How I Lose my Holiday Weight ASAP!

First thing anyone that knows me and reads this post will say is What!! Which Weight!! Please leave us that have weight issues with our struggles oo. lol. I totally understand where they are coming from though, to them i look like the perfect weight, majority of my friends beef me that i'm a foodie and never pile on the pounds. haha. they say it's the person wearing the shoes that knows where they pinch and hurt.

me tryna compress the CHEEKS

Honestly i rarely have issues with my weight, as far as i'm concerned, my BMI (Body Mass Index i.e the ratio of your weight to your height) is perfect. My weight is usually between 50kg (lowest)- 59kg (highest), it fluctuates depending on my meals, diet, stress, etc. I have discovered that my weight almost enters the 60s on the scale, in fact i'm sure it enters this range during the holiday season (Christmas/New Year/Sallah/Easter), i just refuse to climb a scale during this period and remain blissfully unaware of the numbers *wide grin*
When i do add the weight it starts showing first on my face especially my cheeks (note i already have naturally full cheeks) and chin!!! and these parts are the ones that get to me! that's when u see me taking all my pics at angles!lol; then slowly my clothes get really tight and since i have no plans of changing my wardrobe, the weight gats to go. 

Last year i got kind of an early start on piling on the 'holiday weight' when we went for our honeymoon in Zanzibar, Tanzania. We had booked our hotels online and they were 'All-Inclusive' i.e the room rates included meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, room service, etc). Oh my days!!!!! I ate like a glutton and piled on the pounds mehn!! Before i could say jack i had a double chin and full rosssyyyy cheeks (people started asking if i was preggers). Funny thing is before we went on this vacation, we had done serious workout to get in shape and have 'beach bodies'.

post-holiday fuller cheeks

Post-Zanzibar round face

Anyway enough of my stories ba, here is how i get rid of the weight ASAP after the holidays are over:

• Accept that it'll take some time to lose the weight
• Accept that you'll loose some goodies in the process (i.e. boobs, ass) *tears*
• Get ur family/friends on board-they'll motivate u n help/correct when u wanna cheat 
• Join a support group (mine was SYTYCC fitness group); you can also use an app for this
• Do not keep climbing the scale to see how much u've lost-You will be disappointed, instead measure ur weight loss by how ur clothes fit or by using a tape rule
• Stay Motivated by all means (it helps to work towards a goal weight or a dress you wanna fit in by a certain time, etc.)
• Meal plan, you can have a timetable or just make a list and cook from it. Planning ahead helps you not just reach for snacks,fast food or eat out so much
• Track your Meals-You can keep a food diary or picture log
• Stock ur fridge, freezer and pantry with the good/healthy stuff and snacks (Fruits, Veg, etc)
• Snack addict (snack healthy-carrots,tigernuts,dates,cucumbers, plain popsorn, etc.)
• Cook more instead of eating out especially veggies n protein meals
• Eat less carbs (Rice, Pounded Yam, etc). Take smaller portions and take more of the Veg and Proteins
• Cut out Soda & Fizzy drinks
• Portion Control (I use small bowls to help measure what i eat, white plates also help after a while ur eyes can guage what is ok for you)
• Eat smaller portions more frequently (easier for ur body to digest, don't overdo it) instead of one large portion that will send u to woonderland
• Eat fruits
• Don't overdo it, pace yourself and slowly but surely your body will start to adjust accordingly
• Use the white house (toilet) regularly
• Shower at night after eating (for me i feel more refreshed after a shower and get a few more hours awake for my food to properly digest)
• DON'T go to bed IMMEDIATELY after eating
• Drink lots of water (before and after a meal especially-you will visit the loo more often however)
• Exercise;know what works for you-power walking, dancing, moving around doin diff activities(climb staircases), skipping, stretches, squats, situps, legups, house cleaning (that sweat is calories being burnt, don't underestimate it)
• Keep a Workout Timetable (whatever ur form of exercise) to track your activities
• Be active (move around more). Having a pedometer or smart band to track your steps keeps you motivated
• Watermelons are your friend
• Detox once in a while
• Fasting (usually church prescribed but works for me)
• Facial Exercises (supposed to help us with full cheeks; thank God for 'contour' sha)

