Why I Called This “Lose Weight or Die Trying”

I am a Nigerian female civil servant.

I live and work in Nigeria, in a culture that loves food, celebration, and a good time and yet still understands the value of living healthy.

Every day comes with its own weight: work pressure, bills, care giving, responsibilities, and the quiet emotional load that doesn’t always have a name. When you add the absence of a supportive life partner and the general rigours of daily living, it becomes very easy to jump on the diet bandwagon and just as easy, to fall off almost immediately.

This blog didn’t start as a grand idea.

It started out of frustration.

I wasn’t looking for a therapist. I didn’t even think I needed one. I just felt that if I could put my thoughts somewhere, if I could speak honestly about the process, the struggle, and the effort, it might help me stay committed and focused.

So I decided to let the world be my therapist.

“Lose Weight or Die Trying” is not a slogan.

It is the truth of how serious this feels to me now.

My lowest weight as an adult was 70kg.

My goal weight is 57kg.

That means I need to lose about 20kg.

But more importantly, I need to keep my mind and my spirit intact while I do it.

Weight loss, for me, is not just about the scale or how I look. It is about reducing the weight that life itself places on me. I have come to understand that carrying excess physical weight often makes emotional, mental, and daily challenges feel heavier than they already are. If I can strengthen my body, simplify my habits, and show myself discipline in this one area, it becomes easier to face everything else  (work pressure, responsibility, uncertainty, and even loneliness), with more clarity and resilience. In that sense, weight loss is not the goal; it is the facilitator. A way of creating space, energy, and capacity to carry life better.

Therefore, this is not a blog about quick fixes or perfect discipline. It is a record of trying, in real life, in a real body, in a real country, under real pressure.

I am not writing from the finish line.

I am writing from the middle.

Some days will be clear.

Some days will be messy.

Some days I will get it right.

Some days I won’t........like today.

But this time, I am staying present.

I am choosing focus over fantasy.

I am choosing effort over silence.

So here I am, trying to lose the weight.

Trying to live well.

Trying to keep my mind and spirit whole.

This is me, trying and I WILL!