So how long was I able to maintain the “slimmest” ever weight that I had hit in 20 years?
Not too long, unfortunately.
I had to undergo another surgery the following year – this one on my ovaries, post which something rather distressing happened: I began to internalise the idea of ‘being fat’. I believed so strongly that I was, in fact, that I kept giving in to every urge, every indulgence that came my way. There was simply no stopping the weight gain train.
Even the comforting words of the same doctor did very little to convince me. I seemed to eat just to gain weight... Giant Toblerone bars, large pieces of milk cake – I ate them all.
It was a funnily twisted case of mind over matter. The mind assured me I was going to swell up, and my matter (body) made sure that I did. Aah, how I regret that folly to this day!
From being the thinnest in 20 years, then, I went to being the heaviest.
I was also 20 years older – which made the weight gain even tougher to tackle. But give up, I will not.
A New Day, a New Diet: Telemarketing!
Telemarketing was a relatively new concept at the time and I soon fell prey to its charms. One day I received an sms that said: “Lose 5kgs in 8 weeks. No dieting or exercise required, call for an appointment, etc. etc…” I was instantly and irrevocably hooked.
So the call was made and the appointment fixed.
The same routine ensued... weight, measurements, height, body fat index, etc., were measured and recorded. After filling many forms and answering many questions about eating habits, sleeping habits, whether I exercised, et al, I was handed the routine diet chart. This consisted largely of green leafy vegetables, very little protein, and at least 2 rotis made with flour manufactured by the dietician (one I incidentally didn’t meet till my fourth appointment; her assistants were running this branch).
No milk or dairy products were permitted – nor any sugar or fried stuff....
Same old, same old, I sighed.
There was ONE new addition, however: multiple little packets of different pills were introduced into my life – to be taken at different times before and after mealtimes.
I was a woman gone desperate at this point – so I gave it a shot. The first few weeks went splendidly! I followed the diet to the T. This, coupled with my weekly exercise routine – a combination of walking/swimming/gymming and yoga, helped me to keep the weight loss saga on track.
The Weight Loss Train Chugs Along...
But then I hit a dead end. And the target kept slipping. It was as if my body had ultimately reached a pit stop and had declared a strike. Experiment no further, it begged – a long-awaited plaint, and I finally listened.
I also realised – somewhat belatedly, I grant – that these claims of lose “N number of kilos in N number of weeks” were nothing short of glitzy marketing strategies tailored to suit the unsuspecting client. The reality is, there are no short cuts to losing weight. The long term solution – and the only one – is to make a change in one’s lifestyle, a change which is within the realm of reality and one that can be sustained.
In Episode 10 I will share what it took for me to make this change. Till then I leave you with a well-learned mantra – Mind over Matter. What I mean is, it is only when you believe yourself to be fit – can convince yourself of the possibility that you could be fit – will you actually achieve it.
(Vandana Malik will be writing in with what she calls a new weight loss “attempt” every week for readers of The Quint. Watch this space for more!)
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