Here's how his weight loss journey went:
Leading a hectic schedule and an over-indulgent love for food made Divyanshu Kumar Mishra, a blogger by profession, put on weight quickly. Things went out of shape and he struggled to find clothes his size. Tired of leading a sedentary lifestyle, he decided to do what he can and lose weight in a mere time span of 90 days!
Name: Divyanshu Kumar Mishra (#TheBloggerBuddy)
Occupation: Sales Professional
Age: 28
Height: 5.7
City: Pune
Highest weight recorded: 90 kilos
Weight lost: 19 kilos
Duration it took me to lose weight: 90 Days
The turning point
Until very recently I led a sedentary lifestyle. A lot of this was because of the different timetables of working and being on the field with clients and never got enough time to work out or plan my meals well. But my work was just one of the reasons why I lapsed into a non-active life. I have been an enthusiastic foodie my whole life and being independent financially gave me a wing to try different cuisines of the world. So, from being an average eater and keeping a lean body in school and college, I went to the other end of the spectrum and put on weight like crazy in the last five years and turned into a 90 kilo Panda because of irregular eating patterns and crazy parties happening in the town. I didn't keep a tab on my health and nutrition and instead, I went full speed with whatever I used to get offered. Sometime in June 2019, though, I decided enough was enough and stopped visiting restaurants on a regular basis and limited it to a few occasions only. Still, after that, I didn't lose any weight and started getting demotivated. But my family kept on supporting me and giving me major motivation.
Then finally in March once again I gave myself a deadline of three months to transform myself before my birthday comes up on 19th June 2020. I started my fitness journey on 19th March by indulging in running, doing planks and push-ups daily.
Come March last week in 2020, and the entire world gets to be in the bad catch of Covid19 and nationwide lockdowns get announced. All gyms and clubs got shut. Even My society's gym also got closed until further notice. I thought let's not make this period into a lost opportunity and instead gain some knowledge about nutrition and the right training. I challenged myself further with limited resources that I need to get better at any COST. In the 90 days that followed from March 19 to June 19, I went from 90 kg to 71 kg by doing two simple things: working out right and following quantified nutrition. I used the entire lockdown period to transform my body with better muscle power and nutrition without any help from gym equipment or supplements from the market. I finally got back in shape now. With a community full of fitizens and my own family I got what I aimed for. The milestone has been achieved and I'm looking for the next big milestones in the next phase of my life precisely with the help and knowledge.
Diet followed for weight loss
My breakfast: Three Eggs cooked in 10gm Butter, Three Toasties, 200ml Milk and 10gm Coffee
My lunch: Curry with 200gm Boneless Chicken or 70gm Soya made in 10gm of Ghee with 15gms of Green Chillies, 50gms of Onions and Tomato, 100gm Spinach or any greens paired with 70gms White Rice
My dinner: Curry with 200gm Boneless Chicken or 65gm Soya made in 10gm of Ghee with 15gms of Green Chillies, 50gms of Onions and Tomato and 100gm Spinach or any greens paired with 70gms White Rice.
Pre-workout meal: Diet Coke (One Can of 300ml)
Post-workout meal: Stir-Fried Paneer (100gms) with herbs and 15 gms broccoli
I indulge in (What you eat on your cheat days): I didn’t cheat much. But whenever I felt like it, I had Protein bars (30gm content of protein minimum) or else Ragi Brownie made with quantified ingredients.
Low-calorie recipes I swear by:
I don’t believe in the concept of low calories, you can have Boneless Chicken Steak, Chapati made with Soya Granules and even a burger too if it fits in your macros. Basically, anything quantified as per your macros of the day could be of adequate calories
Workout and fitness regime
I used to workout 6 days a week and I tried to hit two muscle groups every day, so twice a week
Fitness secrets I unveiled:
Living healthy is not about another fad diet or a workout routine. It is about staying consistently motivated and making the right decisions towards achieving the health you desire. When we lose our health, we lose everything else that rests upon our being healthy be it Family, finance or even fun in our lives.
Anything and everything is good until taken in abundance.
How do you stay motivated?
My family made sure that I didn’t lose my focus at all. Health influences everything you do and every experience you have.
Weight loss doesn’t start on a fancy treadmill or with a Dumbell in a fancy gym. It starts in your head with a decision, with eating right. I did transform in the lockdown. And similarly like me, many did because of their willpower and consistency. I wasn’t competing for the challenge, it was for me to bring a positive change in my life while I was being a part of the challenge. And I believe that’s exactly what kept me motivated throughout this journey.
How do you ensure you don’t lose focus?
I just had one thought in my mind and I kept asking myself “Do I want a healthy day or a healthy week or a healthy month or a healthy life?”
The answer was simple and crisp, “Healthy day on a daily basis and staying healthy means not only physical but mental too.” So, I just wanted to become 1% better than yesterday by being consistent in my approach and efforts.
What's the most difficult part of being overweight?
Health influences everything you do and every experience you have. So, being overweight means you get to compromise on a few things daily. Like for instance, your clothes don’t fit you well, you start sweating when you made to run for even a mile, you cringe more, you feel socially awkward, you don’t go out more, your stamina gets low and at times a few suicidal thoughts also starts to roam in your mind.
What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line?
I don’t have any particular goals as per shape for me. I just want to stay fit physically, mentally, financially and socially too. And to achieve that, I keep on following a pattern of habits throughout my life to stay relevant to the world and make a difference each day.
What lifestyle changes did you make?
- I started covering my 10k steps for NEAT (NonExerciseActivityThermogenesis)
- I kept having more water intake (6ltrs minimum)
- I followed proper sleeping hygiene (a minimum of 7hrs of sound sleep)
- Made it a habit not to look at any digital device in my first hour of the day.
- Followed a proper Exercise pattern and remained stuck to it for more than six months at a minimum. And then made a few little changes to gain muscles.
- Most importantly, I cooked my own food (with proper macros) and many times for family too.
What was the lowest point for you?
There was this day in February 2020, when I had to go to a birthday celebration of my dear friend and I was not able to find a shirt in which I fit properly. I actually had to buy an XL shirt for myself and wear that one to show up at the party. And that was the moment that ignited the fire in me to get fit and become the better version of myself. The moment when I was wearing that XL shirt, I promised myself that I’ll do whatever it takes to cut down my fat and become the fitter version of myself.
I started my fitness journey just a week before the nationwide lockdown got announced. I felt disheartened as I lost my contact with the gym and the outside world. I felt shattered as this time I had given myself a sureshot deadline to not lose hope and continue the process, come may whatever. But, this lockdown changed the plot and access to the game entirely. That was a major blow to my fitness journey which somehow also became the most important part of my fitness journey.
Lessons learnt from weight loss
- Make a Goal Statement for your health, as you do at work.
- There is no superior diet. Real food first. Always prefer whole, less processed food to get the nutrients and macros (Protein, Carbs & Fat is all we need)
- Boost up all the pleasure that good health can bring to your life. A jogging session with your partner, trek with your friends or a sports session with your colleagues, don’t ever miss out on those.
- Make your milestones public. Let there be peer pressure all around you to get fitter and healthier. A positive approach always helps.
- Stay hydrated (a minimum of 4 to 5 litres of water every day)
- The simplest mantra is to burn more energy (through resistance or strength training, not the usual cardio) to lose weight
- I believe all great things are placed between methods and madness. Choose your battle wisely.
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.