Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

I've always wondered whether it was only in my head or the belly of paunchy Indians had a special shape. To put it simply, they look like pregnant women. It also happens to quite a few Indian women past their fifties (which makes me wonder every time I meet one “isn’t she too old to be pregnant?”). 

With a little research I found out that it is not only in India that overweight men are more apple-shaped than pear-shaped (a female prerogative)! 

Some people are more prone to accumulate visceral fat that grows deep in the abdomen and around the organs which gives the belly the apple shape. And others retain subcutaneous fat (under the skin) which often settles in the lower part of the body, including the hips and legs. (1)  

And that would be genetic: it is not the same genes that are most active in abdominal fat and thigh fat, and the location of these genes depends on the solicitation of hormones during development. (2)   

 

From there, it is quite possible that Indian males have a particular genetic issue, as they already have a genetic predisposition to have hairs in the ears (cf post). A certain Dr. Patel also claims that “in the United States, the accumulation of fat occurs in the whole body but in India it is centered around the belly”. (3)  

 

But other factors can play in the advent of the appled Indian...  

 

I thought for a moment about Zola and his Nana who was so beautiful because she was fat and fair skinned. Where a fat tummy would be a (ostentatious) sign of wealth of the man who got away from manual chores. But even poor guys often have a big paunch here (when they are not super skinny).  

 

In India, it's too hot to work out! Indians are not sportive – 9 gold medals in 21 participations at the Olympics (4), it gives the tone! And don’t get me started with cricket... First many players are far from having the bodies of soccer players (see the picture of Dwayne Leverock, who did not hesitate to throw his 120 kilos to catch the ball during the 2007 World Cup (one of the only games I've watched and an action I will never forget!)). (5) Secondly most of the (adult) cricket fans prefer to play cricket German-style: watching it on TV! 

I agree yoga was born in India. But on one hand yoga is more about feeling well in your body than getting an hourglass figure (you can just look at my yoga teacher if you need proof) and on the other hand yoga became popular in India only quite recently – after it became fashionable in the West actually! (6)   

 

That being said, people are more and more aware of problems related to overweight, such as diabetes that affects more than 40 million Indians – here again they seem to have a local genetic predisposition for this disease (7). Hence an explosion of the number of gyms in lately: from almost none when I arrived in 2006 to thousands today. But well, only 0.23 million Indians are believed to have a gym membership... (8) So we can safely say that Indians are culturally anti-sportive!  

 

And there is food... Traditionally Indian food is rich in carbohydrates (rice, wheat) and fats (a curry is not a curry if it is not full of butter or ghee). And on top of this Indians are fond of snacking. 

 

And last but not least, I think that Indians do not find a big paunch unaesthetic. The dream of my ex-favourite Indian when he was a kid was to have a big tummy like his dad! 

 

Just have a look at Ganesh and his belly (human but elephantine size!)…  

 

Or the regular comments I get on my weight (here).  

 

(1)  http://perdreduventre.net/deux-types-de-graisse-abdominale-quel-est-le-pire/ 

(2)  http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2013/01/14/des-differences-importantes-entre-gras-du-ventre-et-gras-des-cuisses-graisse-ventre_n_2472707.html 

(3)  http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-08/ahmedabad/41872756_1_diabetes-centre-dr-mayur-patel-nirma-university;  http://www.Hindu.com/Seta/2006/05/04/stories/2006050400121500.html 

(4)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_at_the_Olympics 

(5)  http://www.criticaltwenties.in/sport/xi-best-performances-in-the-cricket-world-cup-by-fat-cricketers 

(6)  http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/The+fitness+rage/1/85334.html 

(7)  http://healthcare.financialexpress.com/200808/diabetes02.shtml;

http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/62/5/1369;  http://www.ncbi.NLM.NIH.gov/PubMed/17496355; http://articles.timesofindia.Indiatimes.com/2013-09-08/Ah...

(8)  http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-08-14/news/27657062_1_vikram-aditya-bhatia-talwalkars-gold-s-gym 

Source picture: http://travel.CNN.com/Mumbai/life/potbelly-138381 

Other source: http://www.FAO.org/AG/AGN/nutrition/ind_en.stm

My French friend came to visit me in Delhi.

 

She gave me a big kick in the ass, "forcing me" to go out, socialize (I also have been a super wing-woman for her!) etc. The moment she landed, she bought Times Out, highlighted stuff and we were out! Which also created a few funny situations.

 

Let's start with the free trial class of zumba. We decided to meet one evening at 16A Lajpat Nagar. I told her that it was probably a printing mistake; it had to be A16 (and therefore block A). After twenty minutes of rounds, we landed outside a gym (at the A16); the kind of gym where you wish you would never go: in a basement, maximum 40 square meters, a sign that makes the mouth water: 

My friend told the reception guy that we had come for the free trial class of zumba. No spark of understanding in his dull eyes. She tried again. He offered us to go to the changing room. We almost did but it was not clear where the class would take place after that since the room was filled with machines.

To cut the story short, I stepped in. As I often say, to be polite, a French has to be extensively polite and make this kind of extended sentences: "Would you be kind enough to pass me the milk please?". While in India, no need  of such tumid questions. The best way to ask for milk is to say: “Milk?”. If the sentence is too long you may lose the attention of the person you are talking to and in any case, it is not rude to go straight to the goal. I have to say, I still find people rude sometimes, but this mainly due to the tone of voice they use, especially when they treat waiters as slaves. But I guess if you have a nice tone, just saying a word is not impolite. So guess what I asked the brainless bodybuilder I was facing?? "ZUUUUUMMMMBAAAAAAAAAAAAA".

Can’t say I had the right tone that time but I was getting pretty irritated by the whole joke!!

And then guess what?? He got it!! "Ha!. No, no zumba here! ".

 

We would not give up. After a long search (a cycle-rickshaw and a ten minutes’ walk), we found the 16A, cursing the magazine for not putting the name of the street (and for once the street had a name!!). We arrived in a nice ultramodern (but empty) health farm!

And, finally, I could not escape my first class of zumba...

The other day I was walking down the street, all light – and I was that I must have lost some weight which I remember because it does not happen so often!!

A guy stops me. Bollywood style: tight jeans, muscles, sunglasses, ears pierced. I’m listening to my music full volume so I could pretend I haven’t heard him but I decide to have some fun and see what he wants.

He gives me his card. He is a power yoga teacher at a gym club nearby, the club of the stars. And his cards indicates that he is a celebrity trainer. He asks me if I go to parties, if I “show my face”?? Ah no. He tells me that power yoga is good, if I want to learn I can just call him and get a few lessons free. And he adds “it is good to lose weight”. Wait, wait, wait, do you mean I need to lose weight? “Ah yeah of course”.

Ah yeah of course. You take your card back my friend, I insist. And you leave me alone.

Thank you.

 

It is no better than a customer two days back who comes in the meeting room. Hello. How are you? You have put on weight no?

…………….