'Regular weight' face

'Perfect wedding weight'{After 100day church fast}

I watch a lot of 'Fat Shows' on TLC and i learn from them, the habits to cut and how to be aware and control what you eat in order to reach/or maintain your desired weight instead of fighting to lose weight. Weight loss is hard especially after a certain stage, it is better to work towards not even reaching such a stage.
I maintain my current weight by cooking what i eat, portion control, indulging my sweettooth once in a while, being active and very little exercise (mostly walking, house cleaning and dancing).

Slow and Steady wins the race, just keep at it and eventually you will see results (clothes start getting loose, etc.). Hope this helps anyone that overdid 'small chops' during the Easter.

Toodles!XooX

Happy Easter!

Christ is risen!

He is not here;

he has risen, just as he said.

Come and see the place where he lay

MATTHEW 28:6

Don't forget Christ is the Reason for the Season.

Happy Easter and Enjoy the public holidays!

Toodles!XooX

23 on the 23rd of December (II)- Super late post

 

I turned 23yrs old on the 23rd December, 2012. Whoop Whoop!! oh thank you all, you are far too kind *curtsies and bows...ignore me abeg *giggles. Allow me revel in the awesomeness that was my birthday via this post. Merci, as you oblige. I celebrated my birthday in December (did a quick post here, 'cos i knew it'd take me a while to do a full post; did not tink it'd take me this long though *Covers face*) and my age and date of birth happened to be the same number 23. Yes i'm one of those people that note things that have the same no. #judgemoinot. I had the most awesome birthday ever or shall i say birthday week!! I got loads of gifts and was able to have a small get together with my friends which is what i have been craving for a couple of my birthdays now without actually getting it. I got a Nexus 4 android phone from le boo, a beautiful abaya from one of my friends that travelled to Dubai earlier, a cake, a set of make-up brushes, 2 NACK dresses, a NACK top, alcohol (White wine & Amarula which are still in my fridge, i'm not a fan of alcohol), perfumes, earrings, necklaces,cards, chocolates a red & black, bodycon gown, money and the gifts are still rolling in from people that were not in town during my birthday. I can't even start to quantify the calls, text messages,Facebook posts/messages, Tweets/DMs, BBMs, DPs & PMs, etc. I felt too too loved! This was definitely not like my other regular birthdays.
God definitely always makes a way, i had been looking forward to my birthday since December began, i wanted to have a get together and do something different from my usual birthday which normally just entails me chilling at home with my family, i get a cake and a few gifts, most of my friends are usually outta town for the holidays. I was that kid that never got to celebrate her birthday in School 'cos we were always on vacation by the time it came around and because it's Christmas period, there's usually so much preparation for that, that my birthday gets rolled over, which i have never liked! but i learnt to live with it, cherish the few gifts i get, phone calls, texts, etc. Woe betide u if u are my friend and forget my birthday!!lol, but that was back then anyway, in the years of recent, i don't even stress about people forgetting my birthday. Oya o, back to my birthday.

My week began with me stressing over what to do for my birthday and my broke state, before i knew it Friday was upon me, i got my beautiful Abaya from my friend, Habib, on Thursday so i 'launched' it to work on Friday, lol. After work hours another friend, Bolaji, took me for ice-cream (Blue bunny- birthday cake flavor) and pancakes @my fave ice-cream place Dunes!! We chatted, ate and he dropped me off @home, i saw le boo later in the day and we chilled and jisted about my birthday plans.

