Amanya beleives everyone can manage their weight by knowing what works and does not work for them. Photo | Joan Salmon
When my friend gave birth to a four-kilogramme baby, I was alarmed by the weight. However, that was only until I met Davis Hillary Amanya, known by some as Coach Davis, who said his birth weight was eight kilogrammes. My mind could not fathom that. It felt out of this world. The last of eight children, Amanya has lived most of his life obese, being called all sorts of names such as Fatty, Fats, and Rick Ross.
“My staple food was largely potatoes and several other carbohydrates such as Irish potatoes, posho, and rice. Moreover, the weight gain did not feel abnormal since even my siblings were of similar weight. Therefore, I grew up with the mentality that weight gain/unhealthy weight was our thing, hence okay,” he says.
Turning point
During the first Covid-19 lockdown, Amanya’s mother contracted the virus and with all his siblings away from home, he became his mother’s designated helper.
Before that, the BA. Economics graduate from Makerere Business School in Kampala had no job, thus choosing to use the economics he had learnt at school to create employment for himself.
“I knew that if I discovered a niche, I would easily make a living to sustain my life. I, therefore, started an online store, ADH Styles,” he says.
However, that was cut short when his mother got ill. During this time, he took note of the cost of his mother’s drugs yet her health was continually deteriorating as she also had underlying conditions such as hypertension, and diabetes and had been on medication for long.
“My mother found it tough to get up from the bed or go to the bathroom and it hit me that save the Covid-19, she had severe weight issues. Looking at myself, I realised that if I did not do anything, in six years, I would be in her position,” he says.
Amanya weighed 102.8 kilogrammes and with his mother’s situation as a wake-up call started looking for information on how best he could lose this weight.
The first person he learnt from was Dr Paul Kasenene through his Twitter account. The information he read here, he says, opened his eyes to the preventative approach to body weight. He was then driven to read more, hence getting interested in wellness and health articles.
“I believed that if the information helps me improve my life, I could apply it to others, starting with family and friends,” he says, “This became my ‘why’ because I love helping people,” he says.
After losing 15kgs, and helping those in his inner circle, Amanya got access through his brother (a doctor) to learn from a team of doctors in Denmark who have guided him in continuing the weight loss journey. Through them, he also acquired a certificate in Prevention and Management of Diabetes Mellitus with a focus on the role of diet and lifestyle from the International Board of Health, Denmark.
From the course, he also learnt to appreciate the role of food and its impact on the endocrine system, and how it heals. He then mastered the right food combinations; what should be and what should not be on the plate.
Myths and truths
He also learnt some myths about weight loss:
No pain, No gain: While this is true for high-intensity interval training, Amanya one spends a long time in the state (without air), which raises one’s cortisol levels. “That makes the body want more glucose for energy, causing one to reach out for more carbohydrates. That is not good for one who is unfit. Therefore, our focus is to put the body in the aerobic state transitioning it from depending on glucose to burning fat,” he says.
Not all fat is bad: Naturally, Amanya says fat is good for the consumption of substances essential to the body. Some of the healthy fats include olive oil, and coconut oil while unhealthy fats are trans-fat and saturated fats such as hard cheese, and fat in fast foods.
“Excess weight causes insulin resistance, which is largely brought about by carbohydrates and starches. Therefore, one should avoid processed fats but also eat healthy fats such as what is found in avocado in small amounts,” he says
Applicability
Owing to the knowledge gained, Amanya now pays close attention to being rather than doing, which looks at the lifestyle of doing something you can sustain for a long time.
“The mistake with focussing on ‘doing’ is setting targets, such as losing weight in three months, without dealing with the habits that led to the weight gain. I focus on ‘being’ where I give you all the information to master your body, how it works and then lose the excess weight without a rebound,” he says.
This culminated in the birth of an online programme, Health Champions, and here, he helps his clients and subscribers online. It could be through a phone call, a Zoom call (for those abroad), and messages.
“In this programme, one of the ways we help the clients is by giving percentages of lifestyle combinations to help them achieve all their wellness goals. These include food (nutrition) – 80 percent, exercise – 10 percent, sleep – five percent and the sun five percent,” he says.
Amanya now has a wellness community where they share meals, wins and frustrations, as well as new and interesting discoveries about their bodies as they journey together through this wellness programme.
“Having gone through the journey, I have become more empathetic and I have successfully guided more than 100 students who have restored their health and mastered how the body communicates,” he says.
Amanya now weighs 72 kilogrammes of muscle and believes everyone can manage their weight by understanding what works and what does not.
Testimonies
Dorothy 33 years, Businesswoman
After three C-sections in less than five years, I had gained a lot of weight, which affected my self-esteem. I joined the programme to lose weight but got my life back. I worked on my discipline, not just with food, but with my emotions, sleep schedule and maintaining consistent habits. I feel beautiful, confident and completely free. Even on days I misbehave and take cheat meals, I know how my body works and how to reverse the effects. I feel healthy and whole having come from 88kgs to a stable 72kgs.
Lillian Abalo, teacher
I had always thought that my genes were responsible for my excess weight. I tried weight reduction teas and ran five kilometres every day for two months to reduce weight, but gave up after two months because the lifestyle was too difficult for me to stick to, not to mention there was little progress.
I was introduced to Coach Davis by a friend, whose story gave me hope to reach out for his help. I must say, I was sceptical but over time, it waned. I have learnt about the relationship between food and the body, intermittent fasting, hydration, portion control, the value of movement, and how much sleep is necessary. I lost about a third of my starting weight in just seven months and my confidence has been restored.
Brenda Kato, IT specialist
I joined the programme a few weeks back to lose weight but I have got more. For instance, the diet has also helped me slowly recover from arthritis that I have been treating for close to a year. My main frustration was the stiffness in my knees as I could not do a deep squat and I dreaded the stairs. I can now squat lower than a sitting position and stairs are not that scary anymore. The doctors had said the disease was hereditary in my case and I had to remain on medication to keep it down. However, with a better diet and exercising, I have discontinued my medication and I am completely fine.
Ann, Okoth, student
I began my fitness journey at the start of August. Before that, I had hit a plateau, not losing any weight despite consistently working out in the gym. I needed a programme that was flexible with guaranteed results. Within two months of joining, I shed 6kgs from 67kgs. Coach Davis is extremely supportive, constantly monitoring my progress and is open to feedback.
