I lost 12 kgs in 10 weeks through Yoga.
Story of Ms.Ishita Singh of losing weight and toning her body by practicing yoga in her own words.
Yes, that’s true! And I wrote that first in bold letters to make you read the full story.
I had faced a serious near death accident back in 2014 and to recover fully well I had to take a lot of medicines (which puffed my body a little) + mom’s homemade food with all the extravagant Indianess (yes I am talking about ghee) for 5 months straight caused me to gain a LOT of weight. I was around 58 kgs before I met with the accident and after 6 months of recovery I was a little over 75 kgs. So I had gained 17 kgs straight away.
My old clothes didn’t fit me well, had to buy bigger sizes now. Didn’t feel good about it. Even though I had a regular diet, I was constant at 75+ kgs. My routine physical activity was almost zero. I have always avoided untimely snacking, but because I had reached a level where I wasn’t caring anymore, I munched and munched.
There were times when people used to tell me how I used to look before. And that somehow was depressing. I tried to catch up on exercise so many times, all in vain. Went running for a while, sadly not so interesting for the laid-back-fat-me. I hate gym-ing, still gave it a try, only to see myself eating more than necessary because, cravings.
Finally came a time when my mom pushed me to my limits. She knows yoga pretty well and meditation. I am breaking it up like this, because for people who focus only on losing weight through yoga, this is the best way to see it. If you confuse between the two, the fat loss isn’t going to be as fast as 1.2 kgs a week, like mine.
My Daily Schedule:
- Get up at 6:30 am.
- Without thinking anything, drink 2 glasses of lukewarm water. 2 spoons of fenugreek (methi) soaked overnight in that water.
- Go to the toilet and feel good that my stomach’s empty after coming out of the toilet.
- 1 beautiful hour of Yoga.
- 15 minutes of meditation.
- 10 hours of daily work.
- Come back home. Relax for a while.
- 45 minutes of fast paced walking (before dinner) or play any outdoor game.
- Have dinner.
- Do whatever the hell you want, except eating and drinking beverages. Pro-tip: Drink water every-time you crave something after dinner.
- Soak 2 full spoons fenugreek seeds in 2 glasses of water.
Daily Yoga Routine:
You can join a yoga class trained by a good teacher or practice at home. An effective yoga training is available here.
- SURYA-NAMASKAR: THE ONE THING I SWEAR BY ! This magically helped me reduce weight. Initially I did 10 reps, stretched it till 20 and gave up. The next day I did 25, 2 days later did 35 till one day I reached 100. Yes you read it right, 100 reps of Surya Namaskar daily. In approximately 40-45 minutes at one go. Do not push yourself if you are facing low/high BP or are facing back pain or any kind of pain in your body for that matter (which is why I highly suggest you start your Yoga sessions under supervision). After getting used to it, I began doing 50 before, and 50 after a full set of yoga poses.
- Later on it became a routine task for me so wasn’t much of a problem. After 2 weeks of religiously practicing it you won’t feel a thing, trust me! And your day will not go well if you don’t do it.
- In the end, I used to deep breathe for about 5 minutes to calm myself. Used to chant “OM” for 10 times, each time trying to chant it longer than the last time. Lie down for 2-3 minutes with closed eyes, palms facing upwards, body left loose. After 2 minutes, rub palms vigorously against each other and touch eyes (only after which open your eyes). Get up from your right side very slowly.
You can read our blog about the benefits of Surya Namaskar here.
Eating Schedule:
- Breakfast : Plate full of Sprouts/Fruits.
- Lunch :Either Fruits and boiled vegetables or Daal (pulses)- 1 full bowl. Roti(Indian wheat bread)/Rice- sometimes.
- Sometimes bhelpuri (rice puffs with a lot of veggies, Google it up foreigner friends, it’s damn tasty.
- Dinner: Boiled bottle gourd mashed up in the mixer-grinder to get a smoothie like texture. Add salt, black pepper powder, dash of lime, drink 2 full glasses. DRINK IT!
- NO SNACKS. STRICTLY!
- 4 bottles of lukewarm water per day. Less than that = not enough effort. WHENEVER YOU DRINK WATER, STRICTLY DRINK LUKEWARM WATER ONLY. You’ll feel pathetic initially, but do it. No questions asked. You’ll adapt.
- I am a pure vegetarian, not even eggetarian, so can’t say anything about including eggs in this diet.
- No food inside your body after 8–9 pm. Abide by this rule. Period.
- You’ll feel hungry, really really really hungry initially while switching to this plan, but out of desperation do not eat anything that causes you to gain weight. Trust me, once you get to see the results, you’ll thank yourself (and me).
- No additional beverages. Have either tea or coffee just once a day, preferably without sugar, if you can’t resist the urge at all. I resisted and lost 12 kgs, remember?
Lastly, measure your weight everyday. I used to do it and I could see visible results. It motivated me to see that I am losing close to 400grams everyday after my rigorous yoga session. And I used to make it a point to maintain that till the next day, by adhering to my diet plan. Practically speaking, it’s not possible to keep losing 400-500 gms everyday at the same pace, but losing 1-1.5 kgs per week is very very easy, if you follow all of the above.
The weight reduction initially geared up. I lost straight 5 kgs in the first month. But then it was constant for 2 weeks. I pushed myself to do more, but that didn’t help. So don’t stress out if you don’t see instant results. Your weight will reduce eventually, focus on losing inches, not weight. Weight is just a way of measuring whether you are on the right track to achieving a great toned body.
Do not see yoga as a way to reduce weight. It is a journey in itself, and it would be best if you see it like that. It strengthened me emotionally, mentally and definitely physically. I learnt difficult yoga poses after which I realized I can possibly do any physical task. Yes, it was daunting, yes I thought of giving up many times, yes it started taking a toll on me initially, but would I have reached back to 60 kgs from 75 kgs, if I had given up back then? I am back to being 60 kgs now. And I am happier than I ever was. I see it as an achievement.
If you think you’ll start from tomorrow, you will never do it, trust me! Start from today, right now, after reading my story. Sit on your bed/chair/floor and breathe deeply for 5-10 minutes and tell yourself you will start it when you open your eyes the next morning. And after 10 weeks you will also be sharing your story here.
Ready to share your story.
My gratitude to Ms.Ishita Singh for sharing her story.