I’ve been called, chubby, fat, sdudla and hippo throughout young and adult life. It used to hurt my feelings, but as I grew up, I got over it. I make it sound so easy don’t I? Like most young people who struggle with their weight, I’d been depressed, ashamed, angry and disappointed in myself for the size that I was. I was loved, but no one had taught me how to love myself, until the day I did.

I wasn’t going to make myself go on a diet. I made a list of things I could do to help me lose weight without having to work out or go to a gym. I walked more often and paced myself. I drank more water and juice, but I still had the odd can of soda now and then. I ate all sorts of leaves and drizzled salad dressing to make them taste good. I climbed stairs instead of taking escalators and on Sundays I ran, jogged and played at the nearby sports field. I did that for six months. By the end of the six months I was half the size I was six months previously. My health had improved a lot, which is a great thing for someone who couldn’t even run 100m without feeling that my lungs were going to cave in.

You can do it too, you know. You don’t need to have a lot of money, buy expensive diet products, or go to the gym to lose weight. If you can’t afford the stuff that makes you lose weight, choose alternative ways that are in accordance with your daily life. Later, it will become habit to do those things and not feel like an effort anymore. Set up a list with your weight goals on them then write the things you can do to help you get there. Here are some tips:

Drink a lot of water (doing this relieves fatigue, improves your mood, treats headaches and migraines, helps in digestion and constipation, aids with weight loss and flushes out body toxins)

Try to eat at least a few portions of fruit/veggie every day (this helps reduce your risk of having a stroke or other cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes. It’s also healthy, tastes good and contributes to good health.)

Eat in smaller portions (You can do this throughout every day. It curbs any cravings you might have and helps reduce overall caloric intake. The fewer calories you eat then your body will burn and breakdown stored fat to use as energy. This creates a calorie-deficit which results in weight loss.)

Walk more (This will assist you to maintain a healthy weight, strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your mood, balance and coordination, and prevent/manage various conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes)

Drink rooibos tea (it’s good for your heart and helps with nagging headaches, insomnia, asthma, eczema, weak bones, hypertension, allergies and premature aging)

These are just a few tips that can assist you during this coming festive season. You don’t need to work your body to a pulp to achieve the weight you want to be. Take your time, pace yourself and have fun. You’ll see that it will melt off automatically. Then again who says that you have to conform to society’s version of a summer body? You can be plump/thin and still be able to rock a bathing suit.

My point is, love your body, it’s yours. You are the only person who decides what you want to work on or not. And if you decide not to work on it that’s your choice and there’s nothing wrong with that, just as long as you try to live healthy, you’ll be happy.

Written by Veronica Boyi

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