ATB BB Series 12: A year down the line...

It was last August 26th, that I tentatively began my journey on a new way of eating. What started off as Atkins, slowly incorporated more nutritional learnings from the lifestyles of Low Carb, Paleo, Weston A Price & Wheat Belly diets.

And what a year it has been. A year where I lost almost 40 kgs. I say almost because I didn't weigh myself before the diet. I had weighed myself around two months ago. Honestly I was too embarrassed to weigh myself.

I went from this in May '12:

Its not a very flattering pic, but this is the only pic I have of 2012. I was so tired of being fat I didn't want any pictures taken!

to this by June 13:

Yup! All bundled up in Swiss! I have lost a bit more weight since this picture was taken :-)

I did initially start the diet just for pure weight loss. I really didn't care about anything else. But over time I have reaped benefits otherwise. My skin, hair, nails are much better than a year ago. I have had one pimple in the entire year. This compared to when acne was a monthly visitor for me. My BP issues & other blood work is, now, clean as a whistle.

This diet does not work only because it cuts out processed food. I eat out almost 2-3 times a week, but as per my diet. The diet works because at the hormonal level it restricts carbohydrates and it eliminates grains & sugar that are toxic to our system.

I also understand that not everyone would like to follow such a lifestyle. That’s okay. It is your life & I think everyone has the right to follow their own path. But for those of you who are seeking a solution, this is what worked well for me.  You could look at it as advice. Think about it, read up on it and if convinced, try it out. But at the end it should be your decision, and not based on a cursory analysis by someone who hasn't even tried the diet. There are many roads to a destination, choose the one that appeals to you – Low Carb, Vegan, Low Fat or Rujuta Diwedikar’s diet plan. I have tried all 4, btw. Only one worked for me.

People ask me if there is anything in addition to the diet that helped me. I thought about it and was able to distill it down to the following, in addition to hard-work, determination & will-power. That you need to achieve any goal in life.

      1.   You want to be thin: This is the most important. And it may sound silly at first. Of course some may say, we want to be thin. But do you really? I never found being fat any fun. I felt insecure, judged, and hesitant to meet people or try out new things. A lot of my self-esteem was & is derived from how I look. There, I said it. As a beauty blogger, I will be the first to admit that I’m not completely blind to how my physicality impacts life, happiness & success. But there are some people who want to be bigger, deep down they want to be fat. Their size serves a purpose – generally emotional. Sometimes it a barrier they erect to avoid attention from others, one they can hide behind. Only you know your truth.

     

     2.   Educate yourself: Read up a lot on whatever diet you plan to follow. This knowledge will help you on the tricky portions of the diet – like when you have to eat outside. Know how food impacts your body.

     3. Throw out your weighing scale: Some women weigh themselves too much, quite obsessively in fact – one or two times a day. I think that is just so much mental stress. Weigh yourself at max once a week. I weigh myself once a month. My last weigh-in last over 3 weeks ago. There are a lot more parameters to fitness – your skin, hair, monthly cycles, blood works (Iron levels, BP, Sugar, Cholesterol) emotional and mental health amongst others. Be responsive to those as well. No point losing weight if you are gonna look like a old hag at the end of it with lined skin & no chums.

    

      4. Prepare: for the change. It could be as simple as giving away food that is no longer appropriate to even those moments of frustration when the goal seems like a distant dream. At times you will feel sad about how people treat you differently now that you look thinner; the amount of thin privilege that operates in our society is actually repulsive.

     5. Track your success & share it with others: Use the measuring tape, the fit of your clothes, your fitness levels, emotional & mental health to track your success. And share it with friends. Not everyone may encourage you but some will. And that helps. If you are shy then just save the pics on your system & encourage yourself by leafing & marveling at the change.

6. Faith: How long did it take you pile on all the weight? For me it was a 6 year long journey, how logical is it for me to expect to lose it all in 6 months?  It is much easier to put on weight than lose it. Stay with your plan, do not expect overnight success. And don’t get depressed if the progress is not “fast” enough for you. Quick Fix solutions are just that, temporary. 

     Good luck with your health goals!