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| Pankaj - Before |
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Pankaj - After |
NINTEEN year old Pankaj Chathlani,
a student of St. Joseph’s, would polish off as many as five
or six ham sandwiches at one go. His college mates would haunt him
mercilessly with comments, which like pointed arrows would pierce
the armour of his sensibility. He used to possess a waddling, duck-footed
walk that was a source of embarrassment. All the attractive girls
on the campus would ignore him. Pankaj developed a severe complex
about being obese. Visits to various gyms were useless.
Then
Pankaj’s father Bhagu Chathlani, owner of Little Shoppee’
and Looking Good’ on Commercial Street, accompanied him to
us, who were recommended by their relatives. He joined his son on
a methodical diet regime. The result of this experiment is that
both father and he shed flab. Pankaj, originally 122kgs, now weighs
91 kgs. In four months, he had lost 31kgs. Bhagu’s weight
also slid from 91kgs to 84kgs in 2 and a half months, a loss of
7kilos.
Pankaj recalls. “I have always loved food
and over-eaten on any occasion. Earlier, I used to just eat, eat
and eat. There never used to be a precise meal-time. I would eat
a lot of junk food, oily and fatty stuff-jamoons, pedas, samosas
and other sweets.” He states, “From lisa, I learnt the
right way of eating quantities of the right food at the right time.
She advised me to have three meals, two snacks, a 20-minute walk
and 3 liters
of water in a day.
On waking up Pankaj would drink two glasses of warm
water. On his own, he desisted from imbibing a morning cup of tea.
For breakfast, he would restrict himself to three idlis soaked in
sambar. Chutneys were strictly avoided. At eleven, Pankaj would
indulge in a fruity snack, apples or oranges. For lunch he would
start with a glass of water followed by dry chapattis, a bowl of
rice, one vegetable dish and a pulse. The meal culminated with a
cup of curds and salad. In the long interval between lunch and dinner,
he would sip melon juice or orange juice with an optional cup of
tea. For dinner, he would again eat oil-free rotis, a bowl of pulse/dhal
and cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes. Bhagu followed a similar diet.
Pankaj runs
2 shops, one on Dickenson Road and one on Commercial Street. His
daily exercise consisted of long walks, four or five times a day,
between these 2 shops (or a 20 minute walk per day). A big challenge
was to resist buying peanuts from the carts along the way. Losing
weight has invigorated Pankaj, filled him with a new sense of confidence
and joy. He states, “Losing weight not only changes
your size but also your life. I am much more active than
what I was earlier- in the shop and at home.” His former feeling
of insecurity and inferiority complex have evaporated.
For the three
months of dieting, both Pankaj and Bhagu turned vegetarian. Now
tempered with caution, Pankaj has reverted to non-vegetarian food.
He admits, “I party twice a week. If I put on a kilo or two,
I get back to the diet for a week. Then I am back to normal. I check
my weight once a week. I would like to thank my dad and mom who
stood by me.”
(This programme was done in 2000 and the weight loss has been maintained
till now)
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