This 37-Year Old Mom Managed To Lose 15 Kgs After Pregnancy! She Shares Her Secret

Weight loss becomes a struggle for most of us, especially after pregnancy. Our bodies go through changes of huge magnitude and need time to recover. And yet we see media reports on celeb moms ‘rocking a slim body 3 months after giving birth’. All this has turned post pregnancy weight loss into a race, with many women turning to unhealthy habits and fad diets. What we tend to forget is that weight loss MUST be a healthy one! This is the story of mommy Sameeta Deepak, a 37 year old mom with two kids. A terrible health scare after pregnancy made her realise the need for a healthy weight loss journey – and she lost 15 kgs in the process!

Sameeta Deepak, a mother of two kids, piled on a lot of weight especially after her second pregnancy. Her highest recorded weight was 80 kg which was after her second pregnancy. But after an experience that really shook her from within, she embarked on a ‘weight loss after pregnancy’ journey. Today, with her younger child just 14 months old, Sameeta has already lost a whopping 15 kgs!

What Motivated Sameeta?

The first pregnancy made Sameeta gain considerable weight. Her second pregnancy just added on to it. She faced many health problems due to the excess weight. The effects of her diets and exercise didn’t last long either…

What was worse was the severe egg and honey allergies she also struggled with. The slightest exposure would mean a trip to the emergency room! Her allergies not only kept her from focusing on weight loss, but also kept her from spending time with her children – from lifting her kids to breastfeeding her daughter – all of it was just too daunting! She says, “I spent almost five hours a day on the Internet on studying how allergies can be cured? I didn’t want to give up. The time allergic attack last happened, my daughter was 10 months old and son was 5 and half years…”

When, after giving birth for a second time, she landed in the hospital for the 6^th time in a year – her doctor gave her an ultimatum:

“My doctor said if this happens again we won’t be able to save you.”

This ultimatum finally made her determined to not just focus on losing weight after pregnancy, but also on her overall health. She made up her mind to do it this time, and NOT give up. And she has succeeded so amazingly!

What’s Her Secret To Success?

The one key secret that worked to aid Sameeta in her post pregnancy weight loss was learning from her past attempts at weight loss and not repeating the mistakes she had made. She understood that it was these mistakes that interfered with her weight loss journey by either making it very difficult, or by making the kilos come back as soon as the diet/exercise stopped!

Check out her healthy tips for losing pregnancy weight that you too can start implementing in your day-to-day life. They are very easy to follow.

1. Do NOT Give Up Fats! Just Choose The Right Kind of Fat

We generally believe that fats are bad for us, especially when we are trying to lose weight. Our weight loss diet means we resist fat-filled products to lose weight. But then what happens? We ultimately give in to our cravings and binge on them – it’s a vicious cycle! Sameeta says, “We are so obsessed with low fat, low calorie, no ghee, no butter kind of foods. And I was also one of them. We have been cursing and degrading saturated fat for the past 20 years.”

But the truth is this: Some fats are GOOD for us! While saturated fats or trans fatty acids (found in processed, fried, baked foods and meats) clog arteries and increase rick of heart disease, unsaturated fat actually does the opposite! If we restrain ourselves from consuming any fats, it will only mean our body feels deprived and weight loss will never happen. So, please start eating some of these foods to get good fats:

• Nuts
• Avocados
• Salmon
• Flaxseeds
• Tofu
• Eggs

However, this doesn’t mean we go overboard with our indulgences – moderation is key!

2. Daal is NOT Enough for Your Body’s Protein Needs

Protein is key to gaining strength, as it helps in building muscle and subsequently increasing muscle mass. This is what you want to achieve when you’re trying to lose excess body fat. Many of us think the daily daal-chawal is enough for this. However, lentils are NOT enough! Sameeta realised that she was making a mistake: “Being vegetarian and allergic to eggs, I used to think lentils are sufficient for protein intake, which was not the case.”

Sameeta added a lot of paneer, tofu, soya and yogurt to manage her protein intake. She even started having whey protein to ensure she gained protein. This ultimately helped promote weight loss in her body.

3. Do One of These Simple Physical Activities

Difficult as it may seem for us moms, there is no escaping physical activity if we want to lose weight. However, gymming and lifting weights is often considered ‘too rigorous exercise’ by most people. It seems impossible for the busy schedules most of us have. However, the right kind of physical activity can give you overall weight loss even without hitting the gym!

Simply indulge in some high cardio exercises like zumba. Also try running, yoga and cycling. If you can, try and combine this with basic strength training through squats, pushups and lunges. We recommend trying out the 30 Day Fitness Challenge to surprise yourself over what you can achieve in a month!

On her insights about the right workout, Sameeta says, “Sometimes, I indulged in high cardio exercises, which helped in weight loss but I later learnt losing only muscle mass is not a healthy way. Adding strength exercises was a big twist in this journey.” Today Sameeta indulges in weight strengthening for 5 days a week for her combination workout. If you really want to speed up your weight loss and fitness journey, you can take a leaf from her book and consult a fitness trainer. A professional will also be able to guide you on exercises you can do at home.

4. Don’t Just Aim for Weight Loss; Aim for Healthy Living

Finally, we often think that weight loss is often synonymous to being fit – which couldn’t be farther from the truth! A healthy lifestyle that balances a clean diet with exercise for both our physical and spiritual self will automatically result in weight loss – but this time it’ll be healthy!

Sameeta shared that she attends the Sant Nirankari congregation every Sunday for her spiritual wellness. This has helped her understand what she thinks is her biggest learning on this journey:

In the past, I had deep dived into exercise and healthy eating and followed all kinds of diet plans but I was not able to understand what is right and what is wrong. Nothing seemed to work. But this time I didn’t feel like I was on a diet. Now it has become my lifestyle.

The weighing scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength or love. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up!”

We couldn’t agree more, Sameeta! This mommy’s weight loss journey is truly an inspiration – not just to lose the extra kilos but to embrace a healthy life, believe in oneself, and achieve the goals that we set for ourselves.