Encomium
Kate Osomede Emiko is a popular nutritionist and a newspaper columnist. She started a body perfect fitness centre in Warri, Delta State to later relocate to Lagos six years ago. She runs Body Perfect, an outfit that teaches how to live well.
In this interview with ENCOMIUM Weekly, the happily married mother of three beautiful children bared it all on nutrition and how it affects your health and much more.
When did Body Perfect start?
Body Perfect is nine going to 10 years old now, I started Body Perfect Fitness Centre in Warri, Delta State and when I moved to Lagos six years ago, I also established Body Perfect Gym and Fitness Centre, but because of some logistics, I had to close up the gym centre and concentrate more on the skin and nutritional aspect of it.
What actually led you into starting up a business like this?
Actually, I had a weight issue, a terrible weight issue when I had my first child, who is 11 years now. The doctor had to put me on a diet, I had my first child through Caesarian Section (CS) because of the weight issue I was having then, and before my boy was 1 year old, I had already taken in for my second baby which I also gave birth through CS because I had not really shaded weight and the place I had the first CS had not healed permanently.
I had a terrible issue during the second pregnancy, I was flown to Paris because of that, I was very, very obsessed in the second pregnancy and I even found it difficult to walk after the CS of my second baby, I was very sick. But after several tests, the doctor said I was very okay but my problem was fat and that was the curse of my sickness adding that my organs couldn’t carry my weight that I needed to lose weight.
That was actually my wake-up call. And in Paris, I started my gym and losing weight gradually and it really opened my eyes. Though I was trying to lose weight when I had my first child by eating all kinds of foods and taking all kinds of things (drugs) anybody advised me to take but it didn’t work because my diet was not properly taken care of.
But when I started my post natal exercise lectures where I was taught how to balance my diet, I then knew why a lot of people don’t lose weight after exercising all the while. So, health was actually the wake-up call for me.
If I wasn’t having any health issues I won’t have probably taught of having a weight loss centre or becoming a nutritionist.
Do you have an educational programme/background for it?
Yes, after I lost weight in January 2003, with the help of the post natal exercise classes I attended then, I grew a passion for it. Formerly, I was into fashion, I own a boutique/salon, but I had to give it up and formalized my passion for weight loss and skin care business.
I started reading books concerning weight loss, I goggle it on the net, I read anything pertaining to weight loss. I started lecturing people about weight loss at any opportunity, I even went on the television to talk about weight loss. I told myself that I needed to grow and learn more of this by getting a proper qualification.
I registered with National Endurance Sports/Trainers Association (NESTA) in America, as a health/fitness coach and that really opened my eyes. With m\y passion, I was able to graduate as a health/nutrition fitness coach.
What inspired Smoothilicious?
Smoothilicious is my new baby, I had a lot of weight loss programmes, I travel to the USA a lot, and when I get there, I attend a lot of fitness seminars there and lectures, I borrow ideas there and when I come back, I sit down and add my own afrocentric knowledge.
I work a lot with African calories. I had beach body, miracle detox, so I came about Smoothilicious when I had my third baby. My tummy was very big and everybody was looking out to see what I could do to it, but after my 1 month of delivery, to everybody’s greatest surprise, my stomach came back to normal after losing 25 kg (40 pounds).
And what worked the miracle was Smoothilicious. I took it for my breakfast and dinner and had my main meal as lunch but whenever I felt hungry in between, I had fruits like apple, pawpaw, etc., and loads and loads of water.
So when I came back to the country (Nigeria), I brought back Smoothilicious, but before I give you any of my products, I make sure I back it up with education, because a lot of people don’t understand the rules of having all this work out for them. They combine foods without a balanced diet and they will come back to complain that it didn’t work out for them.
You can’t have a bottle of Smoothilicious and still eat lots of carbohydrate or eat a lot of food, it doesn’t work. You will have to learn how to balance your diets to get a proper result when you use any of my products and that is why I give lectures first before you can take my products to get the maximum result needed.
Smoothilicious is made up of berries, including the ones we can’t find in our country, it’s a blend of berries, ark berry, marka super fruit, gorgy berry and lots of vitamins. I get them in powered form and bring them to in the country. And I need to caution people that there is no drug/pill that reduces the tummy.
What differentiates your products from others?
My products is very, very different from others because mine is backed up with research and professionalism and I am not into networking, I am a certified fitness/nutrition coach and I’m presently doing a lifetime management course in USA. My product is very different.
I teach/approach weight loss from nutrition point of view. We are what we eat, drink, digest, expel, when your nutrition is right. When your diet is right, you do not even need medication.
Being skinny doesn’t mean you are healthy because I have a lot of clients who are skinny but with some health issues. So that is why the need to be visiting a nutritionist is very important.
Do you have a school where you lecture nutrition and health fitness?
Yes, I love teaching, when clients come to me. I do a lot of teaching than selling any product. If we don’t teach you how to use our products, then we are abusing our products. Before you start our programme, there must be an agreement that you will be taught the simple things about nutrition and if I see the expressions on their faces, I tell them if you know you can’t do it, please do not bother to register because we are not concerned about your money.
We need discipline so that you get a proper solution and your money’s worth. Today, I am a proud size 4, I hardly fall sick, people ask me what cream I’m using, all these are result of 11 years experience.
The four products you have can you tell us about them?
Smoothilicious is my new baby and its making waves and really working miracles because people have been calling to tell me that they are getting good result. Like I said it’s a food supplement made up of fruits and vitamins.
Beach Body is for people that really want to have a bikini beach body. It’s one of my expensive programme because of what is involved and I basically refer it to women that had their babies through CS because it will help them a lot.
Then I have the Bellyblast. It’s a diet for flat tummy because some people don’t chew their foods, they swallow it, which is not proper. So belly blast will help in the process.
Finally, the Miracle Detox which is a seven day programme that helps in reducing weight because it burns fat.
How effective and affordable are your products?
I tell clients daily that it depends on their priority, my products are very affordable, Smoothilicious for two weeks is about N15,000, people buy cloths, jewelry for more than N45,000, and it has nothing to contribute to their health. How much more spending on your health because when there is good health, there is life. That is why I said, it has to do with your priority, if health is your priority then it’s affordable.
How do you run your programmes?
I start with two weeks and then check the result, but I always advise my clients to stay on the programme for 1 month so that your body system can get used to it.
What is the message for people out there who want to know more about weight loss/nutrition?
What I want to say is that food is a drug, we are what we eat, we should not abuse food but eat in appropriation. Another message is we should go back to our African diet because it contains a lot of vitamins and supplements that our body system needs.
I travel a lot but, I still stick to my African foods. Please, let’s go back to our foods, e.g. green plantain, vegetables, fruits, yam, fresh fish, life chicken, etc in appropriately way.
Last, when you have issues with weight, do not gamble with your life, seek professional advice.
Let’s know you?
I graduated from the University of Benin, also went to College of Education, Warri, that’s why I have the teaching skill in me, New Demonstration Secondary School, Army Day Primary School.
I am happy mother of three kids and happily married to Yemi Emiko. My names are Kathy Osomede Emiko. I’m also a columnist in the Sunday Allure Vanguard pull out, a column with a popular readership and the name is Body Perfect.
