Sunday 15 May 2016
Start weight: 166 lbs
Height: 5 ft 4 inches

My name is Julie Obiamiwe and I am a yoyo dieter. My current weight loss journey started September 2014 and this time I have managed to sustain consistency of sorts gradually going down a few pounds at a time. I currently weigh 11 stones and 9 lbs (or 166 lbs or 73.9 kg). As of September last year, I had managed to come down to 159 lbs but the combination of a sports injury and Christmas as seen me yoyo back up to my current weight.

At my heaviest between 2011 and 2013 I weighed 185lbs and for the first time in my life, I felt completely unhappy with my weight. I have always loved fashion and pride myself on knowing what suits me. However, at 185 lbs I found it really difficult to partake in and enjoy fashion. There are only so many shoes anyone can buy to compensate.

I am avocado shaped rather than the classic apple shape as I have narrow shoulders and parts of me remain average or small even at my heaviest. So my wrists, ankles, and shoulders tend to remain comparatively slim.

At my biggest, my body proportions simply don’t work. The weird thing is that being Nigerian born, I do not necessarily feel the need to be a UK size 8, 10 or even 12. If I was proportionate, I would not be bothered necessarily about being a bit overweight save for the usual health issues than any other black woman would need to worry about i.e. diabetes, heart disease and so on. For me, however, the proportions are the real problem in purely aesthetic terms. If I did not put on so much weight on my belly I would fit into most average sizes without a problem. At my biggest, my waistline was 41 inches but it is now 36. I gather that women should have waistlines no bigger than 31.5 inches to maintain good health (not to mention fit into skinny jeans comfortably!)

There are mitigating factors in my case; I like to think as the career one has played a huge role in weight loss or gain. In my day job, I am a legal aid solicitor. In addition, there was a lot of blood, sweat, tears and unhealthy eating and practice both on the route to qualification in my case as a solicitor and up to the present time in my current job. For instance, at the present time, I struggle to do 2,000 steps on an average day because I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and often eat at my desk. 2,000 steps is not a lot compared to the minimum of 10,000 steps each day that some health professionals say we should all be taking.

Since January 2013 I have wanted to go down to 145 lbs which for me is BMI 25 approximately and then gradually move down to what I personally consider the safest place for me in weight terms being BMI 22.5 and roughly about 135 lbs.

I remember many years ago one of my brothers telling me at one point as a teenager that all I talked about was fat, fashion, hairstyles amongst other things. It feels like not much has changed. All 3 brothers would tease me about my Jane Fonda videos; which I still think are brilliant by the way. However, I feel that I have been locked a battle with my weight all my adult life and feel more than ready to change the narrative. It would be nice to get the job done once and for all and move on the life’s next challenge.

So this blog is about holding myself accountable so I can finish the job once and for all. I also hope that it helps others and that you join me on my journey to a healthy stable weight.

You can read more about my journey by clicking the following linkhttps://www.theyoyochronicles.com//menologues/menopause-weight-gain-and-childlessness/