Femina reader, Rakshita Sharma, shares her story of losing 30kgs and going from being overweight to becoming a fitness instructor. Get motivated as she talks about her struggles, challenges and the happiness and after glow of achieving her goal.
There are zillions of benefits of being fit. Our life is complex, our problems are complex, the world around us is complex. So Simplify. It is beautiful to be Simple. Complexity is one of the things that lead us to unannounced dangers including obesity. I survived. But, it wasn't an easy journey. Having done the full circle, I realised there is no rocket science. The secret is Realisation and once you realize you can run the last mile.
I was around 90kgs and I was perfectly fine with it. Being from a family that weighs 95kgs and up, I thought growing obese was an extension of my family genes. I was so wrong.
The realisation:
I was comfortable in whatever I wore, wherever I went, did not bother how I looked and I stopped shopping for myself. But end of 2007, I realized I DO NOT like the way I look. I loved it and was comfortable with it just a day ago and since several years. But I decided to change it all.
2008 became the lifestyle change year for me. I knew it is a long journey, but finally it registered-take baby steps before jumping and running, for sustainability. My husband has been the most important person during this journey. He supported, shared all the knowledge and researched about health and fitness. We started the New Year-Active 2008 together.
The challenge:
On day 1 of 2008, I weighed myself and set a weekly goal in my mind. Every bite was noted on the board. So it was like a family lifestyle change.
The most important steps were:
-- Acceptance of the way I looked and the weight.
-- Realisation about being OBESE
-- Training mind everyday to work and walk towards the change I WANTED to see.
-- Setting and achieving realistic goals. (My goal was to get my BMI to 24 (healthy range) and my weight to 65kgs by August)
BEFORE AFTER
My fitness revelation:
I lost around 25kgs in 8 months. The world around me changed in 8 months. I was much more energetic, much more enthusiastic and I began to approach life in a simpler manner. Since then I realized fitness and all things healthy being my passion. And you give your love your best shot. I did the same. I was a better parent, better wife and a patient and loving human.
Lessons learnt:
- I CAN eat everything BUT moderation and portion control is the most important word that popped up in my brain every second I thought of food.
- I HAD to workout. No way out. (I started by walking and as I built up some stamina, joined a gym, to meet more people like me.)
- Instead of looking at fitter people and feeling depressed, I decided to look at them and be motivated.
The switch:
The only switch I made was opting for whole grains for any kind of grains we used before. For example, white rice was replaced by wild rice, oats, barley, couscous or quinoa. I also increased intake of greens, seasonal vegetables and fruits in my daily diet.
From being overweight to becoming a Yoga instructor:
If 2008 had not happened, I would probably still be the same-comfortable with and in everything. But once I achieved my goals, I did not want to go back to being my old self again. What better than being a motivating factor myself for others? I joined Les Mills as their fitness instructor and once I started teaching, it was an amazing feeling, when people came up to me and shared their goals or weight loss stories. They trusted me to guide them to the next step.
For me, working out, staying healthy and being active became a religion. It is true, just like a lot of people spend a lot of time on doing daily rituals, please devote that time to staying healthy, make it a ritual, a habit. From being just a walker, I now conduct boot camps, do weight and strength training and also teach power yoga.
Fighting the urge to give up
There were several moments when I felt like giving up on eating healthy. ‘Why do I have to only eat a quarter spoon of grains?’, ‘Why can I not have ice-cream everyday?’ The fight between whys and my few favourite junk foods-it goes on-even now. The only way I come out of the temptations is awareness.
I enlightened myself on how much fat (trans fat, saturated fat), sugar content, sodium has gone into a product and there is no fight or confusion anymore. Just a simple answer—‘Nope not good for me.’ I gulp down a cup of water or green tea, to curb those bad cravings. I have also noticed that this happens only when I am not exercising.
Mantra:
Wellness is a way of life. I am so glad, I got to embrace early in my life to share my experiences, create awareness and train people on how to achieve their wellness goals and enjoy life. My mantra is: Keep Believing, Keep Sweating, Keep Inspiring, Keep Simplifying!
