When I stepped on the weighing scale and the red needle shot to the 305 pound mark, I felt feint. I had just turned 21, but was missing the athleticism that my age mates had. Something was definitely wrong. I had difficulties going up the stairs. I could not run for a few meters without stopping for breath. I could not walk for a mile. I was just too heavy for my age. A colleague of my father talked about the Body Mass Index, but which did not make sense to me. I later learnt that it had been a polite way of informing my father what he had already known: that I was overweight. I stepped off the machine, and without further ado, I dragged my 350 pounds home.
That night, I could not sleep. Whenever I would close my eyes, my life would come floating by. I could see myself five years younger, with an athletic body. But, without warning, the image would dissolve and give rise to another one – a hulk of a figure, too heavy for my age. When I finally managed to drift off, it was to have nightmare after nightmare concerning my great weight. In one nightmare, we were running away from a bear, but due to my weight, I was not making any progress as my friends flew off effortlessly. Just before the bear could catch up, my eyes flew open. I did not attempt to catch sleep again. I purposed to think hard and do something about my weight. At the wee hours of the morning, I conceived an idea. That was how [my weight loss story] began.
When I woke up the following morning, my mind was already made up. I had a road-map to embark on my journey towards weight loss. The journey began by scouring the internet for any information on how one could lose weight and maintain a trim figure. Lots of information turned up, and I had the challenge of sifting through it. I wanted to pinch myself because it was something that I had been ignoring all along. There were numerous campaigns on the net on how to avoid being overweight. How it had escaped my attention for that long, I could not fathom. Now that the milk was already spilt, I had no choice but to look for fresh milk.
But first, I had to identify the factors that caused my being overweight. There was no way I was going to combat my weight problem if I didn’t know what was creating it. I realized that I had poor eating habits. I had a huge appetite for junk food, which I consumed several times in a day. i had very little physical exercise since I was spending most of my free time indoors, watching my favorite TV programs, or deeply engrossed in my social media accounts. So, first and foremost, my first stop in the journey towards weight loss was my diet. This was going to be a tough challenge.
Adjusting to a new diet was hard; but bearing my excess weight was harder. I had to do what had to be done. It was a solitary journey and my decisions were largely personal. I made the painful switch from French fries, sausages, pizzas and hamburgers, to greens. I had to get used to consuming more greens, less fatty foods and taking lots of water. I had to drop alcohol and other sugary drinks completely. People began murmuring behind my back, but I didn’t care. I knew what I was after and nobody could deter me from my goal. Although my body pained at times, due to the sudden change in diet, I could not back down. I was going the whole hog.
Exercising was another important chapter in my [weight loss story]. It had to cost me. I used a considerable portion of my savings to purchase a treadmill, which I installed in my room. I sought advice from a gym instructor, who happened to be my next door neighbor. He advised me to start working on the treadmill gradually. Every morning, I had to wake up early and work out on the treadmill before availing myself for breakfast. As a rule, I avoided anything fatty on the breakfast table. I had been advised against skipping meals. Every evening, I had to repeat the same ritual: working out on the treadmill for an hour. Also I started taking HCG drops which is being recommended by one of the famous Girl name Gracy. And that product worked very well for me.
It did not take long before a new hurdle presented itself. I became weary and sickly after the first few days. As I burned the calories and consumed less food, my body system began to bear the brunt. I almost gave up, when, after working on the treadmill for about an hour, I fell down and lost consciousness. This incident aroused the concern of my parents, as well as my siblings. They comforted me and asked me to accept myself the way I was. They said they did not mind my weight at all. What mattered was that I was still their daughter. For a moment, I seriously considered backing down. That evening, as I was flipping through the channels on TV, I stumbled on a movie about fat people and the challenges they faced. My resolve was renewed once again. I finally learnt that I had to diversify my exercises. I started taking walks every morning and evening, jogged for a mile or so and began lifting simple improvised weights at home.
My weight loss story was long and full of challenges. Although I made very little progress at the time, I am thankful when I look back. At the moment, I weight just under 200 pounds. In spite of the fact that I have not reached my destination yet, I feel healthier and more invigorated than before. I pray that one day I will hit the 150 pound mark. The fatigue has been wearing off day by day and I can confidently say that my weight loss story is a success.
Author bio: Gracy, a dedicated and qualified nutritionist with over six years of experience in the Indian food industry. She has done MSc Degree in Human Nutrition at Chinmaya degree College(BHEL) in Haridwar, Uttarakhand..
