Kyamagero has shed off 16 kilos in seven months

What you need to know:

  • Andrew Kyamagero shares his journey on how to lose and maintain weight.

Sometimes the strongest food cravings hit when you are at your weakest point emotionally. When broadcaster Andrew Kyamagero set out to shed off kilos of flesh, he had to deal with the agony of looking at finger-licking pork ribs for a while.
They were his favourite snack at parties. He would wash them down with some chilled beer and other liquor that characterised celebrations he was invited to every other week.
Deep within, he realised that a tool so small, the fork, he used when enjoying all this well-marinated meat, was threatening his health. Many times, he took time off home to look at his former self, in photos. He was skinny then. To his admission, with marriage, came all the “good” meals which contributed to his weight gain.

Turning point
His friends started making cheeky jokes about his weight and one evening, while returning home, he decided to take a random weight check. He weighed 96 kilogrammes. This was a shocker because he had once weighed in the ranges of 60 kilogrammes.
“I was not happy about it and whenever I sat in a car or boarded a boda boda, I felt tired and would sweat intensely. I realised I was overweight,” he recounts.

Getting his groove back
Besides the meals at home, he attributes peace of mind and uncontrolled feeding to the weight gain. For instance, he says he was a regular at friends’ parties where pork and other meats were served in plenty on addition to an array of alcoholic drinks.
Whereas the food and drinks lasted as long as the fun did, the discomfort as layers of flesh pilled left part of him worried. “I felt uncomfortable in a way. My belly was swelling and you know in my line of business, that’s so bad.

Hard journey
Nonetheless, the journey of shedding off the weight was a hard one. But kicking off the journey was not an easy one. “It was so hard to let go of soda. It was my morning drink. It was hard but my wife, Linda, was fundamental. Even when I left home for work, she would check on me on a daily, through calls to find out what I was having for lunch.”
The temptations during outings could not be ruled out especially with friends who thought having a little of the meaty stuff could not hurt as much. “My wardrobe was a mess in the first months. My weight wasn’t proportional because of a few indiscipline cravings via diet,” he recollects.
He stood his ground when jokes were thrown at him for being strict with his new diet regime. He reached out to vegetarian meals and opted for water over beers and other alcohol.

His regimen
He wakes up to a dietary regimen of a glass of warm water at 5am. At 8am, he will have breakfast of black tea with two boiled eggs which last him to 1pm when he takes lunch. He enjoy local food but in moderate portions.
At 3pm, he will snack on some fruits. He is a fan of mangoes. Dinner is served at 7pm. Fish, liver and goat’s meat with white rice are regular though his wife likes alternating things. He drinks water six to eight times a day. For exercise, he continues swimming, at least twice a week.
“First you must have diet discipline. Don’t just eat to get satisfied but rather eat depending on the usage coming from what you have eaten. I have totally ruled out wheat products from my diet. It is painful that they are all around me but I have developed discipline. I have introduced a rhythmic mode of drinking water which has kept my food layering in check as well,” he testifies.
And he has been doing some reading on food and foodies. “There are people who turn to food for comfort consciously or unconsciously when facing a difficult problem, feeling stressed or even feeling bored. Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It often leads to eating too much, especially too much of high-calorie, sweet and fatty foods.”
He adds, “The good news is that if you’re prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals. If you’ve tried self-help options but you still can’t control eating which has caused your weight over time, create a group with the same goals. This will act as your supportive structure in achieving this.”

It pays off
With time, he realised a change. Shirts, trousers, shorts and vests could no longer fit. Within two months, Kyamagero had started registered results. This afforded him a smile of satisfaction that he was regaining his good health.
He cautions those undertaking weight loss programmes that they should stay clear or carefully use unnatural methods especially the use of drugs or supplements in losing weight.
“That’s so wrong. Weight is about diet discipline, period. None of these drugs are a magic bullet. They all must be accompanied by following a healthy diet on top of exercising. Some have side effects,” he advises.
He adds that exercising and eating right is much better the dramatic weight loss seen in people who undergo gastric bypass surgery. He tips anyone dealing with weight gain or obesity and looking for ways to shed off the weight, arguing that to maintain your weight, the calories you eat must equal the energy you burn.
“To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat. A weight-control strategy might include choosing low-fat, low-calorie foods, eating smaller portions, drinking water instead of sugary drinks and being physically active,” he spells out.
He is not yet done losing and maintaining his body shape. He proudly says, “I am still on the journey but so far so good. I have decreased my risk to getting diabetes and lowered my blood pressure. I have improved cholesterol levels, decreased risk of heart disease and of course my bed game is by far better than previous games.”

Concerted effort
The reactions from friends were mixed. “Some were just praising me, with statements like “mbu, eeeeeh boss the money is here, finally”. Others were concerned. My sister Jackie allied with my wife to convince me about changing my diet,” the radio presenter recalls.
The initiative to change his diet was a good start. He decided to start swimming as he shopped around for more ideas. He was told of Taimex Nutrition Centre where he did a generic blood test.
“This helped to determine my blood group which is AB+ (Nomad) and what I needed to eat to keep in shape. My family was my best supportive structure. My wife helped in monitoring my meals and it helped me a lot,” Kyamagero narrates.