Almost a decade ago, young and beautiful Ankita Shorey was crowned Pantaloons Femina Miss India-International 2011. She was barely 18 when she touched the height of success and now, at 27, she is still full of energy, graceful and inspiring everyone with her incredible transformation!
The gorgeous diva is one of the popular Supermodels in India. While she has done it all with grace and glamour, her life has been a rollercoaster ride. Having battled multiple health conditions, struggling with weight gain and then working hard to reverse it all, it has been quite a journey and she's never looked more beautiful!
In an exclusive interaction with Etimes, Ankita talks about her fitness journey, how she fought against all odds and restored her health and weight, switching to a healthier lifestyle.
You won the Femina Miss India crown in 2011 when you were barely 18-years-old, a very young girl. A decade has gone by and now at 27, what do you think has changed, in terms of your health and fitness?
AS: When I won Miss India, I was naturally very lean. At that point of time, I had never hit the gym in my life, never worked out. What you saw of me in the Miss India pageant was just my natural self. It was later that I realized how important it is to work-out to not only have a good body, but to keep your body healthy.
Working out regenerates a lot of your body's cells, which begin to die out over a period of time. As you age, and the moment you cross 25, there are a lot of hormonal changes that take place, which then demands your attention. So over the years, I have come to acknowledge that workout is not just about maintaining a good figure, but also about maintaining good health.
It takes a great deal to maintain oneself, one's health and of course one's weight. What were the roadblocks you faced in your life that fiddled with your overall wellness?
AS: Unfortunately, I suffered from a lot of health challenges. I was in a wheelchair for 6 months, developed a severe infection in the lower part of my body and I was even told that I'll never be able to wear heels again. At one point, my doctor even told me that they were just an inch away from cutting off my leg. But somehow, the treatments miraculously worked, I bounced back and I proved everyone wrong! In just 6 months I was up on my feet again, walking the ramp as the 'showstopper' for leading designer Rina Dhaka, at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.
When exactly did you decide to begin your weight loss journey? What was the turning point?
I have always been a fighter. Even when I was at my lowest, I decided to rise back up and proved everyone wrong.
But due to my treatment, the medications and the steroids, it all took a toll on me. Everything had started to mature up. Even when I was barely 21, I started to look like I was in my 30s. I was all bloated up, started to put on weight, and my appearance had changed completely.
So, while I was trying to figure out a way to get my health back, it was then that I was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that the doctors said was 'irreversible'. This was almost 3 to 4 years back - basically, when I started my weight transformation, and why I got into health-specific diets, which eventually went on to 'reverse' my condition.
The fact that you look more youthful than your Miss India days is amazing! How did you make it happen?
So, I started my weight loss journey by performing yoga. And surprisingly, it did not work for me at all. Yoga is great for health, but then again it's each to its own. Everyone's body is different. What works for your body is what you need to discover.
I indulged in yoga with weights, but it did not work. I trained for 3 hours a day, for a year and did not shed even a single kilo. I was 65kgs then.
Finally, after spending a lot of time trying to figure out what worked for me, all I did was change my diet! When I say diet, I do NOT mean dieting. I have never starved myself. I just went gluten-free and vegan and till date, I swear by this strategy.
When I had gluten, which is wheat and maida, my body was always bloated, I was struggling to lose weight, my intestines were swelling up and even with dairy products, I experienced similar issues. So, when I switched to gluten/dairy-free products, just after a month, I started to notice a significant difference. It worked really well for me.
Apart from that, I cut off sugar completely. I swapped processed sugar with healthy, natural alternatives like palm sugar, coconut sugar and dates sugar. What I believe is that processed sugar is like poison to the body.
A diet secret that you unveiled during your transformation
A lot of people believe that quitting rice is the only way to lose weight. I would say, it's gluten that interferes with your weight loss goals, contains high calories and negatively impacts your digestive health.
On the contrary, rice is actually good for your gut, lighter to digest and as everyone would know, weight loss is related to digestion. But on the downside, white rice doesn't have any nutritional value so to say. It contains high calories and fat, which is why you can always switch to healthier options.
I eat black rice, red rice, and organic brown rice, which are highly nutritious, packed with fibre, low in fat, and high in protein.
Your go-to exercise?
AS: I just did Pilates. Thrice a week for 45 minutes and I have gone back to being 50kgs again.
While losing weight is a task, maintaining it is a greater struggle. Having been through so much, how do you maintain and still manage to look so stunning?
AS: I drink only hot water, 10 to 15 glasses everyday. I never touch anything cold. Anything that is cold, that goes inside your body, freezes all the fat and accumulates it. Drinking warm water prevents that from happening and even improves your metabolic rate. You need to get your body into the habit of not touching anything cold, so it benefits you in the long run.
Often, people associate weight loss with fad diets, starving themselves to achieve their goals. What do you have to say about that?
People who starve themselves are the ones who put on weight very quickly. So, firstly, it is a myth when they think starving means losing weight. When you suddenly stop eating, you're fooling with your metabolic rate, you're killing your internal system. Then when you eat, you will put on a lot of weight automatically and very quickly.
Secondly, fasting is a very unhealthy way to approach weight loss. You'll only become more prone to various diseases. Also, it can facilitate bloating.
This is why you should switch to healthy eating. 'Smart eating' is what I'd call it. Eat, but the right things.
You say, "healthy can also be tasty". Can you tell us how? After all, we all want to look our best, but also tend to our taste buds
So, I too have cheat days. I eat pizzas, drink chocolate shakes and everything that would sound unhealthy. But they're actually not!
The pizza that I have is made of rajgira, amaranth, a high-nutrient grain, low in calories, which does not compromise the taste. Topped with nutritious greens and cheese (mostly cashew cheese), you can make your cheat meals healthy and weight loss-friendly at the same time.
So eating healthy does not mean that you have to compromise on your taste. You can eat the healthiest foods and maintain its taste simultaneously.
Lastly, what would you like to convey to the youngsters?
Do not starve yourselves! It is a myth if you believe that you'll lose weight by starving yourself. This can also lead to several mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. Young people these days are under a lot of pressure to look good, slim and skinny, which eventually leads to unhealthy eating patterns and in turn affects the mind. But then again, it does not mean that you hog on to all the junk food. Just be more aware, look for healthy alternatives and do not stop eating.
Also read: Weight Loss: The smart way to work out less and get better results
