Consistency, Chevda and Slim-Girl Energy

Dear Body,

Tell everyone how proud you are of me for my consistency in the movement department.

This week: 68,545 steps and two one-hour gym sessions—on Thursday and Friday.

You go, girl!

So, I am committing to my exercise routine, even though I am not quite there yet. A girl has got to start somewhere.

Plus, give me some credit. This is that week when your body goes into full "I am not cooperating" mode.

If you know, you know.

I feel ten kilos heavier, the nausea is in full gear and everything inside me appears to be working against me—but here we are, doing our best.

One day, when I get to heaven, I will look for Eve and ask her whether she really needed to eat that apple. Because all these generations later, women are still being punished for that original sin.

Damn.

Last week, I promised to update you on how I was doing in the food department, and I must say, I have improved.

There have been more home-cooked meals and less snacking.

Although I must admit that I also had two days of full chevda indulgence.

Yum, yum, yum.

If there is one thing I love taking with me when I travel, it is chevda. Have you ever heard of Ferrari chevda, made fresh by a local Indian family somewhere near Nairobi?

If you have not yet been introduced to this delicious snack, call me. I'll hook you up with my guy.

Anyway, it is that week, so replacing dinner with chevda was perfectly acceptable.

The body wants what the body wants.

This was also the week I discovered that sweet potato mixed with grated cauliflower and cheese, then baked, is absolutely delicious and surprisingly filling.

It is easy to prepare and makes a great snack. Try it at home—you'll love it.

I also experimented with this new thing called food logging, and I am still getting the hang of it.

It is amazing what all these apps can do for us these days.

I did not log my food every day, but I played around with the app, and I must say, it was quite revealing. It really paints a picture of the difference between the calories in a bowl of chevda and those in a bowl of salad.

I mean, there are no surprises there.

But when you actually see the numbers, they do make you think twice about what you choose to eat.

And by "you," I mean other people.

I'm not there yet.

Which reminds me: do you have friends like mine?

Every time I hang out with Q, L or M, I am reminded of how little some people's bodies apparently need to survive.

Picture this.

We take a weekend trip out of town because we need to catch up and take a break from parenting, wifing and all that adulting.

We have dinner, go dancing, laugh ourselves silly and go to bed a little late.

The next morning, we wake up, chit-chat, play a board game or two, chit-chat some more—and suddenly it is 11 a.m.

Have we eaten?

No.

Am I hungry?

Yes.

But I am trying to treat my body to some slim-girl energy, so I sit there sipping lemon water, sijui black coffee, sijui what else.

By 11 a.m., I finally ask:

"Haiya, kwani we are not eating?"

Then Q will casually announce something like:

"I guess I could eat an apple. I'm not even hungry. Are you?"

Am I hungry?

Are you kidding me?

It has been more than 15 hours since we last ate, and your question is whether I am hungry?

Needless to say, I can never keep up with their rabbit-grazing habits.

I have therefore made peace with the fact that this may be why my clothes are double the size of theirs.

And when you see me packing an entire suitcase for a weekend trip, do not judge me.

Just assume that I have packed my gym clothes, swimsuit and swimming paraphernalia in addition to my regular clothes—and move on with your life.

Have a good day, won't you?

This was a good week.

Yours—moving consistently but still eating the chevda, Me

Week Five at a Glance

My Garmin tells me I averaged 98% of my 10,000-step goal this week—so close, yet somehow still not quite there, which feels like the theme of my entire life right now.

I exceeded my goal on Saturday and Sunday, then blew right past it on Monday—137%, thank you very much, Bogotá hills. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I apparently decided walking was optional, achieving 81% and 77%.

But I wasn't exactly sitting still. On Thursday, I completed a 49-minute cardio workout and burned 320 calories. Then, on Friday, I tried something new: I lifted actual weights. 53 minutes, 277 calories—and muscles I'm fairly certain I didn't know I had are currently drafting a formal complaint.

Total steps: 68,545

Average daily goal achieved: 98%

Gym workouts: Two

So close. Still showing up.