Matter of Weight | Feature

Whether it is with the recent rise in popularity of yoga, or the generally busy lives of people, the new trend in exercising is, well, not exercising. Through wonder-drugs advertised in attractive and tempting colours and lying back in a wired, high-tech bed for toning, people now have the option of being lazy yet looking great without moving a muscle.

Everyone's invited:

VLCC is a different type of fitness centre. Located in Charkhal in Kathmandu, from the outside the centre looks exactly like any other. Yet, once inside, you'll find no masculine, lustrous equipment. You'll find no exercise cycles or grunting, sweaty bodies. Instead, the fitness centre is focused on something called 'passive exercising', which, as the name implies, involves a person passively sitting idle while machines fine-tune the body. Initially, the centre targeted Indians living in Nepal, but now, even Nepali families are catching on. This new type of exercising is great for people who are dangerously obese, so much so that they find it difficult to perform the usual sit-ups or lift weights. Passive-exercising is also perfect for the old who aren't flexible enough to exercise actively. Rather than focus on skin-deep treatments in gyms, passive-exercising implies lifestyle changes. The folks at VLCC basically map out your diet schedule depending on your weight. And no one really needs to worry because they are more focused on cutting down a food item rather than cutting it out completely. Fifteen to sixteen year olds also come in for the 'inch-loss programs', where massages and toning devices target specific parts of the body like the hips or thighs. For the increasingly busy urban population, this approach to diet management and staying slim is something that could make the gym close shop. An interesting fact that Nishant Sharaf, the director of VLCC, reveals is that the people coming in are still dominantly female. "Seventy percent of our clients are female, males are still in denial," he jokes. But he has a point. Honesty about what you eat and what to eat is as important as dieting itself. The main reason for being obese is actually addiction to food so, VLCC doesn't recommend crash diets as people will often immediately succumb to their favourite foods. Instead, cutting down gradually on fats will help far better.

VLCC claims to make weight-loss a project, with strict schedules that monitor not only the weight and give body beauty tips, but also encourage clients to communicate honestly through a diet diary with their diet counsellors. Such dedication to our weight has to be admired, and the outcome is obviously good. "The centre is going very well; we've had clients who've lost 10 kilograms in two-and-a-half months. The success rate is 99%, " says Nishant. Very well indeed.

A Chemical Solution:

Now for the quickest way to lose weight, and also perhaps the most risky and untested one. Medicines are short-cuts to beauty and weight-loss. On a global scale, the most popular product is probably Botox as it makes anyone in Hollywood look young. VLCC has already sold a hundred units of Botox, which is a chemical injected directly to stretch the skin and, for a short-term, give a false sense of youth. But Botox has the unfortunate and often embarrassing side-effect of targeting the wrong muscle. Now you wouldn't want a drooping smile on your first date, would you?

Botox is perhaps the more qualified drug in the Nepali market, another wonder-drug that claims to reduce 6kg in a year is the Heroplus 3D slimming solution. A raspberry flavoured syrup made from natural ingredients, Heroplus is cheap, locally made, and, for the most part, rather untested. Although this syrup might not have the staggering side-effects of Botox, they could be rather harmless, and thus become a waste of time. Of the ingredients used in this solution, such as artichokes and cherry stems, the medical advantages are pretty slight. However, their private test shows the remarkable result that the average loss of weight was around 2.5 kilograms. But even this chemical claims that the most important factor in losing weight and maintaining it is food. In the pamphlet for the syrup is a diet regimen that specifies the importance of yogurt and bread in our diet. In the end, it is what you eat that matters most.

Treatment through chemicals and liquids is not old in Nepal. We often encounter old men sitting beside the roads near Ratnapark with a lot of dirty, murky bottles that include everything from elephant whiskers to crane beaks. In a way similar to that age-old culture, most of these chemicals are made from eclectic ingredients which include common items like green coffee and also exotic items like cherry stems. Another such chemical solution, called the Robeus Active Aloe Juice claims to be everything from anti-ageing to enhancing the digestive processes in the body. However, the actual benefits of aloe vera are largely unknown, and it is important to consult a doctor before ingesting aloe vera juice. Aloe vera, when ingested, can cause urine to turn red in colour, and improperly processed aloe vera juice can contain laxative compounds that could make you run to the toilet every fifteen minutes. It just goes to show that such juices and other herbal remedies that claim to have exotic ingredients must be taken only after careful consideration. In the end, the best solution for weight loss, at the moment, seems like a humble plate of dal-bhat and saag and an hour's jogging in the morning.