beemuzedI had just returned back from England and my family and friends were shocked to see the kind of weight I had put on. This was in December 2010.

Being stuck in hectic schedules, I had put on close to 12 kilos in the last 2 yrs. And my work and lifestyle in UK and my procrastination further added to this gradual increase. The catch is, it was very difficult to lose all the weight I had put on in 2 yrs immediately and CRASH diets are a no-no. Thankfully, I did not succumb to any shortcuts. I started with my choice of regime - YOGA. I had to lose these 10+ extra kilos gradually. But my one mistake was that I was paying zero attention to my diet.

And thankfully that is when I found #bigloser. This was around Apr 26/27th, and that is less than 3 weeks ago. So #bigloser was kind of helpful in setting up my workout and diet schedules. I mean, you see these tweets where people (especially @b50) are updating their workout schedules, meals and sometimes recipes, and I knew what was going wrong and why I hadn’t seen results in the last 3 months.
I immediately planned my diet and switched from 3 meals to 6-7 meals a day. By 6 meals a day I mean a set of full meals and mini meals. I have lost 3 kilos in the last 3+ weeks.

I do Surya namaskars and set of few asanas, besides Pranayam every morning. It takes just 45 minutes of the morning and I am fully recharged and good to go the entire day without feeling tired. I also have noticed that my migraine attacks are completely wiped out ever since I started Bhramri pranayam. So win-win. I end the day with 15 minutes of Pranayam.

And dieting is definitely NOT STARVING. The not-so-secret formula is to eat everything, in moderation. Being a South Indian I cannot give up on rice. So I switched to brown rice, and I also replaced wheat flour with whole wheat flour. Even the pasta I have these days in made of whole wheat. But one thing that is very important is to plan meals at least a day in advance, else I am not left with too many choices and sometimes the idea of 6 meals is tiresome in itself. So I stick to raw salads with nuts/boiled pasta or beans for one of the mini meals. Buttermilk + Kanji is a great option considering its summer and India is boiling, especially Mumbai. It’s a 24/7 sauna out here. (Kanji can be made with Ragi flour or sabudaana. It’s wholesome, nutritious and filling. A glass of this buttermilk + Kanji is as good as protein shake or better.) Roasted peanuts are instant energy and available almost everywhere. Thankfully I do not have a sweet tooth and I guess that saves half the trouble.

Coming to the 3 main meals, I divide rice and wheat between lunch and breakfast. It’s usually Kathi rolls with veggies or scrambled eggs with green chutney for breakfast. And a cup of rice with Dal and curd for lunch. I stick to soups with phulkas and stir fried vegetables for dinner or brown bread with dips or hummus. As much as possible, I avoid rice and lentils after 6 p.m. Also I have stopped having tea/coffee first thing in the morning. It kills the hunger and we usually postpone/delay the breakfast and jump for another cuppa…So not good. The only craving I had to resist was of pasta. I am still learning to get over it.

Certain other changes can be made in lifestyle, like walking short distances, a compulsory intake of 4 litres of water, warm water with lemon first thing in the morning, plain popcorn at the movies instead of butter or other flavored ones, dinner before 8pm (this one is the most difficult one).

But these 3 weeks of boosted metabolism, good sleep, and visible results is keeping me motivated.

@bglsr was the motivation for losing these 3 kilos as I was just lazing around and was not very disciplined before that.

I guess discipline is the key, and also enjoying the work outs since it’s always a high to know that your stamina gets better with every work out.

I would like to mention @b50, @sashG and @Chhavi, cos these guys have been tweeting and retweeting and helping me keep up my schedule.

At the end of it, it’s about strength, stamina and feeling healthy. The extra inches will disappear and my old pair of jeans is already agreeing with me.

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@beemuzed wins herself:

1. A gift hamper of soya milk from Staeta
2. A gift hamper of healthy snacking biscuits from Britannia NutriChoice
3. A six-month subscription to The Ideal Home and Garden magazine
4. A free visit to PlacidSalon, Bandra

Congratulations!