Weight gain can be a life-altering situation and brings a host of changes to anybody's body. When 34-year-old chef Shahid Rana realized that he was rapidly putting on a lot of weight in recent years, he decided to do something about it. With the support of his gym freak friends, he did the impossible and lost a whopping 10 kilos in a span of 2.5 months. His story is an example that anything is possible if you remain committed to your goals.
The reason that Motivates weight loss
I had gained a lot of weight in recent years, and as a chef, I couldn't work out or keep track of my diet for long. As a result, within a year, my clothing size increased from XL to XXL, and I found it difficult to adjust to such a drastic change. My confidence had also begun to dwindle as a result of all the unsolicited advice. My friends, on the other hand, acted as a pillar of support, gently nudging me to start working out and taking care of myself. That was a watershed moment in my life, and I've never looked back since.
One of my friends mentioned a WFH app he's been using. It's an app that encourages you to focus on your diet and workouts, essentially transforming you into a healthy habit-building lifestyle - and it was also value for money.
Starting Phase and procedure of transformation journey
The app includes tools such as a BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator and a TDEE (Total Daily Energy expenditure) calculator. With the WFH guidance video, I discovered that your body weight is determined by the amount of energy obtained from food versus the amount of energy used by your body.
The extra energy you consume from food and drink is stored as fat. To lose weight, the amount of energy you consume from food must be less than the amount of energy you expend; in other words, eat less and exercise more. The app calculates how many calories you burn per day and it also calculates how many calories you should have consumed to lose that extra fat.
Diet followed
WFH teams kept my diet simple and easy to follow so that I could stick to it on most days. For breakfast, I usually had a bowl of oats or a portion of sprouts with a strawberry or banana smoothie. I strictly adhere to no cheat meals or days. 1 chapati, 1 bowl of vegetable curry, or a portion of sprouts with buttermilk was my lunch. Now and then, I'll have a bowl of brown rice with dal. Every day, I make it a point to finish my dinner by 7 p.m. I also ate boiled broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, and other vegetables. I occasionally eat one chapati with a bowl of dal or vegetable curry.
The WFH team gave me a set of measuring colour-coded spoons, and each meal in their diet plan included food measurements concerning those spoons. So keeping a close eye on food became simple and manageable for me.
Workout Followed to achieve the goal
My daily workouts were already organised in the app. All I had to do was keep up with them. My workouts primarily consisted of ZUMBA, cardio, and CrossFit exercises. The app's live video feature allowed me to learn the exercises in their most effective form. WFH's coaches were also very helpful, and whenever I got stuck in an exercise, I just ping them on the 24*365 support system, and within a minute or two, someone was there to help me out.
What difficulties were you facing during the transformation journey?
It was difficult at first to decide to stick to a strict schedule and make drastic lifestyle changes. I gradually became focused after sticking to my routine for the first 15 days. I would watch old photographs to motivate myself to keep going whenever I felt I was straying from my goals. It wasn't easy, but it was well worth the effort.
How do you stay motivated?
Undoubtedly, one of my biggest motivators has been my friends, and the WFH team who gave me new targets every week to ensure that I kept going. When I started seeing the results, I kept following the same schedule for my workout and dietary plan. Also, when I saw that I was able to fit into size XL clothing again, it further motivated me to continue my journey.
What lifestyle changes did you make?
Being regular with my workout routine has been the biggest and most effective lifestyle change that I have made. Furthermore, I also quit junk food, packaged products and most sweets.
Lessons learnt from the transformation
It all comes down to consistency if you want to lose weight and get back in shape. No matter what workout routine you use, you must stick to see results. I've realised that losing weight isn't rocket science; you just have to keep track of your diet and exercise according to your body type.
