Not Just Fat to Fit but Fat to Strong

I eat push ups for breakfast, I can make anyone all in love with lifting weights but this was not how it was always.

I was a plump kid and was used to being called chubby and cute and that kind of stuck by me even during my college years when I in fact weighed only about 55 kgs but I was often comfortable in my skin.

It was during the time when I was really serious about my career working long hours, 6 days a week that my tendency to gain weight hit me with a vengeance and I didn’t even realize that. I realized I was gaining weight but always thought I could control it by tweaking my diet a bit whenever I needed, not realizing that my metabolism had gone for a complete toss because of my unhealthy eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. I had no idea that I had become almost 85 kgs on a 5’3’’ frame and this reality dawned on me when I went for my first gynae visit during my pregnancy. When I saw that number I was in utter disbelief but then I thought let me enjoy my pregnancy and will worry about the weight later so I continued my unhealthy eating, but fate had other plans and I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. For someone who is petrified of needles injecting myself with insulin 6 times a day and testing my blood 8 times, a day was nothing less than horrifying. The more I read about Gestational diabetes the more I realized that I was now prone to type 2 diabetes even later in life which literally jolted me. The fact that I maybe even give birth to a diabetic child was perhaps the only shock I needed to get my acts right.

The seeds of eating healthy were planted during the pregnancy when I was made to give up sugar, eat timely meals, and walk as much as I could. I took my doctor’s instructions very seriously and I think that really led to the foundation of me eating healthy and start getting active. The more I researched the more I learned that short cuts to weight loss do more damage to the body than we could possibly imagine and this time I was determined to do it right.

Bringing up the baby, managing my work left me with a weak back, poor stamina, and no time but for once at the age of 31, I was determined to do this the right way. I first started eating healthy but timely meals. No crash diets – I had vowed to myself so I would load up on complex carbs, fibres and lots of protein. I got myself a weighing machine and would track my weight every single day. I managed to lose my first 10kgs with diet and walks alone and came down to around 73 kgs.

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With my baby a little more grown-up I joined a group Zumba class 3 times a week soon realizing that 3 days are not enough so I added 2 days of yoga. What started as a weight loss program started becoming my favourite hour of the day and I was getting addicted to it. The weighing machine kept tilting to the left which was the biggest motivation one needed. I had realized that one can’t exercise their way out of a poor diet now my will power had become so strong that I would attend a wedding or a party and still manage to eat the healthy options. I would also allow myself occasional cheat days that only helped keep me on track. My diet mostly was high protein, moderate carb, and low fat during this time.

So far, I was able to gain back the lost confidence but that wasn’t enough, it wasn’t holistic. I started to read and understand the problems that women face and realized the biggest myth of all times in fitness that Strength training is not for women!

I also had read a lot on the importance of weight training for women and wanted to give that a try. It was an addiction of a different sort , it practically changed my life. Apart from becoming stronger and getting toned up my stamina went up multiple times- both physical & mental. But I also realized that weight training wasn’t taken seriously by the trainers and so I started studying about it and doing certifications and attending workshops.

So yes I juggled with multiple forms of workout from Zumba, yoga to weight training, and managed to lose more than 23 kgs in a year but the best part is that it has been more than 5 years that I have managed to maintain it. In fact, over the years I have stopped obsessing about an occasional kg here and there. I workout 5 times a week, 80% weight training and 20% cardio, eating healthy is a norm at my place now so not a struggle anymore.

During this weight loss journey, I found my true calling in fitness. I am currently at age of 38 running my own venture called ReSculpt for the past 5years, where I do personal training, with weight training being my forte. I have trained 1000’s of clients mostly women and made them fall in love with weight training. Most of them had never lifted and are now addicted to it. I have conducted numerous workshops advocating sustainable fitness.

I strongly believe that fitness is not a synonym to weight loss and Weight loss should be a process in which we not only make our bodies healthier and stronger but also our mind and that is possible with 100% commitment to diet,100% commitment to exercise and 100% commitment to mental well being.

My mantra is strong, not skinny.

This write-up has also been published on healthshots.com  (A Hindustan Times Venture)