For my entire life time I had waited to try a 'smaller' size in every apparel that I bought!
['smaller' was one size less than the biggest or the second biggest and not one of the actual 'small options' :)]
I have always been overweight if not obese. As a kid I was 'healthy', being overweight is considered to be healthy in South India. In South India, especially in Andhra Pradesh, even in these times most of the people don't know the most important things in life from a girl's point of view (some might be applicable to boys also) like - looking good (is termed as 'stylish'), going to a beauty parlour (is termed as 'fashion'), being on a healthy diet (is termed as 'unenergetic'), going to the gym (is thought to be something that will ruin the girl's reproductive system). Plain rice along with simple boiled dal with salt and ghee or simple achaar with 2 full spoons of raw groundnut oil or deep fried aloo red in colour with MTR chilly powder can be a complete meal for them. Even the film actresses don't bother so much about the weight there it seems :p
I have always had a resolution to not exactly get slim but to lose weight. I never knew what would it take though, I was regular with yoga, I was pretty active and most of the times on minimal diet in the nights. But I never realized it doesn't matter how much you eat, it matters what you eat - I knew it but with the amount of exercise I had I thought it should not matter too much. I had conversations with a few doctors and they always said if it was hereditary, I would have to fight my genes for my entire life time; they had suggested for thyroid tests etc. all came normal till a few years back (I was operated for goitre in the year 2000 on the day there was 18-inch rainfall in Ahmedabad :), goitre was definitely a reason for my obesity or overweight for quite a few years). The thyroid became normally functional after I became more or less regular with yoga I think, at least I give the entire credit to it.
29th December, 2012 - I was preparing for my resolution and was mentally prepared to work towards losing weight from 1st January, 2013 onwards. I didn't know how and most likely would have ended up doing the same usual things, in vain with no significant results unless this friend of ours came over to meet us on the 29th. I had seen him for the first time after he lost about 22kgs after being at the high end of obesity for his entire lifetime :) I asked him how he did it and the 2-3 things that he told were the actual mantras. These were one of the very few things where I and my husband always had arguments on: diet control, he always used to say its fine to eat anything as long as you can digest it, so work towards digesting what you eat rather than stop eating :) I never agreed, works for him but not for me, or rather works to control normal weight but not to lose extra weight. I always argued in order to lose extra weight, good and strict diet control is needed for a few months along with exercise of course.
__________
April, 2013:
I went to Las Vegas in April and at one of the premium outlets, I went into a shop for formal clothes. I was looking at a pant and was thinking of the size.
The lady came, "Would you like to try this ma'am?".
I said, "Yes." and picked up 2 sizes to try and said, "I would try these two."
The lady said with raised eyebrows, "You want to try these sizes?"
I wondered what she was going to say next!
The lady said, "I think you should try a smaller size."
That moment was the biggest moment in my life! A foreign store with European sizes thinks I should try a 'smaller' size!
It was unbelievable for me and I told her let me try 'this' showing the smaller of the two sizes I had chosen.
She said, "Its fine if you want to try that but I still think you should take the smaller one!"
I exclaimed to myself, I tried the one I was adamant on, it was lose.
I came out of the dressing room and told her she was right, and she happily gave me the smaller size telling me, "see I told you!!"
I tried that, it was lose too. I stood in the dressing room wearing that and looking into the mirror for a few seconds. It was totally unbelievable for me, I don't have words to explain those moments I spent in that dressing room.
I came out again from the dressing room and asked her for a even smaller size. That was the smallest in that shop :) Gone were the days when I used to buy the biggest of all sizes and often came out of the shop disappointed because of the biggest size not fitting me...lolz (now I can laugh, but that disappointment was unexplainable too :))
____________
Things that I did:
1. Adopt the NO SUGAR policy: I love tea, especially the early morning tea (boiled with little bit of Everest tea masala and small piece of ginger either grated or mashed) and so the first thing after water or lemon water that used to go into my stomach is a spoonful of sugar, tea aside. And during the day I used to have tea at least 2-3 times, which means at least 4-5 if not more spoons of sugar everyday. I gave that up, I have not given up tea but every time I have tea, I feel good that the spoonful of sugar is not going in :) Anything that has sugar as an ingredient, just avoid.
