[NPV]

My height is 5'4" (163 cm), so the upper limit for my ideal weight is between 66-67Kg for a BMI of 25. Though BMI is not a great measure of health, I thought it would be good if I can get somewhere close to that mark (I didn't believe I could ever do it), so when I embarked on my weight loss journey I had this theoretical/hypothetical target of getting to around 70Kg - more from a motivational point of view so that I don't get disappointed and give up!

Finally, this week I've gotten very close to that mark Getting down from the 76Kg plateau was the toughest in this journey and now I think once that barrier has been broken, weight continues to go down while also building muscle (since I switched to more resistance training and body weight exercises which work wonderfully well with my IF and TMAD routine). I was a novice with exercises and complete non-believer in weight/resistance training till recently and learnt everything by watching YouTube videos and buying some dumbbells!


Never thought this would be possible, big shoutout to @ampere who pointed me in the right direction - till then I was someone who believed what we eat (diet) can never be the primary controlling factor in weight loss!

It has been a rather long and slow journey, but I've persisted with making small changes, experimenting to see what works and does not work for me, adopting the changes as a lifestyle and I know my body a whole lot better now than I did earlier

Also thanks to this wonderful thread and the "Fat to fit journey" thread by @graaja I have got truckloads of information and pointers that have helped me immensely in tweaking my diet, IF and exercise routines.

[rahulcmoulee]

In April 2018 while going for a health checkup, I found out that I weighed in at 110kgs. This was a rude shock to me. It was during my 12th standard, so I had practically no physical activity and was overeating and snacking a lot.

I then put myself through a measured diet regimen along with gymming and sports like tennis, cricket, and swimming. Through that I was able to bring myself down to 81kgs at my lowest in March 2020. The regimen went something like this:
• Morning - 2 slices of wholewheat bread and an egg white omelette or 2 idlys for breakfast.
• Afternoon - 1 cup of rice with rasam and curd and a lot of veggies.
• Night - 1 cup of boiled corn or 1 bowl of soup or 1 cup khichdi and a bowl of fruits.
• Sugar and fried items are a big no-no.
• I allowed myself 2 cheat meals a week, where I can eat calorific food like pizza but in moderation.
• 3 litres of water every day
• If I felt hungry in between meals, I had fruits like orange, mosambi, watermelon, etc.
• 90 Minutes of exercise (gym, sports, jogging, etc.)
• Always take the stairs

But then the pandemic happened and we were confined to our homes. The scope for exercise was limited and though home workouts were an option, it just didn’t feel the same. The whole situation became a bit mundane and started affecting my mental health. This made me just let go of my diet and go back to my old ways. I have now gained back 20 of the 29kgs I lost. 2 weeks back I weighed in at 101. Most of my pre-pandemic clothes have become tight. Stamina was absolutely gone, could barely play 40 minutes of tennis.

I have since made an attempt at getting back to a somewhat similar routine as I followed earlier. Cannot follow the exact routine because I am forced to have meals outside due to work. But already seeing some progress. I have managed to lose 3kgs in 2 weeks and am back below 100kgs. I am now more motivated than ever to get my weight back down.

This is me in March 2018



And this is me in March 2020 when I was at my fittest


And this is me now


Please drop any more tips and practices I can follow to help out with the process.
Hoping to get back to my best at the soonest

[graaja]

Originally Posted by NPV

Finally, this week I've gotten very close to that mark Getting down from the 76Kg plateau was the toughest in this journey and now I think once that barrier has been broken, weight continues to go down while also building muscle (since I switched to more resistance training and body weight exercises which work wonderfully well with my IF and TMAD routine).

This is awesome progress NPV You are following the perfect combination of IF + strength training that will help you lose fat and build lean muscles at the same time. Do a couple of days of some mobility training as well like Yoga and you got the perfect lifestyle. Keep going.

Originally Posted by rahulcmoulee

Please drop any more tips and practices I can follow to help out with the process.

