How this man lost a whopping 18 kilos
Just like many working professionals, Deepak Rai was also asked to work from home during the pandemic. It not only affected his lifestyle, but also changed his eating habits for the worse. One day, he weighed himself and was surprised to learn that he was overweight. At a friend-cum-fitness trainer’s advice, he got a health checkup, and found out that he was suffering from many ailments and deficiencies. That is when he was motivated to do something about his weight and switched to a healthier lifestyle. With the right diet and exercises, he managed to lose weight. Here’s his weight loss journey.
Name: Deepak Rai
Occupation: IT professional
Height: 178 cm
Highest weight recorded: 88.8 kgs
Current weight: 70.6 kg's (as of 3rd July 2022)
The turning point
I am an IT professional and since the start of the pandemic, I have been working from home. I traveled to Bengaluru from Pune around August 2020 as soon as our management told us to work from home. Days went by and my eating habits became bad to worse. I became very lazy and started leading a sedentary lifestyle. None of my clothes fit me and to hide my tummy I started wearing a jacket.
One day I went to a close friend's house and I weighed myself. When I saw that I weighed 88.8 kgs, I went into disbelief and I was shocked to see that number. Even my friend was shocked. He told me that I have to do something to bring myself into a healthier shape. As soon as i came home I called my school friend Shankar who is a certified fitness coach. He asked me to do a complete health checkup and the results were shocking. My cholesterol levels were off the charts. My liver tests were not good either. I was vitamin B and iron deficient. My T3, T4 and TSH levels were bad too.
After informing my friend about my health results, he asked about my eating habits. I provided all the information, following which he shared a diet plan without adding any fancy stuff. With all this my fitness journey started around September 2020. Below are my measurements before I started my weight loss journey:
BMI: 27.4 (overweight)
Weight: 88.8 kgs
Belly: 41 inches
Chest: 42 inches
Diet followed
Protein was mandatory in all my meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Since I can't eat a lot of eggs in a day, I started consuming protein shakes along with lunch and dinner, which was 1 scoop mixed with 200 ml of water. I had home-made foods, which my mom prepared on a daily basis. I indulged in quantity control. I stopped overeating my favorite foods no matter how delicious they were. I never had daliya, which many people eat during their weight loss journey.
Workout regime
I made sure that I walked 10k steps everyday. With the help of a fitness band, I tracked my steps effectively. I started going to the community park and started doing 6 rounds. Park was circular in shape and overall length was 900m.
Initially I started feeling very tired but as I got used to my workout and diet, it became a usual thing.
Below is the exercises I did:
1. Burpees (3 sets, 8 reps)
2. Pushups (3 sets, 20 reps)
3. Jumping jacks (3 sets, 25 reps)
4. Running in place (3 sets, 30 seconds)
5. Jogging (6 rounds)
Current Status
My BMI (22.3, normal) is back on track and my cholesterol levels are also in normal range along with T3, T4, TSH. I am no longer iron and vitamin B deficient. Below are my body pointers as of today.
Height: 178 cm
Current weight: 70.6 kgs (as of 3rd July 2022)
Belly: 33.4 inches
Chest: 36.3 inches
Fitness lessons I learnt
There is no shame in asking for help when you are in trouble. I asked my friends for help and with my determination, self control and hard work, I have become a fit person. People have started giving me compliments for my weight loss journey. I can fit into all my clothes and this feeling can't be described in words.
If you have a weight loss story to share, send it to us at toi.health1@gmail.com
These views are not generic in nature. Weight loss results vary for individuals and the views shared in this article offer no guarantee of specific results. The content is not intended in any way as a substitute for professional advice.