Which is tough – dieting or maintaining the reduced weight ?

Chitvish · Oct 29, 2007

Last August, I got a severe ham-string muscle pull. I was dismayed when it almost immobilized me, to start with. Then followed a visit to the doctor followed by x-rays, physiotherapy etc. Less activity resulted in more weight- not that I was ever light on my feet !
The inevitable reduction in weight was compulsorily prescribed. I tried to follow the G M diet, prescribed in our forum. I lost just a meager 1.5 kgs. Well, I ultimately consulted a dietician, with more apprehension and less hope.
She put me on various combination diets for spells of two weeks each. I was asked to forget oil, coconut and some vegetables completely, to start with. That I was not a diabetic, was a blessing. She warned that I should not cheat myself even under the most tempting circumstances and should never let myself go !
Every two weeks, I met her, weighed myself and got the next diet chart. Finally, the downward trend started very slowly, but surely !
To celebrate that the barrier could be broken, I bought myself, rather forced Vish, my husband to gift me a brand new digital weighing machine.
Believe me, the machine proved to be my lucky mascot (or so, I thought!). It pleased me by showing less (though only slightly) weight, every time I stepped on it, for my Sunday ritual.
I was always rushing to the shop to buy fruits and vegetables, for my new diet. Vish commented that the monthly expense for the same was going ,slightly on the higher side. Well, I told him, that he will have to pay the price for a more healthy and trim-looking (!) wife.
Of course, my dietician and my weighing machine gave me full cooperation and I was succeeding at a steady rate.
On Sundays, when my children visit us, I usually make goodies like puddings, fried dishes etc. Alas, it was no more for me! But that was more than compensated by their comments that, they could see a difference in my “size” since the previous week !
But losing the last 2 kgs in my “weight agenda” was the steepest peak to climb. It was, as though, I was so near, yet so far !
With a stern face, my dietician said that I will have to go through a Yogic diet for 15 days! That is nothing but a “holy” name for raw food diet ! Choicelessly or more out of necessity, I became more innovative and “invented” new recipes, which were very good.
I really wanted to celebrate the day, I reached my target weight. How better to do the same, other than buying myself diet-ice cream ?
But, now after 5 months almost, I realize, maintaining the reduced weight is more challenging ! The one good thing is, I have learnt how to strike a balance, if I feel tempted by a badusha or ulundu vadai.
The way I gorge on fruits and vegetables has really given me a healthy look. Feeling light on your feet has to be experienced to realize, how pleasurable it is.
With Deepavali approaching, I know how challenging it is going to be, not to put on weight, trying, tasting but not devouring goodies !
I lost X kgs. But to give myself an extra kick, I mention the lost weight in pounds because that number is bigger (when multiplied by 2.2) !
Love,
Chithra.

malspie · Oct 29, 2007

Chits,

Definitely, maintaining the weight achieved is a task by itself. Since, the dietitian has injected enough knowledge on calories, proteins, carbohydrates and fats in you, every time you pick a dish to eat, your mind is ticking towards the direction of the ratio of intake of the above. Now you have two things to ponder on, how to maintain the weight and how much calories i intake.. You must be cherishing your ignorance towards the word called "balanced diet", which we have all studied in our school and later read a lot in blogs on net and few "bench sitting" advices when you were gorging on the delicious Vadas and fries...
And how I can miss on the exercise regime... Cold, hot or rains, we have to run on the threadmill or cycle few programmed pedestals to keep us trim and beautiful.
My Outdoor Peon of our office was nearing 60 and time to retire.. He was a bouncing ball in the office. He would have just come back from a tiring journey of 4 to 5 hours and all set to re do the same.. I always ask him, how does he achieve the remarkable strategies, he told me from the day he learnt to eat he follows the same diet, lassi, milk, ghee, parathas, paneers, pulavs, french fries, pappads, couple of pegs, cold milk, ice-creams and now that he has learnt to hit on the pizzas and pastries he has become more healthy. Ha ha..

sowminivibu · Oct 29, 2007

hi chith

very nice article and this is one issue tht keeps ppl tensed these days....the amt of junk tht goes in adn the amt of u need to exercise to lose all the calories gained while eating the delicious vadai with sambar or the vengaya vadam with bisibelabath !!!!!

i think we can gift ourselves once in a while with a fried item if we are regular in eating vege n fruits and other healthy stuff !!

lov
sowmi

Chitvish · Oct 29, 2007

We can only conclude that some people are gifted when it comes to "body structure" !
I am a person, who tends to put on weight, even by just looking at delicious food !
Leave alone pizzas & pastas, just one cup of cooked rice will make me fulfilled.Even that, I ration myself, for fear of getting tempted.But first & second courses are vegetables as kootus , curries & a cup of rasam, so that the stomach is almost too full to get tempted by rice.
But I know it is going to be a life-long battle for me !
Love,
Chithra.

Chitvish · Oct 29, 2007

You have such a slim, rather thin figure, that you can effortlessly "gobble" vadais with sambar and vengaya vadam with bisibela.
You must first thank God for that !
Love,
Chithra.

babyraji · Oct 29, 2007

hello mam
nice writing this time 2 .u hav clearly written abt the mindset one goes thru during the process of wtloss .it is relly so hard 2 restrict oneself frm all the tempting dishes.
going thru ur raw food receipes i always wondered for wht might b the reason behind as u r a grt cook.now its clear.
love
raji

malspie · Oct 29, 2007

Dear Chits,

I never worry about my figure. Woman in Metro are so conscious to maintain, when I rate myself with them, hey, I am a round pie yaar. They look much younger than me, sauna belt, health regime, yoga etc... I am happy the way I look. Round for sure...

Jokes apart, we cannot joke on health factor at all times. After certain age, we need to maintain that 'WEIGHT" and its very difficult. I too love, rasams, pachadis, pappadams, payasams, vadas, chutneys, pickles, will never be able to give it up. God have mercy on me...
Bye Chits, take care...

Chitvish · Oct 29, 2007

Let me be very frank - raw food diet, though healthy, gives a clear complexion, tones up the system......etc, is not easy; needs a lot of grit because basically, I am not over fond of salads !
But I have developed a very strong taste for fruits & now we get a wide range in Chennai, round the year, thank God !
Thankyou, Raji.
Love,
Chithra.

Chitvish · Oct 29, 2007

Mals, like you, I am more bothered about the health point of view rather than the cosmetic angle !
But in Chennai, now we get many more vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, gobi etc round the year. And you & I are "mulakootal" eaters, which is good for filling us up ! I specialise in kootus as fillers !
Love,
Chits.

Anandchitra · Oct 29, 2007

Dear CHithra
I am sure this is Universal topic of the Day. Most women discuss this every day if not every hour. The strange thing in the U.S is that only extremely "thin" women talk about this topic endlessly. I too am concerned more for health reasons. Thanks to this issue I am now more aware of foods and its impact in general. So I have to say I am a healthy cook in that my family benefits from my selective process. Ofcourse they do get fried items once in a while but not the norm. By now I think they have resigned themselves to my "regimen". So are content at variety and quality. I am ofcourse impressed at how successful you have been. By reading I think it is probably more difficult to maintain than to lose.