The struggles with weight ends after 4 years

4 kgs in 4 years might seem less but what I am going write may reveal its a lot.

I started dancing at the age of 4, and continued to learn different dance form and also give performances till teh age of 19. I stayed happy and fit. Dance was my way of expressing all my pent up emotions. Dance gave me freedom and happiness. I felt absoutely at ease on stage in front of huge audiences. Dance was a way of life and I never consciously had to worry about gaining weight or losing, dance kept me on my feet and fit. I also had a good appetite and ate a lot and never worried about what I was eating or what I should not eat.

Then at the age of 19 I left home to go for higher studies and subsequently went to another city in the next couple of years. Mostly dependant on canteen food and outside food. As a young professional I spent almost 12 to 13 hours at work and had no energy or inclination to come back and cook for myself. My dancing had completely stopped. I started to feel unfit and fat, this was triggering insecurities in my head and made me unhappy.

Years passed but I did not get back to dancing and my weight gain was constant, then a few years down the line, I had terrible emotional unheal and the weight gain was just something that added to the depression. I did not think I could lose the weight I had gained. I didnt make any effort is losing it either.

Thankfully after a few years I was in a better frame of mind and I started swiming and yoga but not dancing. Both helped immensly and I managed to lose close to 5kgs in a month. But that wasnt sustainable I fell back to the old patterns and unhealthy eating and emotional eating and no physical momvement. And the battle continued up untill recently.

Then the world went into lockdown and thankfully I was back home with my family just in time. While I did not do much, what I started was intermittent fasting. I started eating my dinner before 7pm and ate breakfastat around 9am the next morning. I also walked every single day for a hour. I ate only home food but ate everything that I essentially grew up eating. Rice, dal, veggies, meat, fish sweets at times. No restrictions what so ever in my diet but healthy home food. Seven month passed, I stuck to this and today I have lost close to 4 kgs but I feel much lighter, healthier and happier. I feel this is acheivable and all it takes is the mindset and discipline and consistency.

I also fast for longer hours on Sundays and this has worked like magic, intermittent fast is fun, try it if you will but do consult your doctor in case you have issues like acidity etc. And I would like to end by saying our bodies respond to different signals, your calling may be something else but do what you are in peace with, do not starve yourself or over workout if your body and mind is not alligned with that. Ask yourself what you are comfortable with and try that.