All over the city of Bombay, as the obstinate summer is cajoled away by the advancing monsoon, the streets are ablaze with the Gulmohar’s flamboyant flowers of scarlet and orange-red, with splashes of white and yellow in-between. A happy import from Madagascar, the Gulmohar never fails to brighten the demeanour of all whose gaze falls on its blossoming glory amidst the daily grind of dreary city life.

Gulmohar tree with pods and flowers

Delonix regia is its botanical name, and this deciduous tree is also known as the Flamboyant or the  Royal Poinciana (after French nobleman Phillippe de Poincy, himself a pretty flamboyant 17^th century governor of St Kitts in the West Indies, credited with introducing the tree into the Americas).  Dissecting its botanical name reveals that Delonix is derived from the Greek words delos (evident) and onyx (meaning claw), suggesting the claw-like shape of the flower’s petals. In fact, mischievous youngsters tear apart the buds and place them over their nails to form creepy-looking extensions. The Indian name Gulmohar literally translates to Peacock Flower.

With a slender, straight trunk, shallow roots, fern-like leaves that spread into a shady canopy at a height of about 9-12 metres when full grown, the Gulmohar was first spotted by Bohemian botanist Wenceslas Bojer in Madagascar in the early 1820s. The Gulmohar in full bloom has vowed many a writer and poet, but perhaps none has expressed their thoughts on the strikingly beautiful blossoms more evocatively than Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India:

In Praise of Gulmohur Blossoms WHAT can rival your lovely hue O gorgeous boon of the spring? The glimmering red of a bridal robe, Rich red of a wild bird’s wing? Or the mystic blaze of the gem that burns On the brow of a serpent-king? What can rival the valiant joy Of your dazzling, fugitive sheen? The limpid clouds of the lustrous dawn That colour the ocean’s mien? Or the blood that poured from a thousand breasts To succour a Rajput queen? What can rival the radiant pride Of your frail, victorious fire? The flame of hope or the flame of hate, Quick flame of my heart’s desire? Or the rapturous light that leaps to heaven From a true wife’s funeral pyre? - Sarojini Naidu

The Gulmohar flower has five large crinkly petals, four of which are scarlet or orange-red, with the fifth upright petal coloured white or yellow with streaks or dots of red. A naturally occurring variant of Delonix regia known as flavida has flowers that are completely yellow; this variety is rarely seen in Bombay. The bi-compound leaves are light green and about 30-50 cm long, with 20 to 40 pairs of primary leaflets (pinnae). Each pinna is further divided into 10-20 pairs of secondary leaflets (pinnules).

After the flowers are all shed, usually by the month of July, the elongated seed cases emerge, green and flaccid at first, and later turning hard and dark brown in colour during the winter months. Some time during February and March the Gulmohar sheds all its leaves, and is almost completely bare,  save for the hardened pods, which hang conspicuously until the new buds appear in April. The “shaka-shaka” sound produced by the dried seed cases when waved about is a favourite with children playfully passing by; indeed, these seed pods form the basis of the maraca, a percussion instrument common in the Caribbean islands.

The Gulmohar is mainly an ornamental tree, and grows quite easily without any special care, either from seeds or cuttings. The shallow root system results in the tree also easily falling when faced with the gusty winds accompanying the monsoon rains. While almost extinct in its native Madagascar, the Gulmohar is widespread in Bombay and other parts of India. Horticulturists recommend that the Gulmohar be planted some distance away from other plants and shrubs in gardens, as its superficial root system prevents anything else from growing in the space it occupies. Some ecologists frown upon the planting of these non-indigenous trees, stating that local birds are not attracted to them and never nest in them, nor do they feed on their fruit or nectar. I’m not qualified to make a judgement on this observation, but I would have thought that in the last 150 years or so since the Gulmohar made its appearance here, the local fauna would have adapted appropriately, what with all that soft wood and perfectly good nectar going abegging. Or maybe we could bring across some exotic birds as well from Madagascar, to nest happily in our plentiful Poincianas.

-  Val Souza

End of Decade Five (April 8): 78.8 kgs

Today (June 18): 79.5 kgs

Weight loss: ♣ –700 grams ♣

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: ♣ 4800 grams ♣

But I haven’t given up. I’m reviving 100 for 100 from June 26, and the next five decades will be completed by August 15. That’s India’s Independence Day; for me it will signify Freedom From Fat! From the 78.8 kilos I was on April 8, I’ve inched up to 79.5 in the interim. So I have some extra work to do if I’m to achieve my original target of 10 kilos and come down to 74.3.

