Monday 1 August 2011

Life in the HUGE lane!

I refuse to be a statistic. When I received the fourth bbm (blackberry message) from a friend congratulating me on being pregnant, I knew I had to say and do something about it. I am not pregnant people, just FAT! I always thought newlyweds’ packing on the pounds was just a myth until I gained 7kg in 7 weeks. Not that being big is a problem, well, who am I kidding, for me it is. I am 5"1.5 (another shock as until recently I strongly believed I was 5"3) so being big and short doesn't quite fit in with my plans of being the first Nigerian short model. Also, I am not too keen on been called 'cute' or 'cuddly'.

It all started from the wedding. After endless months of dieting and constant swimming, my ring gave me a false sense of courage. I could be anything with that ring and be FABulous. So I gave in to all the cravings. At the wedding (Yes I let go from that day), I ate food (to my satisfaction), had dessert, the wedding cake, cupcakes and oh, the small chops (finger foods). Basically, everything on the menu. Under the Bajan sun some days after, I did some serious damage to the 'All inclusive' menu, regardless of the non-existing hourly intervals.

So now, I am refusing to be a statistic. I am working my way back to being the right weight for my (right) height. Sadly for now, salsa seems out of the question for me. I'm yet to hear good things about the few salsa dance classes around. And I am not comfortable with different random people hanging unto my curves just yet. Instead I have taken to walking - something I wasn’t fond of initially due to the insufficient pedestrian access and the over-flooding of 'okada' (motor-cycle) drivers distressing you. But surprisingly, I enjoy it - the weather's amazing at this time of the year, people are civil enough and you get to learn new things about your surroundings.

Long walks have got me thinking about a female walk movement - where lots of women walk to shift 'those stubborn areas', whilst monitoring our progress. Let me know what you think and whatever happens, I'll keep you posted on my life in the HUGE lane. xxo

16 comments:

  1. Hey Toun simple and very detailed post,I'm certainly following yours now and ‎​you know I like his exercise idea oooo. Though I've not been so disciplined with diets and exercises. Just started a new diet plan off carbs for 3 weeks +fast and some exercises.
    I used to walk everyday round the house,then I started road walks till the rains started BUT I began to junk then added some "hidden" weight. I'm back to the diet again and will try to exercise though roads aint too dry and YES the weather is very friendly.

    Btw,how far do ‎​you walk and do ‎​you have kits on bla blah? Is it working for ‎​you?
    Keep at it babes

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  2. 3 THINGS.....
    1. I LIKE YOUR BLOGGGGGG!!! :-), I SEE I HAVE FOUND MY NEW DAILY SOURCE OF LAUGHTER AND ADVICE....YAYYY!
    2.I VOTE YES! TO THE FEMALE WALK.....I NEED MORE EXERCISE THAN YOU.WHERE DO I SIGN UP!?

    3.MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU ARE NOT HUGE, YOU ARE FUN SIZE!!!

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  3. Thanks Eno. Well just started last week. I think the trick is to keep at it (let's hope we can) and the piles should drop off when we are not watching. I walked for about 3 hours last week with a few crunches.

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  4. Wuzzie Wuzzie! hahaha I would be very decent with my words (lol). Yay! to the female walk. Its in the works - hoping lots of people would be on board. And thanks for your 'fun size' comment - sounds like a big word for CUTE. Hmmmm

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  5. 1st of all i just want to say I absolutely love the name of your blog!! Its so chick. I am so glad you are finally embracing your writing and so far i am loving your first post..ALOT!

    Btw, i can't believe we don't have any good Salsa classes:( cos the more excited i heard talk about signing up for classes the more i considered doing hem. And taking long walks in Nig would normally sound like a bad idea but you find a way to make it sound fun:)
    Hmm are you sure your not 5.3?

    Keep the posts coming:)

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  6. Bim! You're far too kind. Erm I am 5"1 :(. And if you find any salsa classes, let me know. Walking is fun - before you do go, you need to psyche/pump yourself up though lol.

    Will keep 'em coming. x

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  7. Lovely piece, I likey...:)

    The female walk movement is great idea. Perhaps on a saturday morning, you could have the ladies walk from the Stadium to the Island...(I'm just saying), plus some other side attractions :)

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  8. Love the candor of your blog. Looking forward to your future posts!

