You’re not “greedy.” You’re tired. You want to eat with your family, not nibble lettuce while everyone is tearing swallow and soup. You’ve tried quitting Nigerian food and still ended up raiding the pot at 11 p.m. You don’t need exile—you need a strategy that works with your culture.

The problem – why you’re stuck

• You’re counting swallow but ignoring the oil hiding in the soup.
• You pick soup by taste, not by energy density (oil and seed-heavy soups are sneaky).
• Plates are carb-only: big eba, little protein, almost no veggies → crash hunger later.
• “All-or-nothing” rules backfire. You ban favorites, then binge them.

The solution – keep your soup, change the rules

1. Pick the right soup most of the week.
2. Shrink oil + seed portion, grow protein + veg.
3. Cap swallow to a fist–to–fist-and-a-half ball (≈ ¾–1 cup cooked).
4. 10-minute walk after meals. Simple. Tactical. Repeat.

The Rank List (Best → Worst for Fat Loss)

1) Okra/Ilá Asepo — Best

Low-cal, high-fiber, “draw” texture slows digestion. Takes little oil if you don’t drown it.
Make it lean: add crayfish/fish/chicken, lots of garden veg; 1–2 tsp oil max per serving.

2) Nsala (White Soup)

No palm oil by default; usually fish-based. Light, protein-forward.
Make it lean: keep thickener modest; load with fish and leaves.

3) Efo Riro (Spinach Stew)

Vegetable-heavy = filling for fewer calories if oil is measured.
Make it lean: parboil/blanch spinach, sauté with measured oil (1 tbsp for the whole pot goes far with stock), plenty of peppers/tomatoes, lean beef or fish.

4) Edikang Ikong

Leafy superstar but often cooked with plenty of palm oil and meats.
Make it lean: halve the oil, double the leaves; pick lean proteins; skim fat.

5) Ogbono

Tasty and filling, but ogbono is a seed—fat-dense (9 kcal/g).
Make it lean: use less ground seed, more okra/leafy veg to “stretch,” measure oil, add fish.

6) Egusi

Melon seeds = delicious and energy dense. Easy to overshoot calories even in small bowls.
Make it lean: toast then simmer with tomatoes/peppers, don’t fry the paste; bulk with spinach and mushrooms; smaller ladle, more protein.

7) Banga (Palm-Nut Soup) — Worst for fat loss

Palm extract is essentially flavored oil. Incredible flavor, highest calorie density.
Make it lean: rare treat; small bowl, lean fish, extra veggies; skip second ladle.

Quick visual rule: If it shines like lip gloss, it eats your calorie budget.

How to plate it (no scale needed)

• ½ plate veg (add side salad/steamed greens even with soup).
• ¼ plate protein (fish, chicken, turkey, beans).
• ¼ plate carbs (swallow: fist–to–fist-and-a-half).
• Prefer oat/whole-grain swallow or smaller eba/fufu portion.

Tiny hinges that swing big doors

• Measure oil with a spoon, never the bottle.
• Add okra/leaves to seed/oily soups to dilute calories.
• Drink 2 cups water before the meal; take a 10-min walk after.

The science (short + blunt)

Fat loss depends on a sustained calorie deficit. Oils and seeds are high energy density (≈9 kcal/g), so soups rich in palm oil or ground seeds deliver many calories in small volumes. In contrast, vegetable- and okra-heavy soups increase fiber and water content, lowering energy density, slowing gastric emptying, moderating post-meal glucose, and improving satiety. Protein raises satiety and helps preserve lean mass during weight loss. Measuring oil, favoring veg-forward bases, and capping starch portions reduce total intake without cultural deprivation. Structure beats willpower—every time.

7-day tactical rotation (steal this)

• Mon: Okra + fish + small eba → 10-min walk.
• Tue: Efo riro (light oil) + chicken + cabbage slaw + small amala.
• Wed: Nsala + grilled fish + tiny boiled yam.
• Thu: Ogbono (stretched with okra) + turkey + small swallow.
• Fri: Edikang Ikong (double leaves) + pomo-free + small garri.
• Sat: Egusi (no frying) + spinach heavy + lean beef + smallest swallow.
• Sun: Banga — treat bowl; extra veg; skip second carbs; evening walk.

One line to remember: Choose lean soups most days, measure oil always, shrink swallow slightly, and walk—it’s the combo, not the exile, that drops the weight.