France banned unhealthy models May 3rd 2017 by law according to which, models require a doctor’s certificate attesting their state of health to be compatible for their work. Another law says photoshopped images to be labelled if being published. A great step towards restraint the industry for setting up unrealistic body standards. But do we even really remember what is real?
I gained 15 kgs. The reason for the weight gain was purely due to lack of much physical activity. I have always been into a lot of sports and physical activities. Since I started working on my own, I was unable to manage my time as I had to do each and every task myself. Therefore my morning health routine took a backseat which resulted in the weight gain. I didn’t realise it and neither was I really bothered about it. There were no health issues so there was nothing to be worried about. I accepted myself as and I am.
But people around me made sure this shouldn’t stay the same way. I started being judged and also a subject to “Just for laugh gags.” Initially I was not affected by what people said, but then slowly it took on my confidence. After two weeks of becoming aware of this, I decided to do something about the weight and start working out once again. Honestly, I had no problem with weight personally, But I couldn’t take the jokes anymore.
Before starting the routine, I stepped on to the weighting scale to take a measure. It came upon me as a huge shock that I gained 3 kgs more in just two weeks. There was nothing unhealthy about my diet to cause this. Not only this, now I had to loose 18 kgs instead of 15. This made me use my weight gain as a social experiment, to see what really happens to a person and the people around. What I found was really shocking!
Men Vs Women
Classifying the population into these two segments, I found out that majority of men were least bothered about my weight gain. Those who were, were only concerned about any major health issues. Otherwise it really didn’t matter. Many of my male friends and relatives didn’t even mention it till the time a female friend or relative butted in as if there is a state of emergency and said, “OMG! You have become so Fat!” Every time I heard this statement, they made me feel like I forgot to wear my clothes while leaving home! The look in their eyes made me feel completely naked.
On the other hand, men asked if there is any serious health issues for the gain. After knowing there were no health issues, they never showed any sign of a disaster as women did. This raises an important question.
Do men really care about how thin a woman is? Is this concept made up by women themselves?
Women always fuss over their looks when it comes to woo a man. They want to look thin, Wear their makeup perfectly, etc. etc. etc. But are men even really thinking about it ?
Free Indie Advises
As soon as I was guilty of gaining wight, people came up with a huge list of excellent advises, remedies, and exercise routines for me to help reduce weight. I am truly grateful for these advises, but by looking at their hanging bellies, it really makes me wonder why are these oh so wonderful lifesaving secrets not working on them. Everyone I meet knows everything about weight loss but not much is visible really happening in their own bodies. Well, I can’t really question them on this as they elders. I don’t want to do a not so “sanskari” thing. Sanskari children don’t question in our country. They just listen to all the $#!* you give them and in the end say, thank you and “Namaste!”
Now I repeat, I ask this question to myself, not anyone else in this world. No, Not even you! (I dare not to be unsanskari) How are we so comfortable judging and advising people on their weight, when we ourselves are going through the same issue?
So let me try to put it this way, I am almost 18 kgs over weight. Even if I have been into sports my entire life, whether it’s swimming, running, wall climbing, martial arts. I have also been into dancing. Still I would not dare to stand in front of an 90kg aunty or uncle saying, “Oh You need to eat less mithai from our mithai box because you have enough weight to generate two full grown adults out of you. Better loose some weight by doing Soorya namaskar everyday for 100 days and think about eating whatever you want after that!” Not just because it is so unsanskari, But I know my time and energy both will be wasted because I will be bad example to demonstrate ’this works!’ So I would save myself from the embarrassment. I hope this made it clear. (If this failed to make you understand, noting else will)
Good examples for people giving weight loss advises- Gym trainers, fitness coaches, all those people who are fit. FIN
The biggest enemy of a woman
This experiment also made me discover who is the real enemy of women. The most shocking fact among all. The most saddening fact is, it was something I never thought was possible.
Women were the ones who cracked heart wrecking cheap jokes on my weight gain. Most of them were overweight themselves. This made it even more saddening. And they were encouraging people around them to do the same.
A woman is another woman’s biggest enemy. Instead of supporting each other, we belittle each other on our looks. Then we blame men and media for the unrealistic expectations.
There are no questions about it. I know it for a fact.
When we make fun of a person who is going through weight issues, not only we directly attack their confidence, we even add to their weight. Weight gain majorly happens due to suppressed emotions. This was one of the reasons why I gained 3Kgs in just 2 weeks. It was because the judgement started effecting me and my body.
Many would have different opinions and experiences here on this. But these were my observations.
Things to Ensure Effective Weight Loss
Here a few things you can do ensure effective weight loss and ensure it sustains and you don’t gain the weight back-
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Acceptance
The first step is accepting yourself. If you are overweight, then you have to accept yourself with that that weight. Love your self anyway. If you want to change your body, then change it. But it will be impossible if you stay in denial about your weight.
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Being aware
Become aware of your emotional issues of weight gain. Stuck emotions also causes weight gain. What insecurities do you have about your body? Manier times we are afraid of looking good or being visible in a positive way. Loosing weight means being visible and getting a lot of positive attention. See what reasons are stopping you from getting your desirable body.
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Heal
Heal these fears and stuck emotions. As you heal these emotions, weight loss becomes easy and effortless. Here are a few ways to do that-
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Eft
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or tapping releases the emotion or stuck energy from the body. The moment that happens, the memory loses its hold and it no longer affects us the way it used to. When this happens, we no longer react to that situation in a manner we used to; we come to a point where we can respond to the situation, we can choose our responses. This shifts the deeply help belief systems and patterns that we are running in our lives.
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Affirmations
The word affirmation means confirmation of anything established or the act of affirming as true or a positive statement or a statement asserting the existence of truth. Affirmations are positive statements used for visualisation and manifestation of goals. They are tools for defining our goals. They give clear cut directions to the universal energy to set in motion and bring out the positive results.
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Meditation
Meditation is not just an activity you do but also a way of life that you live. In our hectic schedules, finding time for meditation feels like asking for too much. But the fact is that finding time for meditation actually enhances the quality of work and life.
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Transformation circle
The 2-hour Transformation Circle seminar/workshop happens every Saturday and explores various topics such as Relationships, heart break, anger issues, parent issues, manifestation, abundance etc. We use tools like EFT, NLP, Inner Child Work and Energy Healing in these sessions.
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Lifestyle
After healing your emotions, you have to support your lifestyle for weight loss. Healthy diet and a decent work out routine 5 days a week should be followed.
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Realistic Goals
Set realistic expectations for yourself. Don’t try to make a celebrity or a star your goal. They have a totally lifestyle altogether. Fitness should be your goal.
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Appreciate yourself
Reward yourself for each milestone. Weight loss and fitness is a journey, not a destination.
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Keep going
Keep going. Keep healing yourself and keep following a healthy lifestyle.
This experiment was a real eye opener for me. Helped me see the reality of a my life and the people around me. While there were people who made my weight gain a big deal, there were those who loved me anyway. Thank you so much for your support. This piece is inspired by your reaction on my weight gain. I love you!