The before and after pictures say it all. For Shamindri Bandusena, Gayan Seneratne and Gary de Silva being obese meant daily humiliations and mounting health concerns. For many in the same position, the odds seem insurmountable but these three have proven by example that sustainable and dramatic weight loss is really achievable. “There are so many who think it can’t be done, so when you have stories like this, when you see people who have gone through the process successfully, people realise it is possible after all,” says Consultant Dietician Sigrid de Silva.

The three say weight loss has had a profound effect on them: “They have managed to turn their lives around. They’re not the same person anymore,” says Sigrid who helped them all build long term diet plans.

She sees the cosmetic improvements as a nice bonus but be it sub-fertility, heart disease or problems with weight bearing joints – an obese person faces a range of very real medical problems. “Any weight loss in someone who is overweight or obese leads to better health,” emphasises Sigrid. “By losing weight, he or she gains health.” Shamindri, Gayan and Gary did it “the right way” and now their stories are inspiring others. This week, Mediscene catches up with the three of them.

Shamindri Bandusena first began to put on weight when a severe case of Chikungunya confined her to her home. Pain in her knees and spine dictated she get plenty of bed rest. “I don’t even know how it started – I was eating and eating and then depression set in.” Before she knew it, her scale was telling her that she was 90 kgs. A mother with a young son, she found herself struggling. She couldn’t carry her child, and had to go for physiotherapy every day as her ballooning weight made it impossible for her to even really walk. “You look at yourself in the mirror and you think ‘I’m fat’ but you don’t stop eating,” she says, “You find so much of comfort in your food.”

Her waist line had ballooned to 42 inches. For someone who enjoyed nice clothes, shopping was a nightmare. Sales staff would often stop her even before she got to the rack, saying “we have nothing in your size here.” “I lived in track pants 24/7,” she says explaining that she actually sought out treatment for her depression.

When she first began dieting, she found she had to focus on bringing her weight down to 78kgs before she could even begin exercising. “It was a very slow and steady process which was why it worked,” she says. She told herself that it was just for two months, and if it didn’t work, she would abandon the diet. In the beginning, she was asked not to go out, the better to avoid temptation.

Going out was one of the things Shamindri loved to do though and she was reluctant to give up on it. So Sigrid advised her to stick to her meal plan and only go out after. That way, she’d be less tempted. She customised her diet in other ways. According to the plan, dinner was supposed to be a particularly light, early meal. Shamindri had trouble with that element too, but compensated by eating first and then heading out for some exercise. “I made sure I went for zumba every day because if I stayed at home I would eat,” she says, explaining that she dealt with any late hunger pangs by nibbling on fruit.

She also became a smarter shopper – “I stopped bringing the wrong food home.” Out went the chocolates and sweet sugary drinks. “Most of the time, what you eat is what’s there in the house,” she says. “It’s the start that’s difficult,” she says, adding encouragingly that “if you follow it for a month or two, it becomes a craze.” She feels wonderful now and it shows – her son likes to call her Cinderella. “When you look good, you really feel the same,” she says.

Gayan Seneratne used to love to play sports. He had a brown belt in karate and was active in school. He was, however, always overweight. “Even with all that fat and all that bulk, I managed to do everything,” he says, explaining that things changed after he left school: “When I went to work, I dropped out of all those sports and the party started.” He was smoking 36 cigarettes a day and making his way through ridiculous amounts of alcohol, and then there was the food. He loved it oily and rich and he loved plenty of it.

Soon his unhealthy lifestyle had translated into a sizeable bulk – he was 120 kgs. The seriousness of his problem hit home the day he ended up in hospital. Sudden vision problems and a strange inertia had prompted a visit to the doctor. The latter diagnosed a stroke and admitted him immediately. That was two years ago, when he was in his late twenties – far too young to be having these kinds of problems. His doctors told Gayan that he had his extremely unhealthy lifestyle to blame and that he would have to make some big changes.

“It was a make it or break it situation for me,” he says, explaining that he promptly decided to give up both smoking and drinking. He stayed home for two months, abandoning work to focus on his health. His mother, who was an Ayurveda doctor took him in hand, preparing his meals and supporting him. “I lost five kilos in the first month,” he says, explaining that he eventually settled into a pattern of losing 2-3kgs a month. He replaced alcohol with water, drinking 3-5 litres a day sometimes. He took Sigrid’s advice by avoiding junk food, coconut based or oily foods. He switched to eating only red rice. When it came to exercise, he limited himself to a half an hour walk every other day. Over the course of several months, his waist size shrank from 50 inches to 38 as he lost approximately 56 kgs.

He shares his hard won wisdom when he says “there are no shortcuts.” He’s learnt that it’s not about depriving yourself but about eating the right kind of food. His preference now is for a piece of fruit over a burger. This year he also marks two years of being sober – he hasn’t smoked or drunk alcohol since he gave up, an accomplishment he’s rightly proud of. He’s still losing weight and says that it’s now a way of life for him, one that he’s able to stick to with minimum effort. “You eat not for your body, you eat for your mind,” he says, pointing out that half the battle is in mustering the determination to commit to the process.
Gary de Silva had always struggled with his weight. When he moved to the States to study Management and Finance he promptly began to put on more. “College life is just one big party and the U.S is the best place to get fat,” he says, ruefully. “Everywhere you go, they want to know, ‘You want to supersize that?’ Gary’s answer, more often than not, was “Yes.”
A family history of back problems came into play and his knees began to act up. At 156 kgs, Gary decided he was going to lose weight.

“I’m going to try at least,” he said to himself. He dropped junk food and started going to the gym – often spending up to two hours a day, six days a week there putting in cardio and weight training. When he began to see the results, he gained a lot of confidence and put that back into sustaining his discipline. “I read all these books and developed my own fitness plan,” he says. “It became an obsession after a bit and now I’m still obsessed.” Working out helped him master his cravings. He took to drinking a glass of water before he ate, to help him feel less hungry and he drank copious amounts of green tea.

For him, the trick lay in making up his mind and then acting on it at once. He believes you’ll never get anywhere with what he calls the ‘I’ll start tomorrow’ attitude. After having shed close to 50 kgs, “I’m more confident now and not afraid to go out,” he says, adding, “If you’re trying to diet and exercise, you should definitely give it a shot, because it’s totally worth it.”

Top 5 diet tips – Gayan

1. For the first two months, stick to a strict diet plan. Slowly you can loosen up
2. Drink lots of water.
3. Choose what you can eat with minimum effect on your weight (vegetables and fruits)
4. Get involved in any type of physical activity (sports, exercise, walking)
5. Last but not least, have a positive mind set.

Top 5 exercise tips – Gary

1. Regular exercise with a combination of cardiovascular and resistance training. Devote alternate days to each, for eg. cardio on Monday, resistance on Tuesday. Rest on Sundays.
2. Change workout routines every 3 to 4 months. This creates muscle confusion and avoids weight loss plateau.
3. Alternate between low and high resistance with a combination of low and high repetition sets when lifting weights.
4. Plan your cardiovascular workouts with a target heart rate mind. Example: Run for 2 minutes at high speed (90% of your maximum capacity) then walk for a minute to cool down. (45% of your capacity). This helps burn fat as body needs quick energy.
5. On some days replace cardio or resistance training with light yoga or pilates routines

Top 5 tips for staying on track – Shamindri

1. Have an early dinner before 7 p.m. every day.
2. Stack your fridge and shelves with the right food always – no junk food for rainy days!
3. Cut down on eating out (especially during the time you are following the diet plan)
4. Complement your diet with daily exercises, without excuses.
5. Follow the mantra “I love me before I love you”

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