Gamu Zelda

Welcome to my Food Journal, I have a short story to tell about my journey with food which is directly linked to My Self-esteem, self-confidence as well as my self-discovery journey. My love for food started at a very young age, and my grandmother taught me everything I know about food. I used to watch her cook, cook with her and I knew that this was something that would make me happy. As an African child, I grew up eating literally everything, from meat to Mopani worms you name it. I never had intolerances or anything of that sort. I did Food and Nutrition in High school, and that move confirmed that this was my field, my comfort, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about food, most of all Nutrition and Health. I read a lot of magazines about weight loss, Nutrition, clean diets and all that, simply because at one point I thought I would excel in the modelling industry, so one thing I had to keep an eye on was my figure. There is no Health Magazine I did not buy in High School, I was active too. My body behaved, (although I would make myself throw up, diet to death, starve myself, every time I saw something grow big, story for another day). I loved having a snatched waist, slim body and all that good staff. When I was about 21, the nightmare started, I started gaining weight, people did not make it any better as they started noticing and talking about it. Some would say “oh I thought you wanted to be a model, now that you are gaining weight, is it still possible, at one point I even got asked if I was pregnant. Talk about the turmoil. Low self-esteem, self-hate stepped in and I could not actually believe the person I was becoming. Everything changed, and I started resorting to baggy t-shirts because I was uncomfortable every time people pointed out that I was gaining weight. I moved to Germany in 2014 and it got worse. I started buying weight loss pills online, tried them but they could not work. There is nothing I did not do to lose weight. To cut the long story short, I lost my life and a lot of time unhappy about the way I looked, and I resented myself and the people around me for always telling that I was getting big. I joined the gym, but I was looking for instant results, and I easily gave up. In 2017, I had to get several infusions because I was diagnosed with Anaemia, my doctor feared for me, he was like “if you don’t do anything about your diet, the iron deficiency could lead to serious health problems”. Those needles 2 times a week, 8 times (an hour each time) freaked me out. I hated every step of it, it made me think twice about what I consume. I was playing with my health, and I needed to step up. I tried to change but nothing came out of it as I would see myself munching junk and not paying attention to the nutritional value of whatever I was consuming. One thing I had to do was create a habit, but as you know this is just easier said than done. 2018 Changed my life for good. I realised that the power to control my body was in my hands, no one else’s. I was tired of being sick and tired, I was tired of not having energy, I was tired of letting people control my feelings, I wanted to love myself, I wanted more from life and most of all I wanted to be comfortable in my own body and skin. I changed my life by deciding to eat better, cut down on processed foods that I know are a threat to my health, I started eating more and more vegetables and fruits and drinking more water. One thing that puzzled me though, is that as much as I wanted to lose weight, it was no longer my focus. My focus was health, my focus was change, I wanted to change my habits and become a better person. I wanted to take care of my body the right way. I cut down on processed foods, unhealthy fats and carbs, sugar and bit by body my body started reacting. I lost a bit of weight. My skin is clearer, I have more energy and I am taking my exercise regime seriously. I see progress every day and tell you what, it is all about patience, self-belief and knowing what’s right and good for you. According to my experience so far, there is nothing like instant weight loss, there is nothing like abs in 7 days, it takes weeks, months and even years to get to that point where you can show of that 6 pack haha, well maybe for some people it may be faster than for others. It takes time, but the most important thing is implementing change right now. I have learnt a lot of lessons regarding my body, different foods and their impact. I signed up for a Nutrition Course and hopefully one day I will fully know everything about Nutrition and help others overcome their problems as far as Health and Nutrition and self-care is concerned. Lesson learnt: Gaining weight is not a bad thing at all, Curvy, big is beautiful. The most important thing is you are happy and comfy in your own skin and body. One thing to deeply think about though is your health. The world we live in today is full of parasites like Cancer, Heart diseases, diabetes. We need to take care of our bodies, what we eat, exercise as well and try as much as we can to prevent these diseases. I started a journey that I don’t want to end. I am more happy and free, and I don’t even remember the last time I felt tired and weak. I have energy to do my work, get things done, something that was not possible before. I can safely say I am happy and satisfied with my life, even though I still have a long way to go. I want to learn more, help others with the same issues as well as stay motivated and grow as an individual. This is the reason why I decide to come up with this small meal plan, to share with you guys what I have been eating the past few months and hopefully it can help you too in anyway. I tried to cut down on junk and live by the 80/20 rule. I include Fruits and Vegetables in almost every meal and I exercise 3 times a week. Water has been my good friend since, I drink 3,5-3 litres a day, even more now that we are in Summer. I tried to find substitutes for the things I love, sometimes I make Nice Cream (banana ice cream) as opposed to buying ice cream. I still eat my Carrot Cake but not twice a week like I used to. I think it is all about creating a balance, but mainly eating as much raw and clean food as possible. Love Gamu Zelda xx