George Gitau, 48, shares his weight loss journey during an interview at Nation Centre, Nairobi, on March 25, 2025.
For many parents, the journey of raising children slowly shifts the focus away from yourself.
Somewhere between changing diapers, helping with homework, and juggling work demands, well-being slips through the cracks.
Weight gain doesn't announce itself all at once—it creeps in silently. It arrives in exhaustion, skipped meals replaced by quick bites of leftover snacks, and the stillness of evenings spent lying on the couch lulling the bundle of joy to sleep.
Over time, it takes a toll not just on the body, but on confidence, moods, and the ability to fully engage with the people who matter most: their children.
For some parents, the wake-up call doesn't come from a doctor's report or a tight pair of jeans. It comes from the unfiltered honesty of a child's question: "Why don't you play with us like other moms and dads?"
Other times, it is the sting of a playful comment at the dinner table about food portions.
Around 2006, George Gitau, 48 weighed nearly 90 kilograms and was frequently visiting the hospital due to recurring chest complications.
He was no stranger to prescriptions—often leaving the hospital with a bag full of medication. He recalls, "At home, besides being a present dad, I could not play with my children. I would get tired within 10 minutes and leave them outside as I went to lie down and watch TV or just relax."
George Gitau.
His children often compared him to other dads, asking why he didn't play with them as much. "I'd watch them through the window and see them playing with other dads from the neighbourhood. I felt a lump in my throat knowing too well, that I could not play with them. I became an introvert to the extent I'd switch off my phone as soon as I got home on Friday ignoring calls of meetups from people," he says.
His wake-up call? A doctor who urged him to start jogging after he returned for another prescription—just days after being given the previous one.
He started waking up between 5:00 am and 6:30 am to jog, as his office work kept him behind his desk the whole day. "I remember, the very first days being hectic. I could not even jog for 15 minutes. I would pant so heavily, feel so tired and worn out...it was very difficult."
So, what kept you going?
"My children, who were still little, started accompanying me. Every weekend, either on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, we would jog, and although they could not cover many kilometres, their enthusiasm kept me going. Also, we started bonding more and they would open up informally about what was happening in school," he shares.
As years progressed and exercising became a family activity, George, a father of two, says he is still reaping the benefits that came with the bonding time he shares with his children.
"For instance, when my daughter joined high school, she would tell me everything that was happening in school even students who were doing drugs among other types of activities they were engaging in. Also, when she had an issue, she never feared asking the teachers to call me."
According to George, parenting should encourage open communication and shared jokes. "You need to be free with your child—and that kind of freedom only comes through a bonding activity you enjoy together," he says.
For him, that activity became jogging, riding bicycles, or walking along rivers and in the forest, a habit he still maintains. Now jogging eight kilometres every weekday, George encourages parents struggling with weight not to give up, reminding them that they owe it to themselves—and their families—to pursue good health.
"I have realised that every day I exercise I start the day feeling positive, and my mind is free."
Fat-burning concoctions
Like George, Charity Gitari, 36, was inspired to start her weight loss journey because of body complications emanating from weighing almost 100 kilograms.
At that time, she not only had breathing difficulties but her knees and back were constantly aching. Additionally, her mood swings were at the extremes almost all the time and her children would often tease her about the amount of food on her plate, saying, “Mom, hiyo ni mingi sana, or mom utamaliza hiyo yote... (Mom, that's too much food or Mom, will you finish all that?)'"
All through her four pregnancies, Charity ate a lot of wheat products like bread and cakes and although they increased her milk supply, she battled self-esteem issues, would be easily irritable, and constantly felt that people were infringing on her space.
"At home, I would yell at my first and second born when they needed my attention and would not feel remorseful. I hardly played with them, and instead delegated the responsibility to my house help because it was tiring.”
A routine medical check-up by her mum, who is a nurse, revealed that she needed to reduce her wheat and carbohydrate intake. Last year in December, after giving birth and breastfeeding her last-born daughter, Charity began her weight loss journey.
"I started by soaking ginger, lemon, garlic, pineapple peel overnight and drinking half of it in hot water every morning before breakfast. Sometimes, I would go the whole day drinking only water or tea without eating any food. I also stopped taking tea with milk daily and chose to alternate." she shares.
Besides the concoctions, Charity unlearned bad eating habits like having her dinner way late in the night and eating immediately she wakes up. "If I got home past 9:00 pm, and say it's ugali and greens, I would only take the greens and a fruit and call it a night."
Having lost some kilograms, Charity shares that now she is in a better space. "When I dress, my children tell me I'm so smart, yet in the past, they never told me, but would complement other people. My moods are now way better. I no longer yell; instead I dance with them since I love it, and they even bring friends home."
Charity believes the true secret to losing weight lies in making a deliberate choice to change.
To every parent struggling with weight, she offers this advice: "If you change your diet and portions, you can control your body, relations with people —and even your moods."
Despite being sporty from a young age and regularly exercising at the gym, 32-year-old Victoria says pregnancy and breastfeeding changed everything for her.
When she got her first-born, her weight increased from 62 to 75 kilograms. "This affected my self-esteem; my confidence was so low and I did not like the way I looked at all. Also, I remember there was a time we went to the bouncing castle for my son to play and I could not jump as before. I was panting, I felt so weak and different," she starts.
After she finished breastfeeding, Victoria, started intermittent fasting (IF), a time-restrictive eating structure that focuses on modification of when to eat by alternating between periods of eating and fasting. At first, she started by going half a day without food, then progressed to two full days, then four, until she was eventually able to go seven days without eating.
Weren't you fainting? "No. Basically, I used to drink water and black coffee but of course, I would feel dizzy and would break the fast with soup or salads...something light."
In a month's time, Victoria weighed 65 and started eating one meal a day (OMAD) till she hit 62.
"Then I got pregnant again in 2023 with my second-born. I had a lot of cravings, which ranged from sweet treats to fast food meals like pizza. As a result, I gained weight from 65 to 90 kilograms," she shares.
However, she carried the weight well and it made her feel strong enough to carry her child, who was quite heavy at the time.
"She (my daughter) took formula because my breast milk supply was low, and she refused the stroller, so I had no choice but to carry her around in a carrier… I'd say that was the only time my weight favoured me."
Having tested intermittent fasting and seen how well it worked for her body, Victoria went full throttle—and within three months, she was weighing 65 kilograms. Since she lives abroad, Victoria shares that being proactive about losing weight as soon as her children stop breastfeeding has been a game changer in her parenting.
"Here they are very strict on matters children. So, I am the one who currently plays and engages with them outside. Whether it's playing football, basketball, cycling, skating. When they are older, they may play with their neighbours but under supervision."
However, to any parent looking to lose weight once their child(ren) stops breastfeeding, Victoria advises: "Be disciplined and consistent. Where there is a will, there is a way. Also, shedding a few kilograms will not only make you flexible but you will look young and your clothes will fit better."
wkanuri@ke.nationmedia.com
