Dear Calories

Dear Calories,

With great pain in my heart, am writing this letter to tell you how bad I feel about the weight I have excessively gained in the past few months.

Six months ago I was weighing 75kg but even as I write this letter I currently weigh 85kg and I am only 5 feet and 9 inches tall, just imagine the difference. The worst part is when I see friends I have not seen in a long while, they just scream when they see me; it honestly makes me so ashamed of myself. Just last month I went to see my friend Nnedi who just came back from Aberdeen, I was so embarrassed when she screamed at the amount of calories I have put on. She quickly gave the chocolate she bought for me to Chuks who just sat beside me and smiled but I honestly knew he was laughing at me in his mind.

I don’t think you really know how bad I feel about you. You have totally changed the way I look. You might feel am exaggerating but I honestly looked tall, slender, sexy and beautiful, at least my mirror always told me that every morning and I get good comments from people.

Presently, take a good look at my thighs they have expanded immensely, each time I wear my skinny jeans or even any jeans trouser; my thighs look as if they want to pop out. They are just too tight and very uncomfortable.

My one and only pride and joy that usually gave me hope was my flat tummy but seeing them now simply makes me shed tears. It’s all flabby and bulgy with no shape or form at all; just tell me how my fitted dresses and shirts will look when I put them on. My tummy now has layers; can you imagine how embarrassing it is for me? What thoughts do you want to put in the hearts of people? I don’t even have a child yet and I look this way. Why, just tell me why?

The worst part is my boobs, I honestly can’t say I have lost hope cos I guess most Nigerian men love it when its bigger but trust me, it’s not funny at all when my shirts can’t even button up, even if they do my boobs seem to be bursting the buttons, I have to fight with them most morning. The only way to have peace in that area is using a safety pin to make sure my colleagues don’t see the kind of bra am wearing.

Well your end has come, I have not only put my foot down but I am also taking the bull by the horn, I must shed all the excess calories in my body. Yesterday marked the start of my weight loss program. I paid for my gym and I am taking it seriously this time. My protein diet has also started, the only down side is having to pollute the air most times, but I will be careful this time, I don’t want to finish Debbie with the foul smell in the office.

I will no longer take soft drinks, juice or any liquid that has lots of calories. Water is my new best friend. No matter what I do I must take at least 5 (five) glasses of water each day. It might seem small, but it’s a start. I also have to give a very strong warning to Ebube, Grace and especially Debbie who enjoy giving me Malt in the office. It’s really nice of them but trust me, it causes more harm than good to my body.

Within the next 3 (three) months there must be change in my body and I am more positive than ever. Calories, trust me your days are numbered

Sincerely,

Augusta A.