Ngozi Ezeonu Explains Her Weight Loss..

Ngozi Ezeonu Explains Her Weight Loss..

 

Reacting to questions concerning her new look, here is what Actress Ngozi Ezeonu’s  had to say:

I am not sick, I have been battling with my weight for ten years and I have finally achieved what I want. I am not sick, it is my choice to loose some weight and I pulled it off. I feel good loosing weight, it takes a lot of discipline

• How did you pull it off?

I cut off eating a lot of things, I was addicted to coca cola, juice and I cut off all that, I also stopped eating banana altogether, it took a lot of discipline.
I stopped eating too much carbohydrates and I eat more of proteins and a lot of veggies…a lot”

• So you are not ill?

I wonder why they will think I am ill when my skin is glowing and when I feel good..when people are used to see you looking fat and they see all the fat gone, their eyes plays tricks on them”

• What is the secret of your glowing skin?

I didn’t do anything, I don’t even do facials, I don’t even have a cleanser. I just drink lots of water and dont forget I am light skinned”.

A PIECE OF MY HEART

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart. Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said "Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but it was full of scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people stared -- how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought? The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine. Mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears." "Yes," said the old man, "yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared." "Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love, is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?" The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. -

Style Tips: Color Blocking Do's and Don'ts

Color blocking is all the rage these days, but there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.

Big, bold and beautiful color-blocking is high fashion's answer to a Mark Rothko painting. The abstract expressionist's signature "multiform" paintings celebrated contrasting and complementary colors. In fashion, designers are using bright hues taken from the opposite sides of the color wheel to create stunning ensembles. Want proof? Just peek at almost any women's magazine cover, and you're likely to see a current example of the color-blocking trend.
But even in the anything-goes world of fashion, where yesterday's must-have, cutting-edge runway styles are dismissed just a few months later, there are some basic rules to help you get the most out of color blocking. The first is to understand the color wheel and how colors match (or, perhaps more importantly, don't match).
Think of the primary colors -- blue, red, and yellow -- as three points of the clock face stationed at 12, 4 and 8 (like the three points of the Mercedes-Benz logo). Halfway between red and yellow will be orange, halfway between yellow and blue will be green, and halfway between blue and red will be purple. From there, you can fill in all the shades of the rainbow.
The next step, says The Accessorizer blogger Krisztina Williams, is to decide if you're going to select a color-block ensemble with complementary colors (choosing shades from opposite sides of the wheel), monochromatic colors (the same color in different shades), neutral colors (white, black, grays, and browns) or analogous colors (shades that neighbor each other on the color wheel). You can even pair a dazzling color (hot pink!) with a neutral shade or use a fluorescent or neon shade to perk up understated tones.
As you can see, the possibilities are almost endless, allowing you to color block your wardrobe regardless of the season, and can be done by matching separates with a skirt or pants (or shorts), or with preprinted dresses (just be sure to match your skin tone). How you layer your color blocks, though, definitely matters. Most blocks are done horizontally, which doesn't have a slimming effect. Obviously, that optical reality favors more petite or well-proportioned people and is something to keep in mind if you're conscientious about your size. Another option is to use prints that color block vertically.
According to the style mavens at Real Simple magazine, the fundamentals of figure flattery still apply. To wit, brights attract, while darks conceal. For example, they suggest a vibrant jacket and flats will ensure that no one focuses on your hips and thighs. They also suggest that three is indeed the magic number, encouraging a trio of shades to bring everything together. However, resist the temptation to go with more than four blocks. Five, say Real Simple editors, "is bordering on clown costume." If you opt for similar shades, go with the same color "intensity," pairing brights with brights, and the like.
Accessories, particularly a big belt, chunky jewelry and eye-catching shoes are an ideal way to take color blocking to another level. Bright, patterned prints, like scarves and belts, can also spruce up a color-block ensemble, provided you let the colors in the print dictate which colors you put together. Most importantly, have fun, and experiment to see what works best for you.

next page »

Comments  

What body type are you?

