My lovelies, So sorry for the long hiatus - again. I was away from any kind of net access for one and half weeks as I prepared to travel a long distance from Kebbi to Abuja. I've been in Abuja for a week now, with a weekend away in a nearby state for a friend's goodbye party. I've been good to myself. I've drank only red wine on special occassions, had one plate with small helpings of each tasty dish they had, and went for hour-long walks everyday since I left Kebbi. By the VSO flat, there are stable sidewalks so every morning at 8 30am, I go out for a brisk 30 minute walk with Marufat, my intervenor. We repeat the same walking pattern for 45 minutes every evening after dinner. I've consciously chosen to eat a hearty breakfast of egggs, vegetables, fruit and alternating between carb-heavy meal or a salad/soup for lunch or dinner. Balance is important - I wish to eat only one heavy carb meal a day, leaving very little carb (bread, rice, pasta etc) in the other 2 meals. Apples, oranges, masara (roasted corn found on grills by the streets of Nigeria), guava, coconut pieces and muesli trail mix are usually my snacks everyday. I am having a problem with consumption of water. The water filter in the VSO flat is very dirty, so I have resorted to buying bottles of water or refilling them at the VSO office when I come in everyday this week to work on my fundraising book. But it seems not enough. So I am going to work on that. I leave for New York City next Tuesday. Pray I will do OK in the land of the obese. Most especially when there are so many foods I've missed while being here in Nigeria. Oh, and I've successfully trained myself to turn morning stretches and night stretches into a habit. It's become so frequent and conscious enough that I treat yoga like brushing my teeth everyday - you must do it because it's healthy. And I'm working on making walks everyday a habit for life. My clothes are getting bigger and my waist is getting smaller. I look forward to do a bit of shopping in the States 0 but not too many because I know I'll drop more once I get back to Nigeria. I will try to update whenever I can. Just know that I am consciously working on my fitness, health and whipping up more healthy culinary delights. I have never been more prouder of myself for losing so much weight. I currently do not know how much I weigh. I don't think I want to know for a while. Hope you are all well, healthy & happy. Tactile love yourself, first&foremost. Coco | 
