Khushi Jain is a former athlete who went on to become a state and national level(2015), gold medalist, in swimming. She has overcome bulimia, anorexia nervosa, body dysmorphia, orthorexia, etc. She accepted and fought through years of eating disorders. As of today, she runs an NGO, defeating disorders to inspire hundreds of women who trudge the same path, trying to fit in the unrealistic beauty standards.
Women Fitness president, Ms. Namita Nayyar caught up with Ms.Khushi Jain for an interview session to learn more about her Journey, present lifestyle, and the NGO, defeating disorders.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
“I won my first national-level silver medal in 2015, my first gold in 2016, and another few medals in 2017 at the School Games Federation (SGFI) national swimming event.” You are a national gold medal-winning swimmer, former model, and student at NYU, USA. Throw some light on how you went on to become a national-level swimmer and your work as the model.
Ms. Khushi Jain:
I started swimming at the age of 11, it was something that just had to happen because I loved the water so much that I would even as a child go into the pool 3 times a day, sometimes with friends sometimes, and sometimes all by myself!
I obviously loved to be in the water so my parents took me to a swimming tournament by chance. Without any training, I was one of the fastest swimmers in the district in my category and then I went on to win the gold medal at that district competition. I was selected to represent Gurgaon at the state-level championships.
Even though at the state level I didn’t win the gold medal, I came third and just missed the qualification for nationals.
That’s what sowed the seed of me wanting to compete and as they say, the rest is history!
I swam until 2020. Since I am quite tall (5’10”) I was often told that I should try modeling and so when I stop swimming I decided to click some Polaroids and send them to a couple of agencies. I got scouted and signed a contract with one of the leading agencies in New Delhi.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How & when did you realize that you were suffering from an eating disorder? What was your body health status back then?
Ms. Khushi Jain:
Somewhere in the middle of 2020, I realize that my relationship with food was deteriorating and I had reached a point where I was not able to consume anything without severe guilt.
My daily consumption of food had decreased by a lot; I was eating about one-third amount of the food that I used to eat.
I was also not able to convince myself to eat more because I was just extremely scared of gaining weight. I started going to therapy and I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa along with symptoms of author Axya Bolivia and then is it in this order. I think everyone who is going through I need in this order somewhere internally knows that they’re going to 1 because it is at the end of the day very conscious decision but at the same time sometimes it is not in the person‘s control to stop unless I get external help and assistance. Which for me were therapy and opening up to my family about my struggle.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Females in our society primarily due to social stress are unable to realize the difference between “being lean” & “thin”. Please share tips for women to follow in order to honor their physical being and live healthily.
Ms. Khushi Jain:
It’s so unfortunate that our society places being thin over being healthy…
One way of breaking out of this cycle is to really honor your hunger and treat exercise with a mindset of making yourself feel better. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Strike a balance between intuitive eating and mindful eating. Make healthier choices and ALWAYS remember that some foods are good for your body while some are good for your soul. Eat both in balance.
For exercise, if starting your day at the gym doesn’t feel doable or inviting, don’t. Go later, go in the middle of the day or in the evening after work. Get some movement at some point in the day. It also doesn’t have to be the gym. Go for a dance class, cycle to work, do Pilates with your best friend – find ways to get yourself active in ways that don’t stress you out, and instead alleviate it.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Physical, mental, and emotional side effects of the eating disorder you faced? Your family and friends’ response to the same? How did you manage to come out of it?
Ms. Khushi Jain:
Through my recovery, I realized that I have never felt more unfit, insecure, and unhappy than when I was deprived of food. I was hungry and irritable all the time.
My family and closest friends were extremely patient with me while I was at rock bottom. Initially, they had no idea what I was putting myself through so to a certain extent they felt confused and helpless, but once I opened up and actively started recovering – they were there every step of the way. Every hurdle was another stepping stone towards growth and progress.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your present-day workout routine? Share insight into the type of workout you follow, days/week, etc.
Ms. Khushi Jain:
I don’t have a set workout routine. It honestly really depends on my availability, what I’m in the mood for and whether the circumstances allow it. I like going running, dancing and long walks a lot. When I have a gym in my vicinity, I like lifting every now and then. I’m at a stage in my recovery where I work out to feel good mentally than to compensate for the calories I’ve consumed.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What kind of diet do you follow today? How do you like to kick start your day?
Ms. Khushi Jain:
I follow a very balanced diet!
I prefer eating home-cooked meals on a daily but I don’t restrict myself from going out if I want to catch up with friends.
My plate on the regular looks very balanced. I love vegetables so it’s never an issue getting in fibre every day. I’m also the biggest fruit fanatic! Other than that, I like eating protein with every meal; my favourite go-to’s are tofu, sprouts, chana, and peanut butter. I also love roasted nuts, olive oil, and ghee, so my fats come from there.
Having been a professional swimmer, I’ve always been very aware of the nutritive quality of food. In my recovery, I’ve educated myself by reading a lot of research papers on diet and nutrition along with working with dieticians.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Please throw some light on the NGO you run “Defeating Disorders”. When did you start it, its aim, and how women can reach out to you to seek help?
Ms. Khushi Jain:
DefEating Disorders is an NGO that I founded in 2021 along with a core team and a board of medical professionals. We have over 25+ psychologists, dieticians, and nutritionists on board to help people in their recovery journey.
Defeating Disorders has a 3 fold mission.
- The first is preventive care; we do this by going to schools, colleges, and organisations to conduct workshops on body image, diet, and eating disorders in the younger age group. We shed light on how to be aware of the onset of these mental illnesses and how to safeguard one from falling prey to them.
- The second mission is curative. With the body of medical professionals, this NGO offers eating disorder recovery support to anyone going through a struggle. No one should wait to get better or invalidate their struggle. We make help accessible, available, and affordable.
- Last but not the least; our third mission is to create a platform where people can share their own stories. Open up and talk about their experiences and how they came out of them. Destigmatising the conversation around eating disorders can help victims get inspired to get better.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your Instagram handle @shetalksandeats works on motivating people to practice food freedom and work on a healthy relationship with eating. What have you learned through this media, has it proved beneficial to women at large? Any experience you would like to share?
Ms. Khushi Jain:
I wake up every day to 10 messages on average from young girls telling me that my content inspired them to love their bodies. They encourage themselves to eat, to be less critical when they look in the mirror, and practice more kindness towards themselves. I enjoy content creation a lot but what I enjoy more is connecting with people from all walks of life and all around the world who they’re working on themselves getting stronger, healthier, and better every day! And there is NO greater joy or satisfaction than that.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What according to you is the biggest mind block to overcoming an eating disorder?
Ms. Khushi Jain:
To anyone that’s reading this right now, I only want to say one thing to you.
Never ever think that you aren’t capable of achieving something. Even if you are in the deepest and darkest phase of your life, I promise you, that you can and will find a way to turn your pain into power.
Any time you feel like you’re losing, failing, or not making progress, just remind yourself that 5 years from now you will see why you were made to go through the struggle. Time fixes wounds we never thought would heal. So give time some time.
Trust yourself, believe in yourself, and never judge yourself. And once you are able to do all that, you will see yourself come out stronger than you could’ve ever imagined.
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