Strict portion control (calorie counting) and dependence on workouts to reduce weight does not work in the long term. You need to create a healthy lifestyle of eating right. Check out the beginning post in this thread about low carb eating and my "Fat to Fit (Fat to Fit - A journal of my fitness journey)" thread on intermittent fasting. Make it a lifestyle and you will never become overweight for life.

All the best in your health and fitness journey

[NPV]

Originally Posted by rahulcmoulee

Pease drop any more tips and practices I can follow to help out with the process.
Hoping to get back to my best at the soonest

Here are a few tips:
1. Adopt a low carb diet (cut down on rice, wheat, refined flour, sugar) as a lifestyle, meaning you make it your eating style for good. Include 7-10 cups of vegetables a day that are nutrient dense including leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. Try to avoid milk in your tea and coffee, have black coffee, black/green tea. Curd (unsweetened) and Buttermilk are fine. If you're a vegetarian, try to include eggs in your diet, do not separate the white and yolk, have the whole egg.
Vegetables to avoid - potato, sweet potato, corn, sweet corn (and soya chunks too, though not really a vegetable in this form)
Fruits - try to eat smaller portions and avoid bananas, apples, pears, mangoes. Medium ripe papaya and guava, avocado, kiwi, strawberry, blueberry in small quantities are fine

2. Avoid snacking between meals. Adding healthy fats with your meals like Olive oil, butter, ghee, cheese, paneer will help you feel satiated and curb cravings between meals

3. Have your dinner early no later than 8pm

4. Movement and mobility are key.
Exercise - do 30 minutes of exercise every day preferably strength/resistance training, join a gym if needed.

Additionally, try to walk for 10-15 minutes after each meal. Even slowly pacing around the room/floor inside your building is good

5. Sleep well - get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Good sleep helps you lose weight. Keep out stress and anxiety, this can prevent weight loss

6. If you get #1 thru 5 under control, add intermittent fasting, start by pushing your breakfast out by 1-2 hours and eventually skip it and go to lunch directly after dinner previous evening

*Make changes slowly and incrementally so that you don't break out and binge, ease into your new routine and eventually it will become a habit/lifestyle and there will be no going back to old style normals.

All the best - weight loss and fitness is a journey not a destination! Keep yourself motivated and be persistent and tenacious.

[vetrivaaganam]

Hello Team-BHPians, this is my weight loss journey. Started at 93.xx, I am currently weighing 83kg, with a target weight of 75kg. I’m 26 years of age, and 5’11” in height.

Why I started: I realized I was always dealing weak and couldn’t climb two flights of stairs without going out of breath, and that I needed to turn my life around, else I’d go head first into health complications.

How I started: Way back in 2011-2012, we had purchased an exercise cycle (going with the then trend), a Hercules Duatron. It lay without use for more than 8 years, accumulating dust, until COVID struck. I called up Hercules and their service agent prepped up the cycle as best as he could (kudos to him for braving lockdown restrictions and reaching my house - for which he got chastised by my father, and was duly additionally compensated).

I started with cycling for 21 minutes a day, and slowly increased it to 31 minutes.

Why the extra one minute you ask? That’s for checking if the screws and bolts were proper and jumping on to warmup for 30-45 seconds.

A month of workout, no major change. Disappointed, I called up a friend/mentor. He advised me to make changes in my diet too. I switched out 7 dosais per night (yes, you read that right! Looking back, I am aghast at myself) to 150g of panner/chicken/mutton per night (Keto for the win!). I also stopped working out and had a full tummy on Sundays. The next one month, as seen in the graph below, saw my weight plummet. “PROGRESS AT LAST!” I screamed within myself.

Then came the Unlock, and I had to go back to work. But I made sure I stick to the schedule. I have been progressing, not as per plan, but progressing.

What now, What next?
Three weeks back, the Duatron broke, and I couldn’t workout. This saw my weight stagnate, and I went on a stress eating binge.

I contacted Afton Fitness, East Coast Road (Shoutout to Mr. Anandan for personally reaching my house and supervising the assembly) and purchased Orbitrac Exercise Cycle which was delivered yesterday. Back to the basics again - target 75@Jan 2023.

