Everything first starts with acceptance. You have to admit that you have put on weight, despite your best efforts, and then work from there on. During my weight loss journey, I had a relapse period when I stopped working out and started eating whatever I wanted. Friends and family who had once complimented me on my (almost) slim figure started pointing out that I was looking like my ‘old’ self.
What did I do, you ask? I refused to believe it. Simple. I lived in denial. After all, I had lost so much weight that surely I couldn’t be looking like my old self. Falling off the bandwagon for a month or so didn’t mean I would put on all the lost kilos immediately. Or did it? Whenever someone commented on my increasing weight, I would feel bad for a while and vow to eat better, exercise more and become fit again. But that feeling was almost always quickly replaced by denial.
However, psychological consequences of being overweight or feeling fat can include lowered self-esteem and anxiety, and more serious disorders such as depression and eating disorders such as binge eating, bulimia and anorexia. We tend to worship slim, toned bodies and only thin, proportional bodies are considered sexy. Overweight or fat people are looked down upon.
I have been ridiculed for the excess weight I carried around so often that I have developed a sort of complex where I’m constantly comparing myself with others. If I see someone who is thin or thinner than me, then I feel awful and start wishing I had those hips, legs, or collarbones. But if I see someone who is quite voluptuous or even fat, then I feel like Cindy Crawford during her best years.
Thus I have realized that being fat or thin is relative. How I feel about by body depends on who are around me. Having said that, it’s also easy to feel bad about yourself, to become depressed or anxious, or to develop obsessions around eating when people around you make it clear that the way you appear is undesirable and even disgusting. I’ve had a relative and even a friend who literally said ‘Chyaa’ to
my face.
How do we deal with this? Isn’t there a way to feel good about our bodies, no matter how it is? If you think I will tell you that you need to be happy with the body you have no matter what others tell you, you are mistaken. I’m actually here to tell you that if you aren’t happy with your body, then it’s time for a change. And there isn’t any other way to feel good about your body unless you get the body you want and are healthy and fit.
So the next time someone tells you that you have gained weight or look fat, take a closer look at yourself, at all the bulges and the fat poking out from places and vow to lead a healthier lifestyle, with more exercise and disciplined eating, and get fitter. Don’t make excuses and forget about it as you order a cupcake at your favorite coffee joint.
I feel it is unattractive and unhealthy to be fat and so I’m being more disciplined about what I eat without ever starving myself and exercising regularly. I’m not judging people who are overweight since I’ve been there myself but how your body is says a lot about how you are as a person. If you are fat (unless there is an underlying medical condition – and you should work on getting that treated), it just shows a complete lack of discipline and that’s unappealing right from the start.
My experience tells me that first you have to confront the fact that you have gained weight or are fat and accept that there is a need for you to lose weight if you want to be slim and fit. I’m actually thankful to those who have called me fat and commented on my bulges because they made me confront the fact that I was indeed fat and it stopped being cute during my teenage and actually started becoming hideous in my twenties.
I also believe that the reason we don’t lose weight is because we don’t love our bodies enough, we don’t respect it enough, and so we tend to treat it whichever way we want to. Going on binge diets, and our erratic exercise regimes stand testimony to that. Embracing the fact that you are overweight is the first step to losing it all. Just don’t let that depress you and kill your enthusiasm to work out and eat better. First confront the flab, then hate it enough and love the body underneath more to get rid of it.
Disclaimer: I am no fitness expert. I’m just someone who has worked hard to lose weight. I have consulted a dietician friend to find out what works for me, and suggest you do the same. I’m only sharing my weight loss experience through The Week and trying to motivate you all to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It’s always best to get an experts advice before beginning a diet and workout plan. Stop exercising if you experience pain during the workout. Also never reduce your calorie intake to less
than 1000.
If you have any queries regarding my weight loss journey, write to me at sharmaditi374@gmail.com.
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