Something happens to all of us when we decide to lose weight.
The portion of the kenkey gets smaller. The banku shrinks. The groundnut soup gets a little lighter on the meat. We’ve been taught that eating less is the answer—that weight loss is a math problem where smaller numbers on the plate equal smaller numbers on the scale.
But here’s what many Ghanaians discover the hard way: eating too little backfires. The weight stops coming off. The cravings get louder. And eventually, you find yourself standing in front of the fufu seller, wondering where your willpower disappeared to.
Eating enough—the right things, at the right times—actually matters more than eating less. Here’s why.
1. Your Body Thinks You’re Starving
Cut your food intake too much, and your body doesn’t think, “oh good, we’re losing weight.” It thinks, “emergency, famine has arrived, hold onto everything.”
This is biology, not weakness. Your body doesn’t know you’re trying to fit into a dress for an upcoming wedding. It just knows food has become scarce. So it slows your metabolism to preserve energy. You feel tired. You feel cold. You stop moving as much without realizing it.
The result? You’re suffering on small portions and losing nothing. Meanwhile, your friend who eats regular meals—including her fufu on Sundays—is somehow shrinking.
She’s eating enough to keep her metabolism confident. Yours is panicking.
2. The Sunday Dinner Problem
Let’s be honest about something: in Ghana, food is love. It’s a celebration. It’s Sunday after church, it’s weddings, it’s outdooring ceremonies, it’s everything.
When you restrict too hard Monday through Saturday, something happens by the time Sunday arrives. You’ve been suffering all week. You’ve said no to everything. And now here’s your mother’s jollof, your aunt’s waakye, the banku and tilapia you’ve been smelling since service ended.
You crack. Not just a little—a lot. You eat like you’ll never see food again, because part of you believes you won’t. The restriction created the binge.
Eating enough during the week—satisfying meals with realistic portions—means Sunday dinner is just Sunday dinner. Not a rebellion. Not a breakdown. Just food.
3. You Can’t Out-Diet Low Energy
Have you noticed that when you eat too little, everything becomes harder?
Getting out of bed takes effort. Walking to the trotro station feels like exercise. Dancing at a funeral? Forget it. You’re tired before the drums start.
This matters because weight loss isn’t just about what you eat—it’s about how you move, how you live, how many steps you take without thinking about them. When you’re under-eating, your non-exercise activity drops. You fidget less. You walk more slowly. You sit more.
All those little movements add up. And when you’re not eating enough, they disappear without you noticing. You’re burning fewer calories while feeling miserable.
Eating enough keeps your energy up and your body moving. The person eating more—but moving more—wins every time.
Eating enough isn’t about giving up on your goals. It’s about being smart.
It’s about finishing your Red Red and feeling satisfied, not searching for something else to eat thirty minutes later. It’s about having the energy to chase your kids, walk to market, and dance at your niece’s engagement. It’s about reaching Sunday without feeling like you’ve been in a fight with food all week.
The goal isn’t less food. It’s better food, in amounts that work with your body instead of against it.
Eat enough. Move when you can. Trust the process.
Your mother’s jollof will still be there on Sunday. And you’ll enjoy it more when you’re not starving.