Saturday, some friends came to visit me and one of them came in from Zaria to pass the night @my place, i cooked Jollof Spaghetti, watched some series, jisted with my friend and just chilled wondering if my birthday would be like any other regular day that would just pass by. Saturday evening, le boo and my very close friend ND, called me up to get dressed that we were going for a dinner. YAAAaaaayyyyYYY!! (My friends are the best). We went to Uptown Asian Cuisine & Lounge, some people were also having a suprise birthday party there, it was really cool. I wasn't so hungry though + i was upset with le boo at the time (can't remember what it was about though) so i had some WonTon soup, we jisted and took loads of pics, i had a really good time and got back home around 11 pm.

Sunday was upon me!yikes...still no plan, but i had decided to cast all my worries away and let the day unfold itself. I went to church full of joy that came from somewhere i honestly do not know. I woke up early, got dressed for church and my friend dropped me off close to church, i sang songs of praises and thanks as i strolled the remaining distance to church. It was the first service and it was a swell one!! I had just 3k on me at this time but i wasn't even worried about that. I gave out of it for my offering to show my appreciation to God for all he had done for me thus far and all he will still do for and allowing me to see another birthday hale and hearty. I danced well well during praises and thanksgiving, the highlight of the church service for me was when some elderly people and youths came to dance 'azonto' and 'etighi' at the front of the church, it was hilarious although one elderly lady got it to the T. After church i strolled back home, singing and full of even more joy. I rested a bit, ate and my friend travelled back to Zaria.

I was home alone, enjoying my series and responding to calls, texts, chats, etc. when two of my friends came around separately. We jisted a bit, then one of them told me to doll up that we were going to Transcorp Hilton to have lunch, as i should not be at home dulling on my birthday...lol I Agree!! I got ready and i had a swell time! i had mashed potatoes and Stake and a Peach Melita for dessert *bliss with 2 Chapmans (i love chapman and *btw rich people dey enjoy o!!).
He dropped me off @my close friend's place where i played with her niece and nephews and they gave me a card with the sweetest wordings (dose kids just know how to light your world), we watched some cartoons and i gave my friend some money to help me get 2 packs of canned coke in case anyone came around to greet me when i got home.

I received a call from eju while there that she was baking me a cake as my birthday gift (awwwww), i felt so loved and then i got a few more calls from Mandie and his 2 bros and Saidat that they were on their way to my place (oh oh). I said my goodbyes to the kids and my friend promptly dropped me off at home. Lucky for me they had not waited too long. Le boo and i made up and he also came over, Eju came over with the cake and Josi ,Esiri, Francis and Ma bday mate Chinedu joined us. We chilled in my small room, jisted, ate the cake and had drinks and everyone left with a slice of cake. I also gave my neighbours and the guards some cake. I was super happy when the day was ova and slept with a smile on my face.

I had a brief embarrassing moment though, the Jollof Spaghetti i had made the day before had gone bad because i did not heat it before storing it (it had fish in it) and i had no clue it was bad 'cos it dint even have an odour!!! I warmed it when my guests were around and served it to 2 of dem, just for them to taste it and tell me it had gone bad!!! I cringed, apologized profusely and took it away to trash it. *shrug-these things happen.
All in all, it was a great birthday week and holiday :D

Toodles!XooX

Family Wedding (SEPT 7, 2012)

Moi (i did someting different with my aso-oke on my dress)

I had a great break people!! It had been a long time i had taken a break off work for family related purposes. My uncle (real uncle o, not Yoruba version of uncle..lol) was getting married. Let me start by describing my mother's family to you can have a clue of just how large it is. My Grandad married about 6 wives that i know and has about 20 kids alive, some have passed. So technically i have 20 Uncles and Aunties and 17 of them are married with kids so imagine the number of cousins i have, its hard to keep up even.*whew especially with the ones abroad (about 5 of them) and the ones outside Abuja and Lagos. That's on my Grandad's side. My Grandma on the other hand had also married someone before marrying my Grandad and has 2 kids alive with him thats 2 more aunties and so in total i have 2 Grandads and 6 Grandmas and 22 uncles and aunties.

