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#FatToFit: How I lost 20 kilos in 6 months

June 08, 2016 18:10 IST

How can a mother not listen to her little angel!

When 32-year-old Anisha Banerjee's daughter Rishita said, "Mom you are so beautiful... but you are fat", she knew that it was time to get back in shape.

Kolkata-born, China-based Anisha shares her amazing weight loss story with us.

Read it here and get inspired.

Anisha Banerjee

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Rahul Banerjee

I weighed 74 kilos in 2014.

My weight always made me feel that I looked much older than my age.

I had no idea how much weight I was gaining until I started to look like a rosogulla (a Bengali sweet). I couldn't figure out a way to shed those extra kilos.

Slowly, I noticed that my face and body fat was getting clearly visible.

Being a mother and a wife, it became important for me to remain strong enough -- mentally and physically -- to share responsibilities of life along with my husband.

So one morning, I motivated myself and decided to get back in shape.

I started dieting and going to the gym.

I kept trying, but it didn't seem to work. In fact, I wasn't regular in following a diet regime or working out at the gym.

What I realised is that the word FIT is always misinterpreted as losing weight.

Trust me, it's about making oneself strong from within, which in turn will make you look and feel good from outside.

During the process of losing weight, I figured out that there are many factors that can lead to obesity. And they can't be ignored.

I learned that lack of sleep, not drinking enough water and skipping meals can result in obesity.

One day, my daughter Rishita (who is nine and a half years old now) told me, "Mom you are so beautiful but you are fat".

It was quite embarrassing and sad too.

I made up my mind, once again, to lose weight. And this time I was very determined.

I stuck to the basics -- gave proper rest to my body by sleeping for seven to eight hours every day, and also drank water every hour.

I maintained a strict diet too.

My day started with a cup of ginger tea with a spoon of sugar followed by breakfast that comprised oats with milk, a banana and boiled eggs.

For lunch, I took boiled fish or chicken. At times, I had a bowl of dal with boiled veggies in it or a bowl of fruits and yoghurt.

In the evening, I'd have a cup of ginger tea with a slice of white bread.

And for dinner, I took boiled fish or chicken again. Sometimes, I made a bowl of caesar salad.

I made sure that I never skipped any meal.

Along with this, I went for walks. I walked 3 km in the morning for at least four days in a week.

Five days in a week, I'd go to the gym for two hours. 

Even today, I do cardio, high intensity interval training and abs training exercises.

When I miss out on my walks (and when I am with my family on weekends) I indulge in yoga.

I learnt the postures from Shilpa Shetty's video on yoga.

I follow this regime even today.

It's been six months since I have started following this and I weigh 54 kilos now.

I intend to maintain this weight further.

A big thanks to my fitness freak husband Rahul who kept me motivated throughout and pushed me to achieve my goals.

I would like the readers -- who are trying to lose weight -- to know that never give up and don’t go for any shortcuts.

Take each step to a healthy life slowly but steadily.

Nothing is impossible once you decide to do it. Cheers!

ALSO SEE

#FatToFit: How I lost 15 kilos in four months

#FatToFit: How I lost 36 kilos in 7 months

Have you recently lost weight? We want you to share your weight loss story with us.

Write in to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Fat to Fit'), with a before and after photograph, if possible, and we'll feature the best entries right here onRediff.com! 

As told to Tista Sengupta/Rediff.com