Ayurveda helped overweight woman shed the kilos, regain health and balance; a good thing too – researchers link obesity to premature ageing

Nomita Hathiramani’s weight rose steadily when she was a teen. Years of crash dieting left her weak and ill. Ayurveda restored balance to her diet and her life

Had it not, she thinks she would have grown bigger and had weight-related health issues – obesity causes early onset of life-altering diseases, a study shows

Reading Time:5 minutes

A balanced diet and daily exercise have helped Nomita Hathiramani keep the weight off after years of harsh dieting that left her tired and bloated. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 9:45am, 3 Jul 2021Updated: 1:08pm, 3 Jul 2021

Nomita Hathiramani was at her heaviest when she was just 17 years old. Hormonal issues and sugar cravings saw her tip the scales at 68kg (150 pounds) and she was convinced she was destined to be a “big girl”.

“Growing up in Hong Kong and going to a British school, I felt pressure to look a certain way, and being overweight didn’t help,” says Hathiramani, who was born in Mumbai, India, and moved to Hong Kong at the age of one.

Feeling out of place, she hid her body under baggy shirts and fed her chocolate-caramel bar addiction, having one or two a day. “People told me that that was just my body structure and I could never be slim.”

Desperate to lose the excess weight, Hathiramani crash dieted over the next five years. For the first year and a half she barely ate, having only small servings of salad to try to control her hunger. She also became a vegetarian, believing this would help her reach her goal weight faster. She abused laxatives and seldom exercised: she simply had no energy.

Hathiramani at 20 years old, when she was barely eating and misusing laxatives. Photo: Nomita Hathiramani

Hathiramani lost about 20kg in the first year and maintained this weight loss for the next four years. She was no longer a “big girl” – but her health and skin were in bad shape. Then, between the ages of 22 and 23, she slowly regained 10kg.

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