How to Declutter Your House

Hard to Fit Challenge: Petite and Curvy

How to make your health goals stick

Focus on filling up on healthy foods, rather than cutting things out. Picture: Thinkstock

Take a fresh approach to achieving your goals and follow these practical steps to prioritise your body.

Goal: Do 30 minutes of exercise a day
Try this: Force yourself - you’ll feel better
The idea of committing to exercise may stress you out, but it’s worth persevering. A recent study by the European Journal of Neuroscience looked at responses in rats to find out if the stress of being pushed into exercising (for example, if a doctor has ordered you to exercise) cancelled out the stress-relieving benefit of the workout. The authors concluded that it didn’t and that forced exercise could still increase stress resistance and benefit mental health. So get moving and feel better for it.
Goal: Get back into a fitness routine
Try this: do your workout at home
Sweaty bodies and a lack of confidence can conspire to make fitness classes an intimidating prospect, so do your own class at home. Jump online and check out the array of high-quality fitness programs that can get you back on track from the privacy of your own living room.
Yoga instructor to the stars Charlotte Dodson has launched charlottedodson.tv, an online yoga TV network that allows subscribers to tune into the expert guidance enjoyed by Miranda Kerr and Lara Bingle.
Meanwhile, various websites offer personalised programs with customised exercise and fitness routines, diet and nutrition plans, fitness calculators and online diaries to track your progress, as well as weekly motivational emails and videos.
If you’re watching your wallet as well as your waistline, check out the fitness section of bodyandsoul.com.au for a range of popular exercise routines that won’t cost you a cent - from seven-minute workouts and yoga sessions to Commando Steve’s Four-Week Body Blitz, all of them are designed to be followed from home.
Goal: Eat more fruit and vegetables
Try this: Go flexitarian
A "flexitarian" - or part-time vegetarian - approach increases the amount of vegetables and protein plant sources in your diet without sacrificing the health benefits of lean meat.
US dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease And Add Years to Your Life, encourages "progress, not perfection". It’s about enjoying a wide range of tasty vegetarian meals and focusing on filling up with healthy foods, rather than on cutting things out.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines (eatforhealth.gov.au) encourage people to include some meat-free meals in their weekly diet using legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds.
Associate professor Tim Crowe, of Deakin University’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, says: "We have the best-intentioned dietary guidelines, but research shows that only a small percentage of the population actually follow most of them. Having a more flexible approach to trying to eat healthier more often, rather than hitting your 'serves of fruit and veg' target each day isn’t only more practical, but realistic."
Goal: Hit your weight-loss target
Try this: Get some positive support
Don’t be embarrassed to share your health goals with others. "One of the best predictors of successful weight loss is getting support along the way, be it from a friend, support group or dietitian," Mr Crowe says.
Ask a friend to commit to helping you with your goal. For example, tell them you plan to go for a run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and ask them to check in with you to ensure you stick to your plan.
If that’s too confronting, there are online support networks designed to keep you going when the going gets tough. Goal-setting community 43things.com has almost three million users who list goals, track their progress and post advice on how they achieved their targets, from losing weight to running 5km. Users "cheer" each other on, and you can invite others to join you

Horoscopes

Virgo

Your Week Ahead: How do you get from A to B? You have to begin...

Powered by Jonathan Cainer

Change

Lifestyle Latest Stories

Instagram, hipsters and the next-gen foodies

'How I saved Bronson, and he saved me'

Michael Kors on how to wear colour

How to stick at health goals

Nurses cleaner than doctors

 TOOLS FROM OUR LIFESTYLE SITES

Weight Management

Calculate your hip to waist ratio

Calculate your BMI

Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate

Cooking

Measurement charts

Cooking times

Ingredient glossary

MORE FROM OUR LIFESTYLE PARTNERS

Tone up in two minutes

Yep, just 120 seconds to a firmer bod.

• Gross foods we should eat
• Body & Soul

When in doubt? Banana cake

Banana cakes for all occasions.

