The Journey from FAT to FIT

I am like you.

I took my health for granted, eating out and gorging on junk food every other day. I began buying XXL clothes and my knees bore the brunt of my increasing weight. I put it down to age and routine inconvenience.

But a health check-up at work changed everything. I realised 83 kgs wasn’t healthy and I decided to do something about it.

9^th March, 2017 is my D Day. I pushed myself out of bed to go for a morning walk. I’d downloaded the Fitbit app on my mobile, and grooving to some all time favourite Kishore Kumar songs or on the headphones, I managed to walk 3kms.

I returned home, breathless and sweaty with a pounding heart. The team mates I shared this with on whatsapp were amused. Some congratulated me; others knowing how lazy I could be, wondered if this was a passing craze. I forced myself to walk for a week and imagined sweating out all my fat.

A fortnight later, I gingerly stepped on to the weighing scale. I’d barely lost a kg! I was disappointed but smart enough to know that getting fit was as much about mind control as it was about the exercise.  Little things began to make me feel better- clothes no longer stuck to me, and my pores opened up due to perspiring. I began following people on social media who had lost weight, drawing inspiration from their stories, and heeding their tips.

 I learnt about a calorie deficit diet. A caloric deficit is a shortage in the amount of calories consumed, to the amount required to maintain our current body weight. I need at least 1200 calories per day and if I wanted to create a deficit of around 1000 – 1200 calories between eating and working out, I would need to increase my physical activity to burn almost 2400 cals a day.

That’s how the 5km walks & jog began. And aerobics for 20 mind at home, after walking/jogging.  The needle on the weighing scale pointed to a loss of three kgs. Two weeks later, I’d lost another two kgs.

Now the difference was increasingly apparent -- When you see the results, fitness becomes an addiction. My steps increased from 7000 to 10,000 to gradually 25,000 a day. I began to make a few, simple changes at work and home.

 I developed few strategies, to do more out of my limited time.

At office, I began using the wash room at another floor in the building just so I could walk up and down. I used the staircase instead of the lift, and went for a quick one km walk after lunch every day. I also increased my interaction with colleagues from other departments by visiting them for work instead of using the phone.  Post dinner at home, I walked inside for about  10-15 mins instead of retiring to bed immediately.

Losing 9 kgs in two months gave people something to talk about too. They complemented my glowing skin. The sales personnel started handing me L sized clothes in the trial rooms. Others told me I could now stop because I’d lost enough. Best of all, I was effortlessly slipping into my favourite clothes I’d hoarded for 8 years in hopes of one day getting into them!

In eight and a half months, I was 63 kgs. I had lost 20 kgs but I felt my muscles could do with strength training and enrolled in a gym. As an outdoorsy person, the closed door workout was suffocating but yes the results were amazing. My body was getting toned and I fell in love with it. The rate of weight loss was slow, but I was still losing inches.

After I crossed 65 kgs, weight loss was severely low. My target was 55 and I was stuck for long with absolutely no weight loss at 59 kgs. People used to say its stubborn fat and will take time to go. They din’t realize I’m more stubborn than the fat!  J

This point of time when the rate of weight loss becomes low/you are stuck, you need to constant push yourself and seek for motivation which can keep you going. I got my self enrolled in Airtel Run For Education in a 10 kms category (Nov, 2017) the first running event of my life. Started practicing for that keeping that event as a target. I could not run much till then, but could walk miles after miles. So I mostly walked in the event and completed the same in 1 hr 40 mins. Getting super charged up by the positivity of the event I had enrolled most of the upcoming runs of the city. Which in turn kept on motivating me and gave me a target ahead to achieve in my journey when the rate of weight loss reduced down.

The girl who did not even had the ability to brisk walk a distance of 200 mtrs participated in 21kms category in Airtel Run for Education, 2018 & TSK25 in 25kms category in  2018.

My consistency in walking/jogging/running and never give up attitude resulted to a weight loss of 28 kgs in 2 years. 

It hasn’t been easy.

As a working woman with strict 10 to 6 office hours, followed by family responsibilities, there were days it felt easy to give up. I suffered from rashes and infection because of the sweating.

I’ve walked alone in pouring rain with an umbrella and music for company.  I cherished the me-time...believing that I was doing something unique, and following my passion. Yes, if there’s a will, there’s a way but my new-found confidence convinced me that even if there was no way, I would make one. 

