100 kg PCOD to 58 kg No PCOD

It was 2013, I was 19 and diagnosed with a severe case of PCOD. I weighed more than 70kgs, 12 kgs overweight. Initially, I lost 4-5 kg of weight in 2 months with regular home exercising and dietary changes as suggested by my gynecologist. For exercise I was walking for 40 minutes daily. For diet I was allowed roti, bhakri, subzi, and dal, everything else was out of bounds for me. Same for lunch, dinner, breakfast, or snack. I did lose weight, but I felt bloated and was feeling very irritable as the days went by. The diet was driving me crazy and alas I stopped following it altogether!!  I could not maintain the weight and gained back all of it in less than 15 days. Also, just walking as an exercise wasn't enough to sustain the weight loss. The diet and walking did not help a lot with the PCOD issue. I had no zeal to follow any diet which was restrictive as it made me crave food more. The silver lining, I did continue exercising and I added weight training coupled with Iyengar yoga to my exercise routine on my mother's insistence. Walking gradually progressed to intensive cardio two times a week. I tried switching to healthy and nutritious food albeit any success. In the meantime my tryst with PCOD continued. Regular workout although unplanned prevented aggravation of PCOD. 

June 2017, I decided to prepare for UPSC-CSE fulltime which required substantial hours of my day. Immersing myself in preparation I stopped exercising completely and was stress eating. Post my exams I realized I had gained oodles of weight, weighing 96 kg! I was shocked, devastated, and felt hopeless. The menstruation issues were worse at this point. Skipping 1-3 months of the menstrual cycle is a very common PCOD symptom, I experienced the same. At 30 kg overweight my health worsened and aggravated my already irregular menstrual cycle. PCOD gifted my facial hair, weight, acne, and hair thinning. The constant state of confusion, the anxiety of uncertain periods, terrible mood swings, lethargy, and all other things associated with PCOD was very consuming both emotionally and physically. My soul was frustrated with my body. On some days I felt like scratching off the body I lived in. Every woman suffering from PCOD will resonate with my mental condition.

I was extremely desperate to put an end to this. By this time, I had tried every kind of possible treatment for PCOD. Allopathy was naturally my first choice, the doctor put me on the usual contraceptive pill cycles. The side-effects of these pills were a horror. Hair loss, skin dryness, crazy mood swings, weight gain, and many other. 2 years later I switched to Ayurvedic treatment it worked reasonably well with no side-effects and assisted in regulating my periods. The treatments regulated my menstruation cycle until I was on the prescribed medicines. When I stopped having the meds barring a couple of regular cycles I was back to square one. I did not want to keep popping pills all my life. The dependency was frustrating.  I yearned for normal menstruation that would occur every month without any medication.  It wasn't just about losing weight and getting regular periods it was the distressed state of mind and it was killing me. I wanted to conquer all the symptoms, I wanted to feel like myself, I wanted my body to feel aligned with my soul.

The display "96" on the weighing scale was a wakeup call for me. I made a steel resolve to cure myself. Lifestyle overhaul is what I needed. My aunt (my angel) suggested me to read the book by Rujuta Diwekar "The PCOD Thyroid Book." The interventions were easy, doable, and committable for the long run and suited my palate. I read all her other books too, saw all her videos on YouTube. I picked up tips that I felt were useful, charted a simple and sustainable clean diet for myself, and planned a fitness regime. From weighing almost 100kg in June 2018 I was able to reduce whopping 38 kg by December 2019!! meaning I lost 38 kg in 18 months! I still can't believe I was able to do that (I still sometimes pinch myself 😊).  The journey of losing 38 kg was eventful. For the initial 8 months, I was losing 3kg/pm post that it was 1 or 2 kg/pm. I did hit a few roadblocks along the journey. I gained 2 kgs on a weeklong trip where I missed my workouts along with flouting my diet plan. It was heartache for me, and I decided to never miss my workout and making a resolution to enjoy food in limits during any vacation. I always plan my travel workout and arrange my nutrition in a way, I can comfortably enjoy the local delicacies.  I have read blogs about people knocking off 20-30 kgs in a lesser time frame, I chose to steer away from that path as I found it risky.

This is what worked for me.

My Exercise plan for a week:

3 days of strength training

2 days cardio

1-day yoga and stretching

1 rest day

Most important- being active throughout the day. Active meaning, move more sit less. Volunteer at least one household work every day.

Do not over-exercise!!

My nutrition strategy:

Stick to fresh and home-cooked desi food.

Avoid junk (restricted to not more than twice a month). Just eat to please your cravings. Watch the portions.

Completely stop eating packaged food or drinks. Not just the chips, biscuits and cakes, ketchup are packaged food too. 

Include Local and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Re-introduce ghee in meals, 1-2 spoons every day.

Ignore fads like no sugar, no rice. Eat everything (if its home-cooked) but in moderation.

Most Important- Eat distributed meals (6-7 meals) and portion control for each meal.

PCOD during my weight loss:

I did not take any kind of medication for PCOD during this phase. I got my periods in July 2018 after a gap of 4 months, which was very painful and heavy. August cycle started early, just 20 days post my July cycle. I bled for 5 months straight i.e. from August 2018 to January 2019. The flow varied; somedays heavy, other days just a drop or two. These 5 months were difficult. My happiness knew no bounds on the day I stopped bleeding after the 5-month marathon.

Regular workout and proper nutrition transformed my life. I no longer needed medication for my PCOD. My sonography test results showed no signs of cyst on any of my ovaries. I daresay I cured my PCOD and my body feels so right. The confusion and frustration with my body are now a thing of the past. I still get a little anxious about getting my next period. I use that anxiety as a motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Fitness and health is a lifelong commitment.

I believe more than finding the right diet for your body and charting the best workout plan it's the perseverance and consistency what matters. No matter what Don't give up! If you do, bounce back and quickly. Do not let any vacation, party, or cousin's wedding deter you from achieving the health and fitness you deserve. I have managed my workouts on vacations and stopped myself from overeating at parties and weddings. Most importantly Plan! and Plan well. Don't wait for the Mondays or new month or new year. Just start today. Start now.

Me at 100kg

Now: