A group of five friends went for a 10 km walk on the beach to enjoy the ocean breeze and watch the sunset when a new friend joined them. He had just returned home after living in the US for eight years and settled in Mombasa.
“To be honest, I struggled with the walk. After a few steps, I was already gasping for breath, panting, and sweating profusely. I gassed out several times, and my heart was beating so hard that it felt like it could come out through my mouth. I weighed 105 kilos at the time, and I knew without a doubt that my body weight was weighing me down,” 45-year-old Mwenda Thuranira tells BDLife.
It was also embarrassing for Thuranira, the CEO of MySpace Properties, a premier real estate company focusing on property development and management.
“These guys were younger than me. They were enjoying every bit of the nature stroll, but I was not. That bothered me. It was a wake-up call. You see, when I moved back home and settled in Mombasa, I fell in love with Swahili cuisine. I ate lots of biryani and mahamri, which is why I found myself on the heavier side in a short period.”
Thuranira knew he had to change before things got any worse—if they weren’t already.
“That weight load was a call to action for many things. It made me realise why I was struggling in so many areas of my life. It wasn’t just the leisurely walk. My quality of sleep was affected, the constant snoring and sweating.
“The weight had also affected my bedroom moments, if you know what I mean. I always felt tired and low on energy. I do not even know how my wife was able to cope with me. My body was weak. I could feel it.
“Surprisingly, my blood work was great, and my sugar levels didn’t suggest anything worrying. But it wasn’t rocket science that I needed to change. If I couldn’t enjoy the simple pleasures in life, then how bad could it possibly get?” shares the father of three.
“I also enjoy doing activities with my children, but with that weight, I could not do much. My sons love to play football, but I could not. What type of father would I be if I couldn’t play football with my children? It felt like a torment to be honest, I knew I was going downwards if I did not fix myself.”
This became Thuranira’s motivation for his fitness journey.
“First, I had to adjust my diet by cutting out mahamri, biryani, sugar and minimising on carb intake. Then, I stopped drinking alcohol, it’s been more than 10 years now. When I go out with my boys, I buy them rounds, but I sip water the entire time until it’s time to go home. The only time I drink anything alcoholic is when I take local brew muratina, on very special occasions. At least ‘one for the culture,’ isn’t that what Gen Z say?”
Like most people who panic from weight gain, Thuranira embraced jogging as the first go-to option.
“Of course, in the beginning, I could not jog five kilometres, so I would walk-jog until I attained my goal of the day. Over time, as my body got the hang of it, I added more and more miles. Now, I run up to 20 kilometres in an hour.”
His dedication paid off, but someone was not too pleased with Thuranira’s weight loss.
Mwenda Thuranira at the gym.
Photo credit: Pool
“In a short period of time, I had drastically lost a lot of weight. I shed about 15 kilos in two months. Then I visited my mother, and she wasn’t pleased with my new physique. She thought I was sick and insisted that I should not lose another kilo. I now weigh 86 kilos, and I assure you that if it were not for her, I would aim to weigh around 72–75 kilos.”
His mother’s concern was a blessing in disguise, as it led Thuranira to discover the gym.
“I joined the gym to build some muscles, and I’ve been consistent for the last 10 years, no matter how busy my schedule gets. In a year, I work out for ten months. I go to the gym four days a week, and on Saturdays, I go for runs at Karura Forest with my family. Interestingly, my family was inspired by my fitness journey, and they all became gym lovers too. My firstborn is 18 and has become a gym rat. My wife joined too.”
As Thuranira got leaner and his stomach flattened, his suits began to fit properly.
“Taking on this journey has greatly improved my quality of life. Image and appearance are very important because human beings are judgmental. In my line of work, I handle millions of shillings of clients’ money. How could they trust me to take care of their money if I can’t take care of myself? Sometimes you meet clients or entrepreneurs who are fit and look sharp. How awkward would it be to show up overweight or out of shape when you need to close a business deal? These details might seem little and silly, but they count in certain instances,” argues Thuranira.
He then adds: “I’m in the construction business, and many times I have to scale buildings. Sometimes I need to get to the 17th floor for project inspections, and there is no escalator. I’m not sure I could do that if I were still weighing 105 kilos.”