The last two months haven’t been a complete washout. I’ve really learned a lot about fitness and exercise and foods. And now, I will be adding pranayama to my repertoire. Do check out the posts covering fats, as they are the outcome of considerable reading and research, and contain a lot of interesting and useful information – the ones I’m referring to are I Shan’t Get No Saturation, Coconut Oil and Pure Ghee: Good or Bad? and  The ABC of Omega-3 and Omega-6. Also don’t miss Fibre Factor, Salt Tolerance and Understanding Alcohol.

And finally, my latest weapon, pranayama, is described in Pranayama for Weight Loss.

[The Progress Reports for Decade One, Decade Two, Decade Three, Decade Four and Decade Five are here.]

However, if there’s one subject that almost universally agreed upon by everyone (except, notably, NewScientist), it’s the beneficial effects of the omega-3 class of fatty acids in the diet. Study after study is revealing just how important these molecules are in cell function, brain and nerve function, heart health, reduction of inflammation throughout the body, and many other wonderful things. In fact it is also likely that omega-3 regulates triglyceride synthesis and the storage of fat, while as the same time enhancing a fuel partitioning phenomenon that conserves carbohydrate and burns fat – great for healthy weight loss!

Types of Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids are “essential” fatty acids that cannot be synthesised by the human body from scratch and hence
must be obtained from diet. The important ones are alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, which is a polyunsaturated short-chain fatty acid; and the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA can be converted to EPA and DHA (albeit with an efficiency of less than 10 percent), and it is EPA and DHA that have been proven to have all those awesome health benefits.

Great sources of ALA include flaxseed, walnuts and green leafy vegetables; soyabean oil and rapeseed oil (canola) are also decent sources. Direct sources of EPA and DHA include fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and halibut, and, to a lesser degree, other seafood such as prawn, crab and lobster. For people who don’t want to eat seafood, or for regions where high contamination by mercury and other pollutants is suspected, fish oil supplements could be used as a substitute (for instance cod liver oil capsules or liquid).

Factoring in Omega-6

One cannot discuss omega-3 without also taking into account the analogous class of unsaturated fatty acids known as omega-6. The one that merits mention is linoleic acid, a component of polyunsaturated vegetable oils. This is also an essential nutrient, but excessive levels of linoleic acid, relative to omega-3 fatty acids, could be detrimental to health. While the optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 4 to 1 or lower, many modern diets take this ratio way above 10 to 1. Higher levels of omega-6 may also inhibit the conversion of omega-3 ALA to DHA as they compete for the same enzymes.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fats are both important in the production of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that help regulate blood pressure, inflammatory and allergic responses, blood clotting, etc. Prostaglandin imbalances may result depending on the mix of fats consumed, and some types of prostaglandins that are unfavourable may be produced in excess as a result of too much omega-6 in the diet.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• While it is advisable not to pig out on fried foods (whether on a weight loss programmed or not), never forget that fats are an essential component of a healthy diet. Limit saturated fats, avoid trans fats, and get a mix of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids by varying and rotating the vegetable oils you use.
• The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is ideal when it is four or less. Unfortunately, urban Indian diets, not unlike western diets, are greatly skewed towards omega-6.
• It’s difficult to reduce omega-6, given the oils that are commonly in use in India (groundnut oil, rice bran oil, soyabean oil, etc).
• Instead it might be easier to increase the levels of omega-3. Green leafy vegetables, walnuts, and flax seed could add to alpha-linolenic acid levels. Flax seed, known as alsi in Hindi, should be available in grocery stores at the local market. It needs to be roasted and ground into a powder before use. Alternatively, more expensive (but convenient) flax seed powder is available as a branded product at health food stores or chemists.
• Or you might like to cut out the middleman and go straight to fish to get your fix of EPA and DHA. Salmon is not available in India, but Indian salmon or rawas (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) does provide decent omega-3. A better source is the Indian mackerel or bangada (Rastrelliger kanagurta). Another option is the Kingfish or Indo-Pacific King Mackerel known locally as surmai (Scomberomorus guttatus). Incidentally, the National Institute of Oceanography’s Bioinformatics Centre maintains a great database of the marine biodiversity of India at www.biosearch.in
• Deep frying of fish is likely to destroy the omega-3; light pan frying would be preferable (in fact some research suggests that this might be the best method). Of course, steaming, baking, or cooking the fish in a curry are also options.

