24 October 2010

Food & Exercise


I’ve never understood the concept of foodie. Who is a foodie exactly? And what is with this statement that most skinny girls, & all the three generations of the Raj Kapoor family, are wont to say, “Oh, I am a complete foodie!”

The only time I have craved for food, with as much desperation as a beggar craving for a rotten morsel was, during & post my pregnancy. All I wanted to do was eat. I was so starved. I didn’t have my mother to cook a hot meal for me. I was forever famished. Throughout my pregnancy, for the office lunch, I survived on the parcel meals from Hallimane Hotel in Malleshwaram. I think, it cost only around Rs 18/-. But for me, it was truly “mrushtanna bhojana”. At nights, I have slept with only an apple & a glass of milk. No wonder then that I even dreamt of food on many nights. Food was a recurrent theme.

I’ve known people who find the very sight of food stimulating; the really affluent, w ell-to do people at that. How’s that possible? It’s just food. I don’t go “crazy” at the sight of food. I know a few who eat like it is their last day & last meal. The amount they heap on their plates & the variety – just about everything would be heaped onto it. Even if it’s a buffet, I eat almost the same amount & prefer the combination of rice-gravy-sabzi. I do indulge in the dessert, & might try an item on the menu I’ve never seen or tried before, if there ever is one. And of course, puddings & mousse are things I risk only in a buffet.

For Sathya, food is an intoxicant. And if it’s a buffet, it’s complete paisa vasool time. I tease him saying, what we spend on two person’s buffet charges; he manages to recover it alone. Once in Hyderabad, he over ate so much that, he couldn’t lift his ass off the couch for the rest of the afternoon. And I brought the house down, saying, “We are on a holiday, damn it. We are supposed to go sight-seeing & not eat like pigs & sleep like logs”. And he went, “So what? Am I supposed to starve on holidays?”

Ab yeh haalat ho gayi hai ki he is 112 kg for a height of 6’3”; which is almost 30 kg overweight. No wonder, people say, “apni biwi ki SUNO.”

Over a decade of smoking & drinking & bad lifestyle choices having taken a toll on his health, & at 112 kg & after two warnings from his doctor, he is now trying hard to control himself at the table & not go overboard. He has finally started exercising - running/jogging/walking. For all the time he spent stuffing his body, he now has to spend twice the time to get it off. If only, it would come off so easily!!

In 33 years, there were only two occasions when I have moved my limbs in semblance to exercise. Once, in Dec 2004 I enrolled for yoga classes near Spice Garden in Marathahalli; twice a week for a month. It was in a room with mirrors at the front, & the yoga movements felt more like a slow, sensual dance than exercise.


The second time was when, for 2 months, I went for weekend 1 hour salsa classes in Indiranagar’s dance school called Swingers Club. The stretching & warm-ups & the dance moves – yeah those were the only times my body was exposed to some form of fitness.

I believe, any form of exercise is detrimental to my health. I might shrink. Or lose so much weight I might need to take Body Mass.

14 comments:

  1. Iam a complete foodie and My mouth starts watering at the very aroma of food that I love.And dieting has never been my forte.No amount of bashan from my husband or doctor puts me ina crazy place and thats why Im overweight.Im a fan of buffet...I think it should paisa vasool.I take a tablespoon of everything the first time for tasting.and the second helping is of stuff I really liked.AQnd I dont lose weight that easily.I was meant to look like a "kahthe peethe ghar ki thi or nu".

    ReplyDelete
  2. :) I enjoy food but I do not think I can over eat or do so. :D Men tend to over-eat---an observation :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sujatha I like your style of writing.Was drawn like a magnet to the title becoz food and exercise is what I blog about :))
    You are right about moderation in eating but losing weight is not the only reason to move-More importantly when you keep moving your joints do not gradually shut business as you age -Its use it or lose it.You won't shrink -if you strength train.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very simply written...straight Bingo ! I love food and am yet to exercise..am not heavy but wana be in shape ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Chintan: what an observation!

    @varsha: thank u so much for your appreciation :)
    use it or lose it....hahah i thot they said that about our brains!! applying it to joints as well :))

    @incessantme: ""m not heavy but wana be in shape"" :)) ..the toned body, the curves, the works hahah & at no extra effort

    ReplyDelete
  6. Two things in my life I am not so thrilled of, food and exercise. I don't eat much nor I ever exercise. :D I am overweight only because of my health issues.

    Even I don't go crazy at the sight of food, its just food as you say. I totally agree.

    And your hubby is 6'3? Wow! Awesome. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah your weight issues are totally out of your control

      and yes Sathya is a Giant :D

      Delete
  7. Haha..well written Sujatha.Good you tweeted about this old post,I am enjoying your old posts now:)want to read about my weight loss woes?
    http://sharmila-mymind.blogspot.in/2009/11/more-weight-loss-woes-why-i-dontcant-go.html
    http://sharmila-mymind.blogspot.in/2009/11/weight-loss-woes-and-laws.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fact abt me, I am foodie too.
    I eat too much when I get tensed, depressed.
    I too have smoking n drining habit but now it is under control since I started work out.
    Weight does not comes off easily coz I reduced my weight twice without joining any zym but I only can tell you how much sweat you required to reduced your extra kilos.
    Overall nice post. Keep writing:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah some people do eat more when they are upset - i think they are called as emotional eaters

      Delete
  9. Quite an interesting topic! Food! I am not crazy about food but I do have my favorites which I tend to hog on sometimes. But I do exercise a lot and play a lot. So I guess it balances. But that buffet fever: very true. I think it is quite common with guys. Whenever they see a buffet, then they do an ROI analysis in their brains and jump right in. :)

    But very true.. calories are easy to accumulate.. difficult to burn. btw.. I was really surprised that you have exercised (or come close to) only twice in your life. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ROI !! hahahhaah ya ya correct

      yes, only twice discounting the school PT classes that is :)

      Delete
    2. he he.. yeah.. I was no different. I used to work out, eat right for a whole week and then there might be some buffet I go to and then there it goes. :P You must have a good and healthy diet which is very good. :)

      Delete