Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Monday, April 11, 2022
Weight Loss So Far: 12 March - 11 April
Have lost 6.7 kilograms so far. One more day to go. Will try to touch 7 kilograms mark.
Sunday, April 10, 2022
Almost 1 month of Mission Health: Report Card
It has been almost a month since I started my journey towards regaining fitness and it has been a TOUGH month....physically and emotionally.
From Saturday, 12th March, I started checking what I eat. Exercise (walk) started from 13th March. However, the week of 14th March was not a great week. My sister was here; we celebrated Holi and like all Indian festivals, there was lot of good food involved. Though I tried to check things, I cannot say it was a good/successful week.
Activities
Activities started in real terms from 23rd March 2022. That is when I hired a personal trainer. The guy comes to my place everyday and I workout with him for 1 hour every morning from 6-7AM. Saturdays and Sundays are 'rest days' but I workout [without him] even on weekends. He tries to mix things. My workouts are not same on any day of the week. It involves cardio, weight training and even boxing [I love the days on which we do boxing!!]. It has been working pretty well so far as it does not get monotonous.
In addition, I try to walk 10,000 steps everyday. And from 2nd April, I started swimming. I go for a swim right after my morning workouts and this happens everyday except Monday [the pool remains closed for weekly cleaning and/or maintenance].
Diet/Food
Food plays 70-80% role and I have been trying to check what I eat. I am following a 'Low Carb - Medium Protein' diet. There is no sugar, rice, roti, bread, milk, butter etc. Animal protein (chicken) is limited to 150 grams per day but I do not have it every day. (Note: I have been posting some pics of my meals on this blog). I have also tried to reduce the quantity but I ensure that I do not starve myself as that would only be counter-productive.
I have also been trying some detox and plateau-breaking diets. These involve either [mostly] liquid diet or other diets like egg-fast. In fact, I am doing an egg-fast right now [its Day 2] and I would do it for at least 1 more day. In this diet, I have eggs [minimum 6 a day], cheese cubes [3 per day] and soda [3 per day] only. I have tried egg-fast in the past and it helps in quick weight-loss. However, it is important to do a proper transition and continue to workout or I stand a risk of regaining all the weight lost during the egg-fast. These are things that I am attempting to see what works and also to keep things interesting. We will see how it goes. Its a long journey...
Results
I have indeed lost weight but not at the rate I was expecting/hoping. In the past, similar diet but fewer activities have given better results in terms of weight-loss. However, this time around, things are very different. Since 12th March, I have lost 6 kgs but weight-loss has been quite erratic. There were days on which I did not do much [comparatively] but lost weight and then... there were days on which I almost 'moved a mountain' but I ended up gaining few hundred grams!!!
So now, I am no longer focusing on weight-loss and am concentrating on the process. If the process is right, the results would definitely come...sooner or later. At least, that is what I keep telling myself.
I do feel inch-loss and also, I feel more energetic these days. So, definitely some positive developments.
Challenges
Aches, pain, hunger are some of the challenges but they are manageable ones and do not bother me. What does bother is uncertainty regarding future. I have taken a big step and it could back-fire irrespective of what I do or do not achieve from health point of view. But when results do not show [discussed above] then the negative feelings get much stronger. I always knew that this journey would be draining....physically, emotionally and financially but I also knew that it is important and must be given top priority. Yet, the demons of negativity and uncertainty trouble me quite often. That is the challenge. I have never been in this situation and it is proving to be difficult. So difficult that on most days, I try to avoid speaking to my 'friends'.
But ya, no matter how depressed I get [it happens usually in the evenings], I do not allow that to impact the physical activities and diet. So far, so good....lets see how things [ and I] shape up in future...
Next Steps
I would continue to do what I am doing in terms of food intake as well as physical activities. My trainer has been increasing the intensity and the activity would increase in coming days. I have been trying to increase the laps in swimming but that may not be possible. Summer vacations have started in most school out here and the pool remains chaotic. So, not sure if I would be able to increase the laps and the time but I would try to increase the speed and ensure that I complete at least 20 laps everyday. I have been working out and swimming in the morning and walking in the evenings. I will try to include one more activity in the day. Would love to play squash but probably not the best idea due to the weight I am carrying. Will find something.
Wish me luck!!!
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Friday, April 8, 2022
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
It has been 18 days since I started my mission to regain fitness. I have been checking what and how much I eat. I have increased water consumption. I have been walking regularly. And I have recently started working out as well. However, the results so far have not been satisfactory. The weight has not come down much. :(
Yes, I do feel more energetic these days and that is a clear plus.
Hope to get positive messages from the weighing scale in coming days...
