Don't let obesity take you down
Perpetutal Gbekor was left by her partner because he did not like her being overweight. Today, she is fighting herself back into the center of attention – by dancing. Our Dr. Chinonso Egemba met her to learn what being obese means for her mental and physical wellbeing.
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00:00 So I think we would all agree that food is good, right?
00:02 It's a great source of energy and a great source of nutrients.
00:05 But what happens when we take more than our body needs
00:07 or we constantly make unhealthy choices over time?
00:11 One very obvious complication is that we gain weight.
00:13 - My baby daddy, we got broke up
00:16 because he started complaining,
00:18 you are becoming too fat, you are becoming too big.
00:22 So he went in front of that woman,
00:24 leaving me with a child.
00:26 (upbeat music)
00:30 (upbeat music)
00:32 - Hello and welcome once again
00:41 to our Healthy Me, No Caps, Safe Space.
00:43 And with me I have Pepetro,
00:44 who is a wonderful dancer by the way.
00:46 I'm green with envy, we'll talk about that.
00:49 And so let's go straight into it.
00:50 When did you first notice that you had a problem with your weight?
00:54 - I have been a placid since birth.
00:57 As I was growing, it kept becoming bigger and bigger.
01:02 - At what point did you realize
01:06 this needs to be taken care of?
01:08 - Intake of food or,
01:11 apparently I don't have any mind about that
01:13 because I think day in day out, I just get bigger.
01:18 People normally body shame plus size people.
01:24 Most people see plus size people,
01:28 I don't know if I should say it's an abomination.
01:30 We have personal issues we face.
01:33 You have the waist pain, the back pain, your knee pain.
01:38 And aside all those things,
01:40 you get humiliated by people in your community.
01:43 When you are even walking around,
01:45 people can be shouting,
01:47 "Hey, hey, I think you are not a human being."
01:50 Or you are, I don't really get it.
01:54 And this has been on my nerves.
01:56 - Were there other symptoms you had?
01:59 - Any little thing I do, I sweat,
02:02 I pant when I get to long distance,
02:06 I get tired sometimes.
02:08 - You get tired easily.
02:09 - Yeah.
02:10 - So let's quickly check our DW Africa community
02:13 to see what interesting comments are there.
02:15 Anne from Kenya is asking,
02:17 "Hi doc, are there any complications of obesity?"
02:22 - There are actually a lot of complications
02:25 following obesity.
02:27 You have hypertension, you have type two diabetes,
02:31 even metabolic syndrome.
02:32 If you want to be sure that you do not have
02:34 any of those complications,
02:36 it's best to always book a checkup with your doctor
02:40 just so that you're sure,
02:41 because the earlier you know they are found, the better.
02:43 I hope I've answered your question Anne.
02:45 - How has this condition affected your friends
02:49 or your family around you?
02:50 - My baby daddy, we got broke up
02:53 because he started complaining,
02:55 you are becoming too fat, you are becoming too big.
02:59 And I'm like, oh, am I the cause of it?
03:03 So he went in for another woman,
03:06 leaving me with a child.
03:08 - I'm sure that must have hit you really hard.
03:10 - Yeah.
03:11 - How are you trying to find your way around it?
03:13 - I've learned to eat enough, but not too much.
03:17 I've also learned to exercise,
03:21 reduce the intake of carbohydrates
03:23 and dancing has really helped me.
03:26 It has really boost my courage.
03:30 Every day I try to do a dance that will keep me healthy
03:35 and it has really built my courage and I really like that.
03:38 - Did you try reducing sugary foods,
03:42 staying away from sugary foods?
03:46 - Doc, I wish there was an injection to help me stop
03:49 because I'll try for just three days.
03:53 I can't stop at once.
03:55 - But you're trying.
03:56 - I'm trying.
03:57 - And I think that that's what's most important.
03:59 The fact that you're trying,
04:01 what you now need is consistency,
04:03 the ability to just stay with it and continue.
04:06 You know, you may fail, but pick up
04:08 and continue from where you stopped.
04:10 Diets that are very heavy in vegetables may look boring,
04:13 but they are actually very healthy.
04:15 Here's why.
04:16 Most of those diets contain a lot of fiber
04:18 which actually helps slow down digestion
04:21 and reduce the rates to which glucose is absorbed
04:24 into your bloodstream.
04:25 So add more vegetables into your diets.
04:28 Secondly, you need to build muscle
04:30 on your weight loss journey.
04:32 Muscle has very high metabolism.
04:34 So even when you're not exercising,
04:36 your muscles are actually burning weights.
04:39 Lastly, try not to drink your calories.
04:42 Sodas and other sugary drinks
04:44 many times contain a lot of calories
04:47 which could then add to even the food you're eating
04:50 and help impede your weight loss journey.
04:53 Have you lost any weight at all?
04:56 - When I was pregnant, I weighed 132.
05:01 When I gave birth, I reduced to 130
05:07 whilst dancing and now weigh 120.
05:10 - Has your symptoms improved at all
05:12 because of this progress?
05:13 - Yeah.
05:14 - So thank you Perpetual for sharing your story with us.
05:17 - Thank you, doc.
05:18 - Maybe I'll come for dancing classes
05:21 'cause I have two left feet.
05:22 - Sure.
05:23 - If you've learned something,
05:24 share this with a friend or family member
05:27 and don't forget to put your comments
05:28 in the comment section.
05:29 (dramatic music)
05:32 (upbeat music)