How I lost the weight without leaving Nigerian food

For years my plan was always the same: Monday, no more rice. Wednesday, no more swallow. By Friday I was at a party with a plate of jollof in one hand and guilt in the other.

The diets failed because they asked me to stop being Nigerian. The day I stopped fighting my food and started measuring it, things changed.

What actually worked

1. 1I tracked everything I ate for one normal week — no changes. The numbers shocked me.
2. 2I found my biggest calorie sources: oil in soups, sugar in tea, and second servings of swallow.
3. 3I kept every food I loved, and changed portions and cooking methods first.
4. 4I weighed in once a week, same day, same time, same scale.
5. 5I walked every evening after dinner.

“You don’t need a new cuisine. You need a new relationship with portions.”

The relapses

I fell off twice. Once after a wedding weekend, once during a stressful month at work. The difference this time was that I had a system to come back to. Log the next meal. Weigh in on the next scheduled day. No drama.