Wellness - Fat to fit - how I reduced fats and weight with increased stamina

A journey .... Jan 2017 till Sept 2017 reduced 8 kg weight along with fats and maintaining constant for last 4 months.

As a child I was not over weight but healthy. Though I was not a sports person, I was pretty active as a child. As I grew up and completed my bachelors and went on to do a job in South India, I started gaining weight, due to life style changes. But then again by means of badminton, weight training at home along with my friend, and walk, I could somehow keep a lean and healthy body. 

And again after returning back to hometown, Pune post marriage and pregnancy, the heavy weight issue rose. It was year 2012-13 I consulted a dietitian and with proper diet food retained back the above average BMI(Body mass index) of 26-27. The weight was on higher side still constant for three years. It was a every 2 hours little bit of eating kinda diet.

What is BMI ?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in adults. Unit of BMI is Kg/m2 in metric system.

It is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2). For example, an adult who weighs 70 kg and whose height is 1.75m will have a BMI of 22.9kg/m2.

And came a time, when work pressures started building up along with tension, pressure at home due to my Mother in law's illness. It took quite a lot of toll of my health. And as I am a person with a tendency to put on weight with little deviation in the life style, I kept on gaining weight till I realised ill effects of it. 

I was getting exhausted every now and then. I felt lethargic and dull. Anxiety and anger started getting built if anything unexpected happens. I used to get restless and panic by visiting hospitals or even seeing an ambulance or listening the sound of ambulance. And all these things were not normal. I used to get awkward in beauty parlour whenever I used to go for Waxing n massage.

There came a turning point in the life, with the new year resolution of January, 2017 and I made a positive mind to reduce weight as well as fats, and Become fit. 

For a healthy person of my height(5 feet), with average BMI less than 25, weight should be not more than 56.5 kg and I was weighing whooping 70 kg with a BMI of 31 which is in the category of obese. And I needed to do something to reduce it. If you look at the following diagram, I was at moderate to high health risk, which I wanted to reduce to Low level or at least to major green area in the diagram.

Calculate smart BMI and risk parameters here

BMI graph with moderate to high risk

There are four categories based on BMI values based on WHO (World health organisation) data 

1. Underweight with BMI < 18.5 
2. Normal Range with 18.5 < BMI < 24.99 
3. Over weight with 25 < BMI < 29.99
4. Obese with BMI greater than 30

The journey started when I understood & practised that "Losing Weight is not important, "Get Fit & Healthy is the name of the Game."

Here I started on 1st January 2017. The aim was to reduce weight to the average constant weight I had till last year, and that was 63 kg and then maintain it for certain amount of time and then again reduce to 57 kg which is desirable ideal figure. (Which was a dream I have never achieved in my last 10 years)

Being a working woman with morning 8 am to 4 pm as working hours and my kid's school timings from 7 am till 12.15 pm, it was not possible to follow fitness regime in the early morning. So what to do? 

I started with cycling in the evening, it did help me to build stamina but with No significant weight loss. You get dis-motivated if you don't find changes quickly and same happened with me. 

I thought of going back to my past dietitian but it was clear from the history, if you don't follow specific regime, weight again bounces back and it is time consuming process. I wanted quick results and was desperate to achieve the same. 

Then came an idea in mind, myself and my close friend Savita, thought both will do it together with the help of Ayurveda treatment, she has suggested. But it was a failure again as those medicines caused lot of heat in the body and I started eating more than before. Now what to do was a question. 

During the same period,  ten years younger colleague of mine had reduced her weight very fast by means of Herbalife so we also thought of going by the same way. Motivation plays an important role in achieving the goal.

We consulted one Herbalife associate, and he made me afraid in our first meeting telling me the fat types and percentages and all along with it the risks associated with fats. (Afterwards I understood, it is a trick of all these associates to earn heavy amounts by frightening people and increasing their sales and making people fool.) I had done all my tests prior to starting weight reduction and luckily all the parameters like blood sugar, cholesterol, thyroid were normal. Except some haemoglobin deficiency and B12 and D3 deficiency(which is very common these days in the women of 35-40 years age group). So I was a bit relaxed. Otherwise these people really make you panic.

What are the types of body fats?

1. Brown fat - really good fats 
2. White fat - Bad fats
3. White visceral fat - really bad fats

Herbalife is essentially a low-calorie diet – you're swapping out a whole meal or two (depending on the plan you're following) for a 170-calorie shake. These products are very costly. He gave me Mango Milk shake power + Protein powder and arise tea type powder along with it a recommended 30 min. exercise. I used the products given by him for about 1.5 months from 20th March 2017 till 30th April 2017. I was able to reduce the weight by 2.5 kgs. 

But then buying the products and keeping continuity was not at possible because you can not have these milkshakes as a substitute for your breakfast or dinner lifelong. And to reduce from 70 kg to 56 kg, it would have costed me more than  25000-30000 INR and was not at all a feasible option. 

Herbalife is a multi level marketing gimmick. People working as associates are not certified dietitians or nutrient experts and smart people should not fall to it. Same products are available on Amazon for a 25-30% cheaper rates. Moreover it is temporary.

In between I read many books by famous dieticians like Rujuta Diwekar and Namita Jain. But implementation is the name of this game.

So guys.. If you really want to lose weight and want toned up body, there really is no short cut.. just get up, put your shoes on, and start what you think, can get you back in shape.. have patience.. don't give up.. 

