Get up, Get Out!

Born into a family of ancestral halwais in Amritsar and more interestingly, to a Sikh Punjabi family of people who would go crazy over ghee, butter, cream loaded foods (basically anything that would give sleepless nights to a fitness freak), I am no different. The love for food is in my blood and so is the willingness to give up anything for a bite of that calorie loaded dessert.

I started cooking at an early age of 5, not because the kitchen was going to be my future girlfriend but the fact that my mom would not let me eat more than 6 rotis for dinner, (Yes, 6 at that age does sound a little overboard but nonetheless it’s a fact) forced me to go to the kitchen when my parents would sleep and cook a couple of ‘mirchi ajwain wala paratha’ with butter and curd for my late night satiety. Although this started out of gluttony, it gradually started drawing my attention towards it. I honestly can never recall the point when I became obsessed with making rotis and parathas, so much that towards my teens when there were any plans for sleepovers at a friend’s house, I would happily take charge of the kitchen and cook for everyone, from maggi to egg parathas and sometimes even 'malpua' to gratify the sweet tooth. 

Being the youngest of the three siblings, I was obviously the most pampered one. Although very sincere towards my academics and always being among the top two in my class, I was least loyal to any sports activity. In fact, I was so reluctant about it that I would sometimes deliberately injure myself to miss out on any yoga or cricket classes. However, when the recess bell rang, I would be the first one to be in line for the amazing bread pakoras and cutlets at the canteen. It won’t come as a surprise to you, but the lack of physical activity and over feeding at home was turning me into a couch potato (I weighed in at 75kgs and just 5’5” tall at the age of 15). 

As life continued and with my interest fading from academics (because for some godforsaken reason I chose to opt for Science stream in my 11^th grade), came the most common dilemma of every teen “yaar life mein karna kya hai?” Well how about a Chef? Food! The first time that word zoomed across my mind, it just felt right. I still wasn’t sure but willing to at least give it a second thought.  You know that feeling you get when after 2 years of dragging through high school, a clarity of future starts building up in your mind? It was exactly that. So I started looking up for Hotel Management courses and came across the term “CULINARY ARTS”. Still very unfamiliar across most people, Culinary Arts refers to anything and everything there is about food - From buying to processing to cooking to serving and the gastronomy of it on human body. In 2010, I joined Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad to pursue my Bachelor’s in Catering Technology & Culinary Arts. All this while, piling up on calories and heading towards becoming morbidly obese.

I was determined, to make a girlfriend in college; let’s confess it most of us are. New place, independent life, chill marna hai bhai! As I entered the classroom on the first day, all hopes shattered, motivation gone with the wind. Batch of 65 students, 64 male, 1 female. Are you serious!? Now I was certain that after the college ends I was going to end up looking like Bhappi Lehri with a beard.

Always being around food and learning new things every day, my vision turned into a nightmare. I was fat, waist 40 & size XXXL when the college ended. (I will take a moment here to boast about my first division with distinction in Osmania University). In 2013 I started working with the Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra where for me life had become only food and TV and more food.

March 2014, I came back home to Amritsar for good, still fat as a bear, trying to figure out what to do next in life. Work or new business, was not really my priority. I had entered into a leisure holiday mindset after coming back. Doing nothing except playing my oldest addiction “Counter-Strike” online, I was worried in my sub-conscious mind. With no work, no physique and no productivity, one fine day I chose to accompany my best friend Sachit to his gym. I did, except I just dropped him in my car and came back to pick him up later. You know how it is, “bhai kal se pakka gym, pakka!” That went on for a while until in Mid-April when I first entered the gym. It was a really weird feeling, telling myself “bhai karna hai toh ab jee jaan se warna abhi wapis chaleja”. I felt something, for the first time in a long-long time, there was a positive vibe about something (I still haven’t figured out what that something is).

