Daily Times

Dear Mathira & Rose,

I am 30 years old and have been dating this man for almost four years now. We’re madly in love and really involved. He’s my best friend as well. Now the trouble is that yesterday, he announced that he wants to send his parents over this weekend to my place so they could ask for my hand in marriage. I’ve put on a lot of weight this past year and I weigh 80 kilogrammes right now. Elated as I was on hearing this, I told him to wait for a month so I could try and lose a couple of kilos. My metabolism is really fast and I’m confident I’ll lose some weight in a month. I want to feel confident about my body when they arrive. But my boyfriend started fighting with me. He said he loved me as I was and he didn’t care and also, doesn’t want to wait another month. Anyhow, I’ve convinced him to send his parents after a month. Have I done the right thing? I’m dying to marry him. But you see, he’s two years younger to me and I don’t want his parents to notice how fat and older I’m looking than him. That’s why I’ve bought time to lose weight.

Rose’s advice:

You see, at the end of the day, you’ve to live your life with your man and not his parents. If he’s happy with the way you look right now, I don’t think you need to be afraid by the way his parents will look at you at your heaviest. But yes, 80kg is a lot and you do need to lose weight because it’s not healthy. Also, if you don’t feel good about your own self, then I don’t think it’s worth it. Go ahead and start losing weight in a month. However, as far as meeting his parents is concerned, I don’t think there’s any harm in that. But now that you’ve convinced him, then make sure you lose weight. Don’t buy time and not lose weight. Do it in a healthy way. I would like to suggest that if you want to lose weight very quickly, follow a diet that I did which is a protein diet. For that, you need to leave out rice, sugar and flour. So basically, you’re eating proteins and good fats. You can have cheese, eggs, lassi, homemade food and lettuce. This food is filling and trust me, it’ll make you lose weight without heading towards the gym. Other than that, stay strong. I’m sure you’ll look perfect when they come next month to ask for your hand in marriage.

If you want advice on any issue, email us your questions at sisterlyadvice@dailytimes.com.pk

Mathira’s advice:

I think you made the right decision and you need to look after yourself. Even if you’re not dating someone and are married instead or are a mother, I’ve heard women say, “Now we’re married and have kids, why bother with weight loss?” So what? If you’re married with children, that doesn’t mean you go out of shape and stop looking after yourself. You still need to keep your marriage and your love life alive. Next time, please control your weight. Since belly fat is the hardest to lose, you can always wear a corset underneath your clothes. When you wake up in the morning, before eating anything, chop a little bit of garlic and have it with two glasses of warm water. You can also add some honey to it. It’s really harsh but garlic does the trick and will help you lose the stubborn fat. You should look pretty and it should be your moment. Only asking for the hand in marriage is not important. The girl should feel pretty and she should look confident. Keep loving him and pamper him for taking your side and pushing it forward for a month. But please hit the gym and control your cravings. Not just this, but also take care of your hair and skin as you need to look perfect when they come to see you.

If you want advice on any issue, email us your questions at sisterlyadvice@dailytimes.com.pk