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Submitted by Rohini Subrama… on 17 March 2019
A collage of pictures of Rohini showing her before and after weight loss

Going through the treadmill of work and life, Rohini Subramanian Katriar was jolted when the weighing scale tipped past 100Kg. With a family history of diabetes, and two kids to look after, she knew she had to get serious about losing excess weight. She shares her experience of losing more than 20 Kg over 4 years with very pragmatic tips.

My parents were super proud of their two chubby little girls. It was a matter of pride that we were healthy (read plump) and in their words, the cutest babies on the planet!

Then we grew up into chubby teenagers. It was all good in those days because we grew up before the advent of social media. The market wasn't flooded with extremely fashionable clothes either and basic jeans and tees could see you through the entire college year.

As a young adult I worked in a consulting firm with long hours, late nights and an inordinate amount of stress. I also tried alcohol for the first time and became a social drinker over the weekends to keep up with the crowd. It was the roaring late nineties and early 2000's and was a great time to be young. All this resulted in more weight being put on stealthily without my really noticing. Stress eating and stress drinking became a norm.

Then came marriage and motherhood. One resulted in my crash dieting and working out like a woman possessed for a few months to look my slimmest for my wedding day. It worked and in retrospect was the worst thing to happen to me because I now believed I could crash diet and work out for a few weeks and drastically lose weight.

The other resulted in my ballooning out twice in 3 years to produce, I shamelessly say THE cutest babies on the planet. My babies made me happier than I had ever been and feeding them and ensuring that they stayed healthy (and chubby) was my new benchmark for a job well done (first-time-stay-at-home-mom occupational hazard). All the food they didn't eat found its way into me since I didn't want to "waste" all that good food I had painstakingly made.

When my older child was 5 years old I came up for air and realised I was now stretching a size XL and 14 and was a few grams short of hitting the 100 kg mark ! My dad had diabetes and I had a healthy dread of the disease. Standing on that weighing scale jolted me like nothing before ever had. I was 34 years old, mother of 2 and finally ready to do something about my problem with weight. That is half the battle won.

I did it! I lost 20 kgs over 4 years

The approach that worked for me:

1.   Recognising the problem

When I finally admitted I had a problem, it gave me the shivers and the MOTIVATION to do something about it. All these years I had lacked the motivation since I have honestly never cared about how I looked. Now I cared about my body because I wanted and needed to be healthy for my children. The cosmetic changes that came with it are a bonus. I do enjoy wearing better clothes and getting complimented for looking good, but my main motivation is and will always be my children and staying healthy for their and my sake.

2.   Finding the right help

I had tried all sorts of online diets, detox diets, no carb diet and listened to everyone’s advise on how to lose weight. However, when I became serious about weight loss I found myself a dietician and signed up for an initial 3 month diet and stuck to it about 90%. Best decision ever! Losing weight is a science and I would suggest start with an expert or professional. Choose a dietician who comes recommended and one who sees (and weighs) you at least once or twice a week. The guilt itself will desist the cheating !! Stick to the plan and understand the "why of it"!!

3.   Find an exercise you LOVE (or hate the least)

There is no escaping exercise if you want to lose weight. Try a few forms of exercise if you don't know what suits you the most. Try walking (not running, if you are overweight you will damage your knees!), yoga, strength training, Pilates, zumba etc. I have tried variations of them and they all are fabulous. Over the years I have stuck to strength training and yoga which is what I have enjoyed the most. Find your best fit and do it at least 4-5 times a week.

4.   Find your way to the kitchen

Diet food can often seem boring and insipid and most house help may struggle to come up with stuff that will satisfy your palate and your diet. Understand your requirement for the week and do the grocery shopping yourself. Even with diet food like oatmeal for e.g., there are ways to make it tastier or more suitable to your palate. Grilling veggies and adding your favourite dressing to your salad will help you enjoy your meals so much more. Experiment with ingredients and ways of cooking. It'll be fun and entertaining.

5.   Stay the course

If there is anything you take away from this piece, may it be this. The Tortoise ALWAYS wins the race !! Whatever diet you chose, or life style changes you adopt, or exercise regimen you follow, stick to it for a minimum of 6 weeks. It will take that long for you to notice the results. And there is no bigger motivator than success.

My best friend gave me this sign when I was trying to lose weight as a teen.

"MY DESIRE TO LOSE WEIGHT IS STRONGER THAN MY DESIRE TO EAT"!!

Practical diet hacks that I can vouch for

  • Warm water

A cup of warm water when you wake up , another with lemon and honey a little later sets the stage for the rest of the day. Follow every meal with some warm water. When you feel hungry reach for water instead of a snack. Very often we confuse thirst with hunger and consume unnecessary calories. My warm water is flavored with cinnamon sticks, lemon grass, green tea, ginger and honey …. get creative and you’ll find you actually enjoy these concoctions.

  • Dinner before 7 pm

The second most important factor in dropping those extra kilos is eating an early dinner. Your body gets enough time to digest the food and I have found that even if it’s my cheat day, if I time the “cheat” right, the weighing scale the next day is miraculously not that affected!

  • Lots of cucumber, tomatoes and salad leaves

This one is hard if you’re not a salad person so feel free to modify it. It’s been proven that salad greens, cucumbers and tomatoes have negative calories (the calories used to eat and digest these foods are more than the calories these foods provide) !! Enough reason to add them to your diet. I love a simple cucumber & tomato salad with lemon, salt and pepper dressing. Grilled tomatoes also work well of course if you go easy on the butter ! Give it a try, you may like it.

PatientsEngage Tip: Add any type of beans - chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans, mung to make the salad wholesome.

  • Low salt

This is a good idea for everyone even if you are not trying to lose weight. Those with blood pressure issues should however check with your doctor if a low salt diet will work for you. Excess salt leads to water retention which leads to a feeling of being bloated. I have found that reducing my salt intake and specially going salt free at dinner a few times a week helps a lot

Losing weight isn’t easy. I should know ! The kilos didn’t pile up in a day and won’t come off that easily too. Stay the course and keep your mind in the game and there is no way you won’t win!!!

Other Weight Loss Journeys

I Walk With Hand Weights To Lose Weight

It Takes Hard Work To Keep The Kilos Away

Vegan Diet Made Me Happy, Lighter and Healthy

 

 

 

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