Standing Tall:Interview With Somasundram VellayanStanding Tall:Interview With Somasundram Vellayan

Somasundram's amazing before and after transformation !

This is one interview that I’ve looked forward to for the past few months. Somasundram Vellayan has become one of my personal weight loss heroes since I got to know him last year. Through sheer determination and self-discipline,Soma has adopted a healthy lifestyle for the past 4 years and lost an amazing 46kgs. Today,this handsome and confident young man of 26 stands tall,really tall at 1.82m,after overcoming one of the biggest health and social concerns of the 21st century.

Soma is proof that the right way is the only way and it is possible to do it on your own if you believe in yourself. With the swelling pride of a fellow weight-loser,I present Soma’s heartfelt and inspiring interview on his weight loss journey!

Q: Let’s get to know you a little Soma. What do you do right now?
A: I am a library officer in a local university for the past 3 years. I am also pursuing a part-time undergraduate degree in information and communications technology in another university.

Q: How old were you when you started gaining weight?
A: Since six,but the weight gain was much significant during my teens.

Q: Why do you think you started gaining weight?
A: I was plump as a kid. But the most weight gain was after a death in my family. Yeah,I seek comfort in food and indulge in emotional eating. On top of that I rarely exercised. I was the type who could stay glued to the computer the whole day,with exceptions for meals and toilet breaks. I could have used those times to go work out.

The other main reason was due to my inactiveness. When I was a toddler,I was always carried and therefore rarely moved around much,a habit that followed me as I got older. In secondary school,I always took the bus to school which was less than 2 kilometres. What was I thinking?!

I was also shy about going out and exercising. I was always worried that people might make fun of me when I exercised in public. So I shunned myself away from working out.

When I enlisted with the army in my late teens,I lost 15kgs at the end of the Basic Military Training. But when I was posted to another unit and was assigned sedentary tasks,I gained it all back within a year.

"The Big Indian Guy"at 134kgs and 1.82m tall

Q: Tell us about your family and how they reacted as you grew up overweight?
A: It’s just myself,my mum and a younger brother and sister. Compared to my other two siblings,I was the overweight family member.

My relatives didn’t say anything directly to me about my weight but I had a feeling some of them did so behind my back. My immediate family members did not see it as a huge factor. However not long ago,my mum herself came to me and said that I should seriously consider losing weight at least for the family’s sake. She was concerned since my father passed away 11 years ago due to heart complications,and was worried that it might be hereditary.

Q: Has losing weight brought about any difference in your relationships with your family,friends and working colleague?
A: Yup,with my friends mainly. I used to feel like the odd one out before as if I was the chubby teddy bear among a group of human beings. Some friends would keep boxing my tummy in a friendly gesture,as if it was a boxing bag (which is the most annoying thing,by the way. People if you are reading this,please do consider others’feelings before doing so!) In the past,my friends unintentionally did pass sensitive remarks about my size (sorry,guys!). But those remarks don’t crop up nowadays.

Actually,this reminds me of an incident. I remember going into a fast food restaurant and I couldn’t fit in into the space between the fixed chair and the table! It was so embarrassing in front of my friends. I tried to holding my breath to squeeze in.

My colleagues are surprised at my recent weight loss,though some of them have told me not to lose anymore as they are concerned that it might affect my health. I assure them that I am doing it the healthy way and I encourage some of them to do so as well.

Q: How did it feel being overweight?
A: I think if my primary school mates were reading this,they would remember this physical instructor that we had who always said this to me and other overweight kids,“When you eat the chicken,you eat the feathers also,is it? Macam babi (“Like a pig”in the Malay language)…” and being young I did not know what “babi” meant at that age.

I never weighed myself during those years. I always thought I was fine and carried on with my life with the thought that I am not fat,just “big boned”. But there were some instances where people reminded me of my weight gain and asked if I have done anything about it or teased me.

I shunned myself away from cameras,because sometimes when I see myself in the photos or videos,in my mind I would go “Oh my…. is that me? I look damn big.” I also felt very tired easily and would hide myself by not attending public functions. I also had difficulty breathing and suffered from asthma.

Q: Do think you have recovered from those hurtful comments or do they still haunt you at times?
A: I have yet to meet those people who used to tease me. Nevertheless,when I start to laze around,those feelings do come back and haunt me. This really prevents me from going back to obesity or overeating.

Q: When did you weigh your heaviest ?
A: I was 20. I weighed 134 kilograms when I graduated from polytechnic.

