Last week, I received this feedback from an ardent reader of my column and I was literally moved to tears:

“I have always been an ardent reader of News Diggers! Therefore, Mukosha Funga Njenga is a household name. When she introduced the Mukosha’s Corner on health issues, to be frank, I was sceptical because I have always associated her with investigative journalism. In fact, the second article in which she alluded to eating a meal per day as being healthy did not sit well with me.

The whole of my life, I have been a medium weight person and I have never struggled with weight gain. I have been comfortable with my 85 kg weight. Unfortunately, when I came back to Sweden from Zambia end of February 2023, I suddenly developed the urge to eat and drink anything I could lay my hands on. In August 2023, I went for a SADC National Day function and during this occasion, I took a picture with my workmates which I shared with my friend in Zambia. She commented ‘Molly, we have never known you to be this big, what is happening there in Sweden?’ She exclaimed! Following day, I bought a scale, I was 110Kg! OMG! How and when did I get here?

COMPLICATIONS
From birth to 14 years, I struggled with asthma but l grew out of it completely and stopped using the inhaler until I gained a lot of weight again last year. During this period, I used to visit the hospital frequently for high blood pressure, heart palpitations and I also had one serious asthmatic attack which almost took my life. My oxygen levels dropped to 60 percent, normal is 95. I don’t even know how I survived. It’s only that here medical care is good so they revived me within an hour and the doctor even had to prescribe an inhaler. I would also feel tired and sweat a lot. I followed Mukosha’s page on Facebook after my friend expressed concern. I read all the articles, watched the videos on YouTube, appreciated how the husband was supporting her. Immediately, I felt motivated, cut down on starch, sugar and started intermittent fasting. I would only eat lunch consisting of protein with vegetables by 13:00 hours. For dinner, I would take a smoothie or tea without sugar. I also started work outs in the mornings or evenings four times per week.

POSITIVE RESULTS
Within a month, I lost 10kg. By December 2023, I was back at 85Kg. I have decided to maintain this weight but sometimes, I go down to 82 Kg when I want. All the ailments described above have vanished and I can now afford to leave the house without my inhaler. I feel so strong, I am able to use a staircase when I report for work up to 7th floor with ease. No sweating, no breathing fast. Another interesting observation is that I NEVER crave for ‘happy juice’. I guess because I am always well hydrated.

‘CHEATING’
Sometimes, I eat a bit of starch, but I ensure that I work out and ‘delete’ the extra calories acquired through ‘cheating’. I literally calculate the number of calories I take each day and then work out. For example, one vanilla cupcake gives out 262 calories, out of which carbohydrates comprise 130 calories and the rest is protein 13, and fat 119. If I eat just one cup cake, I have to work out and drop 130 calories to maintain my balance.

CONCLUSION
For my age, this is a huge achievement and I feel good about myself. I can walk five kilometres one way and still sleep soundly without body aches. I have not been on any medication since then. My skin has improved. By the way, I am over 55 years, I am not as young as Muko! She knows.

Thank your Mrs. Mukosha Funga Njenga. You saved a life!
Molly Nachilima”

My immediate response to Aunt Molly was; “I’m so humbled by that. But you know what I think? YOU saved your own life. Because you worked so hard to regain your health even though it is not easy and you have stuck with it. And now, you’re the one inspiring me to keep pushing until I get to my goal weight too”.

I’m so glad that Aunt Molly decided to share this inspiring story because maybe it is what someone out there needs to hear today in order to make a change in their own lives. There is so much power in sharing stories; I wouldn’t be where I am in my own weight loss journey today if it wasn’t for stories of others who have fought the battles I am fighting before. Like Aunt Molly, even I was sceptical about some of the suggestions in the beginning. In hindsight, it’s not so much that I was sceptical, I was just unwilling to let go of some food which I had grown up believing was harmless. I was not ready to confront my sugar addiction – the thought of giving up cakes and brownies made me want to cry. I was not ready to UNLEARN.

I also relate so much to how one single picture set Aunt Molly on a path of change. I remember an incident early last year when I went to the salon with my sisters and after the stylist finished twisting my hair, I asked one of them to take some all-round shots of me so that I could admire myself in my new do. But instead of admiration, I came to a realisation that I was actually obese – I couldn’t believe how big my body had gotten! I had a hump forming on the base of my neck at the back and I was so inflamed my facial features were just not popping. Don’t even get me started on how disproportionate the rest of my body looked. This new body was not matching my inner divalicious self, lol. I also remember another time during mum’s funeral when some ladies accompanied me to buy some t-shirts for family members to wear to the funeral service. There was one lady among us whom I thought was definitely way bigger than me but when the shop attendant came to discuss sizes with us, he pointed at me and this same ‘bigger lady’ and said, “you two will get the same size, XXXL”.

Eventually, I got to a desperate place where my health and wellbeing literally depended on remoulding my shapeless body. So, I began to make small changes every day, and eventually, from taking only a short walk, I was able to walk for 15km without feeling like I would pass out. I started skipping breakfast and before I knew it, I was comfortably intermittent fasting for 16 hours or more every single day. I then let go of the carbs and saw my body fat melting away and with all these changes came increased mental clarity, increased confidence, better fitting clothes, no more back pain, no more skin tags, no more hyperpigmentation in my neck, no more hypertension, no more bloating, the list is endless. I now workout five to six times every week and I am delving into longer fasting periods in order to unlock a new level of wellbeing and weight loss. And when I do stumble, I look to women like Aunt Molly and others for inspiration and then I get right back on track.

One thing I always tell people wanting to lose weight is so freaking hard and it doesn’t happen as quickly as weight gain. It takes a lot of sacrifice, discipline and commitment to lose some kilos. It is definitely not for the weak. It is important to understand the common side effects of whatever weight loss route you choose so that if you happen to suffer from them, you will pull through, knowing it is temporary. Making lifestyle changes in order to improve our health should be the goal, and the weight loss can be viewed as a great side effect. That, I have come to learn, is the magic trick when it comes to losing the weight and keeping it off. With this kind of mindset, you dedicate all your time to research and experimenting on yourself to figure out what works and what doesn’t, until you find a sustainable plan.

And you know what? You don’t need to pay anyone for some ‘weight loss tea’ or solution to change your body. All you need is to eat less carbs, and when you do eat them, avoid the highly processed ones like wheat flour. In fact, just avoid anything which comes in a package and go for those foods which have no labels. Drink a lot of water, move your body and throw in some intermittent fasting, that’s it. Do that, and watch your body start to change.

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