Lose weight, not muscle strength: turn to FITNESS, weight loss is a byproduct

Ever since the results of my health transformation journey became visible, I have been hearing these statements from everyone around me:

“और कितना पतली होगी ?” (how much thinner are you going to be?)

“दिन ब दिन और पतली होती जा रही हो ” (you are getting thinner as days go by)

“खाना पीना बंद कर दिया है क्या ?” (Have you stopped eating your meals?)

When I tell them that I need to lose 10 kgs more of fat and build muscle, their reaction is PAGAL HO GAYI HAI KYA?? Lol…

It is not their fault. We are being fed with the wrong information – look around you, how many people actually talk about BUILDING MUSCLE STRENGTH & MUSCLE ENDURANCE?

How many people around you talk of getting fitter? Is there a single advertisement that markets fitness? Nearly every advertisement talks about weightloss – the harmful effects are never highlighted. No one tells you that merely weight loss is not equal to gaining fitness or strength.

People need to realise that weight loss is a by-product of your fitness journey. 

Taking my own example:

I spent a lot of money on weight loss programmes, wasted time and energy in crash diets. Kept hearing people complaining about how one can never lose weight and one will always remain fat.

I had ZERO MUSCLE STRENGTH & SUB-ZERO MUSCLE ENDURANCE

Yes, I was overweight. But, besides that, I had no strength or stamina. I couldn’t even walk 450 metres without taking a break. I used to get breathless and my knees used to feel like they would break. The highpoint came when I participated in a marathon, walked the entire 5 km stretch and came last. I was on bed for the next 7 days. At work, if I was at an event, the next 4 days were spent on the bed. When I went grocery shopping, I couldn’t carry more than 1 kg of weight in both hands and that too for hardly 2-3 minutes.

The popular thought process in India is: “शादी के बाद और दो बच्चों के बाद तो वजन बढ़ना ही है …” (putting on weight after marriage and two kids is something that obviously and inadvertently happens)

And then came the time when people around me started using phrases like:  “बचपन में जो करते थे वो थोड़ी ना अब कर सकते है…” (We cannot imagine replicating our childhood antics at this age)

I changed completely when a friend of mine who was as overweight as me remarked, “अब तो मौत का इंतज़ार है – सब ज़िन्दगी तो देखली, पतला हो कर क्या करना है ” (I am awaiting death, I have seen everything in life, why do I need to bother about losing weight or getting fit?)

Her statement hit me like a 440 volts electric current!! A voice inside me screamed out loudly – NO!! That is not how Mayura Amarkant will live her life!! I will live and die with dignity!! 

I started researching on fitness and weight loss and realised that both are very different. I consulted a doctor, went in for diagnostic tests to understand my health better and then moved as per instructions by the medical professionals.

I started walking first, then turned to aerobics and yoga. That’s when I realised the importance of building muscle strength. I also started playing Throwball and realised sports needed a different level of fitness. I modified my diet and started eating healthy. But that was not enough the whole battle was about how to maintain strength while losing weight.

Eating healthy also meant portion control – how does one eat less and still maintain strength and build muscle?

That is when I heard of ENSURE – it is targeted nutrition to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time and offers balanced nutrition. I checked with my doctor and he also recommended that it is a good option for me as a supplement to a healthy diet. I decided to go in for it as my doctor recommended it as an excellent source of protein, 24 essential vitamins and minerals. I take ENSURE twice a day along with a healthy diet.

You may ask me what a healthy diet is? Well, with two kids, entrepreneurship and blogging – there is hardly time to have a planned diet the way the experts do it. I use my common sense and eat everything that is healthy. The logic being: If you cannot give it to a child, it’s not healthy – so fried stuff, processed foods, oily stuff, maida – is all out of the window. I try and drink lots of water and keep myself hydrated at all times.

Through this post, I want to urge people to start focussing on building their strength, regain muscle and get fitter instead of focussing on losing weight.

Penned by:

Mayura Amarkant 

Disclaimer: I am no doctor, it’s always better to consult a doctor and follow a proper regime instead of blindly signing up for weight loss programmes and undertaking silly crash diets. Invest in something permanent, don’t waste your money and time over short term solutions.