Weigh to go!!
Stories of weight loss always have a universal appeal. May be, it is because they are vaguely (nah—definitely) inspirational.Motivational too—even if the motivation lasts for just 15 minutes or 15 hours or even 15 seconds, after reading the story, depending on the degree of the impact it made!
:-)
Adnan Sami is a well known figure in India, known for his musical talent and more recently his weight loss story. I was amazed when I read that he reduced from 206 kilos to 99 kilos (454 pounds to 218 pounds) through sheer determination, exercise and well, more exercise.
I know how hard it is to lose weight, having been through the whole process myself, not once but twice, after having each of my children. A lot of my friends have asked me how I did it and how I continue doing it. Many told me to put it on my blog—and to ‘share my secret’.So here it is
I am 5ft 4.5 (164 cms) inches tall and weigh 52 kilos.Click here to convert pounds to kilos.
After having each of my children, I weighed 65 kilos. I wasn’t fitting into any of my clothes and hated all the excess weight. I was very determined and hell bent on losing the kilos and the inches.
Theoretically, it is simple math. It is the excess calories that your body does not use up, which goes and settles down as ‘fat’. You burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. It is that simple.
Putting it into practice was the hard part. Really hard. I used to begin my day at 6:30 am ,leaving my new born son with my husband , and jogging around the building, I stayed in. I could barely jog 30 metres and I would start panting. I just could not go on.So, I started walking as fast as I could—and I pushed myself a little more,each day.The first day, I forced myself to complete just one round, around the building( must have been about 850 metres approximately) and returned home.
But I was persistent. I went back the next day—and the next and the next. It has been 9 years now and I am hooked to exercise.Yes, it is true that exercise releases ‘feel –good’ endorphins.It kind of makes it addictive.I use a state of the art treadmill now—and old fashioned iron weights.
Diet was important too.I refused to touch any fried stuff.I do not eat meat, and I took eggs for protein .I took lots of milk, and lots of liquids as I was a nursing mother. I was never hungry at any given point of time. I just ate healthy.(No refined flour meant no biscuits, cookies, chocolates or any Indian fried snacks like samosas, chivda etc) Salads and fruits were always well stocked in my fridge.
There is no easy way.There is no secret.The magic words are exercise, diet and plenty of fluids.One should not starve at any point of time, especially when one is trying to lose weight.
The results took 10 months to show. One has to be patient.And persistent. By the end of 10 months I had lost only about 4.5 kilos. That was it!(To say that it was discouraging, is putting it very mildly) Another 5 months and I had lost some more weight. By now, I had discovered my body rhythm and knew I could push myself more. I cannot say that I never ate a chocolate or a cookie. I did, but in moderation. To me, a fitter me was definitely more important than the temporary high that the chocolate or cookie gave.
If you are an adult woman and especially if you are over 30, it is highly recommended that you do weights. Due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely pumping some weights. If you are a man of any age, you will benefit a lot from doing weights.
(Yes, who doesn’t want well toned arms, abs and the works?)
Here’s a link to a good video which tells you how to do the weights.For men, just increase the amount of weights that you can lift and follow the same exercises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UmRb4UphfM
I could go on and on—but I’m beginning to sound like a Fitness coach in an advert! So let me stop.In case you have any queries I’ll answer them here in the comments box :-)
Yes, for free :-)
This is interesting!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, we share basically the same height and weight, how funny is that? Well, I'm almost at 54kg now but my usual weight is 51-52.
And I'm also addicted to exercise because it makes me feel so good - when I don't do it, I get really grumpy. People often gain weight when starting to exercise because they gain muscle mass, so it's hard to start losing weight immediatly, right?
But my absolute weakness is cookies - I cannot live without cookies, I'm sorry. And cheese.
No wonder similar things appeal to us!
ReplyDelete(Also, after having kids, i've discovered, it is really VERY hard to go back to what one used to be.
wow.. thats really inspiring n motivating!! high time to get started for me.. :)
ReplyDeletei used to be a fitness freak as much as a chocolate freak. but i also realised i am a f****** lazy freak. 600m jogging a morning followed by 3 days and nights of sleep. your story is definitely inspiring. i'm geting back to jogging mornings and badminton evenings like old times.
ReplyDeleteDiya: Glad it did!You tell me if it lasted 15 seconds,15 hours or 15 weeks :-)
ReplyDeleteNithya:Glad you are going back to old times.Thats always good.
Inspiring stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou seen my easter eggs?