-  Val Souza

But there are other species of animals and birds whose sudden appearance or return might indicate that despite everything, there’s hope for this damned city after all.

Squirrels

First, the squirrel. For the forty-plus years that I have lived in the western suburb of Khar, I have never once spotted a squirrel in the neighbourhood. Until sometime around the first quarter of this year. It all started with a rather loud, rapid, high-pitched, persistent chirping sound coming from the trees behind our house every afternoon. The sound was bird-like, but unlike anything I had heard before. Finally I decided to investigate, and, establishing the direction from which the sound originated, suddenly spotted the creature making the racket – a rather small squirrel with a rather large bushy tail that flapped with each cheep-cheep, high up in the neem tree overhanging our backyard. For several days that was the only squirrel that seemed to be around, the desperate shrieking ostensibly a result of its being entirely alone. But soon I started hearing the now recognisable sound along several of the byroads in the vicinity (most of which have pretty good tree cover) and have since spotted many more squirrels all over the place, not only in the suburbs of Khar and Santa Cruz but also in Dadar and Parel in the centre of the city, during my regular walking expeditions.

Also known as tree rodents, squirrels are cute from a distance but can become quite pesky as their numbers increase and they get used to humans. They chew on hard objects (edible or otherwise) to keep their teeth sharp, upset potted plants and kitchen gardens in attempts to find and/or bury food and even enter houses to nest or search for food. Squirrels can also be carriers of disease, so it’s best to keep one’s distance and not encourage them by luring them with food or attempting to touch and pet them.

Sparrows

Another species that has made a spectacular comeback to Bombay is the common house sparrow. A few years ago, ecologists, activists and other busybodies were falling over themselves in their eagerness to come up with esoteric postulations to explain the disappearance of sparrows from the city. Strangely, sparrows were indeed disappearing from cities, and not only in Bombay; other Indian cities reported dwindling numbers too, as did world cities such as London.

A precise reason for the decline was not immediately apparent. But of course that did not deter the wild speculation. One fine day someone noticed that sparrow populations started decreasing about the time that the number of cell phone towers started increasing. No formal study had been done, but it was concluded that the radiation affected the nervous system and reproductive cycles of sparrows. No other birds, just sparrows. Not impossible surely, but never proven.

Another theory was that as older buildings with architecture conducive for sparrows to build nests were being torn down and replaced by stark high-rises with no convenient nooks and crannies, the poor critters had no option but to up and leave. Actually, while it is true that new construction has been widespread in the suburbs, much of South Bombay remains unchanged. And there are still many areas in the suburbs where old buildings persist. The place where we live for instance, host to innumerable sparrow nests in the distant past, suddenly seemingly became inhospitable a few years ago, despite remaining architecturally unchanged.

One “world expert on sparrows” linked their decline to the introduction of unleaded petrol. Denis Summers-Smith said that the by-products of the combustion of this fuel killed small insects, depriving fledglings of an essential food source.

Finally, most plausible of all, although also unsubstantiated, was the theory that rapid increases in the numbers of crows and pigeons, which competed aggressively for food and space, simply drove the sparrows away. In addition, crows would prey on the sparrow fledglings, snatching them away even as they flew the nest.

Whether separately or collectively, these and other theories were gravely put forth as reasons for the flight of the sparrow from the city, much akin to rats leaving a sinking ship, in the eyes of the doomsayers.

Round Trip

And then the good ol’ sparrow went and confounded everyone by returning right back to Bombay! After many sparrowless years, I spotted a sparrow family flitting around in the trees opposite the Santa Cruz Bus Depot last August. Subsequently I saw one in our garden (curiously, it’s been the only one there to date), and then many, many more this spring and summer, chirping and cavorting in the substantial green cover characteristic of the backroads of this section of suburban Bombay.

So it seems that the sparrows’ leave of absence for a few years from the city of Bombay will remain a mystery. And the fact that the sparrows chose to come back despite the appalling state of the city suggests that there just might be a glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, squirrels or no squirrels, sparrows or no sparrows, studies or no studies, it’s pretty evident (to me at least) that the city of Bombay is on the very brink. How much longer until it topples over? Start counting crows.

-  Val Souza

Yet, millions of people in southern India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other many tropical regions have been using coconut in all its forms prominently in their cooking for centuries, with, apparently, no significant ill-effects.