The wedding was held at Akure, i got to see my numerous uncles and aunts as indicated above. We stayed at my aunt's place instead of Ado-Ekiti, where my mum is originally from and where my Grandad's mansion is located, since it was closer to the wedding venue and my mum said the mansion will probably be filled with her siblings and the wedding guests. The wedding was great!! Loads of culture, the proposal letter asking for the bride’s hand in marriage was read, the groom (my uncle) prostrated for her parents, and many other things like that. Oh and my aunts and uncles kept asking me when it would be my turn and praying for me that i would find a good suitor. I had alotta fun bonding with my cousins and all that and it was well spent family time, it had been a while since my whole family had been in one place at a time, thanks to school and work. You can check out my Pinterest page for more wedding typa pics http://pinterest.com/jemimahnaa/weddings/

The Groom and Friends prostrating for the bride's parents for her hand in marriage

Spraying the Bride money as she dances forward

The Alagaiduro (Chairperson of the event) praising the bride as she dances forward in response 

The Grooms Family praying for the Bride (Her family prays for her too)

She searches for who the cap fits,finds her husband and places it on his head9

My outfit made outta ma mum's old wrapper, i love it and she does too :D

They made me carry the engagement/proposal package to the parents (not funny in my super high heels)

My iyan elewe (pounded yam in plantain leaves) and efo-riro (vegetable soup) with fish 

White wedding (This couple like dance sha)

Flash! Spot my nails and Ear Jewelry

My brothers and I

Me and one of my lil cuzns azonto-ing to the music playing

Some cousins & I<<<<<<<<<-------->>>>>>>Blue Shoes (Not Planned)

Rest Time

Wedding No. 2 @Ido

The next wedding was a traditional wedding we went for before returning to Abuja, was that of my step-cousin, my mum’s step-sister’s daughter. Her wedding was not fun at all, it was a proper ‘Deeper Life’ traditional wedding. Their attire was extremely drab, an unceremonial beige colored material. She didn’t use any jewelry or even rub powder on her face (hian). I am not against their religion and all but I don’t get why you cannot look good and stand out from the crowd on the occasion of your wedding. They could have as well been guests at the wedding and not the ones getting married, if a separate seat had not been assigned to her and her parents. I fervently prayed for the ceremony to end as the glares I was getting were like that of hot knife through butter. I had no clue it was a ‘deeper life’ wedding, so my outfit was that befitting a wedding or rather the kinda weddings I’m used to where everyone is beautifully dressed. I wore an english bodycon white and black gown with turquoise heels, jewelry and make up and I felt complete as I styled my big curly hairdo (Won ma take! I thought to myself in Jenifa’s voice), little did I know that I was overdressed for this particular occasion. Not just me thankfully, my whole family actually…lol, though I stood out the most ‘cos I was wearing an English attire. As I sat in their midst, with my siblings beside me, praying this day would be over ASAP, my brother whispered in my ear that my uncle was calling me. If I could enter the ground I swear I would have, I had to walk right in front of all these people with their eyes on me to meet him, thankfully I didn’t trip or fall *whew (they woulda had a good laugh if I did I’m sure). I bent my knees as low as possible to greet him ‘cos that ground was rough and untarred and I wasn’t ready to stain my beautiful knees. He asked after my wellbeing in Yoruba and said it’s been a very long time since he had seen or heard from me, and that I was a big girl now o so hopefully it was my turn next. He said I should keep in touch and told me I could return to my seat. I could not believe my ears!! O.O This man had made me pass through these people I was trying to hide from just to tell me THAT!! He seriously couldn’t wait for the ceremony to be over.  I thanked him, secretly rolled my eyes and made my way back to my seat. The whole thing dragged for a long time, or maybe I thought so because it was soooooo boring. Once it ended, I took some pics with the couple, greeted the necessary people and swiftly collected the car keys from my dad and sat in the car *whew warraday! My folks who had gotten a good nap (*rme) during the ceremony greeted everyone, ate and wasted as much time as possible. Meanwhile my siblings had come to join me in the car to wait for them. They finally finished and we took some family pics with me having a small argument with the dull photographer who made us practically stare at the sun while using slow motion to take the pics *mschew.I was even more upset ‘cos we were going back to Akure and my parents still wanted to stop by in Ado to greet some friends.

