Taking stock. Sunday September 2-7 (Friday)- 2007.

I must let you guys on to a secret.

1. I do not seem to have lost any weight in the last seven days.

2. I have missed over half my sessions.

How? Sunday was a holiday so 2nd of September was a waste. On Monday, the trainer just did not turn up and later on I learn that he had quit as the gym was shutting down (or so he thought), anyway. So it is goodbye Dharam bhaiyya!

But I did not know all this and when the gym was locked I went to the nearby park which is equipped with a cemented walkway for walkers/joggers. I did 4 rounds of the huge park, so maybe it was 4 to 5 kilometers.
But this was no fun.

Tuesday was Krishna Janmashtami and my daughter wanted to join me. She had tutions and insisted that either I allow her to skip her tuitions to go to the gym or I wait up and then the two of us go to workout at the gym together!

So no appearance at the gym. Later I learned that it had not opened anyway. Wednesday was a waste too as I had an interview with a publishing house in Delhi. The entire day spent in the commute and event, I miss the gym.

So when Thursday 6th September dawned, I was determined to start the sessions again.
So I go to the gym and discover that they are shifting the remaining machines(after many were sold off,to a part of the previous area.A ladies' tailor has rented out the place and only one instructor remains.

There are a few women working out. They are all upset. The instructor now on duty promises to run the place.

So I work on the walker, the cycle, twister, chest push, dumbbells and an inclined plane. I do all barely for 8-10 minutes each.

Now I want to know if I have lost any weight at all. The instructor manipulates the weighing scales a lot till he is satisfied that the zero is on the correct place. Satisfied, he instructs me to stand on it.

I wonder out aloud as to why the previous instructor had not checked the accuracy of the scales, the last time AI weighed myself.

73 kilograms!

I want to cry. But do not. The instructor sees my shocked expression and asks, "How much was it the last time you weighed yourself?"

71 kilos, I tell him.

He tries to soothe my nerves by saying, "There must have been an error. Not set properly, it showed two kilos extra. Now you know what it is the correct weight!

Damn, damn! All my efforts(?) down the drain?

Any doctor on board? Please tell me which is the correct way? Where am I wrong, if at all?

Saturday, September 1, 2007. I am still on!

Miracle! I have begun a sport that my in-laws would have at the best called a selfish pursuit and yet shamelessly and without any guilt, I still carry it on. The operation is still under cover.

Today I meet two more ladies. One talks of losing 15 kilograms under the same instructor - Dharam.

"But I looked deathly pale, then. So I allowed the gain back of 5+ kilos," she said. She had 'dieted' unreasonably, she said.

So that must have been it! Any crash and aggressive diet changes are unsustainable and end up being discarded.

I have decided that I am not making any changes in my diet. My diet is not nutritious but is not loaded with oils and fries either. I am not addicted to colas or sweets. So, thanks but no thanks, no Dr. Atkins for me.

I do a repeat of yesterday's exercises. Today light, pink colored dumb-bells join my regimen as I am given weight training. Also, a machine that has me pushing wights laden on a sidebar, that I end up pushing as I push the chest level cushioned handle makes me slog and I feel my abdominals stretching and straining.

That's what I need. That's what I want. My problem areas are the abs. All my 71 kilos seem to be accumulated there.

Tomorrow is Sunday and a holiday.

I request that the gym be opened for me.

Declined. More shocks. The owner seems to have let out the place and soon the new tenant shopkeepers will push all the equipments to a corner. Man, my ill-luck on the gym front refuses to let up.

Tomorrow's another day, though, like Scarlett Hara would have said.

So folks, watch this space.

Friday, 31st August - Day one- 71 kilos?!

I had been asking around a number of days about a respectable gym that is frequented by women and heard of this one that is a unisex gym but with different hours for men and women.

So I walked in on the Friday morning, into this gym and asked the a thousand questions.

I told them that I will be returning to such activity after nearly twelve years now. So I have to start slowly. I got to know that the hours for women will be upto 12 noon.

"Do wear shoes." is all they told me after assuring me that I could come over in my regular north Indian wear of salwar kurta.

So off I went home with a promise to return the next day.

Back at home, I could not imagine waiting upto 'tomorrow'. Last many years, I had wasted many a tomorrows. So in a while after doing some work, I dusted the caked grime from from my winter shoes and tried them on. Perfect for walking!

Grabbed a towel and left the house with in-laws watching TV news of Salman Khan or something like that! Too busy to ask me questions about where I was headed and I slipped away. Within minutes I was back at the gym.

"I though I'd better begin on a Friday, than a Saturday (considered inauspicious by northerners for beginning new missions)!" I offered.

Weighing scales! What? 71 kilos? Oh my God!

There was another lady, Sadhana didi(a way to address a woman with respect)who was walking with ease on the non-automatic treadmill. I walked in and assumed my walk on another.

While a fan cooled the other woman, my side had none. Also, years of abstinence from sports had taken a toll. So in every few minutes, I was off the mill, wiping sweat and huffing and puffing.

Acting brave, I shared notes with the lady.

She was a former Kabaddi (an ethnic and ancient Indian sport)and at one I felt at home.

Cycling, twisters and calisthenics done, I realized that I was a far cry from the girl who had run sprints and won college championships. But the feeling was exhilarating! Like returning to your real love!

"Go slow on the amount you do in a day," said the instructor, making a sign of mock-dying while adding, "or you will be..."

So I returned home after promising to add a few exercises the next day.

Back at home, I was thirsty more than hungry. I forgot to tell you folks that I had only had a cup milk less green tea with basil leaves in the morning. So now I made myself a glass of lime juice with sugar and returned to my bedroom, wondering how many kilos I had shed already?!

Ha ha ha!!!

I know, you know that I was only kidding. Patience man.

More tomorrow.

Time to begin operation weight loss...sshhhhhSSSSS!

I have just passed that stage when I can sell excuses to myself about my extra pounds.

Frankly, it is not funny.

I cannot see how I allowed almost 15 to 20 kilograms of extra weight to pile up over three to four years and allowed it to go on for years.

Its a long story, but to cut things short- here's the order.

38 summers ago, I was born a thin baby. I even grew up as a thin person, almost 35 kilos at age 17-18 and ashamed of the thinness. I had all the right contours yet, felt that there should have been more meat on my bony frame.

At the swimming pool and at the gym where I went rarer than I hit the sports field (my favorite being Handball and athletics), I was always complimented on my tight and lean body.

Then disaster struck.

I got married. And eventually was expecting. Unfortunately, miscarried but retained the weight. Then after a year and a half had my first child, a girl, by cesarean section surgery!

HELP!

Disaster had just begun.

I gained more pounds and with no help, had little time or energy reserves to go out and exercise.

Had another child, a son this time, and was totally in in-laws' hands who thought- Gym and a daughter-in-law are like chalk and cheese- the twain should not meet.

So now I weigh 71 kilos from the 54 or so I must have been at marriage time.

But I am going to let you on to a secret.

I have started going to the gym on the sly. With my babies aged 10 and 7 yrs conspiring with me, I have told only my husband...and have started sneaking out of home each day, to slog away the pounds at the gym- from yesterday.

I shall write more tomorrow, to let you know what happened on day one and two. But as for now, just pray I stick on our campaign- havtaloseweight.

Cheers.

KP