ONE PHONE CALL AND THE TRANSFORMATION AFTER.

My weight loss journey started in July 2012 when I made that phone call about 10.20am from my office to my soon to be Consultant, and it has been an amazing journey since then. I have never looked back. Going down memory lane, I had always been a plus size for most of my adult life and of course felt comfortable in my own skin. It actually never crossed my mind that I could ever be a slim person because I just figured, that’s the way I am and will probably always be like that. I just felt as long I was big and stylish….it was okay.

My diet was pretty much like the average Nigerians which consisted of pretty much everything I grew up eating; white bread, rice, garri, indomie, fried plantain, beef, yam, pasta, fizzy drinks, refined sugar and all other starchy foods that are responsible for all the weight we all pile on. My idea of a snack was plantain chips, doughnut, cake, chin chin, wafers and other sweet confectioneries. The truth is I didn’t know any better and therefore continued to feed my body with all these harmful foods and piled on weight.

CAMBRIDGE DIET

It wasn’t until sometime 2 years ago, when I heard people talking about Cambridge and how people were losing weight etc that my interest in losing weight was spiked. I actually wondered if it was possible for me to become slim?? ?lol. Finally, someone in my office, right under my nose who weighed a whopping 120kg dropped like 2 dress sizes after about 2 months into the diet….It was like a film trick. I was stunned with utter disbelief. I called her and of course asked her what she did, and behold, it was the Cambridge diet. I immediately asked her to tell me about the diet and how it worked, and also how I could go about it.

I made that phone call to the Cambridge consultant and set an appointment date. I started the diet July 2012 and was on the plan for about 8 weeks altogether. This phase of my life was absolutely transforming and enlightening, as in that period, I learnt how important it is to incorporate a healthy diet and benefits of exercising. I lost a total of 18kg with the Cambridge diet and I am still going strong.

LIFE AFTER CAMBRIDGE

Like they always say, losing weight is one thing, but maintenance after weight loss is where the real work is. This is very true and this is the phase where most people fall off the band wagon. It is indeed tough to maintain weight loss, but having a total mindset of not going back to where you are coming from is absolutely important. I made up my mind that I wasn’t going back to being a plus size so I decided to continue with the lifestyle I developed while I was on the Cambridge diet which involved 2 main things : my diet and my exercise. I cut back on all the carbs (esp white carbs), refined sugar, flour, fizzy drinks and replaced them with more healthy options, fruits, vegetables, proteins etc. I also planned out a workout routine that would fit into my busy schedule (you should never be too busy to exercise and you don’t need to get into a gym to do so either). I skip, take long walks, dance and attend aerobics classes. Just pick the kind that suits you and your schedule and stick to it. Try to exercise everyday, either in the morning, during the day or after work (during the day could be taking a rest break from work to go up and down the flight of stairs like 5 times).

I eat my meals 3 times a day or sometimes 2, depending on how I feel but small frequent meals are better than 1 heavy meal in a day contrary to what most people think. I drink a LOT of water daily and I try to have a portion of fruits every day. I’m not really big on veggies so I have it in form of a smoothie (green smoothie) made up of cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, and fruits like apple, pear, banana, strawberries, mango to give the smoothie some flavor. The smoothie can actually also be taken as a meal as its quite filling.

I started my journey as a size 16, and dropped to a size 12 after Cambridge. I have dropped another dress size to a 10 since after Cambridge so I’m still going strong. I feel great, fabulous, and most of all healthy.

Thank you

Folasade Fajumade