Upbringing now and then.

Once upon a time a little girl was traveling by train with her parents to a far away land. She walked with her father towards the pantry car. There, behind the glass display lay a  golden yellow pack of mango juice. She grew excited and yanked at her father's shirt and screamed

Notices...

Since I have dished out something today morning, my brain is running dry. But there were few observations made post that post. Nothing pertaining to that post, but just that it was post that post. Clear?

This is not a report. Just things that I noticed today.

For one, the Gemini bridge is all lit up, the parapet walls running along have been illuminated with tiny blue bulbs encased in a translucent tube. In simple words, very pretty. Originally such lighting used to happen for special occasions like Tamil New Year's or Diwali etc. Now it is like daily wear makeup. And it looks good, I like it.


The other thing I noticed was the beautiful and huge park right at the Gemini circle. Erstwhile premises of the Woodlands Drive-in has now been converted into a park. The huge campus is the greenest spread of earth in Chennai today. The centuries old huge trees have long held my admiration.  With all the billboards gone, the full beauty can now be enjoyed during a ride down the winding flyover. Well lit with tiny lamps all over, it seems like a wonderful place for some quiet time. Possibly an alternate to the beach.


While in bus today, I found myself starring at a bald patch on someone's head. And that head belonged to a girl. Yes, now even girls have to deal with receding hairlines. No one has black hair, natural hair colour has evolved to reddish brown and other like shades. With that said, the pony tails and pig tails now look like 'palli vaalu' i.e a lizards tail (the one found in our homes). There is no use reveling in past glory and saying that your hair was long and thick, that the comb used to break while untangling it or was as black as night. Now it is thin, receding and lacking in luster and colour. By 'You' I mean ME and not comb breaking but definitely healthier and stronger that what it is today. A mere ghost of its illustrious past.

With that my 'noticing' is done. But I shall leave you with food for thought.

Highlights of diet today:

Mid morning snack : 1 whole ripe mango

Lunch: Special Raw Mango gravy (maanga pachadi)

Post Dinner Snack: Mango fruit salad (also includes bananas and jackfruits, maa pala vaazhai)

I strictly recommend it to those who love the fruit and don't mind the calories.

I have restrained form the use of tanglish in this post. Feels a little odd.

One Kilo in One Month..

Its official.. the scales stopped a kilo early today.. i have successfully lost a kilo.. its a reverse trend for me.. i usually gain a kilo a year..

i have always been heavier than others my age.. never bother much about it.. partly cause i chose to not care and partly i didn't have the confidence that i could.. over the years many people have advised me to Go for a walk, Exercise, drink honey in warm water early morning etc etc... i chose the easiest option.. honey on empty stomach.. it did make me look leaner but i never checked its effects on a weighing machine.. couple of months ago i did try it again.. but since i now live in a city whether it is cold and dry.. i got a nose bleed.. so put a full stop..

I was tested for PCOS and Thyroid in between... and i struck gold in both.. The doctor said that both conditions could be the root cause of my weight gain and put me medicines... in the year that followed... i had lost 5kilos straight...

Losing 5kilos without any exercise or special diet made me very happy.. it was good news but still i was obese..

I suffer from Subclinical hypothyroidism where my TSH was 13.. way above normal whereas my T3 & T4 were normal.. and since that day i have been starting my day with a thyroid tablet..

I visited a thyroid specialist who double underlined the fact that i HAD to lose weight..

My next stop from there was to a gym near my house.. all women.. that was a plus point... i enrolled without wasting a minute on second thoughts..

So here is my gym routine and diet chart to see what makes it work:

1. Brisk walking on a Treadmill (0% incline) with a speed of 5.5 to 6.0 for about 15-20mins everyday...
2. A seated cycle (70 to 75rpms level3)or a cross-trainer (elliptical)(60-65 rpms level3) for around 10-15mins each day..
3. Aerobics classes on alternate days for one hour..

All above are cardio exercises..
4. Other exercises for Arms, Legs, Abs etc..

My Diet.. the word seems big.. but i have not missed any of my favourite foods.. just have reduced the quantity..

6:30 am - a cup of coffee with milk, one spoon sugar only, 2 high fibre biscuits if i am hungry

8:30 am - was recommended to have a wheat bread sandwich.. but i have 2 rotis / dosas/ idlies etc.. they say to avoid coconut.. so my chutneys are pudhina, tomato etc

11:00 am - a veg salad and a glass of thin buttermilk (i end up skipping this)

1:30 pm - Lunch - 2 rotis / 1.5 cups rice.. 2varieties of vegetables and the salad if u had missed it at 11:00...

4:30pm - a cup of coffee with one spoon sugar and 2biscuits optional

6:00pm - a salad / veg soup / fruit

8:30pm - dinner.. similar to breakfast and i avoid rice at night..

10:00pm - a glass of skimmed milk or a fruit...

Recommended to include greens 3 times a week..

This diet works best with 1hour of exercise every day.. which can be just plain brisk walking.. the dietitian said "no sugar" but i stick to one spoon..

also i have not completely avoided the comfort foods.. i don't binge on them either.. i watch the intake..

in simple words eat only for hunger and not for desire..

i joined a gym to get my weight loss started.. i needed the push towards a healthier lifestyle.. else on my own i wonder if i would ever have pushed myself to it.. now HEALTH is deeply embedded in my mind.. i don't feel in-confident.. i give my best to all the workouts.. in my aerobics class there are many who are excellent and many struggling like me...

all that you have to do is "Not Give Up"...