My story of battling weight gain, infertility and how I came out of it

Leadership isn't a factor of being in a job alone. It's about how you deal with situations. This is my own story of battling weight and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). I believe this can happen to anyone and so I am sharing my story with the many women that are part of the SheThePeople.TV community. It feels great sharing it with women, some of who are probably going through the same challenges as I did.

As a child, I was never skinny. I grew up to be slightly overweight with a broad frame. Things suddenly started going very wrong once I hit the twenties. My periods became irregular and I started gaining weight. I did not notice it at first as ironically I was pursuing my masters in nutrition and super busy with studies.

But then things took a turn for the worse. In just one year my weight surged to 64 kg from 56 kg. I clearly realized something was wrong. After a few medical tests, I discovered I was suffering from PCOS and that along with poor eating habits which were the key reasons for my weight gain.

Also Read: Body shaming culture 

I started studying about it in detail and was convinced that weight loss and maintaining my weight to ideal levels was the only solution to have a healthy life. And this became even more important when I planned having a child.

I was very upset to hear I was suffering from infertility and it would be tough to become a mom. It was very depressing to hear about fertility treatments and the side effects of the same made me very scared and depressed me.

Also Read: Why we need to shake up menstrual taboos in India

That was when I started with eating correctly, eating in right portions and not giving in to junk food. I started losing weight and got back to 58 kg. I was very happy to conceive naturally (rare with PCOS) and had a very good pregnancy. But just when things were going great, the weight demon returned. During the 9 months, however, I put on 23 kg and was horrified to see myself at 78 kg after the birth of my child.

I immediately swung into action and actively chose and ate foods that were nourishing and not fattening and greasy. Moreover, since, I had been operated for a slipped disc, heavy workouts were never an option for me. So, I would make time to go for short, but regular walks.

After my child was 1 year old, I was 66 kg, and my PCOS symptoms disappeared. My cycles were very regular. I got a little more aggressive with exercise and continued with a more conscious effort to losing weight. This was not easy as I was taking care of the baby, working and and taking care of my weight.

At times, I gave in to cravings, ate wrong but when calm, I would ask myself, was the big bar of chocolate worth it? To satisfy cravings, I would taste morsels of junk food but make meals of healthy food. After another year I was at 58 kg…and today I am at 56 kg!

My conviction was my strength. Though I don't believe being fat is a bad thing, I just think having a healthy life is important. Going through unusual weight gain, PCOS and post-pregnancy weight has been incredible learning for me as a nutritionist. My experience has helped me eat in portions and have celebrate a healthy life.