My Inch Loss Journey Over One And A Half Months

FAT or WEIGHT – one of the big obstacles in every woman’s life, when in excess. Uninvited it barges in and overstays, without a word of leaving, just like any unwanted guests, a big gate crasher! Settling in on all kinds of body parts, belly, arms, thighs and buttocks to name just a few.

Disclaimer: In the post, the intention is not to condemn FAT, or fat shame. It’s about getting fit for a better and healthy life.

Also, please do not blindly follow any workout routine, do check if it suits your body type and your stamina.

The reasons for the accumulation of fat might be various, from pregnancy to poor eating habits to a sedentary lifestyle, or certain health issues like PCOD or may be genetic. But once it’s there, it refuses to depart, adding unwanted extra kilos to our weight.

There are many issues that come along with extra weight or fat. Health issues like diabetes, blood pressure, heart ailments, knee problems accompanied with lethargy, loss of confidence, to an extent are all a part of it. So, my issue isn’t the extra weight, it is a compromise of good health.

Need I reiterate, apart from physical health, there is an immense benefit of exercising on mental health too. The release of Endorphins trigger a positive feeling, reduces stress, wards off feeling of anxiety and depression.

We go to all lengths to overcome this obstacle in our struggle to become from ‘Fat to Fit,’ but more often than not give up midway, as either we do not see the results coming in faster than we thought or we reach a plateau level, where further weight loss isn’t in sight.

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I too have been trying my best to beat this beast in this race, where it’s catching up faster than I can keep it at bay. Since my wedding, 15 years ago till date, I’ve put on almost 10 extra kgs and in turn compromising on my fitness! I don’t want to blame my hypothyroidism or epilepsy medication for my increased weight, nor want to blame my c-section delivery for it. Instead of playing the blame game, I have set a goal for myself to lose the flab.

The diet I have been having since all these years is generally healthy, no fried, minimal sugar, no maida, home-cooked vegetarian food. Eating out or takeaways is a rare scenario. I’ve been doing yoga regularly at least 5 days a week for years, add to that walking, yet no difference in my weight. The only good part of the best part is, my weight has stayed stable for quite a few years now, with no increase.

Now that the age is catching up, I realised that my metabolism is going down and with a similar kind of plan that I’ve been following all these years, my weight isn’t going to stay the same, it’s going to increase.

This lockdown, when I saw my friends and relatives on video calls, one thing I noticed is everyone has been putting on weight, losing their fitness, losing their mental strength too, this was a wake-up call for me. I decided to up my exercise regime.

While searching for some fun exercises, my daughter came across this full energy Zumba workout video, and most of the workouts were based on Bollywood, Tollywood, bhangra kinds of peppy tracks. This was the turning point in removing the obstacle named ‘FAT’ from my life.

My daughter and I, both started our new workout routine that day itself, for it was to get fit and for her, it was just to have fun, and one workout was just 30 minutes. We thought, “Dance ka dance and workout ka workout.. double dhamaal.”

The best part was most of the routines were easily doable without much strain even for someone who would have certain problems, let’s say like knee problems.

Another good thing for me was the company of my daughter, in case if I feel a little down, she’s there to pep me up and in case if she doesn’t feel like it, I convince her to do the workout. It added a lovely change to her otherwise boring lockdown summer holidays. So here we were, all geared up in our tracks, T’s and appropriate shoes, ready to hit the floor.

Every day at the same time, for half an hour, we both switched on the video and started sweating it out, enjoying every move and every step.

I wasn’t even thinking of weight loss, I was just enjoying the workout to the fullest, wearing a big smile, so much so that it slowly became an addiction. I was looking forward to the daily workout, within half an hour sweat would be dripping from every part of the body, clothes totally soaked with perspiration, keeping ourselves well hydrated, we did it 6 days a week.

Eventually, within about 10 days I realised I’ve lost an inch or so, from the waist, thighs seemed less jelly and so did the belly 😉 What more…I was feeling happier and chirpier, no mood swings, clarity in thoughts, these were just a few more added benefits. This was a good boost and I continued my exercise. Guess this is what is needed to further increase the metabolism and to burn fat, a change in a regular workout.

Now, it’s been over one and a half months and I’ve lost further some more inches and lost some weight too. My old pair of jeans and tops are fitting really well, I feel so much more confident now, there’s a bounce in my step.

Finally, the first step towards removal of the rigid obstacle – FAT or WEIGHT, towards becoming FIT, has been taken. I hope to continue on this journey not only till I achieve my fitness but beyond that too.

After all, out of 24 hours in a day, half an hour is very easy to squeeze out. Added, all this from the comfort of our home, thanks to the technology.

Dear readers,

Hope you too embark on your journey towards fitness soon, just in case if you haven’t yet started, it’s worth every second spent. So get your family together and go for it, with the slogan ‘Healthy Family, Happy Family.’

Image courtesy: A still from Size Zero

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