Am on your site just now.Couldnt see any easter eggs :(
ReplyDeleteTook me a while to figure out that I had to scroll down for the new posts!feeling a bit dreamy this morning i guess!
Inspiring, but i am too lazy to get up in the morning and exercise! Guess thats the effect of the "roaring twenties". :-)
ReplyDeletewell,
ReplyDeleteto each their own I guess..
my body is weird(obvious)..it loses weight..it gains weight..loses some more..gains even more.
whats funny is..there is a gain limit.
never goes beyond that limit..even my waist doesn't increase..36" is the top..then no matter how much I eat.
well, here is my exercise schedule..whenever I go to gym...usually works for 3-6 months..depending on membership..then two months of gaining what I lost and again back to gym..thankfully the muscles never go away..just get covered with a nice warm layer of fat...good for winters..anyways
ReplyDeleteThings to have.
Sweatshirt.
Trackpants
iPod/sonyericsson walkman phone.
Music is essential.
Start with instrumental guitar music, my best choice..videogame remixes..
work with it.60 minutes cardio. 40 walking on treadmill..inclined..20 on cycle.
this much is daily.
switch music..its game time. put entry themes of wrestlers...add whatever hard rock music you can find that makes you feel invincible..
hit those weights..alternate days.
day one.
Upper body complete. start wrist, forearms, triceps, biceps, shoulders, chest, abs.
day 2.
lower body.
feet, calf muscles, thighs, abs.
daily, cool off by doing 20 minutes on the treadmill..stroll don't jog..
Hit the showers...
3 months..may not lose weight..but definitely lose inches...
its funny but I have never lost a significant amount of weight..
but my waist bounces around from
33-36 everytime...
guess its more muscle content..fat is not fat..its just water..thats why I lose it so fast.
WARNING: this exercise regiment is not recommended by any trained personnel. Its recommended by me and only for ME...don't come suing me if you crack your spine or something...
Yep, after much yoyo dieting when I was younger I too discovered the simple truth: that the only way to lose weight is to exercise adn eat healthily. Part of that for me was to not stop eating chocolate and all the good stuff but to moderate it, that way I didn't crave it.
ReplyDeleteI'm going through it all again now after gaining weight last year (I was not well and underwent surgery twice). It's hard work at the moment but I know it will pay off!
It is great to know that Sami has reduced his weight,so that he may remain healthy for quite some time also.
ReplyDeleteYour advice and showing that video will really help those who think that they could never shed pounds from there body.
good day
Oh I really like your new profile picture! You look a bit sulky but I like that ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso blue seems a good colour for you!
Misti:Harder to lose weight when you cross 30.
ReplyDeleteHershey:At least you dont have to get pregnant!!
Bob-Kat;Good health is most important.Glad you are on your way.
Deepak:I really liked the new adnan.Found him cute;-)Admired his determination.
Devil-mood;Thank you!Yeah--i get tired of smiling ll the time.Besides,sulking gets you some attention too:-)
Hey...that was inspirational and showed the determined "you"...At 75 kgs you can imagine how miserable I felt when I read that....considering I am only an inch taller..
ReplyDeleteMy target is 60 kg...and finally I hope I get started...any guesses how many years its going to take me to reach that...?
VJ: At least you are making a beginning.For me, it took about two years to come back to around 56 kgs.But it was because I was nursing (and hence could not diet at all) that it took so long.I'm sure it will be easier for you.(I dont know how old you are)
ReplyDeleteBTW--have no clue if I know you, already or are you are new to my blog !'VJ' doesnt give away much!
Great, healthy approach Ps! Good for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm out of breath just reading this post!!!...but seriously...It is a simple equasion..if the output equals the input ..you'll not put on weight...I lost 2 stone early last year!!(that's about 32 lbs!!!)
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you have such a wonderful glow. Great new pic.
ReplyDeleteits really tough to lose a kg but so simple to gain one. Even in office a little extra than what one normally has for lunch can make you feel leathargic, bloated and grumpy. But its also a lot of hard work. Actually wish there was something like an exercise tablet which one could pop in on a daily basis and that would take crae of the fitness aspects. However it really works. My dad even today at 76 does yoga every morning and is fine. The day he does not do it he has aches and pains. So is the case with me - Not that I am growing old. Still young ( well at least at heart).
ReplyDeletehmm staying fit n exercising more is on every girls resolution list n so is reducing eating sweets but i guess most of us fail at both...nice tips...
ReplyDelete