2. Give up fried items: I always liked pressure-cooking because it saves a lot of time without much compromise on the taste of food. I know anything fried tastes too good and especially coming from Andhra Pradesh, that small potato deep fried with a lot of chilly powder eaten with hot rice is a delicacy out of this world for me, though its been years since I ate such a dish (not too sure if I should actually call it a 'dish') :), and I cannot eat any bit of spice now after staying away for years. My use of cooking oil has never been more than a spoon probably in the entire day, I do used to compromise a bit on the weekends since that is the day I like cooking especially something delicious for my husband (whether delicious or not he, the victim, only will tell though I don't think he has a choice anyway since he can't cook at all :)).
3. Think before eating: Questions that I ask myself before eating anything are:
a. Am I hungry or am I eating just like that? If not hungry, best to avoid. Its fine to eat for taste if really feel like eating but then better to take care on the quantity, should be very minimal or best to exchange it with a healthier option available.
b. Do I need to eat this or can I eat something better? Choose the best healthy of the options available.
I normally feel very hungry for dinner around 7:30PM as a habit, and during that time I made sure I have some healthy option available to munch in case I am unable to ready the dinner by that time.
I did these for 3-4 months, my target was to fit into smaller size clothes by March/April. My target was a scullers formal pant I had, but I am way ahead of that now and nothing like the feeling that two of you can fit into a pant into which one of you were fitting earlier :)
Exercise may not be necessary as I read articles I learn it is 80% diet and 20% exercise, but it is good to exercise, some form of exercise - either walking (I have a dog - 5 years old beagle called Bruno so I have two mandatory walks in the morning and evening at least 30 mins each), or climbing stairs or quick yoga or anything that works.
Ek baar commitment kar lo, fir apne aap ki bhi matt suno - bas!
['smaller' was one size less than the biggest or the second biggest and not one of the actual 'small options' :)]
I have always been overweight if not obese. As a kid I was 'healthy', being overweight is considered to be healthy in South India. In South India, especially in Andhra Pradesh, even in these times most of the people don't know the most important things in life from a girl's point of view (some might be applicable to boys also) like - looking good (is termed as 'stylish'), going to a beauty parlour (is termed as 'fashion'), being on a healthy diet (is termed as 'unenergetic'), going to the gym (is thought to be something that will ruin the girl's reproductive system). Plain rice along with simple boiled dal with salt and ghee or simple achaar with 2 full spoons of raw groundnut oil or deep fried aloo red in colour with MTR chilly powder can be a complete meal for them. Even the film actresses don't bother so much about the weight there it seems :p
I have always had a resolution to not exactly get slim but to lose weight. I never knew what would it take though, I was regular with yoga, I was pretty active and most of the times on minimal diet in the nights. But I never realized it doesn't matter how much you eat, it matters what you eat - I knew it but with the amount of exercise I had I thought it should not matter too much. I had conversations with a few doctors and they always said if it was hereditary, I would have to fight my genes for my entire life time; they had suggested for thyroid tests etc. all came normal till a few years back (I was operated for goitre in the year 2000 on the day there was 18-inch rainfall in Ahmedabad :), goitre was definitely a reason for my obesity or overweight for quite a few years). The thyroid became normally functional after I became more or less regular with yoga I think, at least I give the entire credit to it.
29th December, 2012 - I was preparing for my resolution and was mentally prepared to work towards losing weight from 1st January, 2013 onwards. I didn't know how and most likely would have ended up doing the same usual things, in vain with no significant results unless this friend of ours came over to meet us on the 29th. I had seen him for the first time after he lost about 22kgs after being at the high end of obesity for his entire lifetime :) I asked him how he did it and the 2-3 things that he told were the actual mantras. These were one of the very few things where I and my husband always had arguments on: diet control, he always used to say its fine to eat anything as long as you can digest it, so work towards digesting what you eat rather than stop eating :) I never agreed, works for him but not for me, or rather works to control normal weight but not to lose extra weight. I always argued in order to lose extra weight, good and strict diet control is needed for a few months along with exercise of course.