My folk's Secondary school (Christ School Ado-Ekiti)

We finally started the trip back, we greeted their friends and some family and were on our way back to Akure around 8pm when other motorists told us to turn back ‘cos they were robbing @d front.

 My heart practically leapt into my mouth and trust my dad na, he did some James Bond U-turn and sped off in the other direction. The man gats fear na, as na him whole family he carry for motor. Long story short, we ended up spending the night in Ado.  I was thoroughly upset because that meant we would be on the road throughout the next day since we were supposed to go to Abuja. The next day came and when we got to Akure, my folks decided we were no longer going to Abuja and would spend an extra day in Abuja. They had forgotten the leave I took from work was exhausted and I had to resume at work the next day. I eventually had to take a public transport to Abuja when we got to Akure and I think that is the most stressful trip of my life so far!! The driver was super rough and he ended up spoiling something in the car just as we got into Abuja, which we spent almost 3hours fixing before getting back on the road to reach our destination. Thank God we got there safely.

My cutest dimpled find on the trip(Demi-Pie pie)

 I got home around 1am and boy was i glad to b home.I took a shower and hit the bed! What a trip!! All in all though I had a nice time. Toodles!XooX

Trip to the UK (Part 1)

So here’s for all my dedicated blog reader’s who have been on my case to put up a post. Thank you for being dere despite my very lazy and procrastinating attitude. I take full blame lol and yh i finally got around to putting some music on here. Enjoy...

So a whole lot has happened since I my last blog post, I fell in and outta ‘love’ or whatever u guys call it. I took a leave from work and went to the uk to see some friends and relatives briefly. My post is gonna be mainly on my trip anyways. Everyone knows I love travelling afterall…giggles. I have a pending post on my trip to Ghana which was before this last trip. I’ll do dat after this because its long overdue and I may start forgetting all I wanted to share. My travels have all been great experiences so far and I’m grateful for the opportunity to embark on them.

My UK trip started out like play like play, I had told my very good friend Antonia the last time she came to Nigeria that I would very much like to visit her before the next time she came around, and another of my friends, Habib who had come for a brief internship had said it would be nice if I came to the UK for a bit. He explained that the process was easy and it would not cost me so much if I booked my ticket early. He even offered to me the services of the travel agent he usually uses when travelling. The final push I needed was speaking to another friend, Esiri, and he told me to meet his mum, who is a lawyer and had helped out in countless applications. I was overjoyed as I had asked some colleagues at the office to help me out with the application and the process and they had all been very vague. I would finally get experienced adult assistance; I’m that kinda person that prefers someone experienced putting me through something than going in on my own.

 I went on the internet to the visa application file, read up on the types of applications they had, the guidelines and the fees involved. It did not seem like a difficult process but then again one had to be careful and precise in order to not get rejected. I have travelled to a few places without much stress and I did not want this to be any different. I informed my boss of my intention to travel, he has been to several places including the UK severally and I also needed a leave from work if I was to travel. He informed me that there was an event holding in the UK that I could attend with him and that processing my visa through the office would ease the process. Between several consultations with my boss and my friend’s mum, I was able to get all my documents in order. I went to submit my documents on December 23, my birthday and it was a long ass process!! from getting a queue no. to submitting my documents (that took the longest time), then paying for the visa application and finally getting my biometrics done. I finally left there around late afternoon. I had gotten a number of gifts including a cake (from my favorite bakery and in my favorite color) from a close friend around midnight and another in the evening from my cousin in Lagos. It was a good day overall. I stopped by the office and shared some cake for my colleagues and bosses and visited some friend with cake too. I received numerous calls, texts and Facebook and Twitter messages which is the norm on my birthday. Anyways enough about what led to my going there, let’s get to the koko. I tracked my application online and went to pick it up on January 21 and it was no surprise really that I got the visa with all the plenty preparation I put into it. In my mind I was like, the first step is over, I don get visa, na plane ticket and spending money remain now..lol..The visa was for 6 months and was going to expire in July, so I had about 5 months to go ‘cos I knew the Olympics was in July and ticket prices would be crazy, talkless of the crowd in London where I was gonna spend majority of my holiday. I told my boss I had gotten my visa and would like to apply for my leave and he told me it’d be best to wait till June before I go ‘cos we had a new project I had to work on and that it’d be summer there by then. I did not even have the funds at the moment anyway so I was cool with going in June, I would have adequate time to scout for a cheap ticket and inform my cousin and friends that I was coming so they would prepare accordingly. I informed them I was coming, I was able to nab a 162k return ticket :D. 

