MoChunks, a lifestyle vlogger . In a recent vlog, she shares her struggles with childhood obesity, dieting and regaining weight.
MoChunks’s story helps to understand that one should know the size that fits their body structure.
Here’s her story
I have been through many emotions in terms of my weight. I was born a chubby child and I grew up in Nigeria where being chubby is a sign of wealth. You want to feed your children right, you don’t want them to starve. We have this thing where, you know if you go to a Nigerian person’s house to chill, you’re going to be well-fed. It’s a thing of pride to be able to eat good and to eat when you want, how you please and how much you want.
So being fat wasn’t looked down upon back in those days. I loved my food and I was never deprived of it. I remember I would go to my grandma’s house after school and they would feed me there. On my way home, I would tell my mum, I want some Mr. Biggs and she would grab it for me. When we got home, I would eat Amala. I think that’s where my love for food started and that carried on into my teens. I never really saw myself as fat. I knew I was big but not with the negative connotations that came with being fat.
I just saw myself as a chubby girl who is full of life and loves her food. I think it was when I came into this country that I became more aware of “oh being fat might not actually be a good thing and attractive as the slimmer girls.” I came to this country and we came straight to Sussex, very densely populated by white people. The white girls, most of them tend to be slimmer and they don’t really have the extra weight that the chubby black girl will have.
I was wearing like age 15 secondary school cloth when I was in primary school. I believe it was the summer to my GCSE that I began to lose a bit of weight. It wasn’t purposefully but as a result of playing outside.
I gained some more back during my A-levels. Weight loss actually began during my GCSE exams because there were times I would forget to eat because I was studying so much and then, playing outside. In my A-levels, stress had an opposite effect in the sense that it made me gain weight.
So, the summer after my A-levels, I was really determined to remove the weight especially before I go to Uni and keep it like that for life. I was successful. I was going to the gym everyday which was like 30 minutes away from me. I would work for like 30 minutes to an hour and walk back home. In that way, I was able to keep my weight up. I got healthier, I wasn’t eating as badly as I was before and I just got slimmer. I went into first year and I carried that routine on and I got down to a size 10.
Second year of university came, I was doing nine to fives and I had to cancel my gym membership because there was no time to go. Although I worked hard in the first year, I felt more pressure in second year to do better because it counted and then I used to eat like every two hours and it would be like heavy carbs. I gained weight and I remember a friend telling me it doesn’t matter that I’ll lose them after Uni.
In third year, I said if I couldn’t go to the gym, I could eat little. I was still eating a lot of carbs but I was adding more vegetables. A lot of the time, I think lack of sleep also added to gaining weight because when you are trying to lose weight, you need to sleep. At least, 7-9 hours to make sure that your muscles are rejuvenated and everything is going on well.
A lot of that contributed to my weight gain and by the end of third year, I was a 16/18. Coming back home, I became a solid 18. I was pondering on it for two to three months that I needed to get back to the gym but I had to re-balance after Uni. The final straw was when my mum was insulting me about snacking on a meal and not snacks and I should start eating fruits more and I should stop frying egg in the morning.
Health is wealth guys, get back on it. I’m proud to say that I’ve actually lost quite a bit leading up to a stone. So, it’s been really good. I’m down back to a 14/16 . I’m aiming to get back to a 12.
Weight has been like an issue for me since childbirth based on genetics and how you’re brought up. I believe a lot of black family has a genetic element but there’s how you guys eat as a collective. There’s so many things we eat in Nigeria that should be healthy but because of the way we cook it. We add a lot of oil, red meat and a lot of carbs and that’s what make it unhealthy.
It’s a thing of pride for me to look after myself. If weight is a problem for you, one thing I would say is if you want to lose weight, make sure you do it for the right reasons, make sure you’re doing it for yourself. Although there were the comments from my mum that encouraged me and gave me the kind of push I needed, I was already gingering myself in my spirit.
It was already something I wanted to do for myself by myself because no one is going to do it for you. Even when you set alarm to go to the gym, nobody is going to wake you at 6am to go to the gym. And that comes from inner motivation and decision.
If you’re comfortable the way you are as a big girl, keep on rocking it. Don’t let society pressure you but I personally wasn’t happy with my weight, I couldn’t recognise myself anymore as I lost my shape completely. My stomach was protruding, I saw stretchmarks and I have never had it in my life. So for me, I couldn’t recognise myself.
You can watch the video below
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