“I couldn’t carry myself” -Nigerian woman starts weight loss journey

A Nigerian woman, Amaka Onyema, has started her weight loss journey after experiencing challenges because of her weight.

According to Amaka, she began to gain weight in school but didn’t take it seriously despite being warned by her friends.

After getting married and having children, her weight got too much to the extent that she could no longer lift herself.

Amaka said her husband who earlier expressed his interest in heavily built women, changed his mind and insisted that hers was becoming too pronounced.

The woman who’s in her 40s decided to take a drastic step to reduce her weight. She noted that she has been noticing differences and her husband and children are happy about her weight loss.

Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, she said in vernacular:

“To carry myself come dey hard, I don come big reach wey na only bed I dey stay. I no fit comot from bed unless I wan enta bathroom. Na on top bed I dey eat, na ontop bed I dey do evritin.

She expressed happiness that her weight loss journey was working as her children confirmed the change in her body size.

“My pikin don dey tell me say ah, mummy you don dey melt oh, di tin dey sweet me. I come realize say even my children bin no happy wit my fatness before.

“I marry husband wey say im like women wey big, but as di weight come dey enta 150kg, 160kg, di weight come dey taya am. Di way wey im dey look me sef, come taya me.

“I no first start with exercise, na portioning my food, I first start with. I cut down my carbohydrates. I reduce rice, eba, fufu sotay e get time wey I comot dem completely for my food.

“If na befor,e I no fit siddon like dis dey follow you tok, I must to lie down cos to siddon go make all my bodi dey pain me, my back go dey pain me”.

“At first, wetin bin dey ginger me be say I no wan die, dis my weight don too much, but as I come dey do am, I come dey feel beta. For my children, e dey sweet dem, even my husband dey happier”.