I applied for my leave of approximately a month then went shopping for all the naija things my cousin and friends had said I should bring for them, from Indomie, goldernmorn, peak milk, kilichi, and groundnut to neomedrol, black soap, ori (shea butter), Dunlop slippers(I forgot this though), padlock *smh ,fura and man shanu. My cousin came in from Lagos some days to my trip so she helped out and one of my friends used his car to drive me around for my use :D (what a sweetheart!!). We finished buying everything around 11pm, I’m so lucky to have friends that don’t mind sacrificing their time for me. He dropped me off @another friend’s place, we moved all d stuff out of his car, said our goodbyes and he left. I had a movie date with this friend on our favorite series Game of Thrones!!! (I am a series freak!lol). we were to see the final episode of the 2nd season. He had gotten pizza and icecream and I came bearing the soft copy of the series. It was a great night and episode and I was brimming full!!!i had to go home though and finish up packing ‘cos my flight was a morning flight. We got ready to leave and on getting outside, his neighbor had blocked his car, he went to their house and the wife said she can’t disturb her husband when he’s sleeping! See me see wahala o! dis was like dat kind 1am o!i just dey pity myself, me dat I love sleep, I was just consoled by the fact that my cousin was home so she’d wake me up @least, if I attempted to oversleep. My friend was pissed, with good reason, it started drizzling later, we honked and honked his car horn with the aim of waking the sleepy husband up since his wife was so scared to do it. We’ll never know if he woke up or not but we got the attention of some of his white neighbours who loved their sleep so much they volunteered to drop me @home. I think I got home around 1:30am and I was sooooooooo exhausted but I still had to pack!! My cuz helped out and we finished around 3pm before I collapsed on the bed and embraced the sweet sleep I was craving. It was too soon!!!i’m sure I had not slept for 2mins wen I felt my cousin poking me that it was 5am and I had to leave for the airport in a bit if I was to make my flight. I grudgingly got up and looked @her with hate in my eyes like it was her fault I could not get more sleep, she wasn’t even bothered! she went straight back to sleep once she saw I was up and outta the bed. I called my friend that was supposed to drop me @d airport, he came some mins later and we stuffed my luggage in his boot. I had just one big soft bag, my laptop bag and my handbag. We got to the airport just in time, just to see them turning people away from the entrance and telling them to come bk at 7pm!!!They had to be kidding me!!After ditching my sleep, the most annoying part was they gave no explanation which was very unlike British Airways, usually dey’d send a mail or something. Anyways I was kinda happy, I went back home, dropped my luggage and slept like a baby till around 3pm. I visited some friends then got a ride around 6pm. The flight did not take off till 11pm. Thank God I was able to corner a socket and I had my blackberry and ipad handy to keep me occupied. Oh yeah before I forget, they said my luggage was in excess when I weighed it, yepaa!!!mi o ni owo o, I thought to myself, but I had come with another bag in case this happened, so I moved some things into that back and all was well in my world again! *whew, close call. It was a smooth 6hr flight and I had no complains about my seat. I slept like a baby till we landed @Heathrow!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2.....Toodles!XooX