You might be shocked by the title, but it’s the truth. It is
not some click-bait to some slimming tea rubbish, but a real-life experience that
I would like to share. I have been repeatedly asked by many of my friends and acquaintances as to how I achieved this feat. So, for the benefit of everyone,
I’m sharing my personal story and along with that my weight loss success story.
My Journey
I’ve always been an overweight kid. Tall and chubby, but it
wasn’t in-your-face obvious. As I grew up, in my teens, I’ve always been at the
receiving end of comments like: “You don’t look fat because of your height. “
“OMG, you’re 90 kgs???? Ohhhhh….Because you’re ‘heighted’,
your weight doesn’t show! Lucky!”
Frankly, I never felt “lucky”. What am I supposed to feel?
Happy – that my weight doesn’t show? Or sad – that I was using my height as a crutch to hide my excess, unhealthy weight?
I never really cared for my weight till my dad pointed it
out that I had excess and it could be detrimental to my health. He himself was
overweight and borderline obese therefore he made matters right by gymming
regularly and going on a strict diet. He told me about his own experience. Then
again, I was in my teens, I didn’t take him seriously. Though I went to the gym
during college on his insistence, I used to eat junk all the time. Though I did lose some weight
over a period of time, it all came back and some more when I stopped gymming.
Then a few years of work, then marriage happened and then during the last month of my
pregnancy, I was at my highest ever – 113 kgs!!!! (Cue gasp)
At that point in time, I was so wound up having a baby that
little else mattered. Being a new mom, after all, isn’t a piece of cake. But
thanks to regular breastfeeding and looking after my kiddo round-the-clock, I
lost some weight again. My weight was in the 80s.
This yo-yo happened until I joined a new workplace in 2016.
For a year, all was good. Only in 2017 did my weight increase steadily thanks
to the stresses of being a working mom and unhealthy eating habits. Eventually, my bad habits caught up with me. In 2018 when I contracted dengue was
when I realized that my health had taken a beating. Sitting on the hospital
bed, I was feeling that I had really hit rock-bottom, even though dengue is not
really a serious disease, but it had made me feel worse. Even after 2 days in
the hospital, I felt weak and drained out. After recovering completely, I still
felt uneasy and not completely myself.
I knew that something was amiss. My weight was a whopping 92 kgs! My BMI was in the OBESE category! I checked my cholesterol
charts – it was BORDERLINE HIGH.
Now I was a woman who had recently turned thirty – in the prime
of her life – I just couldn’t digest this fact. I realize my future was bleak
if I had to start popping cholesterol pills from such a young age. Now I truly
realized the gravity of what my dad had said to me years ago – “Health is something that you cannot buy.”
Staring at the results, I made a silent promise to myself –
I will do something about this every single day, no matter how busy I am.
And till date, I have kept that promise to myself.
It is during the course of this, not weight-loss, but I
would like to call it ‘wellness’ journey that I’ve learned that it is a
lifestyle change and NOT JUST A DIET.
From November 2018 to Mid-March 2019, it was a tough few months
for me as I had to fight the urge to say F this s#!t and go back to my old ways
again, but then I didn’t. I didn’t because I just couldn’t break that promise
to myself. I just couldn’t. And the results started showing in just a few
weeks!
What Led to My Weight Gain
Sedentary lifestyle
– I was sitting for more than 8 hours a day in my office. Although I used to walk
to work (about 1.5 km to and fro), my work involved sitting at my desk for long
hours. I barely used to cross 2500- 3000 steps in a day.
Little or no exercise
– Like most women who work in the kitchen, I was under the impression that
housework is my cardio. And I was so wrong. I was piling up the pounds!
Poor eating habits
and binge eating due to stress – I confess, I am a foodie and I love to
indulge in new cuisines and used to frequent restaurants. So my fondness for
food can partly take the blame for this. I had poor eating habits and being a
working mom, I was constantly stressed out how to manage taking care of the
house, my kid, and work commitments. I used to gorge on fast food like
burgers, greasy sandwiches, samosas, and brownies from the office canteen and
mall food court. My main weakness was salt rather than sugar, so anything deep-fried and salty like French fries and KFC fried chicken was my Achilles heel.
Believing certain
weight loss myths - I was constantly under the impression that you can eat
whatever you want as long as you exercise hard. Long back when I used to go to
the gym I believed in this wrong notion so much, that on some days I used to
put my heart and soul working out for 30 mins, but then immediately after
reaching home I would eat all the wrong foods with a vengeance.
Lack of will power
– My diet made me sluggish and lazy, that I tend to put off any physical
activity, forget exercise. I couldn’t believe that once an active teenager was
now a sloth.
