How going vegan helped this 40-year-old woman lose 17 kg!

40-year-old Reyna Rupani, who runs an NGO, never thought she would start looking younger day after day. She successfully lost 17 kilos without deliberately trying hard or spending hours in the gym. Post her weight loss, she gives tough competition to her teenage daughter who often cringes when people assume Reyna is her sister and not her mom. So what did she do? Read more to find out her weight loss secret.

How it all started

I was slightly on the heavier side of the weighing scale because I absolutely loved eating junk food, sweets, and outside food. Even though I worked out, I struggled to lose weight because I wasn’t eating right. Then about two years ago I had severe acidity. I am someone who does not like to take medications and prefers using natural remedies but it was quite bad and my doctor told me if I wanted to get better, I had to start medication. Around the same time I came across a seminar on healthy eating. This I’d say changed my life. I ate delicious and nutritious food at the seminar and later learnt that it was organic, vegan and unprocessed. Within three days, my acidity was gone! This made me realise the importance of eating right. I was inspired to change my dietary habits for good and wanted to learn more about it. I regularly started attending more seminars which were conducted by SHARAN, founded by Dr Nandita Shah. I learnt how to cook the right way, how to make cheese, curd, paneer and even ice cream at home using vegan ingredients and the importance of skipping dairy and meat products. Here’s how to get enough calcium on a vegan diet.

Weight loss by chance!

I was 64 when I started this diet and today I am 47 which is right according to my height as I am 5 ft tall. The best part is, even though I wanted to lose weight, I did not have to try too much or struggle for hours in the gym to lose kilos. I simply changed my diet and it did the trick. The four things I did were:

• Going vegan
• Giving up eating packaged and processed foods
• Practising oil-free cooking
• Eating organic, whole foods

Apart from these, I was only going for regular, brisk walks or doing yoga. My aim was to get a fit body, weight loss was just a wonderful side-effect of all this! It took be 10 months to lose 17 kg but it was the healthy route as I did not follow any fad diet.

Giving up cravings

My first thought when I had to turn vegan was how will I survive without milk or cheese? But I soon realised how easy it was and I wasn’t really missing out on anything. I still have milk but it isn’t from an animal, it is from plants. I make cheese at home again from this milk and it all tastes good.

In the seminars, I learnt why we shouldn’t have these foods which made it easier to make the switch. Once you train your mind, you are no longer suppressing its cravings, you are simply doing what is best and your body obliges. Eliminating addictive foods such as milk solids, salt, sugar and oil from one’s diet is essential. Once you give these up, you won’t crave for junk anymore.

Diet diaries

You may think that it isn’t possible to follow such a diet every day but trust me, it is. I’ve been doing it for two years now and my entire family too follows it. If you think it is time-consuming, you are wrong. It in fact takes less time to cook food without oil and you wouldn’t know the difference too. I use iron or steel vessels for cooking and once it is hot, simply start with the tadka sans the oil. I also use Himalayan salt instead of iodised salt and have switched to organic and whole foods. I sweeten my food using natural sugars such as raisins, figs, dates, etc. Here’s what my regular diet comprises:

• I start my day with a glass of smoothie which has leafy, greens, seasonal fruits, and seeds.
• A few hours later I eat a raw fruit or vegetable.
• For lunch I usually have a plate of salad with veggies and either roti or rice.
• For evening snacks I eat steamed dhokla or chana chat.
• I eat my dinner pretty early which is usually red rice idli or home-made pizza or ragda patties, etc.
• I sleep early but in case I am awake, I eat a banana before bed.
• In addition to this, I have supplements for vitamin B12 and D.
• If I crave for desserts, I have home-made ice cream, vegan chocolates, kaju katri, or coconut cookies. Try this vegan diet plan for weight loss.

How I eat out

I do eat out but order food a bit more intelligently. I usually tell them to not add ghee or butter in my food. If I have Italian, I opt for tomato sauce pasta, if I eat Chinese, I opt for steamed dishes. Yes, I know they are not always oil-free but my body forgives me for it because I am eating it only once in a while. Read – 10 reasons to go vegan.

Life changes post weight loss

I am so much more energetic, I don’t have any cramps during my periods, I feel great, I am a calmer person and I don’t fall sick now. My friends and family could not believe I lost so much weight and seeing the change in me, they too got on this diet.

I am now associated with SHARAN and conduct seminars to educate more people of the benefits of a whole plant-based diet. I look and feel wonderful after making this life change.

Disclaimer: TheHealthSite does not endorse the views and opinions of the person interviewed. This is an inspirational account to help motivate people to start their fitness journey. 

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