Will update as I reach a milestone or a plateau. Let me know if you have any advice or questions or concerns, I’m all ears.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by vetrivaaganam

Hello Team-BHPians, this is my weight loss journey. Started at 93.xx, I am currently weighing 83kg, with a target weight of 75kg. I’m 26 years of age, and 5’11” in height.

I switched out 7 dosais per night (yes, you read that right! Looking back, I am aghast at myself) to 150g of panner/chicken/mutton per night (Keto for the win!). I also stopped working out and had a full tummy on Sundays. The next one month, as seen in the graph below, saw my weight plummet. “PROGRESS AT LAST!” I screamed within myself.

Will update as I reach a milestone or a plateau. Let me know if you have any advice or questions or concerns, I’m all ears.

Very good transformation and progress there. Congratulations!

My suggestion would be to add intermittent fasting and strength training to your low carb diet and you will see very good results. IMHO, cardio is overrated when it comes to fat loss. I used to be a cardio-junky once. But now I have switched to strength training. Complex strength training (like body weight workouts like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, kettlebell training etc.) will provide cardio workout and build muscles at the same time.

All the best with your weight loss and health and fitness journey!

[vetrivaaganam]

Originally Posted by graaja

Very good transformation and progress there. Congratulations!

Thank you @graaja! Hoping to reach the milestone soon.

Originally Posted by graaja

My suggestion would be to add intermittent fasting and strength training to your low carb diet and you will see very good results. IMHO, cardio is overrated when it comes to fat loss. I used to be a cardio-junky once. But now I have switched to strength training. Complex strength training (like body weight workouts like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, kettlebell training etc.) will provide cardio workout and build muscles at the same time.

I tried IF, but I tend to get a bad headache, and was advised to not continue IF but switch to paleo/keto by the family doctor. So had to contend with it. I am planning to add strength training down the line, I recently switched workplaces, will settle down and thereafter slowly incorporate strength training into the schedule.

[NPV]

Another quick update 2 weeks since my last one here

My weight is still hovering around 70kg and I'm seeing a lot of fat loss around the abdomen and back, waist circumference is reducing relentlessly, so much so that I needed to get an emergency wardrobe overhaul done , didn't go overboard since I wanted to avoid another wasted expenditure soon, will see how it goes for the next couple of months.

Question for @graaja, @ampere and others - while I'm not overtraining, when I reach a certain level of weight and waist size that I wish to retain and want to get into maintenance mode (sticking to same diet/IF lifestyle of course), do I need to adjust my exercise/training routine ? I'm currently doing 60 minutes total (including rest/recovery) consisting of 10 mins cardio on elliptical cross trainer, 50 minutes of core exercises + HIIT + strength/resistance training.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by NPV

when I reach a certain level of weight and waist size that I wish to retain and want to get into maintenance mode (sticking to same diet/IF lifestyle of course), do I need to adjust my exercise/training routine ? I'm currently doing 60 minutes total (including rest/recovery) consisting of 10 mins cardio on elliptical cross trainer, 50 minutes of core exercises + HIIT + strength/resistance training.

Welcome to the most important part of the road trip! Three quarters of the battle is won if you maintain the lifestyle. Fundamentally what has happened here is also an increase in your BMR along with reduced intake.

Now dont assume this intake lifestyle will remain this way sine-die. What you need to figure out is how you can keep that intake in check once you go onto maintenance mode. Thats the million dollar question.

As regards to exercise what ever works to *not upset* the intake equation should hold good. Thats why I have always advocated for design of an intake pattern which is invariant to external world events (travel, celebrations, indulgences in luxury hotels, falling sick, loss of metabolism etc). The intake plan should be robust enough to handle such events on a day to day basis.


Just look at @graaja. He moved from being a triathlon man to simple personally set exercises. It works. I work mainly through IF patterns and good aerobic running.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by NPV

...waist circumference is reducing relentlessly, so much so that I needed to get an emergency wardrobe overhaul done , didn't go overboard since I wanted to avoid another wasted expenditure soon, will see how it goes for the next couple of months.

I will say this is one expense that makes us happy

I am sure I will not recognize you next time we get a chance to meet!

