THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
I joined Nourish With Sim (Nourish Plus) on 9th July, 2022. And back then I weighed 89.5 kgs. Today, after five and half months, my weight has come down to 77.3 kgs and now I have come down from XxL to L. But this journey, which still continues, isn't just about weight loss. It's about being a better version of yourself - mentally, physically emotionally - holistically. NWS isn't just about tilting the scales. It's not just counting and burning calories and getting into the clothes that you always dreamt of wearing. It's about a whole lifestyle change, discovering, accepting and falling in love with a "New You" - something we all deserve.
To be honest, even before I actually enrolled on the program, I had been following Simrum and NourishWithSim on Instagram for over six months and even though I never did any of the free workouts, I still learned a lot about weight, body type, hair, skin, menstrual health etc. And what struck me was the honesty in those posts. Well, there are hundreds of pages on Instagram that tell you you can go from XL to XS in 90 days but do these pages tell you why you aren't losing weight, or worse still, why you haven't been able to keep off the weight you have lost? But Simrum tells you exactly how it happens, and explains quite scientifically, how essential it is to create a caloric deficit to lose weight and more importantly, how to maintain your weight after you have reached your goal. And long before I joined the program, I knew, whenever I would be starting with my weightloss journey, it would be with Simrun.
If you read through the programs' details on the website, there's something you will find towards the end. "Imagine a university with the best teachers and the best guidance. But where will you reach if you aren't doing your homework?" Well, that's one thing that I have always reminded myself on my bad days. I knew, even if it was a bad day, maybe a day when I was down with a bad cold or really tired, I still had to give my best. Maybe I couldn't push myself to reach 12 or 14k steps, but I could definitely aim for 6 or 8k and see if I could make it. There's one particular thing that Sim once wrote on her posts (I don't remember when, but it was way back, before I joined NWS) - the difference between Success and Excellence. Success is basically a comparison with others. But Excellence - it's you versus yourself. And the moment you decide to strive for Excellence, that is gonna be one life-changing moment in your journey, in whatever you do. I read that and that was something that struck me real hard. She was right, spot on! And that's when striving for Excellence became my Mantra. Each day, I strive towards becoming a better version of myself.
Now, coming to my journey so far with NWS, when I signed up for Nourish Plus in July, I opted for this program because of my innumerable health issues - hypothyroidism, neuralgia, depression, low energy levels, muscle weakness, anxiety and more. I hadn't really tried any fad diets or weight loss pills, because I knew they wouldn't actually work. But because I had been gaining weight over the past two years, mostly because of excessive stress and a very poor sleep cycle, I had restricted my eating and portion sizes to less than 900 calories a day, focussing mostly on high protein, low carb meals and absolutely avoiding everything else. But even after doing that for a whole year, I never lost weight and in fact I gained more weight, which was frustrating in the very least.
After an in depth consultation, my nutritionist put me on "Reverse Dieting" - increasing my portion sizes to an acceptable minimum level since I was eating far less than was acceptable and this was making my hypothyroidism worse. The first month went in trying to get used to an increased food intake. After a whole year of literally starving myself, I was eating a balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats. I used to feel too full trying to finish my meals, but my Nutritionist Nabila was and still continues to be highly supportive and encouraging. So yeah, with all these health issues and medications, losing weight was a distant dream. And yet, it was a dream and I have always believed firmly in the words of my favorite author Paulo Coelho, "It is the possibility of a dream coming true that makes life interesting and worth living". So I decided, it was high time I set aside my other priorities and focus on getting myself into shape - both physically and mentally. I had no idea how far I would be able to go with all these health issues, but it was important to start.
So yeah, I started with reverse dieting and a minimum of 5 to 8k steps a day. Due to chronic neuralgia and muscle weakness, initially workouts weren't a feasible option for me. So I decided if I couldn't do the workouts, I had better focus on getting more steps done. If I did 2 to 3k more steps, that would, in a way, partially compensate for the workouts. I knew I had many limitations, but I chose instead to focus on what was doable. And after three weeks of the program, I had lost nearly 1.5 kgs of weight. And back then, it seemed like a humongous achievement. More than what the scales showed was the inch loss, which started from the very first week itself.
Those fortnightly calls with my nutritionist Nabila have been real stress busters and not just that, her daily texts and messages have always been so encouraging, I knew if I let myself down, I was also letting down another person who was putting in so much effort into getting me sorted. And there was no way I could have done that! I was quite honest with Nabila right from the beginning. She understood well enough, being human, we all have our good and bad days, and she continues to be there with me through all of them. I will be very honest. When I joined NWS, I was recovering from a very bad nervous breakdown and had been battling with depression, anxiety and crippling panic attacks since a year, post the demise of two loved ones during the second Covid wave. So, one of my top three priorities was reducing stress and anxiety. I was at a point where the stress and panic were so overwhelming that even stepping out of the house was terrifying in the very least. And yet, I had my studies going on and every one and half months I would shuttle between my hometown and Delhi. And for the three to four weeks I was at Delhi, I needed to manage my meals on my own. I couldn't cook, considering my circumstances but my Nutritionist always helped me choose what to order so that I was still going on with the requisite portion sizes. Caffeine was something I was addicted to and perhaps that was one of my biggest hurdles - caffeine triggers and worsens anxiety. Nabila advised me to cut down on caffeine from thrice to twice a day and gradually limit it to once a day. Coffee was literally my elixir and this seemed like an impossible task. And yet, since mid-October, I have completely stopped having coffee! No, she didn't force me to, she asked me to limit it to once a day, gradually, but then there came a day when I knew I didn't need to chug down another cup of cold coffee to keep going. And that's the beauty of this program - the encouragement and support makes you work to bring out the best in you.