• Japanese recipes
• Taste

Lifestyle Latest Galleries

Pucker up: Babies' lemon faces

Shark Week fashions: We've got you covered

'Awkies' get better with age

Haute Couture week in Paris

Ten things your man cave needs

Breaking news video! Watch the latest Local and National breaking news

-fneuz9ev-1226703189955#ixzz2csWNsjNT

Lagos state government rescues 25 children from alleged trafficker

Lagos state government rescues 25 children from alleged trafficker

The Lagos State Government has rescued 25 children from an alleged child trafficker in the Egbeda area of the state, according to a story by Punch

The suspected trafficker, Mrs. Rosemary Nwachukwu (pictured right), was also arrested and has been handed over to the Alausa Police Division, while the children are currently in government’s custody.

The government accused Nwachukwu of operating an illegal orphanage named, Saint Stephen Charity Foundation, on Abiodun Adebanbo Street, Egbeda.

It was gathered that officials from the Office of Youth and Social Department, led by the Director, Child Development, Mrs. Alaba Fadairo, in conjunction with personnel from the Office of Public Defender and policemen, stormed the orphanage on Saturday.

The government said findings showed that the suspect was using the orphanage as a front for another illegal business.

The Director, OPD, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, said of the children, whose ages ranged from three months to 12 years, were victims of human trafficking.

Rotimi said, “It was discovered upon investigation that Nwachukwu trafficked 27 children and kept them in a room. We were able to rescue three infants of ages three to six months and 22 other children. Efforts are still on to locate the remaining two.”

The OPD director added that the suspect used the victims for financial gains by putting them up for adoption. She said the suspect would be charged to court after investigations had been concluded.

However, Fadairo, said, “Investigation also shows that there are no records of each child and no evidence of how the children got to her orphanage. No police or security report.”

I think I was date raped.Saw this in a popular blog,decided to share

  I think I was date raped.Saw this in a popular blog,decided to share

My fellow readers please help me because I'm so worried about this. I spent a night at a guy's house and the following morning I felt really funny all over, especially in my private area like someone who has had penetration. He's someone I met two weeks ago and was planning to date but told him I wasn't ready for sex yet. I've been having this uneasy feeling since the morning I left his house that he took advantage of me during the night without my knowledge. I keep having these images in my head. I know he gave me a lot of alcohol the previous night and he told me later he carried me to bed, though I woke up in the same clothes. I asked him if anything happened between us that night and he said no, but I'm not convinced.

This is such a serious issue. You can only sleep through rape if you were drugged, right? Is it not best for her to go to a doctor, do a test and find out if there are drugs in her system that shouldn't be there?

The Future of Africa is Bright! Meet the 12 Young African Entrepreneurs shortlisted for the $75,000 Anzisha Prize in 2

With all the bad news we are constantly bombarded with, it’s so refreshing to see that the tide is turning and the future of Africa is bright! With young and innovative minds building solutions that can change our continent.

Twelve inspirational entrepreneurs from around Africa are the finalists for the prestigious Anzisha Prize, Africa’s foremost youth entrepreneurship award. The contenders, who hail from 10 countries on the continent, stand a chance to share in over $75 000 USD in cash prizes and receive networking and learning opportunities, which is provided through a partnership between African Leadership Academy and The MasterCard Foundation.

The Anzisha Prize identifies and celebrates Africa’s young entrepreneurial leaders between the ages of 15 to 22, who have addressed challenges in their communities and launched innovative ventures. This year these range from renewable energy projects and technology solutions to agriculture and education.

For the first time in the prize’s history, South Africa has two finalists. Kolawole Olajide, 21, is the chief developer and co-founder of Funda, an award-winning online learning management system. Neftaly Malatjie, 22, has been running Diepsloot Youth Projects (DYP) for more than eight years since he founded it at the age of 14. DYP is an NGO that focuses on income generating programmes that enable young people to engage in business opportunities.

Uganda also boasts two finalists. Best Ayiorworth, 19, has empowered over 200 young women in her home district through her microfinance lending programme while Titus Mawano’s vision to get African SMMEs “in the cloud” inspired him to develop Ffene, a business management platform.

Says Chi Achebe, Anzisha Prize programme manager: “There are thousands of entrepreneurial African youth who are making a difference in their communities every day. We are honoured to be able to share a subset of their stories with the world and enable them to take their businesses to the next level. These are the African business leaders of the future and our goal is to help support their growth.”

