The Before and After Read
Before you get to see the “change” or the before & after pictures, let’s all keep in mind that it did NOT change in a week or even a month’s time. Successful changes/habits take time and dedication. If it’s a long term goal or if it’s a habit that challenges an old die-hard habit, it will take TIME and patience. It is going to ask for some sacrifices and some lifestyle changes that eventually lead to a positive & fulfilling life.
When I say ‘positive & fulfilling life’, I take diet, happiness, positive attitude and one’s lifestyle into consideration. Sure the weight numbers are important but so is your attitude towards achieving it equally important. It feels amazing to lose a few pounds here and there but it ACHES when you see it coming back. That, in turn, affects one’s mood, attitude and then all the sacrifices made and the dedication and most importantly the ROUTINE that you thought had you in control is eventually thrown out! Some start to doubt themselves, some give up thinking its best to never try again and some merely get lost in the daily work-home schedule. That’s EASY! ain’t it? This is why your attitude towards losing weight is important. It’s imperative to have your mind in control and to not sway towards negativity.
For years, i would ask everyone i met if they have a new diet plan or let’s be real , i would ask for an EASY way out. Like, drinking green tea but eating two slices of pizza for dinner. HOW is that ever going to work , you ask ? of course it is not going to do anything except make you feel guilty for enjoying something that you like, take away that 10 mins of happiness those two slices gave you AND somewhere deep down assume that the magical green tea will show its effect in a few days or perhaps months. I would look at my friends and feel sad about my appearance BUT not sad enough to actually work out. Read magazines and articles and try to hide my thighs and arms and all that flab in big sweaters and hoodies ( i was born and raised in Dubai, can you imagine the heat ?). We all have that one friend that could eat a truck full of carbs and fats and maybe eat a restaurant but not put on weight. Yes, i had and still have her as a friend and yes i have had sleepless nights thinking of being as “thin” and sexy as her but that also did not make me step in the gym on a regular basis or take up an activity outside that i could enjoy and feel positive about.
What did it finally take ? What made the tortoise run?
I came to the US for pursuing MBA and that was THE point. Maybe God had enough of my complaints like GIRL I can’t help you, you gotta move that body once in a while!! My older brother and sister in law were living in Manhattan and like any desi 25-year-old, I stayed with them. That turned out to be the best motivation. Walking and strolling in Manhattan is probably the next best thing after having the opportunity/freedom to live in the city. One can never be lonely in that city. Writing this post brings back all those memories. Walking 20-30 blocks to/fro GC [Grand Central] for more than a year, walking to 28th & Lexington Avenue for whenever you miss Desi/Indian food, taking the subway to the Union Square or Brooklyn Bridge are just some of the ways that I walked more than 20000 steps in a day without realizing. I did that for days. Besides, walking around the city is probably the best thing when you miss your family back home or when it all gets too much. I could never use the gym for more than 10 minutes because it got boring. Little did I know that 3 years later, I would be waking up at 8 am to hit the gym before I start my daily routine of cooking/baking. So, this walking around the city routine went on for about 2 months or so. Before I knew it, people were asking me how I was losing weight. I was like WHAT? but I am only walking around because by then I did not change anything in my diet. I was eating the same three meals without sacrificing on butter or chocolates. That did not happen until this year. This year, February to be precise is when I brought changes to my diet, introduced a few lifestyle changes, started to make friends at the gym, understand nutrition and fitness closely and most of all accept that it requires PATIENCE to make all these points a habit. Losing weight and maintaining the weight are two very different topics to discuss and I will post about maintaining the weight in my next blog post.
1) Walking and taking the stairs would be my first recommendation. Walking until it tires you, and no that does not mean 10000 steps only. A target/goal/a number is good to start with but to challenge yourself every week is what one should aim for.
It is all a mind game. when you feel sad, you reach out straight for foods loaded with sugar. A sugar spike sure gives you all the energy for some time but as that goes down, you run back for it. AVOID it.
2) I start my day with two glasses of water. I add lemon sometimes just for the flavor.
3) Check out my recipes tab for more delicious and healthier recipes.
4) Workout at least 5-6 times a week.
5) Hydration – Drink lots of water during the day only because most of the times, it’s not a hunger call but a hydration call!
6) Adulting is hard and we all have our bad days. Learn to accept that some days your workout will exceed expectations that you have of yourself and somedays your body refuses to move even for a mile. That is just OKAY. Acceptance is the key. Be kind to yourself.
7) Trial & Error – I tried a ton of exercises for weeks and it took a while to understand what was needed for my body. Don’t be discouraged when someone loses weight by just walking around whereas you have to take up at least 3-4 classes every week and walk to lose a few pounds. It all varies always.
8) Persistence wins over Perfection – Any exercise, in the beginning, will be difficult and you can’t walk 20 miles on your first day. But keep at it. Moving mountains but step by step. Do not give up in the first two weeks. It is NOT magic.
9) Make better choices when you go to parties or dine outside. Keep a goal. One meal in the whole week, sure. But 2 days of cheat when you work so hard on yourself for those 5 days? NO.
10) Focus on having at least one meal in the day raw. For instance, overnight oats or a smoothie, some sliced cucumbers or carrots with hummus or some homemade dry fruits and dates mix.
11) Accomplishment – It feels and looks GREAT when you see some change. That feeling of accomplishment feels sweeter than that whole damn doughnut after a workout!
12) I try to get at least 15000 steps every day.
Focusing on making these a habit, building on your fitness level by level and enjoying what you do is the key to leading a healthy and positive lifestyle. Habits take time to form. Especially a habit that gets you to move/walk/workout, will take time. For it to become a habit, you need to set a goal for yourself. Dedication will get you to achieve the goal and eventually make your workout a habit. Initially, I would spend just 30-40 minutes in the gym. Just do the cardio/weights and come back feeling good so as to tick it off my list. Today I like to spend at least an hour and on good days around 2 hours in the gym. I have taken a liking for it. I feel refreshed, I feel good when I see myself and it helps me sleep so much better than I use to before. That was the second reason I took up exercising very seriously. Better sleep = better focus during the day. Exercising and working out have innumerable benefits and for as little as 30 minutes! As i said, it is a mind game. I know people who work out for more than 3 hours in a day and that is only because just an hour does not do it for them. It does not tire them. Obviously, that took time. If you already workout and do not see changes in 2 weeks, you and I very well know you ain’t doing something right! So, push yourself. It is a challenge on some days. But on most days, you should be able to vary your workout time. Move around, enjoy your workout, enjoy what you do for a living and at the end of each day, be grateful for what you could do and challenge yourself to do more the next day!
Habits –
1 ) Workout at the gym – 20 minutes of treadmill. Post gym, eating biryani for dinner and rice pudding as a reward for those 20 MINUTES!
2) Never taking the stairs. Parking my car closest to a restaurant.
3) Hating myself for eating a lot between meals but no mind control over it.
4) Criticizing myself at every meal.
5) Using occasions as an excuse to eat all the sweets possible!
6) Blaming home food to be rich in oil and thus all the weight gain. That could not be farther from the truth.
7) Bad breakups = best ice-creams in your fridge.
8) Sleeping and more sleeping!
9) No routine. I would skip breakfast cause I would eat dinner around midnight and then live in my bubble. “oh I skipped a meal means fewer calories means I will lose weight.”
Curvy Ninja 