Q: What was the thing that made you start your weight loss journey?
A: There were two incidents which prompted me to start my weight loss journey.

I was waiting for the train to go back home after school. Suddenly this guy comes up to me and says “I can see that you have problems losing weight. I wish we could talk further but I gotta rush. Here’s my card and call me. We will talk.” And he took off. He was from a company which markets weight loss products.

I was dumbfounded for a while. What was that? I realized that I have succumbed to a point that everyone I pass by wants to say to me “Dude… you need to lose weight.”

Another incident occurred not very long after the first one. A group of my army mates were talking about girls. They were speaking in their own language but nevertheless I could understand what they were saying. One fellow brought up about this overweight girl that he had to meet after getting to know her over the net. I was shocked about the things he said about they way she looked in her overweight condition. It seemed that her obesity was the only thing he could see in her. Then they started talking about fat people,not minding the fact that me and another friend of mine (who had same weight problems as me) were sitting just a few metres away within earshot. The things that they said made me promise myself that I will try my very best to lose that weight and get it moving!

It wasn't enough at 100kgs!

Q: You definitely kept to your promise Soma! How much weight have you lost to date?
A: I have lost 46kgs to date since I started on my journey in April 2006. I know it is a very long time because I have been doing this on my own and had to do it intermittently as I also had other commitments.

I believe in doing things progressively instead of rushing into things. When I started off,I did the workouts progressively. Perhaps,that’s why my weight loss journey is still ongoing…..

First,I started off by going for brisk walking at the park for about 4-6kms. Then I progressed to slow jog,then to jogging for 8 – 9kms. My weight loss journey started during the last few months before the end of my national service. They had this weekly run under the Healthy Lifestyle programme and I forced myself to join in. As the weeks passed,it got easier for me. The officers eventually started to encourage me and even jogged together with me.

I took about a month’s leave then as I had to clear it. So I used that period of time to go all the way and work out. My daily routine was 8.6km run at the reservoir park,followed by brisk walking for 1 hour on the treadmill at home and 1.5hr swim in the late afternoon.

Q: How is your weekly workout schedule today? Do you face time constraints or other problems?
A: As I have classes in the evening and work commitments,I try to workout at least three times a week by going for a jog or gym sessions. Though it does not help much for weight loss,it does prevent me from going back to gaining weight.

Once the exams are over,I go into total weight loss mode. I work out four to five times a week. On weekdays,I either go for an 8km run or high-intensity training at home or two hours of cardio and strength training at the gym.

On weekends,I start off the morning in the gym with 2 different types of cardio exercises followed by strength training. In the afternoon,I go for a jog or do some jump rope followed by kickboxing workout.

I would definitely recommend the kickboxing workout. It has been effective. There are some kickboxing workout videos out there in the market.

Q: How has your eating habits changed?
A: I used to gorge myself down on food even when I was not hungry. I always had second helpings and consumed a lot of fried items or food with high sugar content. Though I ate vegetables,I usually went for those dishes which had lots of oil.

If my fridge could speak,it would have a lot to say about me. It used to be piled up with chocolates,ice cream,leftovers etc. I frequently opened the fridge to grab something whenever I got the “itch” in my mouth or when I got bored. One of our kitchen cabinets was always filled with snacks and tidbits. I used to reach out for that often too. I also used to finish up the leftovers after dinner.

Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced while trying to lose weight?
A: The temptations at home! Seriously,I am a ‘product’ of my mother’s care. She is such a great cook and made us delicious meals and savouries. I was her number one fan literally! I was the one who always finishes the plate and asks for more later. Since I embarked on this weight loss journey,she has been quite disappointed that I totally avoid some of the dishes she makes. I will go lock myself up in the room so that I will not be tempted to eat them.

Initially,it was difficult for her to understand. But for the past few years,she has been helping by cooking food in a healthier way and adding more vegetables in the diet. My family also eats in a healthier way today.

Another challenge was that I did this alone. I wished there were someone else who could have joined me and we could have a “mini-competition” on who loses the most weight.

To be frank with you,I had kind of halted this weight loss journey when I reached 100kgs,thinking that I had lost a lot of weight and it may affect my health if I lose more. Also,work and studies caught up with me and I rarely found the energy to work out. Late last year,I had gone for a medical checkup at a clinic as required by an insurance company. The doctor checked me and reported that I was overweight. Because of that,I had to pay a higher premium. That hit me. Why should I pay an insurance company more money due to extra weight? So,I made a new year resolution this year to lose more weight and since then have lost 12kgs with more to go.

Flaunting it at social events!

