“Nancy, you had a surgery, you need to slow down. It will take weeks and a lot of physio sessions before you are able to go back to your normal routine”
This is what my doctor told me when I went to him complaining of back pains and to ask how soon I could start jogging and exercising. I felt stronger than he thought until he sent me for the physio sessions. I am a strong lady; I do not shed tears easily unless I am watching emotional YouTube clips. My heart can be broken into tiny little pieces and I will use whiskey to glue it together, but when I watch a clip of someone singing beautifully on YouTube, I will cry my eyes out. When I was told physiotherapy was going to be painful, I never thought much about it because my leg felt too strong to feel any kind of pain. I went for my sessions like a ninja and left the place looking like a mess. I cannot remember the last time I experienced such an amount of pain. All the encouragement I got was, “Jikaze, bado zile ngumu hazijaanza.” When the session was over I asked for a wheelchair which was obviously denied because I came in strong. My request for morphine was also denied and I instead went home with the normal, not so strong painkillers.
The session confirmed to me that as much as I was still determined to lose weight, I would have to do with portion control and healthy eating as I wait to get better. This was particularly sad for me because I had wanted to go down a dress size by the time my son is set to graduate. Yes, the little ones now graduate when going to class one; I was even asked for graduation fees. I cannot remember my transition from one class to the next. All I remember was how exciting the closing days were because you got to witness the fights of those who had threatened each other saying, “Nitafunga shule na wewe.” Anyway apart from a big party, my son has demanded that I should put on ‘nguo smart kushinda ya Mama Davy’. I do not know Mama Davy, but I am determined not to disappoint my son. I have tried shopping online and I think there is a huge fabric crisis that only big people can relate to. All the beautiful clothes are available in small sizes. I think Mama Davy will just win this one.
As I was busy trying to figure out my diet, trying to look for attire that will make my son happy and soliciting for morphine from my doctor friends, a lady by the name of Liz from Slim Therapy got in touch with me and told me that she has a good alternative and plan for me to lose weight. Since I decided to lose weight, quite a number of people have reached out to me, some with genuinely amazing tips and others with the most ridiculous products and advice ever; from someone attempting to sell me liquid chlorophyll to being advised to induce vomiting anytime I eat junk or more than the required portion. I was therefore quite skeptical even after she explained to me what the process entailed and assured me that no electrocution could happen; so I requested to meet her.
Being the lazy woman that I am, as I headed for the meeting, I kept praying that it would be something I would like and one that would give me instant results without much effort from my side. I got into the office and was met by very pleasant ladies who even offered me a cup of tea as I waited for Liz. “What the hell, let me drink tea, it will be taken care of by Liz and her gadgets.” I thought, after saying a big yes to tea. My shock was therefore very visible when I was saw a very tiny tea cup of black tea, served with a smile with the words “We are a sugarless zone.” I have no problem with sugar, I can handle sugarless tea but what is black tea? What did milk do to people? I love my tea with milk; a lot of milk. I did not hesitate to tell Liz the same when she came in and she laughed as she told me that I need to reduce my milk intake. She also made it clear that what I was about to embark on included a combination of electro muscle stimulation and a nutrition plan. The lady has the whole plan printed out complete with a section for me to log in what I eat every day and the amount of alcohol allowed. I could not stop laughing as the muscle stimulation begun, because I am the kind that gets tickled by anything, but I could swear my body felt like I had run a marathon the following day.
Exercise is highly encouraged to those who can, and I plan to resume jogging once I am well in order for me to own those beautiful clothes as soon as possible. I want to see that waistline again and be able to take a photo without having to breathe in and hide my bulging tummy. I want to get better at nutrition too. As much as I cannot take black tea, I hope I will stick to the rest of the nutrition plan.