Towards the end of my first program, Nabila told me something that really touched me. And I would like to quote her words, words that will always stay with me and keep motivating me to give my best in whatever I do, "So the thing about you that's different is, your graph has always been an upward curve. No matter what happens, even if there's one bad day or two, you don't give up. You keep going and you keep giving your best. And this consistency is remarkable - losing 500-600 grams of weight weekly - you need to be proud of yourself too, take some credit for the efforts you are putting into this". That's when I looked back at the first picture I had taken when I started with Nourish Plus and the picture after 10 weeks into the program - the difference was very much visible! I was thankful, grateful in the very least. But that's when I realised I needed to actually give myself some credit for having come this far. I was grateful that I had been so consistent and I was determined to keep that going. But I'll still say, I owe a big part of my consistency to my nutritionist for all the support and encouragement and of course to Simrun for designing such a remarkable program.
By the time I re-enrolled for Nourish Plus, three months later, I was already a better version of myself, but I knew I still had a long way to go. But the panic and anxiety attacks were getting better, my life was going back to some kind of manageable normalcy and I knew, with time, things would fall into place. Gradually, I increased my steps as I slowly but surely gained some stamina and now I have an average of 13-15k steps daily going up to 17-18k on some days! From 5k steps to 8k steps, then 12k steps and more, from just steps to spot jogging and stretches and then to Surya Namaskar and some modified workouts, things started working out, slow but steady. Initially, workouts of any kind weren't even an option. But over time, I have not just increased my portion sizes, gained stamina, had an improved sleep cycle, lost several inches and 12.5 kgs but my panic and anxiety attacks have significantly reduced. Earlier I used to get stressed even about the smallest of things and I used to push myself to keep doing more because of this stress, this fear of not being able to reach my target steps or something else. But Nabila told me, I shouldn't overexert and focus on what was sustainable. And once I stopped stressing over things, it actually became easier to manage and get things done. On 12th December, after six long months, I finally went shopping and survived at the Mall for over an hour without having any major anxiety or panic. And that's a day I know I'll always remember. I texted my nutritionist and trust me, she was more thrilled than I was. This is the beauty of this program - someone takes more pride in your small and big victories, way more than you do - it's beautiful and rare. Poignantly touching and it's because she feels this journey is as much hers as is mine. What more could I have asked for?
I am still on the road to recovery, and still a few more kgs to lose to reach my target goal. But now we know, like we discussed in our recent call, there's a possibility that in the near future, I can also do the normal workouts and yes, I'm looking forward to that day, whenever it comes. I remain infinitely grateful to my nutritionist Nabila and of course Simrun for all the support and encouragement, the more than perfect, holistic, deep health program she has designed and joining NWS was one of the best decisions of my life. Now, when I get into my clothes and look at myself in the mirror, I find myself smiling inadvertently. A lot has changed in the past five and half months, and so much of it for the good. Perhaps, with time, even the panic and anxiety will be completely resolved and I am looking forward to the day when I can switch from Nourish to Reboot - as a fitter, healthier version of myself who can do the workouts quite normally.
Help was always given and at the right time too, and that's why, even though my nutritionist Nabila has always been generous enough to say that the real credit goes to me, for having come this far, with a progress she describes as "phenomenal", I know I couldn't have done this without her constant support and encouragement. And at times her dedication towards helping me in this journey is just too astounding to believe. NWS isn't just any weight loss program - it is something that will change your life, if you are willing to do what it takes. When I started with NWS, we knew my limitations were many, and yet, we decided to work on my strengths and keep improving along the way and today we continue doing that. And though slow, the progress is steady. I remain eternally grateful to my Nutritionist Nabila who, I would say, is beyond phenomenal with her dedication towards helping me with my journey and of course to Simrun for all this and even though I guess I have written an ultra long testimonial, I am still short of words to express my real gratitude. "Thank you" is perhaps too small a word to describe and justify what this journey means to me.
To the normal person out there, it may not feel like a big deal, but I know the real value of these five and half months. With hypothyroidism, depression, neuralgia, muscle weakness and anxiety, losing weight, getting my life in control and gaining strength is something I hadn't honestly thought of as possible. And yet we are doing it. Simrun is absolutely right when she says this is the best university with the most excellent teachers. And if you are willing to do your homework, stay consistent with your goals and be honest with what you are facing, this will be a life-changing experience for you. If you want results, it's obvious you will need to put in the required efforts and stay consistent. In the end, it all boils down to striving for excellence - every single day you need to get up and tell yourself that today, you are going to do your bit to become a better version of yourself. Change doesn't come in one day, but with time, patience, effort and consistency, it is sure to come. There's something that I have always believed in, "Life is not unlike the Game of Thrones. Either you win or you die. There's no middle ground." Well, you don't die in the literal sense, but that's how you need to see it. And at NWS, they are committed to making you win, if you too are just as willing.
Gratitude infinite,
Samrudhi Dash
Samruddhi