Your Weight doesn’t determine your Self-esteem: Rohan’s Story
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. I had no scheduled appointments and was sitting in my office casually browsing social media. It was then that my assistant called up, informing me that someone had come to see me. He said he appeared to be nervous, and in a haste.
“Hi, I am Rohan!”, he introduced himself as I offered him to sit.
“How can I help you?” I asked him curiously and was surprised at his answer. It was an unusual query, something that was thought-provoking and challenging.
“Doctor, I want to lose weight scientifically, but I don’t want that numerical figure to determine my self-esteem! I want to get lean, permanently, but without stepping on the scale. I feel stuck and directionless, Can you help me out?”
I thought for a moment and then smiled. Our conversation lasted for about 2 hours and he was calm and confident as he signed off. Six months passed by and we kept meeting often.
Today, as I write this, Rohan has achieved everything he wanted to, on that day.
He leaned down significantly and achieved his physique goal. He improved his stamina and body confidence. He now fits into his college clothes, and in his words, is “on top of this world”.
From Directionless to Results: What changed?
During that 2 hour-long consultation, I gave him a specific action plan that spanned his diet, exercise, lifestyle and mindset. I gave him the steps and guided him on how to implement them bit by bit.
He started eating lesser and tried stopping when he was 80% full. He slowed down his eating speed.
He started eating a rainbow and included whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein and other nutrients in his daily diet.
He started cutting down on saturated fats, highly processed foods, and added sugar.
He started praying before each meal and ensured that he ate with 100% focus.
The mealtime became his Zen time.
He included some supplements (mainly protein, multivitamins etc).
He transitioned from being sedentary to working out 5 days a week. Workouts included strength training, cardio, yoga and meditation. During workouts, he kept his focus on improving performance and feeling stronger.
As people started to notice his toned down physique, he started getting all sorts of comments. He ignored everything and maintained a positive attitude. He knew what he wanted and where he was going.
He was moving confidently towards his goals, almost unstoppable. As a result, his performance increased week after week.
Today, as I write this, he’s achieved everything that he wanted to, without stepping on the weighing scale once!
He is a free bird because his weight no more determines his self-esteem. This is how life is supposed to be.
Hope you found some inspiration and value in Rohan’s Story!
Love and Respect,
Vaibhav Bharadwaj
PS: Rohan is a fictitious character here.
