Nanditta S Mahdevia, a 30-year-old senior marketing manager at Nykaa.com, from Mumbai, says it as it is: “I hate to admit it, but I have been overweight for as long as I can possibly remember. When I look back, I attribute it to a lack of awareness and just constant indulgences on my part.”
Turning point
The year 2015 was a turning point in Mahdevia’s life, because that’s when she was at her worst, both mentally and physically. “I was completely miserable as I was at my heaviest. People used to call me baby whale. I felt awful and didn’t know what to do. I was diagnosed with PCOD and I genuinely wanted to take charge of my life, body, and most importantly, my mind.”
Losing weight with PCOD can be tough, but she was clear that there was no choice about it. “A friend who is a fitness freak helped me in my journey. His training was very informal, but I was able to fight the bulge because of the way he led me through it. It was slow and steady, giving up just one thing at a time and making just one change at a time,” she says.
The beginning
It started off with a few changes in her diet: eating a big breakfast and a high-protein dinner. When just these two tweaks began to show results, she realised she no longer craved sugar or junk food.
Weight loss is not an overnight quick fix, she says. “Taking one step at a time and making it a lifestyle change rather than a short-term diet plan, is what has seen me through the whole journey,” says Mahdevia.
Setting health goals
Her doctor told her that if she didn’t lose weight, her life would be riddled with a vicious circle of thyroid and diabetes, and that would only be the start. “I knew I couldn’t take my health for granted and had to do something,” she says. So her focus was her health. She worked out daily, alternating between yoga and functional training, and found her metabolism kick in.
In the first month, she didn’t lose much weight, but kept at it. It took her four months to come down to 45kg from 65 kg, by losing 5kg every month, just right for her 5’ height. She has been off her PCOD meds for two years now, thanks to her weight loss and healthy eating and exercise patterns.
Mind and body fit
Mahdevia found that once she started practising yoga, it was easier to stick to a pattern of mindful eating. The reason she chose the yoga-functional-training combo? “They work best for me, and most importantly, I enjoy both, and look forward to my hour-long classes,” she says. She’s high on energy with this diet-exercise combo, though she feels the diet is more than half the battle won.
“It is a misconception that with yoga you will not be able to shed weight. For me, it worked wonders and helped me to tone up too,” says Mahdevia.
The feel-good factor
Feeling better was the biggest motivator. Mahdevia is happy that she can finally wear the outfits she always dreamt of. She says, “What can motivate a woman more than loads of compliments, the shocked faces of friends and family, and needing a new wardrobe because everything you own is suddenly too big for you? And not to forget, suddenly you are sexy enough to fit into slinky dresses you never dreamt of wearing.”