First day at gym seeing well-built people around me, I was going through a lot of inferiority complex. Conscious about my man-boobs, I chose to wear a lose jacket whenever doing cardio training. I will admit it, it was not easy at all initially. I started my routine with 15mins of treadmill (10mins walk and 5mins jog), 10mins cycling and 15mins of core exercises followed by half an hour of mixed weight training. A week into this routine, I started feeling a little comfortable about it. My mother advised me to avoid salt after 8PM and soon I started following that too. Within three weeks I had lost 4kgs. For the first time there was a sense of achievement in me after stone years.  The gymnasium was located on the 2^nd floor of the building, I never took the elevator but always the staircase. This was my approach towards teaching myself that a harder yet more effective option is always better than a shorter yet less productive one in the long run. I started reading articles on nutrition and how a healthy diet will give last longing results. It is then that all my college lessons on food started coming to my mind. I would read more and more articles on the nutritional needs of a body and how to manage your weight with the right diet and exercises. Proteins, Fiber, Carbohydrates, Fats, Salt, Vitamins…they were all making more sense to me now. Did you know that the human body can take energy from stored carbohydrates as glucose for up to three days! Amazing right? One of the trainer’s at the gym always tried to sell me his ‘fitness products’ including Fat Burners, he still is. But thanks to him, his nutritional up-selling assisted me in learning a lot about how I could take these essential vitamins in my natural diet. Most of the people have settled for a fact that to eat healthy means to forget about your favorite mac & cheese. Let me tell you folks and trust me as a CHEF when I say this, it’s just a myth. EAT A BALANCED DIET - I have yielded results with it and so can you. Taste is where several of us will not compromise. As a chef I rarely had a challenge of cooking HEALTHY & DELICIOUS foods. For those, who find it difficult to bargain with their taste buds, the internet is loaded with tons of quick and awesomely nourishing recipes. It’s all about switching the tab from facebook to a more constructive one. 

Results were becoming visible

I start my day with a cup of green tea followed by a protein rich breakfast usually egg white variations or meat sandwiches and a glass of fresh milk. Take special care to keep munching on something fibrous like nuts in between the meals. Lunch should contain fiber (I prefer whole grain rotis like bran, oats) with large bowls of home-made veges and a bowl of curd. If I feel hungry in the evening, I snack on a fruit or some pakoras occasionally. I have my dinner around 7PM, usually some carbs (rice, roti, bread, poha) and dal with a green salad. Tandoori meats are also one of my favorites. A glass of green tea at 8PM and I head for the gym where a religious session pursues. I HAVE NEVER TAKEN MY MOBILE TO THE GYM since it is like a bomb waiting to explode. I see a lot of people at the gym dwelling about like zombies with mobiles in their hands. Come on people! Let’s face it, mobiles have done so much good to us but don’t let it change who you are! Keep your focus right! LOSING WEIGHT IS NOT EASY! Post-workout try having a protein rich diet. Since I reach home after 9PM, I avoid salt. Boiled or scrambled egg whites (6-7) make a good meal. If still hungry, I don’t regret eating a roti and some curry. Lose weight, not your sanity. Keep cheat days. For me weekends is when I eat pooris, brain curry, kulchas, butter chicken, malai tikka etc. with absolutely no guilt. This way the food tastes even better. 

Workout regularly, eat healthy, be dedicated and READ! Read up on the internet, what to eat, what to avoid, when to eat, it’s all out there waiting to be read! Let nobody fool you for your money. Be your own health doctor. But make it a point to always keep a physical activity involved. Only cutting on your diet will make you lose those extra inches but that’s just your muscle and water, not the fat! I weighed 106kgs when I joined the gym and in 6 months managed to lose 32kgs, 8inches on the waist and wear a size M. It’s been almost 4 months since I have been stable at that weight (apart from 2-3kgs gain in muscle) and the best part? I eat everything. It’s just how you balance your nutritional intake with your workout routines. 

To do that always be motivated. For me motivation was when I lost the first 4kgs and henceforth. Be calm, be patient, good things take time and effort. Be disciplined, and be truthful especially to yourself. Keep a close watch on your weight, in fact I used to weigh myself every morning to help understand how my previous day’s routine has affected my weight. The graph was not always down, but don’t get disheartened…it takes time.

 

Healthy is a lifestyle not just a habit. My body feels more active, my sleep clock is well calibrated, skin is cleaner and above all, I feel good and confident about myself. One thing that really amuses me is that my focus in life has also drastically improved. My professional life is better and I can feel the “boy to man” transition taking place with me currently.

SO Stop making excuses people, you can only fool the world and not yourself! You know you can do it, it’s just about the first push. GET UP, GET OUT!