 shortly after moving to Nairobi, Kenya. During one of my routine health check-ups, after running several tests, the doctor presented to me a compendium of risks my weight was exposing me to. These included hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), blood clots to mention but a few! He gave me a health pep talk and implored me to urgently do something about it before it was too late. Some of all this sounded so familiar – you see, I had witnessed my late dad (May he rest in peace) struggle with burdens of managing diabetes and hypertension for a bigger part of his life. It wasn’t only inconveniencing, emotionally draining, but also painful to watch him self-administer an insulin shot every morning, panic whenever he ran out of or forgot to take his meds on time. The irony about such conditions is that once you catch them, many are irreversible! The great news is that you can do something to avoid them in the first place!
I closed the door behind me with my mind made up; enough was enough! I made a mental resolution to wage war against my monstrous weight at all costs! Our relationship had gone sour – I was done and over it! Indeed, by the grace of God I identified a good gym and signed up a professional weight loss coach. As much as the journey ahead of me seemed unfamiliar, my mind was up for it. I kept an open mind and was eager to learn. I recurrently visualized myself snap back to size 8. Yes, I used to be this small-bodied in my teenage age before life happened (sigh). The first month of my weight loss journey was horrible! My entire body would hurt and sore like hell during and after my workouts. On some days, I walked like a duck after the intense workouts. I was so unfit! Despite the bumpy road, I just kept going, I showed up whether I felt like it or not, I had a target, my eyes were fixed on the prize. Within six months, the results started to show; my flexibility, mobility, agility, strength and endurance were escalating by day. My weight and inches started to drop and oscillate in the anti-clockwise direction. I made visits to the tailor after every fortnight to re-size my oversized clothes until I couldn’t keep up! I had to change my entire wardrobe! I was happier, more confident and more productive. Seeing results motivated me to keep going, I knew I was doing something right! And for the past 6 years, I consistently showed up and just moved my body! I then began to embrace the journey and deeply fall in love with fitness and everything to do with it. I have since changed from size UK 16 to size 10, from 98kgs to 68kgs, with my height of 5‘7, I am now healthy according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) indicator- I am still work in progress with my fitness goals! Physically, unlike before, I now have a properly defined waistline, my legs are well toned and sturdy, my arms are much stronger and leaner, and I even got a better shaped butt (Selah). Beyond the physical, the transformation has spilled over to my mental and spiritual life- I can comfortably say I am whole. Has the journey been easy? Absolutely not! Has it been worth it? Every little bit of it!
Statistics according to the World Health Organization (WHO) show that more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight in 2016. Of these, over 650 million adults were obese. In 2016, 39 percent of adults aged 18 years and over (39 percent of men and 40 percent of women) were overweight. Overall, about 13 percent of the world’s adult population (11 percent of men and 15 percent of women) was obese in 2016. The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rapidly increasing in the world, including the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Notably, most of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight. Over weight and obesity are major risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as: cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death according to WHO in 2012; diabetes; musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints); some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).
A growing body of literature demonstrates an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in sub-Saharan Africa. At the E. African regional level, we are experiencing a rapid increase in the rates of overweight and obesity. Data from the demographic health surveys shows that there has been a significant increase in this prevalence specifically among men and women in the urban cities in the past 8 years. According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (1995–2016), there is a significant prevalence of obesity and overweight amongst men and women (especially within the reproductive age) in Uganda in the urban areas as compared to the rural areas. This variance was attributed to sedentary lifestyle, demographic and nutritional transitions including access to and consumption of high-calorie diets as major contributing factors associated with obesity and overweight in the rural population.
I hope you will agree with me that these statistics are rather daunting. I have taken time to study, research and sit at the feet of some of the very best fitness gurus and coaches in the region the past 6 years. Particularly, I have been mentored; trained and coached by Mr. Maurice Odera, the Proprietor of Ultra Fitness Gym in Nairobi, Kenya the past 4 years in addition to facilitating my weight loss journey. I recently returned home with a deep conviction and desire to reach those struggling with obesity and over weight in Uganda and Africa. Drawing from my own experience and expertise in the fitness industry for over 6 years in Uganda and Kenya, I wish to contribute to the higher overarching vision of transforming health and wellness in Africa.
Does my personal weight loss transformation and fitness journey or any part of it resonate with you? I would be happy to connect with you at admin@p3-8.com
Don’t struggle ALONE!