Eniola Karunwi, CWP advocate ensuring you live healthy and stay healthy

Eniola Karunwi is the founder and CEO of Cambridge Weight Plan Nigeria, an affiliate of Cambridge Weight Plan (CWP) UK.

Eniola graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in Computer Science and also holds a Masters degree in Advanced Information Technology from London South Bank University in the UK.   She is a qualified and certified project manager and a qualified weight management consultant.

She began her professional career in the IT industry and has over 18 years of experience working as a project manager and programme director, in companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Sema Group, Ministry of Defence and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

After battling with her weight for almost 10 years, she discovered the Cambridge Diet (as it was then called) and lost 50kgs in almost 6 months on the programme. Having been overweight for half of her adult life, she found herself in the best position to help and motivate others to achieve their desired goals. With this in mind, she gave up her job to fully concentrate on Cambridge Diet counselling and trained as a weight management coach.  After working as a Cambridge Weight Plan consultant in the UK for 5 years, she moved back to Nigeria with her family and established CWPNigeria in 2010.

Today, there are 35 consultants nationwide and Eniola has established CWP Nigeria as the premier brand in the weight management industry in the country. CWP’s unique brand identity, which consists of one-to-one consultation from fully trained Cambridge consultants and bespoke plans for each client, sets it apart from other weight loss programs. CWPNigeria has won the Business Development Award for Outstanding Performance amongst CWP worldwide for 3 years running.

“Growing up was great. My mum and dad who are the best anyone can wish for, provided a warm, loving, stable and secure and God fearing environment. I grew up together with my siblings; we always came first with our parents. My mum was a teacher and my dad a civil servant. I am the 3rd of 4 children 2 older brothers and a younger sister who is my best friend. My siblings and their spouses today are my closest friends.” Says Eniola.

Growing up in a home filled with love gave Eniola the confidence and the belief that with hard work and God, she can achieve anything she wants. “My parents instilled discipline, honesty and integrity in us.  I had a fantastic education here in Nigeria.” Eniola admits.

Sharing on her weight loss journey, Eniola says it started when she had fertility issues and after about 10 years of failed treatments, she realised that her weight may be the problem.

“I have been overweight for quite a while, but I was in denial and had a loving husband who kept telling me I was ok. However after failed fertility treatments, various miscarriages, a doctor told me that I had to deal with my weight as it was the cause of my infertility. There was no point praying to God for a miracle without helping myself.   The words I use are desperate and determined.”

“I was desperate to have another child ( I now have 3), I was determined to accomplish my goal. It took me 6 months to lose 50kgs. I went through the 6 steps of the Cambridge Weight Plan program. This was important as it helped me to understand my relationship with food.  Once the weight started coming off, I felt great, healthier, lighter and I looked amazing. All this became my motivation and I have not looked back.” She states.

For Eniola, women gain weight for various reasons. Hear her opinion “society has changed and we are less active, modern appliances do most chores for us or we outsource e.g cooks, cleaners etc. we also work longer hours and have a sedentary life style. We rarely exercise or walk round the neighborhood and also marriage can make you too comfortable with weight gain!  We eat our children/ husbands leftovers. Sometimes we no longer make the effort and use the excuse of child bearing.”

“We have a growing obesity epidemic in Nigeria and to combat this, we really need to change our eating habits, be more active and take part in some form of exercise be it cycling with the children, walking, skipping or just generally playing around with the children.”

Asked why the choice of Cambridge Weight Plan (CWP) and her answer said it all. “CWP is unique, safe and effective. It combines the nutritional value of the supplements with the one-to-one support of well trained and fully qualified consultants who are there motivating and guiding you through your entire weight loss journey and beyond. The benefits are amazing and you literally see the weight dropping off within a week. It’s a well-established and trusted brand which was developed 30 years ago in the UK.  It has different steps which can be tailored to suit your individual needs.”

One fear with those who lose weight is the possibility of gaining it back. Eniola admits to this and adds.  “Absolutely! For a while I was petrified of eating because I kept thinking the weight would come back then I realized, I was in control of my weight. After completing the first steps of Cambridge Weight Plan, I introduced exercise, changed my eating habits and reduced my portions. I cycle and I also carry weights to build muscle tone.  I still have the occasional treat but it’s not a daily treat.”

“To women who fear such, you have to take control. If you do not change your eating habits after a weight loss program you will put the weight back on. It is essential to introduce a bit of exercise or some form of physical activity to maintain a healthier weight.” Eniola admonishes.

Eniola admits to me that she is a bit impatient and also a perfectionist amidst struggling with tardiness, which is a huge problem in Nigeria. Nevertheless, the happiest days of her life are the days she gave birth to each of her children (Adetoun 18, Adekunbi 8 and Adeleke 6).

After successfully integrating Cambridge Weight Plan into the Nigerian health and lifestyle industry for the past 5 years, Eniola is introducing CWP to the rest of West Africa starting from Ghana. For her parting shots, she has this to say “I really enjoy what I do and I feel blessed to be in a position where I bring joy to so many people. Being overweight comes with its own issues: depression, health risks such as high blood pressures and infertility to name a few.  The satisfaction and joy on seeing my CWP clients transform from ‘an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan’, full of joy and renewed self-confidence after losing weight is amazing.  Take the first step even if it’s a few kilograms you have to lose. If you do not deal with 5kgs now, it can easily become 50kgs”. I strongly hope someone reading this is inspired to live healthy and stay fit!