“The Anzisha Prize illustrates the potential, ingenuity and entrepreneurial energy of young people across Africa,” said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. “Each year, the Anzisha Prize finalists encourage young people from across the continent to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions and make a difference in their communities.”

All 12 finalists will take part in the 2013 Anzisha Prize Finalist Week which takes place from Sunday, August 25, to Friday, August 30 2013. While there, they will be taught by the African Leadership Academy’s renowned Entrepreneurial Leadership faculty as well as members of the South African Chapter of Entrepreneurs Organisation.

The grand prize winner will be announced at a gala function to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the evening of August 30 2013. As part of The MasterCard Foundation’s partnership with African Leadership Academ (ALA), winners will share $75,000 USD and will join the esteemed Anzisha Fellows network, composed of the 20 Anzisha Fellows to date. The winners will also be given networking and learning opportunities to take their projects to the next level.

Now in its third year, the Anzisha Prize, celebrates the initiative and innovation of youth in Africa. It identifies exceptional young entrepreneurs who are leading by example and underscores their ability to significantly shape the future of Africa.

The word ‘Anzisha’ is taken from Swahili and translates into ‘initiative’ and is a project that is gaining significant momentum in African business circles as its impact is beginning to be felt.

The 12 Anzisha 2013 finalists (in country order) are:

CAMEROON
David Morfaw
Project Title: Poult-Vault Inc.
Industry: Agriculture
Nineteen-year-old David Morfaw, from Bafut in Cameroon, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and started his first business at the age of eight. His current venture is the poultry business Poult-Vault Inc. However, it is not simply about the bottom line but also helping the community he lives in – he currently employs six people. His business plan maximises each opportunity, whether it is selling chicks after three weeks, keeping them until they are grown at nine weeks or selling the chickens and their eggs. He also provides the waste produced to local farmers for fertile manure.

EGYPT
Khaled Shady
Project Title: Mubser
Industry: Information technology
Khaled Shady, from Shebin El-Kom, is a 21-year-old computer engineering student at Menoufoia University in Egypt. His university curriculum and technical knowledge gave him a unique opportunity to develop a system that could make a difference for the blind community. He decided to develop a cutting-edge product that could aid them in their daily lives. Shady’s invention Mubser is a wearable belt, fully equipped with Bluetooth and Microsoft Kinect, which allows the wearer to navigate safely around objects and obstacles using a system of vibrating motors. It is already making an impact and improving the quality of life for blind people.

KENYA
Barclay Okari
Project Title: Safi-pads
Industry: Consumer products
Paul Barclay is a 21-year-old entrepreneur from Kitale in Kenya. His business, Safi-pads, provides inexpensive, reusable and washable sanitary towels for women and young girls. Barclay saw that the prices of regular disposable towels were simply too expensive for families strapped for cash so he and his team developed a product that could help thousands of women while still turning a profit. Barclay has already sold more than 14 000 units of his sanitary towels and plans to expand when he can afford to pay for various mechanisms to make his production system more efficient. He currently employs 14 women but impacts so many families by providing an affordable option of a necessary hygiene product.

MALAWI
Gonjetso Chinyama
Project Title: Pakwathu
Industry: Information technology
Gonjetso Chinyama is a 21-year-old student at the University of Malawi in Blantyre where he is studying Management Information Systems with a passion for art, design, and computer programming. He joined these passions to start a creative design agency called Twenty2 Creative. From there he saw a niche in the marketplace and created the Internet real estate venture, Pakwathu. This online classifieds website enables Malawians to find property throughout the country and sift through a plethora of options based on location and price.

NIGERIA
Temitayo Olufuwa
Project Title: JobsinNigeria
Industry: Information technology
Temitayo Olufuwa, from Fadeyi, is a graduate of N.I.I.T. where he focused on computer science and software. The 21-year-old created JobsinNigeria (www.jobsinnigeria.com.ng), a web-based system that allows users to search, find and apply for new jobs at the click of the mouse or even on mobile devices. JobsinNigeria only started in 2012 and yet its impact on the Nigerian community is growing substantially with more than 200 Nigerians already finding jobs.