Unchain My Heart

All saturated fats are in fact not the same and just like one distinguishes between types of cholesterol, one needs to distinguish between types of saturated fats too. Unlike most other saturated fats, which consist of long-chain fatty acids, coconut oil is essentially made up of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). These MCFAs are more easily digested and absorbed by the body than other saturated fats. Further, nearly half of the MCFAs in coconut oil is lauric acid, which is known to boost the immune system.

More research needs to be conducted, before the health benefits (or health risks) of coconut oil can be categorically established. It seems likely that natural coconut oil is definitely not as harmful as other saturated fats could be, and on the other hand, also not the magical health food that it’s being made out to be in some circles.

If you use coconut oil as your sole cooking medium, it’s probably a good idea to vary things by also sometimes instead using rice bran oil, olive oil, soyabean oil or groundnut oil. Make sure you never use hydrogenated forms of any of these oils, though. If you use coconut milk in curries, there’s no reason to stop, but do remember that coconut milk too contains fat (about 17 percent), so the calories add up real quick. All in all, paranoia is unwarranted, but moderation is key!

Ghee: Good for Thee?

Indians relish ghee! No true Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Marwari, Bihari – just about any Indian, actually (barring the coastal folk, who are more into coconut oil/milk) – can resist dollops of the stuff lopped on to chapatis, poured onto rice and blended into biryanis. As for sweets made lovingly in pure ghee – aah, what bliss! With more than two-thirds of ghee being saturated fat, one however needs to question the prudence of the typical Indian diet and the state of the health of the typical Indian who scoffs copious amount of ghee at every possible opportunity.

Pure ghee is what results when butter produced from cow’s or buffalo’s milk is boiled to remove all the milk fat solids and the water. The clear, golden oil that remains after filtering is pure ghee. It has a high smoke point and does not spoil easily. In addition to saturated fat and cholesterol, pure ghee also contains about 25 percent monounsaturated fatty acids.

Ghee is revered in Ayurveda for its medicinal properties and has been used in Ayurvedic prescriptions for centuries. This ancient, traditional system of medicine of India has a lot to say about the beneficial properties of pure ghee. Ghee balances the vata and pitta “elemental energies” (doshas), increases the life force (ojas) and stokes the “digestive fires” (agni). While this sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo, the fact remains that Ayurvedic wisdom cannot be dismissed lightly, as its methods and medications have been proven to be effective over the centuries. No doubt though that the proof is empirical rather than the result of meticulous scientific study. There is no reference to any authoritative or credible research conducted in India to determine whether ghee (being largely saturated fat) contributes to clogging of the arteries and heart disease or, as claimed by Ayurveda, really is the wonder food it is made out to be.

Ancient wisdom comes from ancient times, when the world was quite a different place. People in India were physically very active and all the exercise kept everyone pretty much in shape. It’s a different story today, especially in the urban setup where a majority lead a far more sedentary lifestyle than ever before, stress levels are high and diets have gone absolutely haywire. Simple observation is all one needs to realise the alarmingly high levels of obesity in the aforementioned Indian communities, especially among the well-settled (well-settled around the middle, actually!). It’s very likely that all these people have been scoffing copious amounts of greasy, gooey ghee with gusto, regularly.

The Unhealthy Indian

The reality today is that India has become the “diabetes capital of the world”. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of diabetics in India was 19 million in 1995, 41 million in 2007, and is projected to rise to 70 million by 2025. These frightening figures are attributed to the increased prevalence of factors such as sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and unhealthy, high-calorie diets rich in saturated fats, trans fats, and sugar. In addition, coronary heart disease is on the increase too, striking down ever-younger victims, further exacerbated by a genetic mutation that affects one in 25 people in India.

So, regardless of what Ayurveda says, and though it’s unfair to blame everything on ghee, it seems prudent to go easy on the stuff, especially if you’re overweight, have elevated cholesterol or sugar levels, have a history of heart disease or high blood pressure in the family, and live an erratic, stressed-out life. While reasonable amounts of pure, organic ghee might not be harmful, do totally avoid vanaspati, and hydrogenated vegetable oils that are passed off as ghee to the unsuspecting. And most important of all, stay active and get a lot of exercise!

- Val Souza

Not too long ago, nutritionists believed that fats in the diet needed to be minimised or, in some extreme cases even eliminated, for optimum heart health. Subsequent research revealed that this approach was incorrect, counterproductive and potentially even dangerous. Fats come in several shapes and sizes, some of which are desirable and can actually enhance cardiovascular health. In the bloodstream, fats and cholesterol move around as minute protein-covered particles called lipoproteins. Depending on their size, density and structure they may be of various types; the important ones are LDL (low density lipoprotein, which carries cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body), HDL (high density lipoprotein), and triglycerides.