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Dinner
Today's Dinner:
- 3 Pieces of Achaari Soya Chaap
- Omelette of 2 Whole Eggs (Mom made it and it was delicious!!)
- Glass of Fresh Lime Soda (Sugarfree)
Heartbreaking News
Life is so busy and everyone has their share of problems. Where is the time to feel the pain of others? I often hear that from people and I do not blame/question them at all. That is because it makes sense.
But then, I do get moved by pain of others and get the strong urge of doing something for them. It could be financial support or just putting an arm around them and hearing them out.
Just now, I read the news regarding a man in Chhattisgarh, who walked 10 KMs carrying the dead body of his 7 year old daughter. The child was suffering from high fever and extremely low oxygen levels. She succumbed to her conditions in the morning. When questioned, the authorities said that the man was told that a 'hearse' (a vehicle that is used for transporting a dead body to funeral) would be provided but the man left with the body. It does not sound convincing but that is not the point.
What must be going through the father's mind during the 10 KM walk? He must have been dying inside as his daughter was no more. Did he feel the weight? Did he speak to his daughter's body during the walk? Did he want to walk with his daughter as he would have got the chance to hug her all through the long walk? Was it difficult for him to put down his daughter at the end of journey?
I called Ananya, hugged her and cried. She kept asking the reason but I could not say anything. I just hugged her for several minutes and kept crying.
I looked for the details of the man on internet....I do not know why...
May be its because of my love for my daughter, a father-daughter story especially moves me. I still cannot get over the incident in Kuala Lumpur involving a little girl and her Syrian refugee father.
Friday, March 25, 2022
From steps point of view, past few days have been quite disappointing.
From food intake point of view as well, past few days have been a mixed bag and quite average.
My sister had come down for few days for Holi celebrations and it became difficult to maintain the same schedule.
Will try to change all that in the coming days.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Day 4: Report Card
Not a good day. Could not complete the step target due to pain in the legs. But more importantly, it was not a good day from food intake point of view as well. Did not have anything unhealthy but had several small meals. Overall intake was high. Did not sleep on time as well. Will try and correct things today.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Monday, March 14, 2022
Day 3: Report Card
Broke down the walk in two sessions. In the morning, I went to the gym and walked for ~6000 steps. The weight and lack of activity during the lockdown made it difficult. Was getting cramps while walking on the treadmill so I decided to walk in the gym itself. Its a quite gym and remains vacant. The air-conditioner is perfect and it was quite enjoyable to walk in the gym.
After dinner, I walked again and completed the step target.
Breakfast was healthy and so was lunch. My biggest problem remains the hunger pangs around 4 PM and then around midnight. Midnight would not be an issue as all the activities during the day make me extremely tired and I sleep as I soon as I hit the bed. However, 4PM is an issue. I had a glass of coconut water, a bowl of oats and some makhana (fox nuts or lotus seeds). But later, I ended up having 2 small pieces of tandoori chicken and an energy bar as well. Felt really bad but its a good learning. Will try to overcome this issue in coming days.
Day 3: Continuing with healthy food
- Day 3 Breakfast: Two boiled whole eggs, 5 almonds, 1 orange and 2 garlic cloves (good for fighting cholesterol)
- Day 3 Lunch: Salad. Lots of veggies. Dal. No rice. No chapati. Pic below
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Day 2: Much better than yesterday!
Achieved the step target but more importantly, had healthy food :)
Big Decision
Everyone recovered within 3-5 days but it was not the case with me. In my case, I lost sense of smell after 4-5 days of getting COVID and I had symptoms which are no longer common. It took ~2.5 weeks to recover fully but that period was filled with confusion and frustration.
I realized (and later confirmed with my doctor) that COVID troubled me more and for a longer period because of my overall health condition. Though I did not require COVID to get that realization but this was more of a wake-up call. I realized that the ability of my body to fight infections has significantly decreased over the years and if I do not take care of it now, things would soon go spiraling down.
Over the course of next couple of weeks, I discussed my concerns with my family but no one had a clear solution. In the past, I have made several attempts to take control of my health. Each attempt was successful [till it lasted] but not sustainable. I am someone who has always subordinated my personal life to my work and I have failed to create the right balance. Sustainability and momentum are extremely important in such attempts and I needed to address them.
Finally, we took a call that everything else is secondary and my health needs my 100% attention. I spoke to my reporting manager and was prepared for every outcome. We have started working together fairly recently and to my surprise, he was extremely supportive. Not that I expected him not to be supportive but in organizations, several other factors [and people] can come in the way. He spoke to the HR team and was communicated about the challenges. However, he managed to find a way!!
So, for the next few months, my life would be very different. I have not taken such a break since the beginning of my career. There is a long battle to fight and I would need support, motivation and best wishes.
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