Typical GM Diet||Photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash
It was new but becoming consistently present. I have been feeling this mild pain for the last couple of weeks. Little cramp on the feet muscles. These were coming and going as if it was playing peekaboo with me. It came even while walking. Its presence was making me a little worried. However, seeing a doctor is more worrisome. So, I thought to understand it based on my own engineering judgments: Am I straining myself while sleeping; Is the walking posture right, or am I burdening my body with excessive weight? While thinking, I visited a Bukit Batok community Center gymnasium where I can weigh myself. As I saw the reading, I could not believe a vegetarian person with merely 167 cm of height can be that heavy. As I stood, the needle of scale surged away from 70 crossed past 80, and attain zero velocity in the range of 90. Finally, it stabilized in the range of 80 kg. To some extent, my brain rejected the number and did not bother to give a tiny bit of space for the number to store. I was inflicting such a toll on my feet. Thanks to working from home, eating and munching whatever is found in front, day and night, and accumulating layers and layers of wealthy fats.
Though I have never been fascinated with new year resolutions, I thought to kill that wealth not on the arrival of the new year but even before. It was Sunday evening of 27 December 2020. I slowly strolled towards the marketplace, peeping in mobile, reading websites, and estimating the groceries to support 7 days of GM diet. As a result, I carried a bucket of cucumber, carrot, tomato, watermelon, muskmelon, and at least 8 pieces of bananas.
1st Day (28th December 2020)
I wake as usual in the early morning and continued with my own rituals. Went for stroll for almost 30 minutes. It was 8 AM and I thought it was time to begin the diet. On the first day, it was fruit day. So, in the early morning, I consumed almost half of the watermelon. Fear of hunger made me hog like a pig. Despite working from home as recommended practice, I preferred to go to the office with the hope that working from the office may allay the craving and keep me distracted. The first half went fine. During lunchtime, I was munching a bowl of muskmelon. After having a few bites, my stomach recognized the pattern and started revolting. There was a lot of hue and cry: where is the rice? It also nudged me to vomit to express their dissatisfaction. I have not paid any heed to their demand and keep munching the musk. Finally, it became silent like a sulking baby. The water remained the constant companion to avoid the stomach getting attacked by acid and hunger pang.
The evening was more torturous. I felt a little weak and infuriated with a constant craving for carbohydrates. Again, I hogged the remaining half of the watermelon which helped to avoid discomfort in sleeping.
2nd Day (29th December 2020)
While on the GM diet, bliss is in the morning. I felt much lighter. My stomach was relaxed, unlike in earlier days. It was vegetable day. Fear of remaining hungry and constant sharp attack always kept me haunted which pushed me to carry out extra preparation. On that, I boiled one piece of full broccoli with the hope that I will eat half during lunch and the remaining at night. I have started my day by munching cucumber and carrot. During the day, my long-time hate towards broccoli became stronger, and just dumped it in freeze and prefer to have a salad for lunch. As the clock was hitting around six, the pinch of hunger was stronger. On that day, I introduced myself to wonder-soup. I made it with my all-possible culinary skill. However, it finally got a lot spicier which let me sweat, sneeze, and cough. Since my stomach was stuffed with some less nutrient filler items, sleeping was not at all difficult on that day either.
3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet
3rd Day (30th December 2020)
Morning became the moment; I can enjoy the most after a long day of suffering. As usual, I continued with my 25 minutes of a morning stroll.
I started with watermelon in the morning with no snacks between breakfast and lunch. Just a couple of glasses of water. In the afternoon, again I munched salad like a cow without hope of ruminating later. I felt the whole exercise was to cheat my stomach by stuffing some filler materials.
Since I was almost on 3rd day of the plan, I thought to ride the scale and this time reading surprised me again. I have lost 2.8 kg in the last 3 days. That was a motivation to sustain any kind of burn even.
Though many great things were visible, my stomach has nothing to discharge as if every food intake were completely absorbed.
World Food Day 2021
4th Day (31st December 2020)
If I would not have embarked on this plan, that day would have been a beer day. It was the last day of the momentous year which brought a lot of memory, pain, and surprises. Today’s food routine was fairly simple. 6-8 bananas and probably 2-3 glasses of skimmed milk. It went well as I have a strong urge to have milk and the wafted the aroma of milk always brought pleasant delight in my mind.
5th Day (1st January 2021)
It was the beginning of the new year and my dieting plan was on the last lap. As per the plan, I found it an extremely confusing day like the vegetarian food itself. It was only because of the very limited information available for vegetarians. As per recommendation, the plan allows having a bowl of rice as lunch or dinner which I found hard to digest. I was on the track where I can live my whole life without rice and recommending barely on the fifth day was surprising. More or less, the day went with a combination of some fruits, rice, and vegetables.
6th Day (2nd January 2021)
Barely a day away from completion, I was confident, but at the same time, I was weak. I could feel a lot of visible changes around. Not merely feel but something tangible. The belly which was round was diminished a bit. I maintained similar food like that of the fifth day with a minor change: replace rice with wonder soup.
7th Day (3rd January 2021)
It was the last day of my stint to lose the multilayers of fat that I have gained in the year 2020. I was relaxed from early morning. Throughout the past seven days, I have been walking for almost half an hour and maintained the same routine in the morning. I had no desire to take even breakfast. My appetite has almost died for any and everything.
I along with my family went to celebrate the new year finally. We went to a restaurant near to our home. However, the desire to order and eat anything diminished beyond my imagination. My craving for even carbohydrates became like a castrated bull— exists but not.
How much do I benefit?
Though I have practiced just to lose my belly fat which still is still predominantly protuberant. However, I have lost almost 5.5 kg in the past 7 days. I weighed down from 80 to 74.5 kgs. I am still overweight by almost 6 -7 kg or even more based on my height, but it gave me immense satisfaction.
In addition, advantages which can be seen on the weighing scale, I have gained confidence in myself. It propelled my confidence to dream, desire and take the planned path and execute it even with the constant pang of hunger. The whole experience uplifted my thought about myself. It became like a launchpad to propel myself in the intended direction.
If you are thinking that it is difficult, definitely, it is but just in your imagination. In reality, it is much simpler. Just buy the needed grocery today and embark on the journey tomorrow.