Weight loss story: "When the caretaker of a water slide stopped me, I realised...," man shares weight loss journey post work-from-home weight gain

For a 27 year old software development engineer, the moment of realisation that he needs to shed extra weight came when the caretaker of a water slide, where he went with his friends, stopped him from sitting on the slide.

Details of this impressive weight loss journey was shared by Mayank Kumar on Quora.

"The true change came when I was in eco park in Kolkata. So there was a water slide there and I wanted to try that out. Went ahead with my friends. The caretaker of the ride stopped me, saying that only a person less than 90 kg is allowed in that ride. Not having taken my weight in a long time, I confidently told him that I am less than 90. He brought his weighing scale. And boom the 93 figure came out. Everyone there stated laughing- my friends, kids, strangers and the caretaker. One 15 year girl told that uncle is so overweight," he wrote on question and answer platform, Quora.

He then took up a fitness routine.

He writes: So I started walking in the evenings. But I never stopped eating the junk. And after 2 weeks, I went and checked the weight, it was still 93 ish(some grams more probably). That hit me hard. I was really hoping I would have lost some weight.

Next week I had to go somewhere. So i had to shop for some new clothes. And I went to a Peter England shop, and XXL size was small for me. They said we don’t have any bigger clothes.

This felt like someone just twisted knife freshly stabbed in my stomach. Where I am going with this?

Weight loss story: “I lost 24 kilos by eating protein-rich foods and salads, helped manage my cholesterol levels”

After taking weight loss as a serious goal, he joined a gym that had just opened near his house.

"So I went there and enquired, and the trainer there was very friendly. He suggested me to take him as a personal trainer for a couple of months as I was new to the gym setup. Based on how my body responds, he would suggest me workouts and diet. He also told me to completely quit 2 things- sugar and maida," he writes.

Sharing his first-time experience in the gym, he writes, "I still remember the first week in the gym. After working out 15–20 mins, I would feel dizzy and weak. I would faint and would feel like puking. I puked a lot in my initial week. But my trainer would give me strength by saying it happens when you are new to workout and junk is collected in your body."

He admits that initially he was irregular with his workout. But later under the guidance of his trainer he entirely focused on working out without any other expectation.

"And after 15 days, i saw a dip of 1 kg in my weight. That was the spark to my fire. I was on cloud 9 that day. I started avoiding outside food. And then I started watching videos of people who have actually lost weight," he writes.

Currently he weighs 79 kilos.

Mayank Kumar says he gained weight from 76 kilos to 93 kilos during the work from home time. In 2020 every office in the country operated in work from home mode. Employees moved to their native place and started working from home. This took a serious toll on physical health.

"So basically I used to just get up, sit in front of my laptop, and eat. I even stopped eating dinner with my family and used to be confined to my room. I used to order a lot of Junk food. Like I don’t know how I got addicted to this junk. I used to eat burgers, pizza, and chole-bhature just as snacks in the evening. Ice cream and sweets were very common before and after meals. And processed foods like bhujia sev, mixture, chips, and Oreos were always kept in my room as a go-to snack. And on top of that I used to eat kit kat just for fun," he writes.

He shares that being overweight took a toll on his overall health. "I started having difficulty in sleeping, was always tired and had very little strength. I started looking like some 40 year old even though I am just 27," he writes.