Just like I did, you too need to discover the reasons behind
the weight gain and why you haven’t challenged yourself.
Key Reasons Why I chose to change my lifestyle
Borderline
cholesterol – The moment I saw my report, it was like the earth beneath me
shook. Learning that my cholesterol levels were borderline was a rude wake-up
call, but a necessary eye-opener. Before this, I was under the impression that I
can carry this way for the rest of my life but was in for a shock when I saw
the report say otherwise. I certainly did not want to be a 30-year-old in the
prime of her life popping cholesterol pills. No siree! This was the turning
point when I knew I had to do something about this, and it was now or never.
Low energy levels
– After getting home from work, I never felt like doing anything. I didn’t want
to play with my kiddo either. That was a cause for concern.
Back pain – Being
tall, I used to slouch a lot. And with the excess weight on my body, backaches
were my constant companion, in my workplace, at home and everywhere I went.
My kid – The
chief nudge that I pushed me to challenge myself was my kiddo, who adored me
and looked up to me. If she saw me eating junk and being inactive, she would do
the same. She too would grow up to lead an unhealthy lifestyle – I could not
digest this fact. What kind of role model would I be to her?
Women’s Health –
We Indian women do everything for our significant others, kids, and the entire
family. But we neglect our health in turn and push it to the backburner. Looking
at all the women in my life validated this point. But I knew that I was the
only one who could take charge of my health and look after myself. Sure, your
spouse will in case of emergencies, but avoiding a health scare is your
responsibility. And I don’t want the burden of osteoarthritis, spondylosis, and
osteoporosis – common illnesses that plague Indian women - with me in my old
age.
So, now that I have mended my ways and have zapped people
with my weight loss results, I would like to share the changes I made in terms
of my diet and lifestyle to lose 17 kgs of weight in 6 odd months.
The Regimen I Followed To Lose 17 kgs in 6 months
Upon waking:
(Usually between 6.30 am and 7.30 am)
1 glass of lukewarm water + juice of ½ a lemon
Breakfast:
(Usually between 8.30 am and 9.15 am)
1 teacup of ginger tea with less sugar + Upma/ Poha (1
katori) OR 2 set dosa + 1 katori veggie sambhar OR 2.5 steamed idlis + 1 katori
veggie sambhar.
Mid-morning snack: (Usually
at 11.00 am)
2 seedless dates OR 1 banana OR 1 cup papaya
Lunch: (Usually
between 12.30 pm and 1.00 pm)
1 katori steamed white rice + 0.5 katori dal/ kadi/ ambat/
coconut curry preparation + 1 katori green vegetable preparation (e.g.
ladyfinger, tendli, beans, bottle gourd/ dudhi, snake gourd, etc.) + 1 roasted
urad papad
Evening snack:
(Usually between 4.30 pm and 5.00 pm)
1 cup Tulsi Green Tea + 2-3 tablespoon roasted black chana +
1 tablespoon roasted unsalted peanuts. If still feeling hungry, then 1 katori kurmura
Dinner: (Usually between 7.30 pm and 7.45 pm)
2 chapatis + ½ katori green
vegetable preparation + 1 katori green salad OR carrot and beetroot koshimbir.
Approximate Total calorie intake: 1600 – 1700 Cal
Note 1: Yes, my diet looks a little low on protein, but there are days
in a week when the veggies are accompanied by soya nuggets preparation OR eggs
OR chicken preparation.
Note 2: You WILL feel hungry if your stick to this diet and start
having a light and early dinner. DO NOT GIVE IN TO YOUR CRAVINGS. Just drink
water. It is going to be a tough first 10 days, then your body will adjust to
the diet.
Workout: Between 3.30 pm and 4.00 pm – HIIT OR brisk walking in the
park OR bodyweight exercises. Duration: 30 mins to 45 mins.
For HIIT exercises I followed on
the Seven app (Android and iOS) and Bowflex workouts on YouTube. No equipment
required, just some space and you. Best for rainy days and days when you don’t
want to step out.
Brisk walking: 3 – 5 km
Bodyweight exercises: Squats,
push-ups, lunges, burpees, etc. Check videos by BeerBiceps.
Total calories burned: 300- 400 Cal
A word of caution:
The above diet and exercise that I’ve followed worked
perfectly well for me. It may or may not have the desired effect on your body.
Importantly, consult your doctor/ physical trainer whether you can follow such
a regimen given your existing medical conditions/ history.
Over the months, I've learned through this journey is that a lifestyle change is the only way to maintain the lost weight. So following a daily diet that is sustainable in the long run is the key.
In the end, it is all about your determination, perseverance, and commitment
to improving your health that shows.
My next blog post will be about the weight loss hacks that I swear by.
