I can’t believe my last blog post was five months ago. I’ve really been struggling with writer’s block. Mainly because I was in my head thinking, “Are they really still following my journey?” “Are they actually interested?”. That was, up until I received encouragement from a fellow SOHO member. She mentioned how she’s been reading my blog and how it motivated her. I thought to myself, so it’s not just my family and friend (who is technically family) who read this 😂 😅. Since then, I’ve been looking forward to finally typing down my thoughts now that I am 11 months into this journey.
11 MONTHS? 😳. How? I’ve actually managed to be consistent (sometimes you can surprise yourself, hey!). Though I am celebrating 11 months, my fitness journey began way before that. Now that I think about it, if I was to date back to when exactly, then it was when I was 13 years old.
Growing up, I was always the chubby cutie 😊. But it was only until my older brother, who had also been a chubby cutie for some time, came home for the holidays, and we all noticed how he had lost so much weight. That was all the motivation I needed. When I returned to boarding school, I made a mental note to eat clean and start running. True to my word, I did just that. Even with limited knowledge on nutrition and fitness, I was able to lose about 10kgs. I was so petite that when my mum saw me during a school break, she was frightened. “Have you been eating? Why are you so skinny?” It’s honestly funnier in Kinyarwanda. Anyway, I tried to maintain that weight throughout the years, but I hadn’t mastered the art of discipline, consistency and of course there was the knowledge gap.
As the years went by, I would gain and lose weight so erratically. I literally tried it all.
In the middle of high school, a friend of mine told me that if I wanted to lose weight, I just needed to drink lots of water. She exclaimed, “That’s how I did it, and it worked.” I thought that’s easy enough. I began gulping liters and liters of water per day, but nothing changed. Though it did help me to kick-start my love for water, it didn’t help me to maintain my weight.
Still on the topic of water, I don’t recall where I learned this, but someone once told me that if I drank hot, like piping hot water every day at night, it would burn my fat. I am actually laughing just thinking back on this 😂. There I was, a teen with a kettle and a mug ready to burn my mouth and risk first degree burns all in the name of losing/maintaining weight. Of course, this did absolutely nothing for me. I eventually stopped once I realized how it wasn’t helping me, and continued to eat as “healthy” as I could and run often.
Fast-forward into University, I was told that I needed to stop eating after 7pm if I wanted to lose weight. I am sure you have all heard those people who brag about not eating dinner because they are watching their weight. In fact, I recently saw someone recommend this on a WhatsApp group I am on, and I couldn’t believe it’s still a thing. You might see some changes here and there, but that’s only because you’ve skipped a meal, which in the long run isn’t sustainable.
I won’t even go into the myth of losing weight by eating according to your blood type. This one really had my mum and I in a choke hold. I was convinced for some time, but when I analyzed it properly, it didn’t make sense. I even consulted a hematologist, and he confirmed my suspicions. You see, if you walk down this route you will see changes because you are digesting healthier options, but there is no scientific evidence that indicates that you will lose weight by eating according to your blood type.
Yo! The number of myths I’ve encountered, I could write a book, LOL.
I’ve since been thoroughly informed on the best health practices for weight loss/maintenance. My coach Yannick (AKA Terminator) over the past 11 months has been able to demystify those myths, for example making sure you drink water according to your body weight. For me, currently at 72kgs, I need only about 2.5L-3L anything above this is simply excess water. He also closed the knowledge gap on nutrition where he has taught me to eat at a deficit, ensuring enjoyment of everything but in moderation. I’ve learnt how to eat a balanced diet without restricting myself of anything. Additionally, I now understand how protein plays a major role in building muscles. Protein also keeps you full for longer and burns fat.
Truth be told, even though I know all of this, I do fall off the bandwagon now and then 🙈 But I just make sure I don’t fall off to the point of no return. Being consistent has been a major key takeaway and contributor to my fitness success.
There you have it. That’s all folks. See you all at the finish line in a month’s time.
Murabeho 😊