A popular Nigerian blogger has come out to vent her frustration about how hard it is for her to lose weight. She says she prefers to go under the knife to achieve her dream body in exchange for her money. She called out other celebrities with the same dream body for also going under the knife and not admitting to it.
First of all, losing weight is a long-term goal, it doesn’t happen overnight. In Nigeria, many people expect things to work overnight. We lack the patience, determination and consistency to make things happen. We expect things to work overnight? The decision to lose weight starts inside you. Your mirror tells you that you are overweight. Your favourite dress says, “I don’t fit in anymore”. Your inner mind tells you, “It’s time to change your diet and lose a few extra pounds”. Your weight gain and failure to reach other goals is not because of what you feed your mouth, but rather what you feed your mind.
Dieting is a lifestyle and losing weight is a goal. You can achieve your goal by changing your lifestyle diet, i.e. what you eat. Weight gain is mainly caused by bad habits, anxiety, stress and food culture. In Nigeria, there is an extravagant food culture where people eat not because they are hungry but because they have seen food and food should be eaten even when they are not hungry. And that’s a negative lifestyle in terms of food. People just go to an event to eat two to three plates of different foods and even ask for a takeout package. That’s just the way we are. These cultural lifestyle habits regarding food have become ingrained in us.
All feelings are habits, all habits, good or bad, are thoughts, and all thoughts can be changed if we really want to. We don’t have to let the thought “This is who we are” influence us and prevent us from achieving optimal health. The number of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes mellitus 2 and cardiovascular diseases is increasing every day. Young people are dying suddenly without any known cause. All of this is related to unhealthy, extravagant diets and a lifestyle that has become part of our culture.
Change is possible if we really want it. We really need to change our negative cultural attitudes about what and how we eat and drink and replace them with positive attitudes about food by igniting our inner power of control. All it takes is the willingness to say we can and will, and also the willingness to be consistent in that change. Lifestyle change can immensely curb the influx of chronic disease.
Change is not easy, especially when it comes to Nigerian food. Changing a habitual lifestyle must come from within you. It’s a personal decision, but in doing so, you have to understand why I need to do this. For example, your goal might be to get a dream body, and for others it might be to achieve optimal health. Both can be achieved depending on what you tell your inner mind a dream body means and what optimal health means. We are empowered to make choices that will affect us either favorably or unfavorably. Whatever decision we make, has consequences.
Losing weight and sustaining it remains a long-term and sometimes frustrating journey. By being honest with yourself and reflecting on some factors, you can gain more clarity and maintain consistency.
Why do I want to do this? Dream body? Optimal health? You really need to set a clear goal.
Sing and talk about your goal all the time. Keep a positive motivation journal to make sure you can do it.
Can I do it? How ready am I? You need to rid yourself of the fear that you will fail or even feel guilty.
Who really knows me better- Let people who can positively influence your life become your friends.
Dream about your goal – visualize that you have already achieved your goal.
Change is energy intensive. The reason people have difficulty making and sustaining change is because of laziness and pesimism. A madam is sitting in the dining room connected to the kitchen where she can easily access the refrigerator, but she wants her maid, who is probably far from the kitchen, to come and get her a cup of juice. She is tired… lol. No, that’s laziness. Laziness is one of the biggest problems of modern society in Nigeria masquerading as tiredness. We can start small by making small changes in our lifestyle like: Instead of asking the maid, you can get yourself a cup of juice. You have the ability to make choices and work on them. It doesn’t matter how many times you seem to have failed in the past. Failure is part of the life lessons that give us more power. If we don’t allow the past to affect us, then it doesn’t affect the choices we make today. It’s a choice.
Everyone is guilty of the “why” game. Why do I have to go through this when others can get it over with quickly. We really need to change our thoughts of looking at other people as our mirror to determine what we really want. Diet is a lifestyle that remains a part of you. You will reap the rewards if you manage it well – dream body, optimal health, good skin, slower aging. The benefits are endless. Condition your inner self to receive positive things than negative. Build your mind to never be negatively affected by what you see. Call out positive things to yourself that will propel you in the right direction. Leave the past in the past and embrace today, focusing on the fact that it will be okay no matter what.
It may not look promising at first, but follow the NIKE slogan: “Just do it.” You may think it is difficult, you may feel frustrated. Negative thoughts like giving up may set in. Stay positive, consistent and remember your “why”. Gradually habits will develop as a result. The habits that you need. And then eventually the changes will come.
