In a recent Facebook post, I shared an annual health update -- that received a lot of positive comments as well as requests to share the secrets behind the improvement. This blog post is a response to the requests.
My original post:
In the 13-month period between November 2011 and December 2012, these were the changes:
Weight: 10Kg Reduction
Waist Size: 3" Reduction
Cholesterol: 65 mg/dl Reduction (almost reached normalcy threshold of 200)
It was not easy... it did not happen just like that, without my knowledge or effort. Nor was it super tough... it did not require me to go off to the hills to practise martial arts and live on fruits & nuts. So let me share two major tips from my past year's experience. (A word of caution: I don't claim any expertise on the topic at all -- this is just from personal observation and a sample of one.)
I was eating 2X of what I needed to
It was quite normal for me to eat 3-4 chapatis at a meal... I'd feel "full" when I ate the fourth roti and sometimes, out of greed, I might even have consumed a fifth or a small helping of rice after 3. Mind you, this was mostly home-food, so the rotis were accompanied by regularly cooked vegetables and dal, rarely deep fried and never in "butter masala" type gravies. I never felt that I was over-eating during such meals at home.
Dr. Zubeda Tumbi (referred to above) put me on to a customised diet plan which had measures for all food that was to be consumed... all the way down to five almonds, four halves of walnuts, 2 katoris of vegetables, etc. And TWO rotis per meal. (For several months there was no rice!!!)
Initially, I thought I'd starve to death.
Soon, the body adjusted to the lower quantity of food and two rotis has now become the new normal. If I eat a third, I know I am over-eating and if I manage a fourth out of greed, I have to keep a sachet of Eno nearby.
In terms of food, there were a few other subtle changes that have helped a lot. Move to Olive oil or Rice bran oil. Lower GI rice (like Saffola Arise). Try alternatives to wheat flour like jowar, bajra, oats & nachni. Keep low-fat / healthy snacks handy (I carry fruits and a serving of crunchy muesli to work daily). If you over-eat, make a note to compensate later (soon).
(Healthy food can look and taste wonderful!)
(On the odd day that I forgot my evening muesli snack and ate a chaat in the office canteen, it was a speclal event duly noted by my team members!)
It is not easy to change one's eating habits, particularly those that have been developed over years... eating that extra roti (with ghee) is supposed to fill your heart with mother's love - as per a recent ad for a TV show. I would strongly recommend consulting a nutritionist to get a diet plan that is suited to your health and physical conditions. Hopefully, such a "plan" (along with the associated investment) will instil a certain level of discipline in execution. It is better to go on a diet plan before your doctor orders you to.
I am making Exercise Fun
I really hated exercising. Since childhood, I have never enjoyed much physical activity. I used to like playing basketball a bit but I spent all my non-academic time in literary and cultural activities. Even during the last fifteen years, when my weight has been increasing, there were several aborted attempts at jogging and gymming. It's not that I am not capable of physical activity, just that I found it too routine and boring.
My diet plan had shown dramatic results in the first few months itself; I lost 8 of the 10 kilos in the first six months - obviously there was a lot of low-hanging fruit :-) But, I was not exercising at all. I felt this could lead to two problems:
1. The weight could easily come back if eased on the diet rigour (and there's a limit to how long you can live on a "plan"); and
2. I was not inherently strengthening my body & its health, while losing weight dramatically, thus, setting myself up for a weaker immune system.
Here, I will cut a long story short, a few months ago, I accidentally discovered tennis as a sport that was extremely rigorous in its physical demands and at the same time was real fun to play. And, just to clarify (since someone asked me!), I am talking about real tennis here, not the Wii Sports version, though I must admit that having enjoyed the Wii version earlier may have played a big role in why I am having so much fun now. I am just a beginner and I have no illusions of what I can achieve in the game. However, I have a role model - someone who picked up what must arguably be one of the toughest sports in the world (polo, having never ridden a horse before) after the age of forty and is doing pretty well in it.
The great thing about sport as a form of physical activity is that brings out the competitor in each of us, there's always someone else on the other side, even if it is a beginner just like you. That would any day beat a treadmill where all you have is your reflection in front of you and perhaps a Nike device keeping pace and posting updates to Facebook.
As I promised in my Facebook post, this is not the end of the journey... I have ignored my health and abused my mind and body for long, recovery will take a few years. I am grateful to the support of my family and friends as I work through this human behaviour transformation (no different or easier a task than organization behaviour transformation!). Finally, a suggestion to those who usually watch such struggles from the sidelines: either you join in and participate in the mutual benefit or keep to yourselves; nobody has the time or energy for your so-called humour.