After a super sweaty
Zumba workout, I got back home and had my chilled whey protein shake. I then
made some hot green tea (with ginger, lemon and mint) and started sipping on it. I think that a sweaty work-out followed by a fresh
beverage is one of the most powerful secrets for feeling happy.
And out of nowhere I had my
moment of inspiration to write a new blog ( Yeah these sudden moments are very
strange. I never understood how they come and how they go!).
Hence, i am going to blog about something which would
strike a cord with many a soul. I am pretty sure that many have experienced
those agonizing thoughts about all those extra pounds they carry under their
skin. Staring at the mirror and thinking how lovely it would be to shed those
layers of fat on their waist, their
thighs, their ass...Those dreadful love handles, those heavy arms, thunder
thighs and whale-like belly. When they met skinny people, they have this
wishful thought, " I wish I could do some
fat transplant to them!!" . The agony especially increases when they go shopping for cloths, "Oh my God, awesome dress-I only wish my tummy
was not so visible", "Oh these
sleeveless top- Agrhh, it shows my fat arms", "Oh these gorgeous printed pants, I wish my size
was available", " Oh my God,
these leggings don’t get into my thighs"…... The concern escalates
when some function or event is coming up.
They get themselves new dresses and want to look good in them. They make
a quick-fix resolution mainly during the week preceding the event (like GM
diet!). And once the event is over, they bounce back to their old ways. The work stress, tension, lack of free time
and more often than not, long travel times to work are to blame. They have an
immense craving to lead a healthier life. It crosses their mind every time they
see a super fit person or when they see people eating loads of fresh fruits and
veggies instead of the heavy meal they are gulping down. They get all excited
when they see someone who has lost weight and ask them for their secret
formula. They hope that they would give
them some amazingly easy miracle tip, which would help them too reach their
goals. I... have definitely been there and done all
of that…….
Finally one day I decided to take a break and resolved to
make serious changes to my lifestyle. This lingering craving (to lead a healthier life) which was going on
within me for quite a while, finally started taking shape. It is most certainly not easy to keep it. There have been many times when I resolved to change my lifestyle, but I used to
give up after a while. I thought that this time I needed to do something
different. I needed to be more organised and have immense will power to lose
those extra pounds off my body.
The torchlight in my hands
To start off with, I
decided to take some professional guidance. I went to a naturopathy centre
(Ayushmaan*) and stayed for 3 days.
There we practiced yoga and aquatic yoga and ate the food prepared by them. I
got my colon cleansed to have a fresh start. We also had several sittings in
the infra-red sauna to get rid of the toxins in our body along with the sweat.
Most importantly, the doctor there gave us some vital information and educated
us about living a healthier lifestyle. I came to know that since most of the
vital organs are in the abdomen region, the extra fat in the abdomen causes
most dangers (hormonal imbalances) as it compresses the organs and restricts
their functioning. I got some excellent guidance. During my consultation time, I told the doctor, " I had the slipped-disc condition few years back. I had to stop
my dance classes and aerobics classes
for several months in order for the pain to subside. And since I didn’t control my diet, I added
several kilos! but I do exercise
regularly nowadays. I really don’t understand why, but it never helps me lose
any weight. I am frustrated!". He asked me one question, " Do you eat your food very fast?".
I said, "Yes, that’s true. But why do you
ask that?". He said, " Well,
that is the main reason why you are not losing weight easily. You need to chew
your food and break down most of the carbohydrates with the saliva in your
mouth. This makes sure that your intestine has lesser stress on it. It will
make a lot of difference".
It was as though someone had handed me a torchlight on the dark path of
my newly made resolution! After three days I came out of there, rejuvenated and
enlightened. (P.S. I know that many people visit these centres just for
rejuvenation. But once they come out, they fall back into their old ways. For
this guidance to help one meet their goals, one has to have immense
determination within their minds to succeed !)
The next couple of months
Once I came out of
the naturopathy centre, I followed many of the things I learnt over there.
- I started my day with just fruits. (I tried to skip morning coffee, but that was impossible...hence I kept the habit!). Apples, pomegranates, pineapples, kiwis, watermelon, cherries, pears….i bought more fruits and picked any 2-3 of them for breakfast. Did not eat anything else at least for the next 2 hours.
- I had some nit bits every 2 hours. My lunch was not heavy. Instead I ate/drank at least 6 to 8 times a day.
- I started eating my food slowly. Chewed every portion of it until I could feel it breaking down in my mouth. My meals took longer to finish and invariably as I noticed, the portions also became smaller gradually.
- I switched to whole foods, brown rice instead of white, whole flour instead of refined flour, red rice idlis instead of white rice ones etc.
- I went for brisk walks regularly (5-6 times a week). Started off with 2 km and gradually increased it to 6 km per day.
- I reduced the number of times I ate junk food and reduced the quantity too.
- Instead of gulping down a whole pizza, i restricted myself to 2-3 slices, once a month, just to satisfy my occasional craving.
I continued like
this for the next two months. When I
went for a regular check-up with my doctor, she asked me to get on the weighing
scale. What I saw took me completely took me by surprise. I had lost 10 kilos
in 2 months! And I had no clue it was happening. My doctor congratulated me on
my weight loss and asked me to keep up the good work. It was a great boost to
my motivation. I thought I had found the
secret formula to getting a sexy figure! All the excess baggage would melt away
in a jiffy.
But just when I
thought that I was in a rapid weight losing spree, I realised that two months down the lane, my weight had not budged even a bit! Such a disappointment.
Is it not
possible for me to shed the rest of those extra pounds? Why is my secret
formula not working anymore??..............Continued to...The-story-of-shedding-those-extra-Part-II
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