RWANDA
Joie Laurent Sangwa
Project Title: Domestic Biogas Use Promotion Project
Industry: Energy and waste
Nineteen-year-old Joie Sangwa from Burera in Rwanda realised that her community needed cheap and renewable energy resources. Working with a team, she discovered that human waste is a good source of energy and worked to install domestic biogas units throughout her home region. This offers a cheap, alternative energy source while helping with the environment.

SENEGAL
Donald Bambara
Project Title: Green Act
Industry: Energy and waste
Nineteen-year-old Donald Bambara grew up in Burkina Faso but after completing his high school education, moved to Dakar, Senegal, to start international management studies. Bambara quickly came to recognise a big problem in his university community – waste. He came up with a dynamic plan for how to combat the waste problem and started Green Act. This project helps separate trash from recyclable materials on campus. But his quest to clean up his campus, and campuses around him, doesn’t end there as he processes the recyclables into plastic pellets, funds cleaning services on campuses, and tries to educate students and young people in Senegal about the impact of current waste management practices and future possibilities for recycling.

SOUTH AFRICA
Neftaly Malatjie
Project Title: Diepsloot Youth Projects (DYP)
Industry: Youth development and education
Neftaly Malatjie has a passion for social entrepreneurship and a track record of commitment to community work. Since the age of 11, he has worked as a preschool teacher, peer educator, library assistant, HIV/Aids counsellor, drugs awareness and prevention teacher, learning and development advisor and afternoon care coordinator. In 2005, at the age of 14, using cash he had saved from his part-time job, he started Diepsloot Youth Projects (DYP) to make an impact in the poverty stricken Diepsloot area. Diepsloot Youth Projects focuses on income generating programmes that enable young people to engage in business opportunities. It has created employment for 16 young people.

Kolawole Olajide
Project Title: Funda
Industry: Information technology and education
Kolawole Olajide, 21, is a native of Nigeria and schooled in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the chief developer and co-founder of Funda, an online learning management system that brings together educational resources to make the lives of teachers, students and parents easier. For example, a teacher can create a website that serves as an online discussion board for students to collaborate on an assignment while students can create a class website to work on and submit assignments electronically. He is part of a five man team of young entrepreneurs who represent five different African nations – Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya. Olajide and his team have gone on to win a number of awards, recognition from prestigious groups like the UNDP and an invitation to attend the Davos World Economic Forum.

TANZANIA
Damotila Silayo
Project Title: Jathropa Soap Production
Industry: Health and wellness
Domitila Silayo is a 21-year-old university student from Moshi, Tanzania. After visiting an agricultural festival, Silayo saw great potential for using the jathropa plant for cosmetic and medicinal uses. She began research on how to produce a soap made from the herbal plant that could heal a variety of skin problems including ringworm and dandruff. Jathropa Soap Production has gone on to help thousands of people in Tanzania fight off skin problems while still turning a healthy profit and creating employment.

UGANDA
Best Aiyorworth
Project Title: Girls’ Power Micro Lending Organisation
Industry: Microfinance and education
Best Aiyorworth is an advocate for education in her home district Nebbi in northern Uganda. The 21-year-old has started the Girls’ Power Micro Lending Organisation. Its motto is “To help a mother, is to help a girl child.” Girls’ Power is a micro lending business that supports girls through their mothers. They give women starting capital or money to boost their existing businesses so that they are able to support their daughters with school fees and scholastic materials and ensure that they get an education. She has empowered over 400 women to date.

Titus Mawano
Project Title: Ffene
Industry: Information technology
Titus Mawano, a 22-year-old from Kampala, is the brains behind Ffene, a business management platform for SMMEs in Africa who are struggling to stay organised, yet still use a loose-leaf notebook to keep record of clients and sales. Ffene’s vision is to get African businesses in the cloud. Whether it is accounting, inventory management or data keeping, Ffene is the one stop shop for a SMME’s accounting, customer and inventory management needs. With more than 400 current customers just three months after launch, Ffene is well on its way to revolutionising how SMMEs do business in Uganda and beyond.

For more on the Anzisha Prize, visit www.anzishaprize.org