“What is this uncle? How come you have lost a ton of weight” I was startled, looking at Eddie uncle, outside the vegetable shop.
The old man looked fit.
“Ah Anil, I have been dieting” Eddie uncle was quick in his response.
“Give me some tips uncle. My Madhya Pradesh is only expanding” I said pointing to my belly, which was now out of my control.
“You must start dieting Anil, and also do yoga” Eddie uncle smiled at me, without taking his eyes off my paunch.
“I do”.
I strictly followed my dietician and also had a trainer for exercise. I should have been as fit as a horse by now, but I was turning out more like a donkey. The only thing that was reducing was my bank balance.
“Do you?” he asked sarcastically.
“Yes. I do. I have hired a dietician and a trainer who come thrice every week and guide me”. I have never seen Eddie uncle laugh so heartily in a long time. He was uncontrollable.
A bit agitated and a bit embarrassed, all I could do was just shut up. The man definitely had a point, whatever it was.
“Let us begin with your diet” he said, pointing to my belly.
I did not mind listening to him, as the old man had a successful track record in losing his Madhya Pradesh and that too without any conflicts with other pradeshs around.
“What is your dietician saying?” the interrogation began “What do you eat?”
“All healthy uncle. Morning, after I wake up, I drink a very nutritious milkshake of finger millets. For breakfast I follow a weekly plan- some days egg whites, some day only yellows, some days oats. For Lunch I have only protein with chapatis. Dinner is only fresh salads. I also have fresh juice once a day and eat 5 types of fruits in small portions, along with some yogurt for digestion”
Eddie uncle smiled “with all that stuff you eat, you need that”. He paused “what about your exercise?”.
“The trainer comes thrice a week and trains me by taking me on a run, then weights and other things” I said.
“And you haven’t lost any weight?” he asked.
“I have a bit. I feel a lot fitter. But I am not like you” I said earnestly.
“How will you? You are eating more than you are burning” he smiled.
“What do you mean? I eat all healthy stuff”
“No doubt about it” Again there was a hint of sarcasm.
“What about you? What do you eat?” I asked.
“I eat the same thing that I have been eating all my life. Only that I am eating less, compared to when I was younger” he collected his jute bag of vegetables.
“What about exercise?”
“Drop me back home in your bike. I came here walking” he smiled again.
For a minute I realized where I was going wrong. He was able to drive his point right into my thick skull.
“Hop on” I said.
