Weight loss in the United Arab Emirates: “How I lost 10 kg in three months after menopause”

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Deepti front (left) and right
Image Credit: Provided

Menopause – the inevitable biological process that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle – can take a toll on body and mind. It is accompanied by raging hot flashes, mood swings and weight gain.

In the case of Deepti Gupta, a 46-year-old Indian expat in Dubai, the transition over a four-year period left her cranky and about 20 pounds heavier, she told Gulf News in an interview. . The dentist who often found herself short of breath from a chronic respiratory disease, asthma, exacerbated by extra pounds wanted a change. Then news came of the toll COVID-19 was taking on the world and the fact that of all the organs, the lungs were the most affected and Gupta knew it was time to take things seriously.

“About three years ago, I had lost weight using the keto diet. I lost about 10 kg but gained more than that because the hormones weren’t regulated and once I got back to normal eating habits I gained that weight plus some weight additional. So I waited for it to calm down, and this time instead of dieting, I started working out. I hired a trainer, Subin Babu, at the Restart Fitness gym. I took up the challenge, ”says the mother of two children.

The keto diet

The keto, or ketogenic, diet is a diet that increases fat and protein intake and reduces carbohydrate intake. The result is that the body produces ketones, a chemical that uses fat for energy instead of glucose, which is what you get when carbohydrates are broken down.

The goal wasn’t to hit a certain number, the five-foot-two expat said, it was just to get in shape. “At that time I was walking a bit and needed my inhaler to breathe.” So when I started … cardio, [on the] cross trainer I couldn’t do more than two minutes. I told him [Subin], I hate the elliptical trainer, I don’t want to do that. But now I can cross train for 30 minutes at level five without a break or inhaler.

She remembers the first few days of exercise as being excruciating, saying, “At first it’s very, very painful – leg day, sit-up day. For your body to get used to these exercises, it takes at least 15-20 days. It was my husband’s mental support that helped me overcome it, as some days I felt like I didn’t want to do it – walking, sitting, normal chores around the house were getting painful . But somehow I crossed that threshold and mentally felt better.

Deep weight loss

Deepti front (left) and right
Image Credit: Provided

“Somehow after doing the exercise I was tired, but the activity still made me feel good… over time the intensity of the pain lessened. She attributes this to the release of “feel-good” chemical endorphins during a workout.

In fact, Gupta says, when she suffered a personal tragedy a few months ago, it was those exercises and this yoga regimen that centered her, kept her going.

It wasn’t just about exercise; she also worked on the principle of calorie deficit and for three months practiced intermittent fasting.

What is a calorie deficit?

The US-based Cleveland Clinic explains that a calorie is “a measure, just like a teaspoon or an inch. Calories are the amount of energy released when your body breaks down (digests and absorbs) food. The more calories a food contains, the more energy there is. it can supply your body. When you eat more calories than you need, your body stores the extra calories as body fat. To lose weight, therefore, you need a calorie deficit which works on the principle that if you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.

“I don’t like sweets, so I don’t eat them. I don’t take tea or coffee. But I made a conscious decision to stop all fried foods and go on a low carb diet. I strive for healthy foods – lots of salads, high fiber foods, protein in the form of eggs, ”she says.

How does intermittent fasting work?

Choose a window – 12, 16 or 18 hours – when you eat. The rest of the time, you don’t consume any calories. This fasting and eating technique has proven to be an effective tool for weight loss.

Three months after starting this routine, Gupta had lost 10 kg. Today, she weighs 76 kg and wants more. “I hit my plateau so I’m trying to overcome it,” she says. She feels stronger and calmer, she says. “When I first started exercising, I could barely do eight sets and then take a break. And in weight, I couldn’t go over 5kg. I couldn’t jump on the stepper. I couldn’t jump; I had to stop after ten jumps; recently I did 200 non-stop jumps. I started to do jumping exercises. I have started to do serious exercises now, ”she said proudly, casting her voice.

And her lens has been replaced – she now has a digital lens: 70 kg.

Menopause is the shower of hormonal arrows that you knew were going to be coming but landed on you anyway; for Gupta, this rain was nothing more than a slight damping and just for a moment. Now is the time to persevere.

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