Candid camera on my weight loss

Last January I decided to lose weight. 

Jeanette's advice; "Eat an apple, it boosts energy and ebbs hunger". I tried it but each time, I would swear I had an apple, I just didn't know where it had disappeared.

Clare's advise; "Drink warm water, it is filling and it warms the tummy". Apart from several trips to the bathroom, this advice didn't make any sense, I was still hungry.

Then I discovered the Daniel Fast.

Quite apart from losing weight, I desired a more intimate walk with God. A fast without an agenda ends up being a diet plan. I liked the idea of seeking God while disciplining my body. No sugar, no meat, just vegetables and water. It sounds torturous but it's not so bad, just a little bit.

I started the days in prayer. At every turn there was a temptation but having a reason to fast - things to pray over made it possible to get through the days. I felt extremely drained the first days, my head pounded, I visited the bathroom often but by the end of week 2, I was going steady. It wasn't strange that everything seemed to go horribly wrong during this time - it was a spiritual battle. My body protested but my spirit fortified.

I stuck to water, apples, nuts, bananas, carrots, greens and veges of all tribes. I begun to shade the weight.

At the end of the fast, I felt stronger and attempted to carry on the eating habits. I started at 145 pounds, I'm down to 140 or a little less. I know it doesn't sound very encouraging after all the hard work - cut me some slack.

Ever wonder why some people don't share their weight loss secrets? They say "It is stress" or "I don't know" or simply "Nothing! the weight is just coming off". Whaa! Don't believe them. It's just that their methods are suicidal and they don't want to share lest you chock. I know a lady who ate an orange for lunch. She would have coffee in the morning, an orange for lunch and soup for dinner. Oh and then she would go to the gym everyday without fail. Before I go on about other people let me share my habits, bad or good, I will let you decide.

Breakfast - A banana with coffee/tea. You get used to it.

Break - An apple or nuts

 

Lunch - A bowl of soup with a chapati or a bowl of salad (who knew it could be so filling)

Afternoon snack - An apple or an orange and nuts

Dinner time -  Rice or Irish or pasta but I major on sauce.

Drink warm water all day. 

Office stress and a busy home life account for some of the weight loss.

It's going well so far, most of my trouble is in the mid section. I can't quite get the muscles to firm up enough so at the moment I look a small pregnant woman.
 I'm not going to the gym until I have this weight where I want it. It's easier for me to maintain than try to lose weight on a tread mill.

Remember: The more you eat, the more you'll eat. The less you eat, the less you'll eat. Choose quality over quantity - more fruits and veggies. Portion control. Don't let your body lie to you. When it says "eat or you'll die" sometimes it's just being fussy and used to a certain routine. Ignore it, keep busy and you'll be shocked at how much more life is in your body. Hopefully at that point you'll realize you are not dead yet (smile).

Losing my "Ugandan-ness" one year at a time

There was a time I thought British Airways was calling my name to board a plane back to Uganda.
Things that were seemingly normal baffled me, the addiction to coffee for example, I didn't understand why it ruled the world. A cup or the lack thereof dictated whether one's day went well or not. While tea did a fantastic job keeping Ugandans calm (maybe too calm), here, life didn't begin until the "cup of coffee", then there were bursts of energy and sudden flat valleys or near zombie-ish states.

Then the "I'm late" panic. Just like Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, there was no time to spare, no time to chat. Run here, run there, run everywhere, one needed a reminder just to breath.
 Grim faces in the bus, snarls on the train. I made sure to keep to myself lest someone lashed out. I avoided eye contact and didn't smile unless I knew the person.

There was hardly a support network to speak of especially when one needed help with child care. No dates, no movie nights, just mopping, cleaning and cooking and out went romance.
"Uganda is paradise!" I thought. I missed Rajib, the little boy at Nakawa Market who called on Saturday morning to say he was available to help with my shopping.
I missed Nicole, who was ever ready to braid my hair in 4 hours or less for 20 bucks.
There was a salon at every corner. I could have my nails vanished in no time.
I missed the luscious fruits and local dishes like ebo, emalakany and atap.
I missed the days I could go out gallivanting knowing that someone was home to care for my kids.

One year down the road, there has been adaptation and assimilation.

"There has been an alteration in the structure and function of this organism, parts that have resulted from natural selection and by which this organism has become better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment".

I drink coffee almost each morning. It all started one morning, when I got to office feeling exhausted, I couldn't pay attention to the tasks set before me. I had deadlines to beat and things to do. Instead of drinking my usual cup of warm water, I made a cup of coffee and whoa! it was an instant energizer, amazing! I took one the next day and the next and tomorrow I will have another cup.

I roll my tongue when talking with colleagues. My Ugandan friends would deny me straight up if they heard me speak in office. This is one of the few times I'm  glad none of them are any where near. It's not exactly intentional but when you constantly interact with colleagues who speak a certain way, it rubs off. They pronounce words in a certain style and only seem to understand me better when I say it the way they do. So there I go strressing my "r's" and moving my lowerrr jaw this way and that :-). I have caught myself a few times and smiled because it is furrnny like that.

Because life is "chap-chap", I am "chap-chap". Unless it is lunch hour chances are I'm headed somewhere to accomplish a particular task. If I'm heading home, I've got to get to the train station by 4:50pm to catch the train that will arrive at Vienna by 5:20pm in order to catch my bus at 5:26pm, which will get home at 6:00pm so I can whip up a meal for my people and so on. If I meet friends around these times, it's gonna be a "hi - bye" situation. Any slight delay causes a domino effect on all plans for the day.

A typical day is filled  with scheduled meetings, assignments to finish, deadlines to beat. So, in the busy mechanics of the day, lunch hour is the only time the machine stops for a break, then I can sit and chat.

Please don't touch my weekends!

I used to get really upset when bazungu gave forced smiles on the streets of Kampala. They grinned obviously without feeling. The grin was wiped off as soon as they walked past which I considered rude.

Now, imagine my self chastising when I did the same thing in office. My thought process went something like this: "Hey! I know we work together, I don't know your name or what you do, I'm not about to stop to talk but I acknowledge you". 

There are more mannerisms that have crept in. I need to keep tabs on them lest I lose all my Ugandan-ness (If ever there was such a things).

He breaks His heart to get our attention, sometimes

I stared at the news flash on my computer screen Friday morning. I remember thinking, the timing couldn't have been worse. Christmas will not be merry. Those kids could very well have been mine, Adam Lanza too.

I picked my kids up that afternoon and hugged them tighter.
It is easy to worry about their safety at the daycare and school. I pray for them constantly to avoid going kuku.
This country is so big, there are vast numbers of people facing troubling issues of one kind or another. It is a "lonely society" - that doesn't help. The man across the road, the neighbor 2 blocks down, the woman in the grocery store.What do they do? What are they thinking? Do they have family? What trials are they facing? The official response is "I don't know and frankly, I don't care. I've got issues of my own".
We need to reach out, to break down the barriers and remold the culture. God is calling us as believers to cross that line. He is calling us to care enough to ask. Every one needs compassion, the kindness of a savior, someone to show genuine concern. Mental and psychological issues don't always stem from "medical diagnosis", it might be loneliness, self loathing or rejection, which can be remedied through a Jesus culture; a hug, a note to say "I love you", "I'm thinking about you".
Perhaps if we stopped for just a while, gave a smile, looked people in the eye, showed more interest in others, then we would experience Jesus. We would find true joy in living. Shades of grey would turn to color. The emptiness inside of us would be filled with Jesus the bread of life, the living water, the lover of our souls. He is the reason for the Christmas season and sometimes He has to break His heart and ours to get our attention.
I pray for the families.
I pray for the children who witnessed friends lives shredded right before their eyes - innocence slashed.
I pray for this nation, that we would live for what really matters. That the laws would be altered to focus on life as God intended it without selfish agendas.
That we would ...
"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion".
Philippians 2: 5-7

And all this to buy my pardon, to buy your pardon, to buy our pardon. It wasn't about Him, it was all about us.

Help us to see you, God give us your eyes. Heal the hurt and draw us closer to you forever.