Every morning, my carpool buddy and I listen to RJ Malishka Mendonsa‘s very cool show Morning No. 1 on Red FM en route office. I don’t know what came over me today that I started stalking her on Instagram while listening to her show. And oh boy, her latest photos gave me major #MondayMotivation! Remember Malishka’s stint on the popular dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa? Well, I could see only half of her in these pictures! Yes, she has transformed herself completely by losing oodles of weight. She had lost 16 kgs in 5 months last year with the help of dance, yoga, pilates, running and a healthy diet. And now, she maintains her fitter body.
So I decided to ask her all about her weight loss journey and I did!
While shopping at a mall in Dubai, I was looking for L and XL sized outfits. But the sales girl came up to me and said, ‘Hey. Why are you picking those up? Even an XS or S will fit you.’ And it did! I was ecstatic to fit into an XS tee. Of course, I have put on a few pounds here and there since then as I didn’t want to be too hard on myself and I wanted my curves back. So now, I comfortably slip into an S or M. I am happy with that.
I go for bootcamp workouts thrice a week. And on the other days, I walk an hour with weights strapped to each of my legs. I usually make it a point to eat my last full meal before the sun goes down. After that, I munch on a cucumber or something. But there’s no hard and fast rule that I stick to, I listen to my heart. For instance, I ate a small portion of tandoori chicken last night. My friend was having that with roti and I skipped the roti though I felt like it was calling out to me. I just try to avoid carbs and dairy products as much I can. I miss my doodh wali chai! I eat rice instead of rotis when I do indulge in carbs. I control my portions but I often give in to my temptations when it comes to desserts. I have a sweet tooth and cannot do without those. I try and make up for that with my workouts. I really envy those kaakdi girls who can eat whatever they want to without putting on any weight. Some of us have to work very very hard to keep the extra pounds away.
When I was chubby, Milind Soman had asked me to run for ‘Pinkathon’, a campaign where I ran 10 kms for breast cancer awareness. In January 2015, I started exercising because I wanted to stay fit and healthy. And here I am! I love that I have lost all that weight because I feel fitter. I can wear anything I want to without being conscious. I mean, everyone can wear what they want to. I am talking about myself here. I have started wearing stuff that previously wasn’t quite confident enough to carry. And I feel great!
Attagirl! Here are some of her pictures.
Happy girls are the prettiest!