Weight loss story: "I lost 15 kgs during lockdown by just using skipping rope!"

Being on the chubbier side since childhood, Abhishek Tirunagri did not take his lifestyle seriously and ended up on the other side of the scale, which also impacted his confidence and personality. Realizing the need to reset, he made it a mission to lose weight during the lockdown and worked out at home, using a skipping rope.

Name: Abhishek Tirunagri

Occupation: Student

Age: 20

Height: 6'1 (6 feet 1 inch)

City: Jamshedpur

Highest weight recorded: 85 kilos

Weight lost: 15 kilos

Duration it took me to lose weight: 6 months

Honestly, I was chubby and mostly, on the healthier side since I was a little child so it was a personal ambition to become athletic and lean.

The big part as to why I was overweight was because I didn't pay attention to my diet at all. I was unaware of the importance of diet and workout. It reached a point where I stopped feeling confident about the way I looked or felt, so this lockdown, I decided to start working out religiously as I wanted to shape my personality because I felt it's essential.

My breakfast: Milk and fruits (usually banana) along with a glass of lukewarm water.

My lunch: 4 chapatis with 3 eggs

My dinner: 3 chapatis with 2 eggs

Pre-workout meal: Usually it's some fruits (particularly a banana) but I prefer to have enough water to be hydrated.

Post-workout meal: Glass of milk with 2 boiled eggs.

I indulge in (What you eat on your cheat days):

I rarely have cheat days but when I have them, I make sure that I don't indulge in food with a high-calorie count or food which is oily so, on my cheat day, as I have 3 meals a day, I prefer to cheat one of my meal with some sweets or carb-rich food keeping the rest of the meals balanced.

Low-calorie recipes I swear by:

I usually stick by a fruit diet but cutting down on carb-rich products was the key. It's not really necessary to have boiled food, to begin with, but you can cut down on having fried or oily food as it's very rich in calories. Keeping a balance between your diet and workout will give you the best result! Having a fruit salad definitely helped me out.

I have got a very basic workout plan which you can do even while being at home. All you need is a skipping rope. As cardio is the key factor for reducing fat, skipping rope is something I enjoyed doing the most. You can start with skipping rope for 5 minutes every day and then slowly start increasing the duration. Brisk walk and jogging can also effectively cut down your body fat after which you can go on with building muscles.

Fitness secrets I unveiled:

During my weight loss journey, I discovered the role that carbs played in my diet. Cutting down on carbs helped me lose weight effectively and significantly. Also to have a caloric deficit, you need not cut down your current diet but replace it with a healthy one ( one with fewer carbs and more fibre)

As consistency is a key factor for weight loss, I try to keep myself focused and motivated. Being an athlete, I have a competitive environment and I always try to be the best among everyone. My teammates also play a major role in motivating me and achieve my goals. Also watching YouTube videos of fitness influencers help me with being motivated.

How do you ensure you don’t lose focus? Being the best is my goal and that helps me to stay focused and consistent.

What’s the most difficult part of being overweight? Being overweight was really tough in many ways, it's obviously harmful to limbs and joints as it puts extra pressure on them which might cause several problems. But being overweight imposed many mental difficulties and challenges which also made me unconfident.

What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? I don't aim to be completely ripped but I try to be lean and athletic. So 10 years down the line, I see myself having the physique I always wanted to have in my childhood and helping others with their fitness journey.

I indulged myself more in other activities which kept me active all through the day and also I altered my sleep routine to ensure that I get at least 8 hours of sleep as rest is essential too.

What was the lowest point for you?

I had an ACL tear in my left knee which kept me from every physical activity for 12 months during which I gained a lot of weight and felt depressed and I wanted to get back into shape.

Prioritize your health over anything else. Losing weight is not as difficult as one might think. Paying attention to your diet and regular workout will make you lose extra weight. And never do it for someone else but do it for yourself.

If you have a weight loss story to share, send it to us at toi.health1@gmail.com

DISCLAIMER

These views are not generic in nature. What worked for the writer may not work for you. So avoid following this article blindly. Find out what works for your body.