__________
April, 2013:
I went to Las Vegas in April and at one of the premium outlets, I went into a shop for formal clothes. I was looking at a pant and was thinking of the size.
The lady came, "Would you like to try this ma'am?".
I said, "Yes." and picked up 2 sizes to try and said, "I would try these two."
The lady said with raised eyebrows, "You want to try these sizes?"
I wondered what she was going to say next!
The lady said, "I think you should try a smaller size."
That moment was the biggest moment in my life! A foreign store with European sizes thinks I should try a 'smaller' size!
It was unbelievable for me and I told her let me try 'this' showing the smaller of the two sizes I had chosen.
She said, "Its fine if you want to try that but I still think you should take the smaller one!"
I exclaimed to myself, I tried the one I was adamant on, it was lose.
I came out of the dressing room and told her she was right, and she happily gave me the smaller size telling me, "see I told you!!"
I tried that, it was lose too. I stood in the dressing room wearing that and looking into the mirror for a few seconds. It was totally unbelievable for me, I don't have words to explain those moments I spent in that dressing room.
I came out again from the dressing room and asked her for a even smaller size. That was the smallest in that shop :) Gone were the days when I used to buy the biggest of all sizes and often came out of the shop disappointed because of the biggest size not fitting me...lolz (now I can laugh, but that disappointment was unexplainable too :))
____________
Things that I did:
1. Adopt the NO SUGAR policy: I love tea, especially the early morning tea (boiled with little bit of Everest tea masala and small piece of ginger either grated or mashed) and so the first thing after water or lemon water that used to go into my stomach is a spoonful of sugar, tea aside. And during the day I used to have tea at least 2-3 times, which means at least 4-5 if not more spoons of sugar everyday. I gave that up, I have not given up tea but every time I have tea, I feel good that the spoonful of sugar is not going in :) Anything that has sugar as an ingredient, just avoid.
2. Give up fried items: I always liked pressure-cooking because it saves a lot of time without much compromise on the taste of food. I know anything fried tastes too good and especially coming from Andhra Pradesh, that small potato deep fried with a lot of chilly powder eaten with hot rice is a delicacy out of this world for me, though its been years since I ate such a dish (not too sure if I should actually call it a 'dish') :), and I cannot eat any bit of spice now after staying away for years. My use of cooking oil has never been more than a spoon probably in the entire day, I do used to compromise a bit on the weekends since that is the day I like cooking especially something delicious for my husband (whether delicious or not he, the victim, only will tell though I don't think he has a choice anyway since he can't cook at all :)).
3. Think before eating: Questions that I ask myself before eating anything are:
a. Am I hungry or am I eating just like that? If not hungry, best to avoid. Its fine to eat for taste if really feel like eating but then better to take care on the quantity, should be very minimal or best to exchange it with a healthier option available.
b. Do I need to eat this or can I eat something better? Choose the best healthy of the options available.
I normally feel very hungry for dinner around 7:30PM as a habit, and during that time I made sure I have some healthy option available to munch in case I am unable to ready the dinner by that time.
I did these for 3-4 months, my target was to fit into smaller size clothes by March/April. My target was a scullers formal pant I had, but I am way ahead of that now and nothing like the feeling that two of you can fit into a pant into which one of you were fitting earlier :)
Exercise may not be necessary as I read articles I learn it is 80% diet and 20% exercise, but it is good to exercise, some form of exercise - either walking (I have a dog - 5 years old beagle called Bruno so I have two mandatory walks in the morning and evening at least 30 mins each), or climbing stairs or quick yoga or anything that works.
Ek baar commitment kar lo, fir apne aap ki bhi matt suno - bas!
