Sharfi lost 10 lbs. Listen to her favorite spice - it’s different than any you’ve heard before!

Hi, this is Nagina, and I am here today with Sharfi, a Spice Yourself Skinny star sister and mom of a very young baby who lost a lot of weight. And Spice Yourself Skinny. Sharfi, please say hi. Tell us how much weight you lost, how many inches across your body you lost, and tell us about your favorite spice and what you use it on.

Hi, Nagina. Hi, everybody. So, yeah, I joined the third round of Spice Yourself Skinny around February, and at that time, I weighed 148.6 pounds. And this morning I weighed. And it's what, May 5th today I was. I weighed 139 pounds this morning. And that too, you know, there were weeks in between, like, week eight of Spice Yourself Skinny that, you know, I wasn't able to be on the plan because I was traveling last. This week, I was traveling. So I. I did whatever I could, but not really, you know, like the SIS recipes. But, yeah, I lost 9.6 pounds and 11 inches. So that's amazing. Oh, my gosh.

Congratulations. Wow. And that's while traveling for work and as a mom of a young baby. How old is your baby now?

She will be one in August. So, yeah, she's little, teeny, tiny. Wow.

So cute. And kudos to you for taking charge of your body right away. Like, you know, you gave yourself that time to recover, to feel good, to feel like you're healthy enough to start eating healthy, but then you just took control and, like, you know, like, you're getting back into it. So I love that. I love that. Now tell me what your favorite spice is and what you like to use it on.

You know, much like you. So since I was born and brought up in an Indian family, I was very, very familiar with spices. What was really new to me was adding the chia seeds, the flax seeds, the hemp seeds, and just the amazing amount of energy I will have in the morning just from adding those things. So spices were my thing before because I know the first week plan. When the meal plan came out, I was looking at the recipes and I almost had all of the spices except for, you know, these unusual things and, like, having no idea how to pair them up with, you know, your regular go to smoothies and stuff. So those things, like chia seed is my favorite. I think I mentioned it many times on the. On the Facebook group too. Like, I'm amazed how much energy I have once I have that chia seed. The smoothie with the chia seed, or I'll just add it to, like, any other smoothie too. So that was my favorite. I definitely almost always use turmeric and cinnamon. Actually, for cinnamon, I wasn't using as much. I was just using it for my husband because he had diabetes, and we had him on slow carb diet before. And, you know, men have it easy. Like, he would lose, like, 20 pounds in a month.

Yeah. Like, yeah, my husband lost 20 pounds in a month.

Doing.

Yeah, yeah. Wait, I don't lose 20 pounds in a month. But I was so happy.

But, yes, I was using cinnamon for him. But I think when you started mentioning cinnamon, I'm like, you know, why not? I don't have diabetes, but why not? Right? So I started using cinnamon, the Ceylon cinnamon, a whole lot because I think it has less curcumin or whatever. The other thing I never did was I was never combining cayenne pepper and black pepper, but I think in one of your videos you mentioned that. So I've started doing it. And I know a lot of people find it unusual when I add both, but I just pull it off. Like, I'm Indian. I like hot pepper, you know, because it's difficult to explain to others why you're doing that.

Oh, my God, I love it. I love that. I love that. So it's like, you know, flaxseed, chia seeds, all those things, they add, like, bulk to your food without the calories. So what happens is you get full without calories, so you save yourself, like, 500 calories by adding 2 tablespoons of flax seeds or chia seeds.

Absolutely. Yeah.

So mandatory in the food. So, Sharfi, do you eat meat or do you not eat?

I do. I don't like meat, but it looks like, you know, just because of the easy way to get protein, because I just can't stand the taste of protein shakes. To get my protein in, I would do meat. But you did provide the recipes with the garbanzo beans, flour and stuff that were really helpful. But I do eat chicken. I would eat salmon or, you know, occasionally I would do a lamb thing or whatever.

Yep, yep. Okay. So really, I have one question. So, you know, a lot of people ask me, they say, I grew up with spices. Why? If I hadn't lost weight before using spices, why would it help me now? So, you know, just like, I grew up with spices, too, but I never really lost weight when I was younger until I started adding them to certain foods as I got older. But why do you think Spice Yourself Skinny worked for you when you've been using spices your whole life?

Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's funny you mentioned that because I was on. I mean, I really. I think I was on one of the calls when you were interviewing Deepshikha, but I was full. This was at work. You know, we were eating lunch at the, at a, you know, at a conference in a conference room at office. And my, I think my friend who was there with me, I'm like, yeah, you want to listen to this? Because she also has a young baby. I think she did ask you the question or whatever. And I was like, right at that time, I was pulled out of the call for another call or something. But yeah, after I came back, she gave me some vague answer and I'm like, okay, I still don't have an answer, but I will still join. Because she was not able to recreate the answer. But really, you know, I think for me what worked was just like the taste of the food would help with the adherence because I was aware of like, keto and Atkins and slow carb and Four Hour Body and like all kinds of diets in the world. But really adherence was the problem. You know, I can't just totally get rid of beans and carbs and, you know, feel satisfied. So I would sneak in whatever unhealthy carb I got. Right. So I think adherence is my biggest thing because I was able to be on a slow carb, like, diet, but with all the added taste that comes from spices and of course, the benefits. Right. Whereas, you know, when, when you cook like a traditional Indian food, you would have, like a lot of curry and you would pair it up with a lot of rice or a lot of roti. Right. Which. Which adds a lot of unhealthy carbs. Whereas when you're eating sis, like recipes, you don't feel the need to have the roti or you will not feel the need to have a lot of rice or whatever. I was literally able to cut roti and completely on Spicy Yourself Skinny, which I haven't been able to do with, like, you know, when I was doing Four Hour Body, because, like, I think I would crave it just because I wasn't able to experiment with, like, what spices I could add. And you had done that work for Spice Yourself Skinny. So, I mean, that is what worked for me. Wow.

I love that you were able to cut roti and rice. And the thing is, before you take it out, it's unbelievable that you could ever be able to not eat it as much.

Yes, yes. Because you grow up like, you give. You've been eating it for 37 years. And you can't imagine cutting it out.

Exactly. But then it's like, see, I'm so glad you're saying this because I also loved eating bread and rice and I still eat it. We still have our cheat days and you can still eat it a little bit, but it's like how much you eat it, it makes a difference in your weight. But the thing is, once you start eating the right foods that are tasty, other foods, and you are so satisfied, you really, you really, it's unbelievable. You don't crave it anymore, you know?

So.

Okay, so Sharfi, tell me, what was the moment when you decided to join Spice Yourself Skinny? Like, what was happening in your life that made you say, I need to, I need to lose weight and I need to join this program?

Oh, my God. This answer, I don't know, may or may not make you happy. So I'm a big Ramit fan girl. I have been like, I think when you started dabbling in Spice Yourself Skinny, I think it was called something else then. I was already a ZTL students. I've been following you on like our ZTL group. So I knew what you were doing. And I think I had been on your list since then. But, you know, like, life was crazy. I never had a chance to open your emails. And like I was saying, you know, with my son, I was able to lose weight during the Ramadan fasting and stuff. So, like, I really did not have a need then. But I've been receiving your emails, but I hardly open your emails. But when, when, when my daughter was born, Ramadan was still a little bit far away. I was like, I did not do the Ramadan that year because she was just born. And then I was like, I want to lose weight, but I don't want to go on a dry fast. You know, I want to be able to eat and lose weight. So I started doing 4 hour body type of diet. But like I was saying, adherence was a problem, but I think I got that. I happened to see that email when you were interviewing Deepshakehal, the call that I was talking about. And I was planning on like sitting through the call, but I was pulled out to take care of something at work. I came back. My friend, you know, whatever was going on in her life at the time and it was not the right time for her to join. But I was like, whatever, I have some time right now. I was in that conference room. I just signed up, you know. So yeah, like, if I had to join any program just because I've been, you know, received, receiving and reading Rameen's emails. But, you know, just been following you on there. I was like, yeah, if I have to join any program, I enjoy yours. And I think one of the things that you said was you can eat healthy, delicious, and nutritious food while losing weight. That was very important to me because I was still nursing my daughter. She's still on, like nighttime nursing or more like comfort nursing, but she solid. So that is not important to me anymore. But at the time, that was very important, you know, like being able to be on a healthy and nutritious diet while being able to nurse your baby. Wow.

Yeah.

Also, you know, I was pumping milk like twice a day at work, so, like, I didn't want and I did not see my milk supply drop or whatever. So that was also very important to me. You know, like, if I'm going to be like, cutting out carbs completely, being on some kind of diet, you know, that would not work for me because, you know, probably I won't be able to make enough milk for my daughter.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it's like we don't, like, we don't cut out carbs and spice yourself skinny. You were able to nurse your daughter. You were able to pump at work and then nurse your daughter also, like, while following spice yourself skinny.

Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, awesome. I'm so happy to hear that. I mean, the foods are really good for you. So giving your child such good things, you know, it's like want to do. It's not like you're depriving yourself or your baby at all.

