I get it. When a foodie among your near and dear ones loses weight visibly, you can’t help but think (perhaps, hope?) she has found a magic pill or plan to shed off that love handle, beer belly, or dangling fat from cheeks, arms and thighs.
I began my weight loss journey in January 2018. Six months in and 20 pounds lighter, it is undoubtedly one of the most contemplative and celebratory time I have spent with myself. Along with compliments and a new nickname (“Herbivore”!), questions have poured in — How? What? Really?! Thank you all for (unknowingly) giving me that nudge to write again! Here’s my story, not just my action plan, to help you find your inspiration and motivation to get to execution. I’d be delighted to know if my experience helps you in any way!
You don’t need me to tell you that there ain’t any magic pill to lose weight, and I pray you to ditch it if you ever find any. It comes in fancy names such as “diet food”, fad diets, “sugar free” etc.
“People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”
― Samuel Johnson, an English writer
I was fortuitously reminded of the ABCs to weight loss in a gripping and palatable way. It’s not a plan that is going to make you exclaim “Voila!”, but one that will modestly serve as a reminder of the common knowledge we all had learnt in childhood but have conveniently forgotten while “growing up” and “having fun”.
The ingredients for my Sweetest Loss recipe came in the guise of some people and incidents. Spice or “hot bod goals” came from a friend, Prerana; but that was only an inspiration. Saltiness was sprinkled by my annoying brother, Harshal, who unfailingly commented that he was going to look better than me at a wedding in India in December 2017 (He was losing weight at the speed I was putting on; I had no ground to stand on). A dash of tanginess was added by my most loyal frenemy, Vash; the first thing he said to me when we had met after a year and a half was, “Tu toh moti ho gayi hai yar!” (i.e. “You’ve put on ya!”). These gave me reason enough to believe that I needed to start my weight loss some day, but the last straw was when my mum subtly remarked that I needed to keep an eye on my weight. That’s it! When your magnanimous mum tells you to lose weight, there is no further scope to gull yourself into believing otherwise.
Parallely, I cannot and should not discount the fact that I stay in the United States — the country where comfort foods translates to cheese, bread and sugar! These “comfort foods” had trickled into my routine before I had even realised. The havoc caused by these and the issue with healthy eating in this part of the world is not even funny.
Another thing that irked me was shopping here was becoming a challenge instead of a leisure activity! Finding “complete” clothes — those without ridiculous cuts, sags and prices — was like searching for the Kohinoor. This was the catalyst — I had to do something with my body to be able to carry off these clothes.
I returned from my trip to India in December 2017 with a medley of memories — weddings, family, friends, food, shopping, and, the number of times my weight had found its way into conversations.
I started googling frantically to find a starting point for a sustainable weight loss plan but the sea of information online flustered and overwhelmed me. The more I read, the more I felt lost. I am one of those people who need a direction when beginning anything new.
1st week of January 2018 — Step 1
I set up an appointment with the in-house nutrionist at the company I work for and shared with her details of my eating habits and typical meals of the day. She suggested incremental changes to my diet, but the challenge was that she is a non-Indian, unknowing of Indian food and habits. With her understanding of bodily science and my limited knowledge of Indian superfoods, we chalked out a meal plan in two iterations—
January end — Befriending workouts
I was not a “fitness freak” or a “health conscious” person, to the point of being a skeptic that I would ever go down that path on a serious note. I conveniently blamed it on being a true foodie. Despite having a well-equipped gym in my community, I couldn’t get myself to start working out. Closed room or equipment-based excercises do not excite me, but I do enjoy dance and zumba. For a pass-time after work (or to grab an hour of peace in the day), I had been searching for zumba classes near me. Getting nowhere since a couple of months, I checked out the offerings in the fitness centre at my workplace.
Here, I found the closest I could to my panacea! The centre had trainer-led classes throughout the week. Core & Cardio. Pilates. Yoga. Strength training. Insanity. I decided to begin with these classes till I could find “something of my type”; I was dubious of developing a liking to this kind of fitness regime, ever.
Around January-end, I started working out and boy, do I like it now! I work out 4 days a week, doing a combination ofexercises, and squeeze in a long walk or a visit to my community gym on days I miss one (yes, the same equipments that repelled me not too long ago feel so inviting now!).
