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My weight loss journey and I immensely owe it to this thread and the experts here. I count on them for any advice.

It all started after reading a thread here about 3 months ago - quoted above, just when the lock down started. Lock down has been a boon and I am glad that I could effectively use it for this weight loss plan.

About a decade back is I think when I crossed 80 kg mark and it never went down since then, no matter whatever I did that includes several annual gym membership that I have taken :D.

I was at 84 Kgs before starting this plan. My target was to reduce 10 Kgs or atleast be around 70s. And 90 days later, I reached my target 74 Kgs.

Here is a graph from my daily logs just to show the pattern:



In fact I did not push to any extreme dieting or exercise, neither brutal to the body. Just took it lightly but consistently and it definitely paid off.

Things did:

• A strict 16:8 fasting.
• Zero Sugar
• No junk foods
• Reduced carbs
• 1 hour of moderate physical activity per day

Morning

• A few squats
• A few push ups
• And some exercises (Cult’s live sessions really helped)

Evening

• 20-30 mins of jogging

Diet:

Though I aimed for a Keto diet, It did not work out, being a hard core rice eater. Not even an LCHF worked. But I significantly cut down carbs. Was very choosy by reading the carb contents of anything that I picked up from shops.

It is now about 105th day today and I have relaxed a bit on the 16:8 fasting since reaching target and the plan is to maintain now onwards. Sticking to low carbs, no junk, no too much sugar, moderate physical activities etc..

Summary:

• IF and LCHF works.
• You don't really need to visit a gym to lose weight.
• All you need is patience and consistency in sticking to the plan.
• Hard work will pay, but you have to wait patiently.
• Your body is an amazing thing. It doesn't let you down if you do your part.
• You are what you eat.

Well, I had disappeared from this thread for the last 7 months.

The diet and exercise regime went for a toss after my last post here. Probably because I had lost 26 kgs from my ATH and it felt like a breath of fresh air that I couldn't care for anymore weight loss.

Then came a couple of happy (bought the Hexa) and stressful (Hexa problems, corona) occasions, a whole lot of procrastination wrt diet & exercise and by April 2020 I had gained 8 kilos!

I had hit 95 kg. Back into obese territory. :Frustrati

So sometime in mid April I finally woke up and decided, that this year I have to get this whole weight loss thing done with. The past decade and even my childhood has gone behind this, and it needs to be done with once and for all.


By April end I had started doing 7-10k steps a day and ate light in the evenings. Lost 1.5 kilos.

Started May at 93.5 kg, and with a whole lot of ups and downs lost just 2.1 kilos. May was a very frustrating month to say the least. It felt as though my body had forgotten how to lose weight.

Come June, I started to consistently do 15k steps a day, and didn't aim for IF but just ate the usual home cooked stuff and just a light salad or sabzi in the evening.

Weight as of today - 86.8 kg, that's 8.2 kilos gone and I'm back in overweight territory.

Starting today have decided to have breakfast post 8 am, lunch at the usual 1 pm and just a cup of green tea around 5 pm. That's it. If green tea is allowed it adds up to 18 hours of fasting. And the usual 15k+ steps a day. Looking to hit a new decade low weight reading this month.

Wish me luck!

What does this tell you?

You simply cannot take your lifestyle for granted. Your daily diet regimen cannot be compromised. May be a few days, but it needs to come back this new re-adjusted norm. (That faster you realize the easier is the path).

Even during these adverse times, its not difficult to maintain these regimen. In fact the reality you cannot eat outside itself is a big positive!

Completely agree. My diet derailed for a couple of months, and this whole covid-19 situation and a whole lot of documentaries just pushed me back on track.

I am not a big fan of eating out, but swiggy/zomato (yes I'm lazy on that front too :uncontrol) had corrupted me. Now considering even that is out of picture, the next couple of months are the best for me to completely shed the remaining weight and get permanently adjusted to a healthy lifestyle.

This might sound stupid but am fed up ordering millets in packs of few hundred grams. Is there any site where we can get some in packs of 5kg-10kg the way rice and wheat flour are available?

In any decent grocery store, you can buy it in KGs. They get it in bags of 50 odd KGs and will happily pack your requirements.

I was 82 kg last year, with focus and consistency, I had reached below 70 kg early March. This was achieved by adopting a new lifestyle. Gym everyday at 6, proper nutrition, aversion to junk food. I was so proud of myself and my body felt like an iron rod at 42 years of age.

After Corona hit us, my diet went for a toss. Discipline, hardwork and mental state appeared to be rock bottom. Yesterday I had breached 75 kg after almost a year. That is it. I am in the process of regaining my life back one day at a time. I know my errors and how to correct them, I hope the life gives me one more chance to see 70 on the scale. I am pessimist, and it had positive effect on my body. If I die tomorrow, the least I want to achieve is to see the scale that show 74.xx.