Then came a thought in my mind to set my own regime(after so much research and applications) and follow it for some months which will match with my lifestyle and will not be very taxing. So here is my plan of action, which I continued to implement irrespective of busy schedule. 

The aim was divided into two parts - 

1. Weight reduction
2. Fat reduction by fat conversion from visceral to white and in turn white to brown fats.

So here it goes what to follow and not...

• Bring new / Calibrate old weighing scale -  Bring a good branded, digital scale, and use it every day at diff. times initially, in the morning when you get up, afternoon and evening. There will be variation in the weight of almost 0.5 kg to 1.5 kg. Decide one specific time then on and weigh yourself at that time 2-3 times a week. And monitor it.
• Drink plenty of Water - Approximately 1 litre per 20 kg of your body weight e.g. if your body weighs 70 kg then you should drink 3.5 litres of water in a whole day. (As the summer was approaching, it was not a difficult task. In winters its a bit difficult) Drink major portion of water in the morning, once you get up, then prior to eating n 30 min. after eating food. 
• Cut Back on Sugar - Reduce or eliminate sugar intake in the form of tea, coffee, ice creams, sweets, chocolates and all. It is not possible to eliminate the sugar factor, try to reduce it. e.g may be instead of having tea 3 times a day reduce to once a day or have less sugary one.
• Drink Green Tea / Cinnamon Tea - I stopped drinking milk tea in the morning once I get up and instead took green tea or Cinnamon tea. Green tea contains small amounts of caffeine, but it is also loaded with powerful antioxidants , which are also believed to work synergistic with the caffeine to enhance fat burning.
• Count Calories - Anything that increases your awareness of what you are eating is likely to be useful. I used Google fit and Bon Appétit google play store app for the same.
• Do Aerobic Exercise - May be in the form of cycling, spinning, brisk walking, swimming. I preferred walking and cycling. Everyday without fail one should do 30 min. exercise. I avoided using lifts and elevators and insisted on climbing up and down. Pune being well known for its hills, Saturday Sunday I followed hill climbing as 30 min. exercise. 
• Eat More Vegetables and Fruits - Vegetables and fruits have several properties that make them effective for weight loss. Eat a lot of salads before meal. Have a colourful meal with , red, yellow, green, white combinations.   
• Eat More Protein - I started having Milk with Proteinex powder, sprouts, curd and buttermilk as well as lentils more frequently. I stopped eating wheat chapati at night and added Jawar Bhakri with a small portion. 
• Get Good Sleep - Minimum of 7 hours sleep is required to rejuvenate and feel fresh.
• Don't "Diet," Eat Healthy Instead - Without changing portions. 

My own plan of food is as below.

6.00 am Get up and have green/ cinnamon tea.

7.15 am Small amount of breakfast consisting of Carbs, Protein, cereals with Milk with Proteinex powder (Options in breakfast are Poha, Upma, Thalipith, Paratha, Idly, appe etc)

10.00 am Portion of juicy fruits (e.g. Pomgranade, Orange, apple, watermelon, Papaya whichever is available in the season) OR khakra , Marie Biscuits 3, Rajagira Chikki, Chane, buttermilk, dryfruits either of these things. Drink water prior to eating n 30 min. after eating food

12.30 pm Lunch Have bowl of salads (Cucumber, Carrot, sprouts, radish as per season, this way you won't get bored of eating same.) Then a bowl of dal/usal which is high in protein content And in the end Chapati n one bowl of vegetable.

4.00 pm Tea with less sugar 

5.00 pm Mumara chivda, fruit, small amount of food intake

7.30 pm Dinner again start with salad(you may include dryfruits, fruits, sweet corns, green leafy veg. in the salad) , 1 bowl dal,1 bowl vegetable and Bhakri. Occasionally you can have rice as well.

10.00 pm If you feel hungry, you can have hot milk prior to going to bed.

Plan of Exercise 

Minimum 30 min. exercise 5 days a week compulsory. Exercise included either

30 min. brisk walking (Approx. 3 kms) 

OR

15 min. brisk walking (Approx. 1.5 kms) and 15 min. Cycling (Approx. 2-2.5 kms) OR 

30 min. Hill climbing and brisk walking

OR

Stretching and Surya Namaskar and Yoga 

OR

Trekking for 2 hours and more once in a month.

Continue writing affirmations and positive thought of 10 lines every day . Keep your mind busy in reading or cooking or the things you like.

By doing this consistently, I could reduce down to 62 kg by September with fitter and leaner body BMI of 27 which is my last 10 years average. I still aim to reduce it to 56-57 kg but now a saturation level has reached and reducing here on is a big big task. Inch loss is also visible and I can fit in my old jeans. 

BMI 27 graph with increase low risk area

SBMI graph now shows Low to Moderate risk area with reduced health risk. Now once in a while I do eat sweets, chocolates but in a controlled portion so that I could satisfy my craving for food. 

Advantages of Lean and fit body are

1. I feel confident and beautiful mentally as well as physically. 
2. People surrounding me give more respect and attention.
3. I feel energetic and enthusiastic. 
4. I fit into my old clothes that makes me happy and satisfied. 
5. Sleep issue is eliminated and I get a sound sleep.
6. It reduced my anxiety and anger levels as well as negative thinking.  

Get up. Get going....

  

Bei😀