Back to 21

 On July 13 this year, a day after turning 51, I connected with a colleague who's lost tonnes of weight. OK, may be not tonnes, but more like 40 kg. I've seen people with large weight loss but this time, I spoke at length with him, discovering how he did it. Curiosity got the better of me. Can a keto diet and intermittent fasting do it? Get weight off my body, I mean.

So I weighed myself that day and got started, at 54.0 kg. I was near my heaviest then, which was 54.5 kg. At my heaviest, work slacks were hard to button up and I refused to go to 'L'-sized clothes, steadfastly remaining at M size. Beautifully-embroidered and sequined tops from Salabianca of yesteryears had been packed away in paper bags. That was the nearest to giving them away. For years, despite the weight gain, I had them hanging in the wardrobe.

And so my journey began. I cut my meals, to begin at 12 pm and end at 8 pm. That was an 8-hour eating window. And the carbs were cut out. No rice. Only protein and vegetables and fruits. No biscuits or cookies. No cakes.

There was hunger, especially in the morning. Midday was heavenly. Snacks came in the form of nuts, fruits and cheese.

About 10 days later, on July 24, I was shocked to weigh in at 52.3 kg. I had not gone below 52.5 kg in my previous attempts to lose weight. In ecstasy, I set myself the target of going to 50 kg. That'd be my goal.

It took me exactly two months, when on Sept. 23, I got on the weighing scale and couldn't believe my eyes that I'd reached my target. The scale read 49.7 kg. I thought I had seen the numbers wrongly. A day earlier, I had been 50.2.

Then I went on the four-hour eating window, setting a new target of 48 kg. Yesterday, on Nov. 4, I was at 48.1 kg. Let's stay on this journey, I tell myself.

Thank you, KFM, for the guidance. His advice to me was, or more like his questions: Apa lagi yang you belum makan? There was also this: It's OK to indulge a bit, as long as you know what to do to lose that weight. Great advice, really. Those were inspiring words.

And some weeks back, my sister sent me an article on whether one could get back into denim that you used to put on at 21. If you could, it means a greater health risk. My answer is, not yet but almost there. Let's continue with my journey, in the meantime.