Can weight loss enhance your looks? A Weight Loss Journey

Article by Anushka Tyagi, source Quora

It does. Losing weight reduces the fat content from your overall body and makes you look more toned. The face, since is a part of body also loses weight and looks more chiseled and sharp.

Sometimes, people who have been overweight for very long suffer from severe acne conditions and Acanthosis Nigricans. In this condition there is darkening of the face and neck leading to hyperpigmentation. One of the etiologies behind this is disturbed hormonal levels and it is very commonly seen amongst today’s generation due to constantly elevated stress levels and poor eating habits.

Another bummer to a healthy and good skin is PCOS. Women are subjected to it who have high androgen levels. I had suffered from both and I can tell you that weight loss helps a lot in improving the signs and symptoms. Also, adopting a healthy lifestyle is a boon. Here are a few of my pictures where you can see that weight loss improves the quality of skin and health both :

The above pics are circa 2013.

Now, after 6 years here we are :

The results are here for you to see.

Now, I was 117 kgs in 2013 when I had first joined college. I had severe cystic acne. My complexion was darker than wheatish and I had terrible acne marks. I used to only think about having a better skin. I read so many things on the internet, tried almost every DIY that is there. I read about Retinoin doing wonders for people do I started applying it and since I wanted quick results I applied so much of that it led to Tretinoin facies, a condition where your skin starts peeling and is red for a few weeks and it feels like your face is on fire. Also, since I never cared about my weight until 2 -3 years ago, I had a terrible bout of cystic acne when my gynaecologist had put me on the pill for PCOS which led to a flare up and I had a lot of open pores and melanin spots.

I decided that I should put on an end to this and decide to treat the root cause of all my problems. The BMI of 45, the weight of 100 kgs, the poor health and life quality, everything. I read a lot of articles which educated about treating your body via food and living a healthier lifestyle. I put a lot of points into action( listed below) and I am really glad I followed them.

1. HYDRATION : Drink atleast 3–5 ltrs of water everyday. Hydration ensures a healthy and well functioning body, clear pee and easy pooping. Eat vegetables and fruits that have water content like cucumber, bell peppers, watermelon, etc.
2. OBSERVE YOURSELF: Watch what you eat and how you eat it: We as millennials are always binge watching a series on Netflix or Prime and often do this while eating food. When we eat food we are restoring the nutrients of our body and hence, this should be done in peace. While eating, one should aim to chew, connect and feel the food in your mind. Tell your mind that you’re eating this food and it will heal you. You will discover the benefits of it as soon as you follow it. Trying avoiding distractions while eating. Focus. CHEW, because the digestion of your food begins in your mouth.
3. SLEEP: Again, we millennials don’t seem to be doing great on that note. Sleep is when our body repairs, restores and rejuvenated itself. There is healing of tissues happening while you sleep. Sleeping uninterrupted for a minimum of 7–9 hours is extremely important. Your brain and body go into stress mode when there is a lack of sleep. Stress causing increase in cortisol level and this flares up the inflammation which is worse for women with PCOD. Limit your screen time and make sure you sleep well for 8 hrs a day.
4. MODERATION: By moderation I mean, eating, sleeping, exercising, talking, interacting, basically living in moderation. Often when we start to adopt new habits, we go apeshit and think the more the merrier. But that’s not true always. We need to eat very less to sustain our bodies, we don’t need to snack every 2 hrs, we don’t need that pizza or burger or those fries. We don’t need to sleep for 16 hrs a day and 4 hrs the next. We need to exercise a minimum of 30 minute in order to stay fit and functioning. Talk less, read more. Think less, execute more.
5. FRUITS/ VEGETABLES/ NUTS are your friends. Eat 1 fruit and 2 servings of vegetables daily. Nuts are a good source of fat, the kind you need. Walnuts helps you have good levels of Omega 3 which is good for skin and bones. Almonds have good content of Vit. A which helps in keeping skin healthy. Seeds such as chia and pumpkin have good protein and oil content which are essential for your body.
6. EAT/ DRINK YOUR GREENS: Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, cilantro, tomato, eat them, drink them, worship them.
7. STRESS: I can’t stress enough on this. Find an activity that helps you combat stress daily. Something that requires you to put physicals efforts. It can be running, sports, swimming, gym, weight lifting, cycling anything. Non physical activities can be writing, journaling, painting, cooking etc but find a way to bust your stress.
8. GRATITUDE: Be grateful for all that you have. Look at the brighter aspects of things. Breath in and breathe out.
9. SKIN: I have spent most of my parents money on food/ plus size clothing and dermatologists. Expensive facewashes, creams etc what not but in the end I’ll tell you what worked for me:

• Wash your face atleast 2–3 times a day, use face wash not more than twice a day. Moisturise right after.
• Use products with Cetyl and Stearyl alcohol and usually pick non fragrant versions. I use Cetaphil.
• Clean your pillow covers and towel every 2–3 days. Use a silk cover instead of a cotton one.
• Cut out dairy. PCOS fam, this is for you.
• Check your hair products for any harsh chemicals and avoid using hairsprays and setting products and your hair are in close proximity to your face.
• Cut down the makeup.
• Don’t go to bed without cleaning and moisturising. Clean your hands with soap before cleaning your face with the facewash.
• Exfoliate once week. Apply besan pack once a week.
• Cut down on caffeine, cocoa and stuff that generally produce a lot of heat in body.
• Sweat/ Glitter/ Sparkle for It helps to cut out the toxins from your body.

For any further queries and questions, ask Anushka Tyagi. Would love to help 🙂

Good luck!