Types of fats

Saturated fats (so-called because carbon atoms are saturated with hydrogen atoms in the chemical structure of these fats) are less healthy because they increase the levels of LDL (“bad” cholesterol – it is excess LDL that forms the plaque that attaches to arterial walls and causes blockages). Saturated fats, mostly of animal origin (meat and dairy), are usually solid at room temperature. Many foods high in saturated fats are also high in cholesterol – however this dietary cholesterol is not as dangerous as once thought to be, as it contributes very little to increasing total cholesterol levels in most people (thus, foods such as prawns, high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, are not so bad after all). Saturated fats are found in meats, some seafood, skin of poultry, whole-milk products such as cheese, butter, milk, cream and ice cream, and some plant oils. Red meats and whole-milk dairy are the main contributors of undesirable saturated fats in most people’s diets.

Unsaturated fats are healthier to consume. These can be either monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), based on their chemical structure. And you need to MUFA and PUFA to blow your bad cholesterol away! Of course if you overdo it, you can forget about weight control, as all fats, saturated or otherwise, still contain nine calories per gram. Unsaturated fats also increase the levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol, which acts like a trash collector and picks up excess cholesterol from the blood, LDL and artery walls and carries it to the liver for processing and eventual disposal. Unsaturated fats are found mainly in plant foods such as nuts seeds and vegetable oils, usually in liquid form at room temperature.

Monounsaturated fats are found in olive, canola and groundnut oils. Almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are also rich in MUFAs.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in soyabean, sunflower, corn and flaxseed oils, as well as in fatty fish and nuts and seeds such as walnuts and flax seeds. The human body is incapable of producing polyunsaturated fats (including the celebrated Omega-3 fats) so they must be sourced from foods.

Trans Fats

While unsaturated fats are good and saturated fats not so good in excess, trans fats are now considered to be absolute anathema. Trans fats are synthetically produced by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils under pressure. This process solidifies the oils, ensures a longer shelf-life, and enables the oils to withstand repeated heating at higher temperatures. It is now categorically established that trans fats contribute to heart disease by lowering HDL and increasing LDL, and have other bad effects such as enhancing inflammation and a host of other problems. Although regulation now requires packaged goods to state the content of trans fats, until recently these were passed off under the guise of “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “vegetable shortening”. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are often used for baking and also in restaurants, fast food chains and by street vendors, as they are inexpensive, more stable, can be heated repeatedly, and are also easy to store and transport without spoiling.

Storage and Usage of Oils

In order to derive the maximum health benefit from unsaturated oils, it’s important to know a few things about their properties. Most important is the “smoke point” of an oil, the temperature at which the oil begins to break up into free fatty acids and glycerol, which further breaks down into a substance known as acrolein (released as thick, bluish smoke) – if this happens the food being fried will taste terrible and any nutritional value of the oil will be lost; worse, a toxin known as HNE can form when unsaturated oils are reheated repeatedly.

The optimal temperature for frying is 180-190 degrees C. The oil being used for frying should definitely have a smoke point that’s much higher than that. Groundnut oil, soyabean oil and rice bran oil all have high smoke points, and can safely be used in all types of cooking. While the smoke point of olive oil is high enough to withstand degradation during frying, it would be silly to use this expensive oil for deep frying. If you must, then the pomace variety of olive oil is most suitable for deep frying; extra virgin olive oil is best utilised as a flavoring post-cooking in order to derive maximum benefit from both a taste as well as a health perspective.

Polyunsaturated fats being the least stable are more prone to oxidation with exposure to light, repeated heating, and long-term storage. Store all oils in air-tight, opaque containers (dark bottles, tins or plastic cans), away from light. Expensive oils are best kept in the fridge. It is not true that reheating of unsaturated oils generates trans fats, but degradation is bound to occur if the oil is brought to smoke point or thereabouts and repeatedly used for deep frying all day long – that cauldron of oil bubbling away at the vada pav stall sure doesn’t inspire any confidence at all!

