If you have been struggling with the idea of losing unwanted kilos and getting back in shape, let Yagnesh Ravindra Gohil’s
weight loss journey inspire you. At 90 kilos, Yagnesh had realised that he needed to lose weight if he wanted to avoid health risks of being overweight. With sheer determination and will power, he was able to lose 18 kilos! Read on.
Name: Yagnesh Ravindra Gohil
Occupation: Student
Age: 21 years
Height: 6 feet 2 inches
City: Mumbai
Highest weight recorded: 90 kgs
Weight lost: 18 kgs
Duration it took me to lose weight: 1 year
The turning point: When you are overweight life isn't exactly easy. In addition, getting bullied and getting unsolicited pieces of advice over my weight, I used to get breathless after walking for more than what my body was used to. It was incredibly heartbreaking. My lifestyle was really unhealthy as I just used to eat junk foods every single day. Soon enough, I started gaining weight and weighed a massive 90 kilos. That was the point I realised that I desperately needed to lose weight and get back in shape! I have not looked back since that day.
My breakfast: I have a bowl of oats with 200 millilitres of skimmed milk, one fruit, a scoop of whey protein and peanut butter
My lunch: A portion of sprouts, cottage paneer and a portion of fresh green vegetables
My dinner: 2 chapatis, a handful of nuts, a portion of vegetables and chicken breast
Pre-workout meal: Eggs, whole wheat bread, coconut oil and a cup of black coffee.
Post-workout meal: One scoop whey protein in water or sweet potato.
I indulge in: I believe in the concept of earning your cheat meals, instead of reserving them for the weekends. So, I used to indulge in whatever I felt like only after I reduced 2 kilos every month. This would roughly equate to one cheat meal in 15 days.
Low-calorie recipes I swear by: I used to mix and match food items which I enjoyed eating. There were no boiled foods in my diet.
Fitness secrets I unveiled: There were a lot of things I realised on my journey to lose weight. Some of them are:
1) Protein intake should be high as it helps you to preserve muscle
2) Do not reduce your carbohydrates intake drastically or else you might lose your muscles too
3) Many people actually starve themselves to lose fat. This is an unhealthy way to lose fat and one must never rush the weight loss process
4) Don't look for any magic pill or fat loss drinks. If you want to lose fat, you only need a good nutrition plan, an intense workout schedule and some basic multivitamins. That's it!
5) Be consistent, fat loss is all about consistency and patience
How do I stay motivated? I genuinely feel that you have to find the answer to why you need to lose weight. You need to understand that fitness and eating healthily are lifestyle changes and should be included in your regime, just like brushing your teeth every day. You don’t really need motivation, once you know why you need to lose weight!
How do you ensure you don’t lose focus? The only time I thought of giving up was when I couldn't see any results of my hard work, initially. However, once I did thorough research and understood what I was doing wrong, I actually started losing weight. From that day, there was no looking back!
What’s the most difficult part of being overweight? From getting bullied by people, difficulty in running, heavy breathing after walking, pain in the knees to not being able to find the clothes of my size, the list is endless.
Infact, I could not bear to see myself shirtless in the mirror as I did not like what I saw. All these factors combined together made me feel really low and it all got to the point where I just gave up on everything and started eating more.
What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? I believe in the funda of taking one day at a time. So, I have never really imagined what I would look like 10 years from now, but I definitely want to be in good shape.
What are the lifestyle changes you made? One of the biggest change that I made was to start eating healthier, avoiding junk food and soda. I had also started working out 5 to 6 days a week.
What was the lowest point for you? While being overweight was definitely one of the lowest points, it was even more heartbreaking when I could not lose weight even after trying hard. In addition to changing my diet, I had also started working out but couldn’t see any improvement. This is when I had thought of giving up as I couldn’t see any results in my weight.
Lessons learnt from weight loss: When you are on a quest to lose weight, you have to learn to be patient, work really hard and most of all stay consistent with your efforts. Remember, when you are honest with your efforts, you will automatically succeed in your weight loss journey. Infact, one of the biggest lessons that I learnt after losing weight was that you must never give up! If something doesn't work for you the first time around, you should try a different approach instead of giving up.
If you too have a weight loss story to share, send it to us at toi.health1@gmail.com
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