If you are depressed because that weight machine left you in the lurch to grapple with obesity, then take heart from Suzie Oneal Basan’s story. From carrying the burden of 110kg to lifting the trophy for Best Physique, the path to the transformation was challenging but never seemed impossible to Basan.
Basan is not the first woman bodybuilder in Meghalaya but her story can add muscles to the endeavours of those struggling to get back to shape. The mother of two teenage girls, one 19 and the other 15, says it was a “depressing period” a few years ago when she was obese and she neither had confidence nor self-esteem.
“It was a torture to see myself in the mirror,” she recollects.
As the torture became unbearable Basan thought it was time to put her foot down. She started working out, focusing on jogging, and got results. But by then, Basan had set her goal, which her family and friends thought would be difficult.
With no trainer or expert to guide her, Basan, who is now a fitness trainer, continued with her exercise, now in a local gym, and started gathering knowledge about muscle building, diet and exercises.
The calling came last year when Basan decided to participate in the state-level fitness and bodybuilding competition Mr Ironman Classics and Miss Physique 2017. “I did weight training twice a day along with clean eating and cardio-based workout and ended up securing second position that acted as my biggest catalyst and it motivated me to go for more so I competed twice again within the state,” says the 38-year-old bodybuilder.
After winning the first position in Mr Meghalaya and Miss Fitness 2017 organised by World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA), Basan got the chance to represent the state at the national level in Agra. The competition was held on February 24 and 25. She won the second position. “It was a tough competition. Now I’m preparing for some bigger events which are coming up later this year,” says the trainer who runs her fitness centre at Police Bazar.
Basan says her achievements, though not many, encourage her to strive for more. She immediately adds that her “biggest achievement is when women from different walks of life, be it a member of my family or by daughters’ friends or random people on social media… tell me that I am a motivation of sort to them”.
“My daughters and my mother have always supported me. However, they do not like it when I’m on strict diet and my facial appearance changes because of weight loss, but they are still fully supportive,” she says.
Basan concedes that her new self is more confident and strong, both mentally and physically. “I am independent now and am confident to take care of my family, protect them and give a good life. I want to help every one of those women who wants to discover their hidden self,” Basan says.
~ NM
