It all started one hot summer’s day - Roshni had put on her favourite dress and when she looked at herself in the mirror she felt awful, she couldn’t believe what she saw in the mirror. She just couldn’t recognise herself.

Looking back and introspecting, Roshni knew how things had deteriorated to this level.

She had been very stressed at work and felt like she had no idea what to do with respect to her career and felt directionless and without trajectory. To help deal with all these negative feelings, Roshni did what a lot of people do - she sought comfort in her food and predictably she ended up putting on quite a bit of weight. She had lost all her confidence and took to hiding her body in oversized clothes and leggings.

“When I wore that dress that summer, I remember I was looking at myself and I thought this dress just doesn’t look right… I felt blown up and I felt fat. My favourite pair of jeans didn’t fit anymore. And the tipping point was when my grandmother, who is very matter of fact and black and white said to me in Gujarati - Roshni, you look short and fat! I was so shocked at first and couldn’t believe what she had said to me. But to be honest it was exactly what I needed to hear for me to get my act together.”

Health Concerns

It didn’t help that Roshni had been struggling with her health in 2018. She had been in and out of hospital and constantly on antibiotics for months.

“I was struggling with UTI and I remember I went for a scan and was horrified to learn that I had 7 kidney stones, one of them was in my bladder! I can’t tell you the number of procedures and surgeries I had to do to get rid of them. I was so tired and in so much pain that I would just sit on the couch and not move and I would eat! It was definitely a big cause for my weight gain.

On top of all of this she also had trouble with her monthly cycle. Roshni always had really regular periods but her skin was quite bad; during her period her skin would get really red and inflamed. When she spoke to her GP about this, they recommended her to go on the pill to control the acne. While the acne was controlled by the hormone pills it triggered other health concerns, she still believes that her kidney stones were caused by the pills.

Before her surgeries to remove the kidney stones she had to go off the pill and then her periods became so irregular. She felt so nauseous and ill over those few days! Sadly enough she actually was in a much worse position than when she started!

Today, Roshni’s skin is glowing; her periods are regular and she has no period pain or nausea. During the week of her period she still heads to the gym and trains, it’s just like any other normal week. Her kidney stones are all gone and she attributes this partly to the fact that she now drinks so much water as well as to her wholesome, nutritious diet.

The RNT Journey Begins

Being RNT Founder Akash’s sister, Roshni had been toyed with the idea of starting her own transformation journey for a while. The ill-fitting summer dress and her grandmother’s candid statement combined with her own feelings of inadequacy pushed her to take the plunge and she told her brother that she was ready.

It wasn’t an easy start, when she received her first meal plan she was completely and totally overwhelmed,

“The day I received my plan, I looked at it and thought I just couldn’t do this! I thought - how am I going to eat the same things everyday for the next couple of weeks?! I remember going out for a walk with my parents and I just suddenly burst into tears, I was just so overwhelmed by the whole thing.”

Kudos to Roshni that she didn’t just give up and run away. She had committed and she was determined to see it through no matter how overwhelmed she felt.

The Struggle With Food

Roshni loved her food and the thought of eating the same things every day was a little short of depressing. It didn’t help that she had never really made her own food before and had always just eaten whatever her mother had prepared for the whole family.

“I remember hating some of the food that was on my plan, some of it I was fine with but some others like the salmon I just couldn’t stomach. I also hated the thought of eating blueberries and protein yogurt everyday. So I reached out to the RNT team and told them I just couldn’t stomach some of the food and they were so helpful!”

To really succeed in your journey we believe that you should actually like the food on your plate or an already challenging journey becomes that much more difficult.

When Roshni reached out saying she just didn’t enjoy some of the food on her plate she was given some options to pick from. She swapped out the fish for paneer and tofu. And to make the blueberries and yogurt more palatable she was given a recipe that actually transformed this dreaded dish into one of her all time favourites!

Blueberry Yogurt Recipe

100gms Frozen Blueberries

200gms Protein Yogurt

30gms Vanilla Protein Powder

Gently warm up the blueberries for 2-3 mins in the microwave or on the stove until soft, warm and juicy. Mix the protein powder into the yogurt and add the warmed blueberries on top.

“This simple twist to this recipe transformed it into the ultimate craving buster! It was like dessert and I was eating it everyday for my breakfast! So so good!”

Roshni also decided to meal prep to save her precious time in the morning. We have always seen that those who meal prep are able to stick to their plan with relative ease. When you already have meals prepared you aren’t tempted to pick up and eat something that is off your plan.

“It was also so much easier to not have to stress about what I was going to eat. There was no more decision fatigue! I actually felt free!

Avoiding Social Traps

While Roshni managed to overcome the initial mental hurdles she had a few more obstacles to navigate around. These presented themselves in the form of social occasions. She had her photoshoot booked in for the week after Christmas, she had been to India for a week to attend a wedding and she had to navigate her way around the treats and food during Diwali.

“When I started my Process Phase, it was actually half-term at school and I was worried that I was going to let the ball drop. But I stuck to my plan, I meal-prepped and I continued to get my steps and train in the mornings. During Diwali I became the buffer queen so I did enjoy my Indian food. But to be honest, I actually missed my routine - I guess not having to be worried about what I was eating had taken so much stress away that I actually missed the comfort that it provided.”

As a teacher, Roshni had quite an active social life and was invited to a lot of parties.

“The last few days of school at the end of the Christmas holidays were rather challenging. We have class parties and the children bring in all kinds of food - crisps, popcorn, doughnuts, the works! It’s just junk, junk, junk! Normally I would have indulged in all of them, but this time I didn’t eat anything and the surprising thing was I didn’t even really feel like it! The fact that I could stay away from all those temptations was a real confidence booster - I had just a couple more weeks to my shoot and I wasn’t about to let it all go.”

Roshni had struggled with overwhelm at the beginning but now it had become part of her life and she had integrated the RNT way effortlessly into her life.

“I’m still quite social and go out often, but now instead of meeting at a pub or restaurant we meet up to do an activity and my friends actually like that we are doing things instead of just sitting around at a restaurant. I am able to make healthy food choices and I feel so much more confident. What started off as a 12 week journey has now evolved into the ultimate lifestyle solution”

The Physical Is The Vehicle

Roshni’s life has now totally transformed! She feels happy and confident in her own skin and she now has more faith in her own abilities.

“I feel more empowered and the fact that I stuck to the RNT journey without giving up and the incredible results I have achieved has given me the strength to make some truly life-changing decisions. I feel more calm, I get less angry and I don’t burst into tears every time I feel overwhelmed. I am so much happier, I have so much more energy and I sleep so much better!”

By trusting the process and seeing it through to the end gave Roshni the strength and the courage in all other aspects of her life.

Podcast

If you want to learn more about Roshni’s journey and how her relationships and career have changed, Tune into Episode 129 on RNT Fitness Radio. Brother and sister talk about their relationship, recipes and share some funny and heart-warming anecdotes. This is one you do not want to miss.