For the last few months, I had been obsessed with losing weight. Not that I don’t constantly try to be slim and look slimmer! But the craze began when one regular boring day, I hurriedly looked into the mirror before rushing out of the door and noticed the beginnings of a potential double chin. At first I thought that it’s the mirror’s fault. Then, I wondered if I am simply pushing back my chin into my chest. As you might have guessed none of those were the reason. But my stride was broken and I was already exploring how deep this double chin problem was.
So, I took out the dusty weighing machine from under the almirah and exhaled to stand on it. When the needle finally stopped, I gawked with disbelief. 2.35 kilos extra! As you can imagine the .35 was particularly disturbing. Perhaps the weighing machine is finally broken, I thought. It was quite an antique which I had used only to weigh my suitcases for international travel, in the recent past. Or, perhaps I am just standing wrong. So I stood again, this time on a different place. And again. And again. And with a heavy heart I admitted that perhaps I need to tackle my weight.
The next day, I raided the internet to find the fastest ways to lose weight. And immediately went on a diet. In the next few days I was decidedly the authority on the diet fads and had attempted most. But the weighing machine wouldn’t budge. Frustrated and furious I decided to change tactic. It was time to work on my health. Weight loss would happen –I told myself. So, in tight track pants and fancy pink sneakers, I went to explore a few local gyms. And quickly finalized one that met the three important criteria- monthly changes, feel good factor and distance from home. Every morning, for the next few days, I went to the gym to run, lift, pedal, push and bend. But even after a fortnight of aching hamstrings and sore biceps, my weight showed no signs of going away. I felt rather cheated. So, frustrated, I had a straight talk with the gym instructor. To my protests, the stout, flat-bellied, tight t-shirt wearing, muscle-man replied rather nonchalantly “ma’am, khane paar bhi dhyan rakhiye. Waise bhi fifteen days hi toh huye hain”. (Ma’am, Please pay attention on your food as well. Fifteen days is too short a time to lose weight). I gawked at him in disbelief! How many more days does he think it would take, and how many days does he think I would continue to jaunt, hopp and crunch, I did not know. But I had an inkling that he wanted regular business more than my weight loss.
In any case, I thought I should trust the Indian way rather than run behind the western machines. And with that insight, I pulled out my yoga mat from behind the old toys in the almirah and washed it clean. Yoga, I knew, is our age-old way of having a healthy body, mind and spirit. The next morning, in my track pants, I did five surya namaskars and quickly took my weight. Nothing changed. Maybe too early! While I continued to do yoga, I couldn’t forget what the gym instructor had said. “khane paar bhi dhyan rakhiye”.
So on my next trip to the market, I picked up the most popular book in the weight loss genre, Loose your weight, Not your mind by Rujuta Diwekar. If she could make Kareena Kapoor, the self-proclaimed paranthe eating Punjabi foodie be a size zero, she can definitely make me lose 2 kilos. No? In the next few days, as I read I realized that nutrition and food actually have a huge effect on weight and health. Well, in hindsight it seems ridiculously obvious. What surprised me was that seventy percent of weight loss is food and thirty percent is exercise. I realized I needed a high fiber, high nutrition, slow burn carbohydrate meals in the mornings. The fiber would fill me up, the slow-burn carbohydrates would ensure that I am full of energy for a longer time and the high nutrition will help me look, feel and be healthy.
I quickly realized that Oats is the one for me! Oats is a high nutrition grain that gave me energy for a longer time, making me less hungry throughout the day. Also, Oats have beta-glucan which enhances the immune system and reduces the risk of diabetes. They have avenanthramides that help prevent free-radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The science was undisputable and compelling. So, I went with the best and bought Quaker Oats-unprocessed and organic! Not only did I trust the quality but it was available in many sweet and savory flavors. I started enjoying a bowl every morning and afternoon.
Neither the Oats nor Yoga led to immediate weight loss but they made me feel healthier and happier. And by now, I understood the science behind the foods and exercise. I realized that there are right kind of foods for different times of day and right kind of exercise for different results. And Oats is one of the best morning meals. This understanding helped me to stick to my regimen. And one fine day, the weighing machine needle moved!
But, in the process of losing weight, I had gained health, energy and strength!