My success mantras

Consistency and dedication, determination and confidence, and self-love and self motivation. A hunger for do better each day, a fearless mind, and of course, exercise and a clean diet.

My family has been a big support. My mom, especially, who is my back bone and whoever I am today.

Stay away from pessimists and people who feed on negativity.

Investing in fitness

I bought a pair of running shoes to protect my feet from injuries, a pedometer to measure distance, calories burned, sleep patterns, heart rate, etc., and new sports wear ...never underestimate the power of clothes as motivation!

My fitness routine

I’ve never been an early riser. When I began this journey, I managed to wake up at 5:30 am followed by brisk walking/jogging, aerobics, floor exercises till 7.30 am. Once the results began kicking in, I was keen to invest more time so I now wake up at 4:15 am. Here’s my current routine-

5:15 am to 7:45 am.
Regular short runs between 5-7 kms,(including tempo, normal & untervals), long run on week ends + Strength Training for twice a week, with one day rest.

My diet plan

Early morning (5 am from Monday to Saturday) 

A glass of warm water with 2 lemons (no honey because it affects my skin). 2 lts of water while working out for 2.5 hrs.

Heavy breakfast (9 - 10 am daily) 

Oats with double toned milk (without sugar)/ porridge with milk/ brown bread 2 piece/ within 250 cals.

Light low calorie mid-day snack (11 am daily)

2 digestive orcream cracker biscuit/ anjeer and almonds/ dry fruits/ fresh seasonal fruit. I always carry fruit as fillers. Cucumber is low on calories.  Green tea boosts metabolism. 

Total 150 cals.

Lunch (1 - 2pm daily)

A big bowl of boiled vegetables and chicken /

2 handmade tawa roti with no butter/ghee and a light homemade sabji with curd and salad/ Daliya khichadi with chicken and veggies /

 Rice (220 ml) & fish (as a Bengali foodie, my favourite)

Total 300 cals. My fitness pal app initially helped me to understand the calorie count. Its handy, you can use that.

Evening snacks

If I’m craving and eat a high cal chatpata savoury snack, I skip my dinner. But I generally try to eat dry or seasonal fruits, some diet snacks or flakes. No carbs after 4pm.

Dinner ( by 8pm daily)

Either fish or chicken, or boiled vegetables or a normal light curry made at home.

Avoid Junk, sweets. I stayed away from carbs for the initial 2 months. Avoid or strike a balance with white foods like sugar, salt, rice, maida etc.

Find ways to motivate yourself.

A new tee or track pants, new music, clicking selfies and basking in the appreciation and encouragement on social media.

If you love challenges, let the critics and naysayers spur you on.

Next goals

To run a 10 kms in sub 60 mins
To run a 21 kms in sub 2 hrs 15 mins
To run Airtel Hyderabad Half Marathon in 2020
To run ADHM 21 kms again in 2020 and get a better timing.
To run TMM 21 kms in 2021
TCS World 10K 2021 

I Believe in small targets, achieve them and moving ahead. So post I achieve my 21kms in 2 hrs 15 mins, have dreams to run in few international runs.

Exercise suggestions

Cardio exercises in any form that will make your heart beat faster such as -

- Aerobics

- Walking

- Running (best if you can)
-Swimming

- Jumping jacks, etc.

Concluding message

• Exercise daily ... run, jog, swim...but be CONSISTENT. Do it because you love yourself and feel comfortable.
• Keep a gap of 1000 to 1200 cals in your daily intake and burning. For example, if you are burning 2500 cals a day, don’t eat beyond 1200 cals. The more gap, the better.  

·         Eat little at 2 hour intervals

• Stick to one weighing machine. Different machines will give you erratic results. Also weigh yourself once a week, not every day.
• Bathe in lukewarm water.
• Drink green coffee/tea without sugar to increase metabolism. I avoid drinking this after 2 pm because it makes me drowsy.
• Drink 3-4 lts of water daily.
• Walk short distance as much as possible.
• Avoid lifts, and take the stairs
• Walk a little after every major meal.
• Don’t fool yourself with excuses like time, health, rain, heat, workload, etc. If you really want to, you WILL make time for fitness.
• Train your mind to take an extra step each day, no matter what.
• Lastly, push your limits and get out of your comfort zone.

I hope sharing my own experience will encourage you to take your health and fitness more seriously.   

Push Your Self,

Break Your Self,

Re-build yourself!

and you will emerge a winner.

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You can follow my journey

 INSTAGRAM@rupa.das    www.facebook.com/goripari