Q: What kept you motivated during your journey?
A: I would say the compliments that I got on my weight loss. Till today I’m unsure if my reaction to them is appropriate. When someone comes to me and says,“Soma,you lost weight! You look slimmer!”,I just love that feeling. It shows that my hard work paid off and this spurs me on with more determination. I would tell myself that the next time that same person sees me,I would be slimmer. Yeah,I would say that ‘compliments’have been my greatest motivating factor.

Also,I am fortunate to have some friends and well wishers who encourage me till today. I wish to convey my biggest thanks to them!

Q: What is the target weight loss for yourself?
A: My current weight is 88kgs. I hope to reach 77-78kgs by the end of 2010.

Q: Is your healthy lifestyle going to be permanent or are you waiting to go back to being a food lover once you’ve reached your targets?
A: Sometimes I get a weird feeling if I don’t work out for quite some time. After working out,I feel a lot better and I can focus on other matters. Exercise itself has been beneficial to me.

Honestly,it’s difficult to control myself with all these temptations but I will do it with the utmost diet control. I always tell myself how much calories I will be eating and will refrain myself from consuming them. Nowadays I only eat when I am hungry and stop eating from 9pm onwards. I would like to maintain this even after I have reached my targets.

I will put my best effort to make this healthy lifestyle permanent and I would like to impart this to my future family as well. Like the saying goes,we eat to live,not live to eat.

Q: What are the social and health benefits you’ve enjoyed since losing weight?
A: I never had those asthma attacks coming back for the past four years. I can move around more easily now. My difficulty in breathing has long gone.

Previously,I used to shun myself from social events. Now,I show myself up with much confidence and get recognised in the social circle.

Q: You mentioned once that this ‘weight loss era’ was in the way of some of things you wanted to do. Could you elaborate?
A: I am involved in community work. Sometimes both community work and planned workouts coincide and I have to choose between them which can be very difficult at times.

Weekends are usually taken up with workouts and studies. I rarely get the time to go out and enjoy myself. Though I will still continue maintaining my weight,I would like to have some time for myself and my loved ones.

Another thing I want to do is get a girlfriend. I don’t wish to be single forever ☺

Q: How do you perceive yourself now compared to before?
A: When I look at myself in the mirror nowadays,I can’t help but think how much slimmer I look now though I still have some more weight to lose. I have lots of energy now and don’t get tired easily like I used to.

Before this,I rarely go out to avoid all those stares at this big Indian guy. It was very uncomfortable. I now go out with confidence and much more energy. I can now go to any clothes store and buy clothes for myself instead for scouting for those multi-XL stores.

A picture of confidence!

Q: How has losing weight changed people’s behaviour towards you?
A: To tell you the truth,some people don’t recognize me! They take a while to recall who I am. Some of my ex-classmates used to tease me about my size,but now they don’t. I have friends writing to me in my Facebook profile commenting how different I look now. I am delighted to hear those remarks!

I used to be the fattest person in every room I go to. Nowadays I stand along with others like a normal-sized person!

Q: When you look at other overweight or obese people now,what comes to your mind?
A: Frankly speaking,I wish I could go speak with them and try to help them. However,I am quite a shy person and sometimes feel they might get offended having been in their shoes and knowing how it feels when some random guy comes up and talks about losing weight.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: I hope that this interview would be motivating those who are thinking of embarking on or already have embarked on their weight loss journey.

Apologies if I seemed to sound too overconfident!

Again,I would like to thank all those who have motivated me all this time. And to Shamala,thank you for giving me this opportunity to share. Hoping to send you more pictures of myself after I have reached my target☺

Q: Your advice on weight loss for our readers…
A: Weight loss is a slow journey. It does not happen overnight and you need lots and lots of patience. You also need the encouragement and support from those around you. You don’t have to do it in a short period of time. You can do it at a slow and steady pace. Next time you pick up that junk food,think for a second whether you need to eat that. Are you really that hungry? If you are,go grab a fruit instead!

When working out,do it progressively. When beginning to work out,do not try doing too much at once. Seek help if necessary. Don’t be discouraged when you hit a plateau. Try to work around it. I myself am still on my weight loss journey and still encounter them. Keep going and you will break that plateau!

Related posts:

1. The Biggest Loser Asia Season 1:Interview With Martha Lai
2. The Biggest Loser Asia Season 1:Interview With Tony
3. The Biggest Loser Asia Season 1:Interview With Garry Holden
4. There Is No End To Excuses
5. The Last Bit Is The Hardest To Lose