You know, also there's another theory that baby will get whatever she has to get from your body, but you have to take care of yourself. You know, like, if you start not getting the right kind of vitamins, right kind of nutrients, right. You know, you will have problems. Like, I was having back pains before, I think ever since my son was born. Like, he's going to be five now. So for five years, I had suffered from back pain that was gone from having cysts like foods, because, you know, we were adding just like ingredients that I've never, like endives and radicure that I've never tried before. And they're probably full of nutrients and minerals and stuff that helps you with, you know, all these other issues. Instead of having like a medicinal intervention or a surgery or whatever, you know, why not just have good food and.

So true. Oh, my gosh. So, okay, so sharpie. You have, like such a full life. You're a mom of Two five year old and one year old, almost one year old, and you travel for work, you have a full time career and you know, you were able to lose almost 10 pounds in the eight weeks and then, or, you know, 10 pounds through Spice yourself skinny and just keep following it. That's just like, I love hearing that because it just seems like for a lot of people, they think it's not possible to do all of those things. So how do you feel now as a mom and as a, you know, as a working person? How do you feel just having lost this weight and eating like this? What is, what has changed for you?

Oh, you know, the energy levels are just amazing. I think the week Deepshikha asked me for the pictures, I was like, yeah, I will send the pictures. But I had a very busy week. You know, working through late Friday night, Saturday morning on a bim, we decided to take kids to the water park. And I know that would not have been possible before because like I would not even wake up early on Saturday if I'd work that late on Friday. I would be like, kids would be up, they will be like, mommy, wake up. And I would be like laying down. So yeah, you know, I was able to go to the park, have fun with my kids. But you know, that, that itself is amazing. Just having all the energy to spend time with my K. I mean, nothing can beat that. Yeah.

Wow, that's so true. And I think you gave us, you sent a picture of you at the water park. Was that from that day?

That was from that day, yeah. Because I'm like, oh damn, I have to send this picture to her. So I asked my husband, can you send this picture? Because like it's water. So all my cell phone and everything is in the purse. So we like, okay, let's do this quickly. Send it over to her.

Well, thanks. I mean, I feel like just being able to go to a water park and feeling good about yourself is like something, right? Like, did you feel good about being at a water park? You felt fine about being at a water park?

Yeah. You know, I think more than being there, it was like I had a very busy week and being able to go there on a Saturday, this was just like before I had children because we are big on hiking, trekking, traveling. You know, like when we did not have children, we would just get up and go. And I think when you are younger, you have all that energy. But you know, getting older, having children, it does things to women's bodies that it's difficult to recover from. Right. So yeah. Just being able to do that after a very busy week was amazing to me. Like, that unheard of in last four, five years.

Wow. Oh, my gosh. And I know what you mean. It's like after having such a busy week, you just want to sleep on Saturday. But then, I mean, sleeping of course, is important and you need it. But then also you want to take your kids places. Like, you want to waste your weekend, and then it's Monday again, and you were just like, sleeping the whole time. Yes. So thank you so much, Sharfi. I'm so thankful that you were able to share your experience. I think it's going to be so helpful for so many other women. And congratulations to you on just, like, being just doing so much. You look amazing. I love what. You're just like, you're making yourself a priority and look at what's happened.

It's just amazing. You know, it's so funny. Like, until deep. Not even then, I think. The other day my son took my picture and I shared it on the Facebook Growth. And maybe later on, Deepshikha contacted me about this thing, and I'm like, oh, wait, should I wait to get to my goal weight, which was like, you know, 123ish pounds, and then do this. And she's like, no, no, you look amazing.

Yes, you do. You look so amazing.

And you have.

And you kind of, like, you have to celebrate your progress. You lost almost 10 pounds. I mean, you can still be on the journey, you know, and that's fine. And now you know how to do this, so it's not going to be as hard, like, you'll be able to get there. You can just keep going.

So that's exactly what I'm noticing. Like, like this week, while I was traveling, I wasn't able to do any of the SIS recipes, but I did not put on weight, which is amazing. You know, like, if I hover around this weight by not doing sis, that itself speaks volumes for, you know, like, because your body tends to retain weight or whatever. So I think it did help.

It's so true. Like, you can just. You don't have to. Once you start eating like that, then your body starts processing things differently. Actually, there's some, like, scientific things that happen. Like, there's some bacteria that becomes different in your body so that you just burn fat faster. Like, it keeps happening. So thank you so much, Sharfi. Thanks for spending.