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A Slice of Life, Experimenting



Un-junked for a Month!

After gaining about 10kg of weight in a span of 4 months I decided it was time to eat outside less frequently. From the weight gain to reduced stamina, I experienced a lot of change in a very short time. Dorky as it sounds, it made me aware of eating healthy. Thus, a day before the start of a new semester in college, mom and I made a short-term resolution over a pizza with an obscene amount of cheese: complete abstinence from fattening food in August 2013!

Fast food had become an integral part of my college life. Right from the pav-bhaji dripping with butter to the modest vada-pav, I love it all. Maybe that’s why the first week was so painful to me. I was experiencing “withdrawal symptoms” seeing my classmates have cheese grilled sandwiches. The worst part was my journey to and from college – the presence of two McDonald’s outlets on the way. At times, when the aroma of the cheese burgers became too tempting, I prayed for the month to get over soon so that I could start eating all sorts of junk-food again.

The next week and a half was slightly less painful, as I stopped going to the canteen altogether to avoid looking at the junk food. I stuck to the chapatti-subzi mom gave me for lunch instead. The “withdrawal symptoms” had more or less subsided as the effect of abstinence was already showing. My stamina had increased. I could now climb eight stories of stairs without ending up completely breathless. That extra layer of fat I had slightly reduced as I made it a point to walk at least three kilometres every day.

Towards the end of the third week, I ended up craving all the more for a pizza. Three weeks without having a pizza was a miracle in itself for me (Even my pizza-detesting grandparents had started missing it by then). With great difficulty I talked them (and myself) out of ordering one. “Just another week!” was the only thought that stopped me from ordering one. I treated myself to a grilled sandwich (without cheese) instead to curb that need for junk food.

The last week was surprisingly painless. Temptation to eat junk had pretty much subsided and I didn’t feel the craving even while walking past McDonald’s. Although I didn’t end up losing all the extra weight I gained, I now can feel the change in me. The best part about this experience was the feeling of accomplishment once it was over. It beats everything else.






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