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
— Paulo Coelho
2nd week of February — Naturally Slim
Just when I thought, I had found all that I needed to become a “healthier me” — a customized food guide and a regular workout plan, I chanced upon a program that completely changed my relationship with food. The potion came as an email on my work mail-id, requesting volunteers for a 10-week online “fitness” program, offered for free. Being an inherent skeptic for any such kind of programs, at first I dismissed it as yet another fad diet program. On the flip side, being an inquisitive person, I was interested to know what was the program about. I applied for it and since, have thanked my stars for introducing me to it.
Naturally Slim — The lifestyle approach to weight management I had been looking for all along. This mantra gives away the secret of the program in one line —
It’s not what you eat but when and how you eat that will help you lose weight.
— Marcia Upson, program’s chief facilitator
Marcia’s ask is simple and echoes my rationale too— inculcate habits instead of testing your willpower, for habits are eternal and willpower is finite.
Super 7 Takeaways
Human psychology amazes and amuses me; and the program is all about that. It is fun, engaging and profound. It spoke of the games our mind plays on us, and ways we can outsmart it in this strive towards weight management. I have picked up several nuanced and pronounced learnings. For brevity, here are 7 key ideas that are easy to implement and have visible results within a short time. Include these in your lifestyle, and you are all set to lose successfully.
- Chew well and eat slowly — Why?
Yes, this is the first instruction we are given as toddlers learning to eat. I didn’t know the reasoning behind it until Marcia explained in this program.
10–5–10 rule: Eat for 10 minutes, take a break for 5 minutes — a complete halt on eating, and resume for another 10 minutes. By the end of these 25 minutes, there are high chances that you would have eaten less than you normally would have, and still feel “full”. The ritual of eating is to please two centres in our brain — the Satiety centre and the Taste centre. Only once these two centres indicate to the brain that they are “satisfied”, does our brain realise we are “full” from what we have eaten. It takes about 20 minutes for the Satiety centre to register that it is “happy”. Taste centre is appeased when the taste buds in our mouth and on our tongue are soaked with the richness of flavors and textures of our foods. Trick is to eat slowly, chew well and relish every bite. - Portion control — How?
From a young age, we are taught not to waste food; complete everything on our plate. This trains our brain to feel “full” only when our plate is licked clean. Also, big plates tend to tempt us to fill in more than what we might actually want. I am a BIG advocate of avoiding food waste, so have been victim to these mindgames many-a-times.
I began using smaller plates and bowls, filling in same or even less quantity of food. Who is going to stop me from a second helping if I need one?! The difference made by this small change took me by surprise. Gradually, I needed less food to feel “full” and I noticed the portion that took me from being “comfortable” to “stuffed”. - Flirt foods — What?
Sugar. Chips. Juices. Soda. Processed food. Refined flour. Coffee. You know the list.
Marcia aptly calls them Flirt Foods. As alluring as they might be, a “quick, small” grab of these foods is but only a mirage of happiness. Ask yourself everytime you are invited to flirt with one of these foods— Will that 10 minutes of decadence be worth the pound I am likely to add to my bod?
Out of sight, out of mind — It really is that simple. Don’t buy that junk from the grocery store. Don’t go where that junk is being served at a gathering. After a point, it looks so uninviting that you’d be proud to stare at it without wanting to flirt with it.
I am still to master the art of self-control. So, for me, this has gone to the extent that when I have friends/guests visiting meunannounced, all I have to offer them is something like a mix of nuts, carrots with hummus and yogurt dip, a recipe with quinoa etc. I simply don’t buy any junk so the question to indulge does not arise. (Now you know why I request you to tell me a day ahead if you visiting me!) - Fluff pounds — When?
These are the rewards we give ourselves after a weekend of binge eating or from a trip replete with good food. Pounds accumulated from such intemperance is easiest to dust off within two days. After that window, it starts contributing to that love handle or beer belly, and becomes the stubborn beast we are all-too-familiar with. Balance out by going easy on your food and taking extra care to burn off those fluff pounds over the next two days after the guilt-free trip. - Emotional eating —
“Food is comforting.”
“I am bored.”
“Who watches a movie without a mouthful of munchies?”
Alright, I’ll stop. You know where I am going with this.
Recognise your “triggers” — incidents or emotions that make you want to eat in the hope of “feeling better”.
Spend time introspecting or retrospecting, and identify your “vital needs” — activities, feelings, emotions or “must-haves” that make you feel “sane”, “collected”, “calm”, “fulfilled” etc.
The importance and intricacy of “Vital Needs” is a riveting topic in itself!
Marcia listed 25 vital needs, some of which are personal time, volunteering, physical movement, variety of experiences, social gatherings, spirituality et al.
Get an idea? Figure out what can you substitute with emotional eating that will give you the same satisfaction of “feeling better” without the unwelcomed pounds on your waistline. - Hungry or thirsty?
Our brain cannot differentiate between hunger and thirst for the most part. Noticeably, quenching our thirst sometimes alleviates hunger. Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water. Not soda. Not juice. Only water. This one is a no-brainer. - Eat only when hungry —
Let your body, not the clock or the norm, tell you when to eat. Reading my hunger pattern, and learning the difference between “hunger” and “appetite”, has helped me a LONG way in knowing when to eat and when not to.
For example, breakfast, the so-called mandatory meal of the day, is a nothing but a myth (perhaps, by the marketing gurus?). I have never been a breakfast person; I simply don’t feel hungry until a couple of hours into the day so I don’t have the need to eat to kickstart my day. However, if you are, do not deprive yourself of that meal. Fix a healthy (not cereal, not bread, not dessert coffee) breakfast with oatmeal, fruit, nuts and yogurt, green tea etc.
I don’t have any designated “Cheat days” either, because I am trying to build habits, not gauge my willpower, remember? I eat whatever and whenever I want but in moderation and within reason. Should I go overboard, I balance it out over the next two days.
On the side
Along the way, another friend, Rasika, had told me about Rujuta Diwekar’s 12 week Fitness Project where Rujuta doled out secrets from Indian kitchen and dispelled several myths related to food and eating habits. That was a wonderful program as well. I particularly love the importance Rujuta gives to staying in tune with nature and culture!
I must admit, two inherent traits have helped me immensely in this process. First, I am a curious person by nature. During the initial days, when I was working with my nutritionist to outline a meal plan, I read a great deal about any thing related to food. This was also an advice given to me by a friend, and it worked wonders for me. I strongly suggest you to read about food, calories, BMI, nutrients, compositions (fats, carbs, proteins), benefits, alternatives to certain food items, food digestion process, healthy recipes, nutrition labels on store products, marketing gimmicks by the biggest players in the food industry etc. It is not only incredibly compelling but also an eye-opener to the harm many commonly eaten foods cause to our body. Reading will definitely hammer in the pitfalls of certain foods, and open your mind to various easy-to-follow eating habits.
Second, I am a vegetarian foodie — in every sense of the word. I can devour literally anything in the gamut of “vegetarian” without a fuss, so I can cook up a meal with seemingly random items and still be satisfied. Sit back and note down your “must-have” ingredients in your kitchen that you can count on to help you fix a quick meal at home.
I am also lucky that I do not have to deal with major moments of temptation, thanks to my flatmate, Richa! She has sportingly become a semi-herbivore and joined hands with me in the “No Junk” slogan while we are grocery shopping. Don’t bring that junk home. Out of sight, out of mind — that is half the battle won.
What’s the plan?
Healthy weight loss is upto a pound a week. You may lose more in the initial few weeks because bloating caused by water is the first and easiest to get rid of. Ideally, weigh yourself at the same time and day once every week.
If I compare my journey from January through June to a hike, I would break it in below stages:
- Find a motivation
- Identify superpowers — play to them
- Start strong — No flirt foods AT ALL for the first 3 weeks. The result set the ground and motivation for the uphill battle.
- Build a habit — Slight discipline and a basic plan is all it took to make it a routine. Nothing fancy.
- Keep the momentum — 6 months in, I am still happy to stick to my plan, still seeing the results and still enjoying my newfound relationship with food.
I haven’t reached the peak yet so this all I have to share! Looking forward to enjoying the climb for a long, long time to come.
My Abracadabra spells —
You will never gain 10 if you don’t gain the first 5!
Food helps with weight loss, Exercise helps with weight maintenance.
I have picked up several other tricks of the trade — foods, recipes, behavioral patterns — from Naturally Slim and Rujuta Diwekar’s programs, my reading, experimentation and experience, and from my buddies on this hike. Let me know if you’d like me to write about it; I’ll be happy to share! Also, I am a new kid on the block. I’d love to know your go-to health foods, recipes, experiences or ideas around weight loss and weight management. Please share!
Till then, let’s get going and dust off those pounds like a boss.
