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Are you in the Yo-Yo-Club?

Thin today, fat tomorrow. Why do most of us fail in our effort to stay slim?

WATCH YOUR WEIGHT Exercise matters

Humorist Erma Bombeck once said, “I’ve lost so much weight that by all estimations I should be hanging from a key chain!” She wasn’t and that’s something we can all relate to. We diet, jog and pay up for gym workouts. We feel fit, assume we look slim and manage to wow colleagues. And then we slack off, and watch in alarm, the needle racing up the weighing scale to reach beyond where we started. Whatever happened? Nothing except we’re the latest members of the Yo-Yo Club.

The question is: why do people, otherwise so successful in whatever they do, fail in this one effort? How is it we are unable to sustain weight reduction? Mmm…check these out.

* Eating the wrong things – out of ignorance, time pressure or non-availability of healthy stuff. Eating too much, too frequently. Or gobbling up for emotional reasons (bored, stressed, lonely or angry).

* Bio factors: It’s genetic. Everyone in the family looks “prosperous.” All you can do is avoid making it worse.

* Great expectations: the get-slim industry never tells you there is no one-size-fits-all diet; losing weight rapidly is not healthy, what you need is a life-long diet-and-exercise programme. You won’t hear from them that each of us has a Lowest Sustainable Weight. If their products were totally successful, where would they be, eh?

* Lack of exercise: When did you last run up a couple of flights of stairs without gasping?

* Insufficient support: For a brand new lifestyle (diet, walks, eco-holidays, swimming?), you need a big nod from people around you. How do you say “no” politely to the regular supply of samosas in your office?

* Motivation quotient: How determined are you to stay within your weight zone? Regained weight gets terribly attached to you. You called it back, right?

And then there’s the mother of all reasons. An NRI believes a major cause of bulging Indian obesity — “from overweight to can’t-get-out-of-airline-seat” — is an Indian mother’s love.

Shreyasi’s story bears out this theory. “My mom managed to up my weight by 10 kg when I stayed with her for a couple of years. My fitness level nose-dived and all my efforts to stay in shape went kaput.” Adds Harman, “I gain almost 5 kg when I go home for a week. My digestion gets all upset.” He, however, admits it’s not because of force-feeding – “I just can’t resist those divine paranthas.”

“Ghar ka khana” cooked with love may have more fat than a “double cheese burger” but still has fewer side effects,” counters Siddharth, licking the gulab-jamun off his fingersIs there a way to combat mo m’s gastronomical commands? The guys suggest saying ‘no’ to extra food and dessert, and if forcibly served, leaving it. Or eating slowly, making it last till everyone’s finished. Arguing, “Now I cannot eat like children do.”

Transferring the food to her plate with a sweet “You look thin, ma. You should eat more.” Shefali, a nutritionist, believes with some effort, we can share our awareness with our families.

But a long-suffering wife snaps, “It boils down to being “mothered” all the time. Be it food or a career decision, Indians are not a confident and independent lot. Parents have to have a say!” What does the NRI do at his mom’s table?

“I gave up long ago. Meal after meal, I loosen my belt and clean my plate. I work out twice as much the week after. For the few days I am with her I can’t break her heart. To mothers everywhere…you’re the best.”

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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