Health is Wealth

I had mentioned that I was putting myself on a five week weight loss challenge. This was in response to the realization that I was gaining nearly 2kgs a year since I had got married. I had a BMI of 28 and was bordering on the obese. The basic idea behind the challenge was to make small lifestyle changes whereby leading a more active existence and monitoring what I ate to ensure it was healthy.

The basic forms of exercises that I alternated between were Cycling, Hitting the Gym, Pranayam, Walking and Yoga. I did each between once to four times in a week. I never forced myself to do a form of exercise that I was not in the mood for on a particular day, but also ensured that I did at least three out of the list above everyday.

I realized that when I exercised in the Gym I might be able to loose more calories but I also got very hungry as fast and ended up eating that many calories up again that very day. While when I went cycling I enjoyed what I did and it also made for a more active social life as I would combine it with meeting people who lived at the other end of the cantonment. Yoga beat walking in popularity because of the incessant rains that we had last month. Pranayam is ideal for all days and is also great for an instant energy pick me up.

As for the diet, I ensured two liters of water went down the hatch everyday, as did one helping of fresh fruit and two glasses of milk. It is a boon that I don’t like tea or coffee so I was only on Bournvita which eliminated any form of caffeine in my diet. In addition to this I tried not to eat anything fried, and steered clear of all sweets, chocolates and ice creams. I also ensured accountability by recording every morsel that went into my mouth in my food journal.

Net Result : - I have lost three kgs.
My BMI is currently 27 and I intend to get into the healthy bracket from the overweight bracket in the next challenge that I am setting up for myself. Will keep you updated of the latest news.