Throwing my weight around

To all those women who believe that slim models, hour-glass figure freaks and weight-conscious yummy-mummies are those who exists only in the reel world, let me tell all of you that I was one of you who thought so myself.

Being chubby and a foodie from as long as I can remember, I used to indulge in black forest pastries and eat a banana with sugar after lunch as dessert. Worse still I used to believe in eating milk powder or taking tablespoons full of condensed milk to keep me healthy.

Life for me was always an XXL. It did two things to me – it made me immune to the snide remarks and thoughts of others around me and what it actually did- it made me confident to excel in whatever I was good at.

Not sports, but oratory. I was gifted with the gift of the gab. I could speak for minutes and win JAM sessions hands down; I could speak at any function or event and could simply hog the limelight on stage. Maybe that was the way I could combat the fact that I was living to eat and not the way it should be.

One day I just wanted to prove to myself how strong I really was -I decided to show people that I am as strong as the ‘rock of Gibraltar’. So that fateful morning, I got up and told myself that I needed to be healthy. I told myself that I should be able to live a healthy life and that a healthier life would make me happier. The thought stemmed from the fact that if I could do so many things better than anyone else, losing weight and getting into some shape for myself, should not be as daunting as it seemed.

ALSO READ: PayPal's 'Recharge Programme' wants women technologists on a break to get back to work

First thing was to abstain from the yummy ever-so-tempting rolls, croissants, and pastries that I so adore. It was not easy, but gals let me candid here, it was not impossible. I would tuck into spoonfuls of cut fruits and imagine them to be my tasty creamy rolls.

I would tuck into veggies and grilled healthy chicken and fish and think them to be batter fried and crispy 65’s! It took a long time….longer than I ever imagined. It was a frustrating journey not only for me but for my family- my mom was at the receiving end…my hunger and frustration would know no bounds and my otherwise cheerful demeanor was changing.

It was my mom who believed more than me that I could even touch the skies if I really wanted to, and it was her confidence in me that took me to the day when the inch loss slowly became the obvious weight loss. I slowly began coming to terms with my ‘Standing on the scales’ (a still very scary experience) experience.

ALSO, READ: Ola Play is now available on Ola’s Rental offering

Clothes started becoming loose and my face began to shrink. I could now try clothes that were once meant only for the slim and trim. It did take a whole change of the mind- in fact; it was both the mind and the body that I had to control. Exercise became a part of life. Salads and sprouts became friends and grilled food an option for dining out. It took more and more time.

In almost close to a year, I had transformed. My body was in shape, my diet was healthier and my exercise routine made me fitter. While these changes made me ecstatic, I learned two valuable lessons in my life- two lessons that I will never ever forget- lesson one, ‘belief’ and lesson two, ‘control’.

ALSO READ: This Y-combinator backed co-working space is changing the workplace set-up in Bengaluru now
​
Belief in oneself, it is this belief in the positive and belief in what people who care for you say to you, that can help move mountains. Control- of the mind and body- It taught me to begin to start looking at things differently. In my mind I would take- on an impossible task and think I was doing what I loved to do and then as simple as it may sound, the task would become seemingly easy to crack. Yes, girls, nothing in life comes easy, but throwing my weight around and becoming fitter made me beautiful, from within!

This article was authored by Bhavna who is a communications professional