“Weight” has become the most dreaded word in the dictionary of any middle aged woman. This word has taken all the fun from the life of a women in her late forties, fifties and moving on to sixties and further. This word entered my life, a decade ago, when my boys have left home to study after their class 12th exam. Since, they went to far away places to study, they used to come home once a year. This resulted in a sedentary lifestyle from a very active one. During those times, I had also opted for being a work from home freelancing professional. All thanks to the invasion by technology and internet, which made this happen. This resulted in being busy during office hours and after, depending upon the client’s timezone and nil physical activity. I was home bound .
Working from home takes away the stress of travelling. This was one major reason of my shift from a regular professional to freelancer. I was in Delhi-NCR region at that time.
Many years later, in 2015, I was getting ready for a dinner outing and felt little uncomfortable in my 4″ stilettos, which resulted in a knee pain, when I came back home. It has never happened with me. I am so comfortable in my pencil heals that my friends used to joke with me, saying my spinal chord has adjusted it’s curve with this additional heel. I was always more comfortable in my heels rather than a flat footwear. My weighing machines are my heeled shoes.
My tastes were changing. I never had a sweet tooth. Dahi vada used to be my dessert at any party, but now I could hear the screams of ice-cream, gulabjamun, imarti etc calling me – You can’t ignore us. Being an emotional person, I gave in. 😛 My sweet tooth grew in size with age and so did my size. 
I had temptation to consult some weight loss professional. I consulted one or two also only to realize that they will starve me by suggesting a meal plan, I can never enjoy. Also, I had to pay them too for this torture. Idea stands dropped. 🙂
I started my morning and evening walks with the aim of adding some activity and social interaction in my otherwise secluded and dull life. It worked well with me. My knee pain has gone and my “weighing machines” (read stilettos) are back into my life.
It was the time when Baba Ramdev has started his Yoga programmes on TV , and I selected few of the asanas which work on the areas where I wanted to see some changes. Finally settled with “Surya Namaskar” as it ‘s a full body exercise. I have added morning yoga with my walking sessions.
I am fond of good things in life. Good foods are always projected as evil to health. This is being preached by “weight-loss industry” guys and dolls. I did not follow it but at the back of my mind, I have started analyzing the calories I take. This has taken the fun from eating.
“Size 0” Shilpa Shetty Kundra might be the motivation for many, not for me. I am my own favourite. Let me make it clear that I was my own favourite before Kareena Kapoor declared this in “Jab we met”.
I did lots of research about some interesting diet plans and found that I can not follow any of the diets which were in vogue. I can not eat a weekly diet chart suggested by any dietitian. They lack imagination and I hate routines. Moreover, why should I pay some one for eating tasteless food, I thought. All my health parameters were normal, though as per BMI, I am in obese category. By the way, who created t
his list? Just wondering.
Lesser physical activities and more options of tasty foods and innumerable types of sweet dishes available in market, I knew it’s time to take reins in my own hands and devise a way out to balance my food intake and exercises.
I added lots of salad and at least one bowl of fruits with my routine favourite food as any drastic change in dietary habits is not a long term solution. I had listed some of tasty and easy to make low fat dishes which will add newness to my food like dhokla, handwa, rawa idli etc and experimented with sweets using jaggery instead of sugar. ( I told you, I have an ever growing sweet tooth 🙂 ).
Many free mobile applications are now available on google play tell about calories of Indian foods. I used one to have a rough idea about my daily calories intake. Another change, which I made in my diet was to use Desi ghee in 90 % of my cooking and mustard and vegetable oil in 5 % each. I use vegetable refined oil only for deep frying.
Rujuta Diwekar came as a blessing. I started eating local foods like ground nut and cashew nuts and decreased my intake of almonds, which are mostly imported from California. She also introduced me to desi ghee as medium of cooking. I cook most of my food in desi ghee now. No olive oil for me. Being a Kayastha from UP, I am fond of fried pooris, kachories and pranthas etc. I was eating all these too as earlier.
I do not want to go on high intensity exercises in gym but to do moderate exercises at my own pace. Yoga and walking make the best mates. I used another mobile application to check my daily walks. My target was to burn at least 200-250 calories per day.
My weight was on the other side -> of 60 , as shown by digital weighing machine and my age is on the <- reverse side of 60. For a frame of 5’1″ , it is on the higher side, if we look at the standards charts.
The diet plan routine was manageable and I could follow it for years together. I used to make small changes in my exercises like in summers, I opted for swimming instead of walking. Same with food too. This routine has worked wonders as after 3 months, I found my weight reduced by 2 kg on the digital weighing machine.
I am back on my stilettos, wearing all kinds of dresses from sarees to shorts, with everything in between, eating kichadi to kaju halwa and exercising . I have found a winning combination and have won my life hands down!!
So do not worry about your weight or figure as long as your health is good, enjoy all good things of life . Good food, good dresses and great friends. Keep yourself gainfully busy!
After all, it’s the life in years that matters and not years in life!!
Pictures are taken from internet. All credits to photographer. No claim.