    Another great alternative to walking which helps you burn as many calories as running, but less impact on your shins is jumping rope. It is the fastest way to lose weight, and it specifically focuses on the major trouble spots for females. That being our thighs, stomach, and upperarms aka bat wings..lol. I personally swear by it, and now fully understand why boxers do it. Plus it is quite practical, you can basically do it in your backyard.
    If you consistently do it for 3 to 5 days a week for atleast 30 minutes, you will see results. what i do is jump rope for 3 minutes straight and stop and take a 30 second break (you still want to keep your heart rate up), and then resume jumping. So basically you jump rope for 30 minutes total (3 minutes ten times, with a 30 second interval between each time) :)

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  9. Thanks Esther. I have been thinking a lot of about side attractions. Suggestions would be welcome. Stadium to Island ke? Even I would pass out. But we def wouldnt rule it out.

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  10. Thanks Sunby. Lets hope you enjoy future blogs. My husband had initially mentioned skipping to me - so I am even more conviced with your comments. Im off to get one today. Will keep you informed.

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  11. Hahahaha - Mrs Toun TA... still prefer Toun-FO. But that is past now... i await the details of the rigour you undertook to shed the unwanted... in 6 months time?!

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  12. Mrs TTA! First of all, this is a good write up but in my opinion a poor representation of the truth because you are not fat and you certainly weren't fat on your wedding day!

    The attitude of people to your being pregnant doesn't come from you being fat but more from society's expectations that the main reason for marriage is child rearing and your first show of a successful union is children. Acting on this misconception, people tend to just comment in line with this assuming pregnancy. I was an 8 when I got hitched, I continued to be an 8 and guess what even slimmer than I was at the time of my wedding but people still always threw it up, "you're pregnant!" Any change in behaviour or attitude was because I'm pregnant! Please you have to ignore a lot! A whole damn lot!

    I however believe that beauty is more a mental state of mind! You have to feel it first and then be about it! It's not by an 8 or a 10 or a 14, it's about your swagger (which you have a lot of!)..... by a sexy strut and a sexy walk and sexy clothes and sexy hair and sexy eyes and sexy lips and a sexy love of self.... "shey youre getting where I'm going"?

    My point being if one is unhappy with themselves at a size 10 or 8 then a size 6 won't make you happier either! At a size 8 I still have moments where people tell me I'm fat L☺L or "I've added"..... Please I'm in love with my bad self and I plan to make my relationship with myself last till death do us part!

    I however believe in working out and keeping fit, mainly for health reasons.... Heart disease and cholesterol being silent killers! I don't support skinny, a woman without tits and ass is a drag queen so any woman planning skinny is on her own!

    Walking unfortunately isn't as fantastic in Naija because not all environments are walk friendly and honestly I'm not that nice to want to learn about my environment, I'm still trying to discover myself!

    Nice blog though! Bad friend me, checking it out this late but you knew though that even if it takes some time, I'd still come through for my girl!

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  13. @Camogiani: Nice one. 6 months or less if I stay focused. It'll be the best 'How do I look' episode ever!

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  14. GREAAAT BLOG TIYA TANJOUS! LOOOOOOVES IT! People are not aware that not only are you skilled in writting, you are also an inventor of effective exercise regimes! i must confess to you that when i feel fat i air cycle! so pls can you educate us on other exercises techniques you would post to thigh-masters! Hadi

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  15. @ Keji Adesina: Keji sorry it’s taken me weeks to reply – your write up deserves its own blog lol. I do have a lot of swagger lol. Yay me! I agree with you on having to love your size regardless of whatever you are but still working out for health reasons. And if you know you have the tendency to pig out on some days, its best to start working out to balance it off. Walking – I’ve discovered – is quite a slow way to shed those pounds so combining it with a more intensive calorie burning is advised. Thanks for coming through dear – better late (and in a huge way) than never. I had to copy on Word before I could reply you haha)

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  16. @H: Hady pls don't kill me. Air cycling is good o according to us. You are so not fat - the complete opposite. But will keep you updated. xxxo

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