Weight loss story: "I lost 40 kilos in 7 months and here are 3 things which helped me"

39-year-old Ramit Aggarwal was severely overweight for his age. When he started to get breathless often and got repeat warnings from his doctors last year, he knew lockdown was the right time to start his transformation. He cut down his diet by over 50% and saw the results within months! Scroll to know more details about his transformation.


Name: Ramit Aggarwal

Occupation: Salaried employee


Age:39


Height: 5 feet 7 inches


City: Ludhiana


Highest weight recorded:123 kilos


Weight lost:41 kilos


Duration it took me to lose weight:7 months


The turning point: I had been majorly unhealthy and carried a lot of weight for my age. When the first lockdown was announced, I decided to actually start working on my transformation and make it happen no matter what. I feared developing health complications, and of course, the fear of COVID-19 was also on an all-time high. I wanted to lose weight in the healthiest way without risking my health.


My breakfast: In the morning, I first start my day by having a glass of normal or lukewarm water. Then, at around 9:30 a.m. I have my breakfast, which is usually a small bowl of light breakfast such as poha or upma. Sometimes, I also have a glass of milk or a paratha.



My lunch:

Between 12-12:30 p.m., I have a bowl of fruit and then at 1:30 pm sharp, I have my lunch, which is usually one chapati with one bowl of vegetable subzi made at home.


At 5:30 pm, I have a cup of tea with one biscuit.



My dinner: By 7.30 pm, I have my dinner which is one big bowl of salad along with two slices of brown bread or one chapati with dal or vegetable.



Pre-workout meal: One cup of warm water and 7 pieces of almonds


Post-workout meal: One glass of milk or one cup of tea with one piece of biscuit (my evening snack)


I indulge in (What you eat on your cheat days): Puri Sabzi, Chana Bhatura, pav Bhaji, Chinese food


Low-calorie recipes I swear by: Nothing as such, just portion-controlled meals.


My workout:

My workout regime is divided throughout the day. Brisk walking is majorly the one workout style that helped me the most.


In the morning, the first activity I do in a day is to walk for around 8000 steps and do 20-30 minutes of floor-based exercises.


At 6 pm in the evening, I again go for my brisk walk session and complete around 8000-10000 steps. I make it a point to walk at least 15000 steps daily and do vigorous aerobic, cardio and strength training movements.



I have also started to do yoga now.




Fitness secrets I unveiled: I finally understood the importance of having a good workout routine and controlled diet. I realised one thing after going through so much trial and error that you need to do diet management and exercise simultaneously to lose weight. Both of these need to be well-structured for you to lose weight efficiently.



How do I stay motivated? Whenever I feel low or dull, I prep myself with an instant dose of motivation by checking out my old pictures, where I used to weigh over 123 kilos!



How do you ensure you don’t lose focus? Money is the biggest motivator of sorts. I always used to tell myself that buying new clothes means I would have to spend more money, since every additional kilo I gain, fewer would be the clothes that fit me well.



What’s the most difficult part of being overweight? Being heavily overweight meant encountering the fear of developing health complications and disease risk. Plus, I used to run out of breath often, even if I had to cover a small distance.

What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line?

I want to further cut down my weight, be close to the 60-70 kilo mark and a 36-inch waistline. Let’s see if I manage to maintain my weight like I am doing today.




What are the lifestyle changes you made? Portion control, and also drastically cutting down my food intake in a day to 50%.


What was the lowest point for you?


When I was overweight, I was told by my doctor that I would need to start taking sugar medications if I continued to follow an unhealthy diet, and face the risk of developing other severe diseases.


Lessons learnt from weight loss: You need to be patient and follow the process rigorously. You will definitely get the results. Don't lose your focus and be disciplined, you will definitely get the results. I have lost lots of weight by adopting this routine and I am happy to help anyone out there.





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.