This mindset motivated me to go ahead with 20 hours of IF. Today I am on a 23 hours of IF. I know it is not sustainable in the long run, but it seems tailor made for me in the present situation where I am on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. I WILL hit 70 and post it here, until then please keep posting your struggles and success.

At the beginning of the year I was tipping 90kg with a BMI of 32.27. In the 15 years since completing my studies, I had put on 30kg plus, and anyone from the old days would be hard-pressed to recognize me. So in January 2020, I decided enough was enough and started by making changes to my diet, primarily, (i) cutting out sugar completely and (ii) reducing carbohydrate intake by dropping rice entirely, and limiting lunch and dinner to 2 chapathis each.

With the above changes, I bought down my weight to 86+ by end of February. I understood that any further change would require addressing the elephant in the room – lack of physical activity. With a sedentary job, and a general aversion to physical exertion, I wasn’t too optimistic but I asked a friend of mine (young chap) about joining the fitness centre he used to frequent. He was pretty enthusiastic, and on March 4th I stepped inside a gym for the first time in my 38 years. The trainer there told me all I could do for the first 2 months would be cardio and body weight exercises (I had no idea what either meant). So at 6:30am every day, I started off with 15 minutes of treadmill, followed by basic squats, pushups and burpees, each of which the trainer would push me for 3 reps of 10 at least. But he also understood that one has to listen to one’s body, and would let me do it at my pace; meaning huffing, puffing, panting and gasping through 2 reps, then finishing off with 10 mins of elliptical cycling. The entire routine would last between 60-75 mins.

My body had somewhat begun to respond when on Mar 16th, I received a message from the gym that they would be closed due to lockdown till further notice. I was disappointed, but then I thought, why don’t I keep up the routine at home? I already had a treadmill which the wife was using, and so decided to give it a go. I kept up the same routine, and gradually over time added different variations of squat (including weighted), planks, mountain climbs, pushups and ab crunches, with help from the good souls on You Tube.

Along with the workout routine, I made few further changes to my diet too such as: (i) Strictly no carbohydrates after 6, only fruit or fruit juice for dinner (ii) Lunch of 1 chapathi with extra helping of pulses/vegetables to compensate (iii) no ice-creams or pastries except on the weekends and that too with utmost portion control (iv) zero alcohol. Breakfast was the typical Indian fare, rice was restricted to weekend lunches and cravings were usually satiated by dark chocolate.

With the above change of lifestyle, today I weigh a tad over 67, and my BMI is 24.2. I feel fitter, younger, more active and generally with a better outlook in any situation. While there are definitely more inspiring stories to be found, I believe I got a good result with a diligent workout and diet routine that’s easier to stick to for the average Indian. Currently I have started basic weight training (4kg pair of dumbbells and 6kg kettlebell), with the intention of maintaining muscle mass while also increasing metabolic rate.

Attaching couple of before after snaps from 86 to 67, I believe the ‘before’ and ‘after’ are self-evidentstupid:

Congratulations on the weight loss. But let me tell you, you didn't look 90 kg at all when you were there :)

Thanks!

The ‘before’ is at 86, missed out to mention that, edited now :). Also kind of concentrated around the waist, maybe?

Today marks the 500th day of the documentation of my weight loss journey.

I have dutifully completed 10,000 steps per day, each day.

I have managed to maintain my weight around the desired figure of 58.8 KGS.

Even on gluttonous days, I have weighed less than 60kgs.

During and after the lockdown, when it wasn't considered safe to venture out for a walk, I spot walked inside my home. I have so got used to exercising that I find it difficult to end a day without drenching in some sweat.

My waist size remains a constant 30. But a layer of residual fat remains stubbornly wrapped around it. A flat stomach is still some distance away.

500 DAYS

30 DAYS AVERAGE

How tall are you? Also, impressive. :)

Nice progress Dailydriver.

I am using Mifit as well. But only for body composition. Infact it is an annectdotal study I am doing just for the fun of it. I will share the details end of year.

I have my body composition data as measured by Mi scale for around 80% of the days. I am arranging it all in a tabular form to arrive at some conclusions around Intermittent fasting, Fasted cardio and Fasted cardio + Fasted Weight training on my body composition.

Hopefully by end of year I will have enough data to understand how my body reacted to different plans.

Thanks mate! I am 166cm, I missed mentioning that in the original post :D

Update: Day 48 since I started my Keto journey and I have lost 14 kilos already. Must say that I had my doubts about LCHF but not only did it shock me, but everyone at home. It's fun to explain someone how eating lot of fat (and less carbs) actually helps you reduce weight.

I have started to introduce IF along with LCHF now, have hit the weight loss plateau at 92 for more than a week now.

Thanks to this thread and the invaluable information at disposal which helped ppl like me understand the science and benefits of this diet.

Can't wait to share the "before-after" pic once I hit my target weight = 86 kilos.