By profession, she’s a film producer, but her day-job doesn’t define her. It’s what she has overcome that does: cancer, depression, and now, obesity. Sunaina Roshan, has lost a hefty 65 kg over the last two years, and she’s not kidding when she calls it a “life-changing experience”. When social media recently went into overdrive over a before-and-after picture that Hritik Roshan posted on Twitter, she began to open up about not just the weight loss, but also about the story that started many years ago.
The compulsive eater
During her teens Roshan was reed thin. It was post-pregnancy that her weight began to go awry. Gradually, several health issues crept in, and she turned obese. “I was an absolute mess,” she confesses. “I was in severe depression, in a state of complete denial that I was fat and needed help. Food became my agony aunt. I could gobble up 3 cakes in a go, put away 2 kilos of rabri, snack rabidly at midnight. My refrigerator used to heave under the weight of chocolates and junk food. At this point, I could not even fit into a saree, forget about readymade clothes.” The mammoth reading on the weighing scale (130 kg) brought with it a matrix of health complications. “You name it, I had it: hypertension, anxiety, fatty liver, sleep apnoea; I was even a diagnosed with diabetes for three months,” admits Roshan. “Looking back, I feel I wasn't fit mentally then, to be able to lose weight.” There was also depression to cope with.
The cancer call
In 2007, during a series of routine tests, she was detected with cervical cancer. “It was a big blow for me, emotionally. My brother (I love him the most) and parents rallied around me and formed my support system, as always. I fought my illness with resilience, undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy, determined not to give in to it,” she shares. But she didn’t manage to shrug off the weight even after, with family and friends pampering her with food even more during the recovery phase. She continued to eat: “an emotional indulgence,” she calls it.
The bariatric decision
It took her two years to take say okay to bariatric surgery after her doctor had advised it. “I remember picking up the phone and telling my mother that I had decided to opt for it. I messaged bariatric surgeon Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala,” she says. After a series of tests, they decided she was ready. But there was a hitch: a cervical cyst was detected during the mandatory tests before the operation. “It was the worst nightmare of my life as I waited for the report to certify that it was benign, so that the procedure could be done,” recalls Roshan with a shudder. She was also told that weight-loss wouldn’t be a breeze, because of certain anti-depressants she was on. That was two years ago.
Cut to 2017
Today, Roshan is off all meds, including the ones for depression, diabetes and hypertension. She eats every two hours and walks for an hour daily. “My appetite has shrunk now. I eat regular food, but my tummy fills up sooner: a roti, one katori vegetable and dal each, with salad and curd. I can't eat too much. If I starve, my metabolic rate drops. My fridge is now full of nuts, curd, fruits, roasted khakra. I was gluttonous with sweets earlier. Now I look at a cake and switch off psychologically.” She still buys junk food: “The difference is, when I reach for it, something holds me back. So the foods rot away or limp past their expiry date, but I do not end up eating them. In fact my mother often raids my fridge for her chocolate fix!” laughs Roshan.
Her decision to speak openly about her difficult time with health and compounded medical problems, she says, has been to motivate and inspire others to change their lives for the better. “I feel so good now. I am lighter, happier, shop for ready-to-wear clothes, and am now focussing on toning up.” She doesn’t party anymore and doesn’t miss it either. “I had to do this, for my own sake. There is no going back to what I was. My biggest learning is, health is wealth. If you are healthy you can accomplish anything. Believe me, you can. If I can do it, anyone can.”