Conclusions and Recommendations

The information on what constitutes good and bad fats is rather confusing and there are a lot of conflicting studies. After reading through reams of reports and articles from credible and authoritative medical sources, I’ve come to the following conclusions:

• Saturated fat is bad when you get too much of it. It’s a good idea to limit consumption of red meat and whole-milk dairy products to once or twice a week at best. If you must, go in for fish, poultry and remove all visible fat and skin from non-vegetarian foods before consumption. Skimmed milk and low-fat dairy taste almost as good as the full-fat versions. But don’t deny yourself the pleasure of pigging out once in a while.
• Dietary cholesterol is not the ogre it was once thought to be. So eggs, butter and other such treats can be consumed guiltlessly in moderation, but be aware that the calories still keep adding up rapidly with all such foods.
• Trans fats need to be avoided as far as possible. Stay far away from all partially hydrogenated fats, including vanaspati. Read the nutrition labels on all packaged foods and choose those which categorically claim to be trans-fat-free. Unfortunately, the bigger risk is when buying unpackaged foods (such as at a bakery, the farsan store and the mithaiwala), eating out at restaurants or indulging in street food. You can’t keep on enquiring about the medium of cooking (anyway, it’s most likely to be partially hydrogenated soya or groundnut oil – trans fats!), so it’s advisable to keep such culinary adventures to the minimum if health is your concern.
• Olive oil is undoubtedly the best medium for cooking. But it’s also horrendously expensive, more so in India because of high import duties. After checking out the composition of various oils, smoke points and other properties, my recommendation is that rice bran oil, soyabean oil and perhaps groundnut oil are quite acceptable alternatives, providing almost as much nutritional value as olive oil at a small fraction of the cost. Use olive oil if you have money to burn (literally!), but if you instead channel that money towards some other worthy cause, the satisfaction you derive from such gestures would probably be far better for your heart than olive oil could ever be!

What about coconut oil and pure ghee then? And all the brouhaha about omega-3 and omega-6? Well, those are the topics for my next posts.

- Val Souza

Start of Decade: 78.8 kgs

End of Decade: 79.1 kgs

Weight loss: ♣ -300 grams ♣

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: ♣ 5200 grams ♣

But I am still absolutely determined to achieve the original goal of losing 10 kilos, which is the key contention of 100 for 100 – guess I’m taking the clause “without suffering or grief” a little too seriously, though

So here’s the deal:

• I’m going to consider the previous fifteen-day period as an unfortunate but unintended hiatus from 100 for 100 and write it off as The Lost Decade-And-A-Half.
• I’m going to recommence the programme in all its glory with the Sixth Decade starting from April 26.
• As a confirmation of my renewed sincerity, I’d like to report that I did the Big Walk yesterday, and completed all 16 km of it without any negative after-effects.
• I have decided to double my walking routine from here on, doing 110 km each decade. My walking speed has increased, and, being lighter now, it’s much easier to complete the designated distance than it was at the start of 100 for 100
• I have a backlog of posts to complete. These include “I Shan’t Get No Saturation”, “Suddenly, Squirrels and Sparrows” and “The ABC of Omega”. I promise to put all these up next week.

My apologies to all those who have been closely following this blog and awaiting the results of Decade Six. Please don’t give up on me! Check back regularly in the coming weeks and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

[The Progress Reports for Decade One, Decade Two, Decade Three, Decade Four and Decade Five are here.]

Start of Decade: 79.9 kgs

End of Decade: 78.8 kgs

Weight loss: ♣ 1100 grams ♣

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: ♣ 5500 grams ♣

Overall, the walking has been working like a charm. When I conceptualised 100 for 100, I was quite sure that walking would be the key component, and the last 50 days has endorsed that belief beyond question. I haven’t made any great adjustments to diet — apart from the simple things I’ve already discussed — so there’s no feeling of deprivation of any sort (very important for me!).

I’ve gradually increased the walking component to 90 minutes and the pace has quickened a bit too. To vary things, I’ve started jogging a little, perhaps about 10 to 15 percent of the walking stint, but never for more than 200 metres at a stretch. As I get lighter, I should probably be able to do short bursts of running to keep the heart-rate in the optimum fat-burning zone. I can’t afford to be too ambitious here, because of the risk of injury. In fact I think my knee injury was caused by the jarring resulting from a couple of mislaid steps while suddenly quickening the pace of the jog last Thursday.

I’ve been in the process of putting together quite a bit of stuff on fats, calisthenics, heart-rate, parks, etc. Hopefully I will be able to write it all up and post it to 100 for 100 while sipping urak on the beaches of Goa next week.

Urak? Beaches of Goa? So is this going to be the end of 100 for 100 as we’ve known it these past five Decades then? Check back regularly to find out!

[The Progress Reports for Decade One, Decade Two, Decade Three and Decade Four are here.]