Originally Posted by NPV

Question for @graaja, @ampere and others - while I'm not overtraining, when I reach a certain level of weight and waist size that I wish to retain and want to get into maintenance mode (sticking to same diet/IF lifestyle of course), do I need to adjust my exercise/training routine ? I'm currently doing 60 minutes total (including rest/recovery) consisting of 10 mins cardio on elliptical cross trainer, 50 minutes of core exercises + HIIT + strength/resistance training.

ampere has summed it nicely.

Ideally, you should not be depending on the workout routine to maintain your weight and waist circumference. This has to happen through diet and IF. If you maintain your diet (not going back to high levels of sugar and carbs) and IF lifestyle, your weight would remain stable. Compensate occasional indulgences like festivals or travel by following up with longer fasting windows and stricter carb control etc. Whenever I go on drives where I indulge in lots of food, I come back and do a 36 or 48 hour fast to reset and go back to my normal diet. Even while I travel and indulge in food, I limit it to two meals a day.

With this approach, even if you stop exercising for some time, your weight will be stable. You may loose your fitness gains like strength and mobility, but will not gain much in weight.

Use workouts to maintain a strong, mobile and functionally fit body. Mix up various types of activities. Listen to your body to determine rest and recovery. Don't hesitate to give that extra day of recovery to the body when you feel too tired or sore. This should keep you going for decades.

[prabhu789]

Folks, Could you please suggest preferable vegetables and meat to eat during weight loss process? There are so much dos and don'ts on the internet but I would like to hear it from the tried and tested folks here. Thanks in advance.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by prabhu789

Folks, Could you please suggest preferable vegetables and meat to eat during weight loss process? There are so much dos and don'ts on the internet but I would like to hear it from the tried and tested folks here. Thanks in advance.

Check out the two posts from the below link.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post4942481 (Fat to Fit - A journal of my fitness journey)

I have given some guidelines of what to have and what to avoid. This is assuming you want to follow the low carb approach to food.

[AltoLXI]

BHPians,

There is no weight gain thread, hence posting here.

Background:

My wife was suffering from acidity issues since long and used to take lot of Pantop and Aciloc. Thyroid (TSH) was 3.3 then.

A few months back she got Ayurvedic treatment where she underwent Virechana and Vasti for 1.5 months. This involves consuming ghee incrementally over a few weeks and very restricted diet like khichdi, soup etc. Post the treatment, the acidity issue has gone. But she lost almost 5-6 kgs of weight and TSH jumped to 7.2. There was a lot of muscle loss due to the treatment.

Though she has gained around <1kg in the past few days, how to check if the increase in weight is due to muscle gain or fat gain? The main concern is how to regain the lost muscle due to treatment?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Though she has gained around <1kg in the past few days, how to check if the increase in weight is due to muscle gain or fat gain? The main concern is how to regain the lost muscle due to treatment?

I'm not a doctor, neither an expert on this.

As a general rule of thumb, to gain muscle one needs to do resistance/weight training (small dumbbell weights at home will do). One can include compound/core/body weight exercises as well. In addition, one needs to consume protein (eggs are a great source for example). Whey protein may be good as well but needs to be consumed with some fat (to digest the protein) like cream, etc.

I never took whey myself and preferred natural foods like the eggs. Advantage of having eggs is that the white (protein) comes with the fat (yolk), so one just needs to have the whole egg. Avocados are another good source with protein and fat.

Look up websites like dietdoctor for other vegetable/plant/meat sources. If she eats meat, then options will obviously be more. I would say avoid protein powder supplements like protinex etc.

(I managed with my vegetarian diet and just added eggs occasionally).

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Happy to share that the journey continues - on and on and on...

I had never been a glutton. But ever since I can remember, I had to have my meals on time - normally three, sometimes more. I just couldn't control my hunger. And as my close ones will attest, I could be a handful when hangry.

The IF routine that has become part of my life now has given me the courage to experiment with my food intake - both qualitatively and quantitatively.

After a 48 hour fast a while ago, I was looking to do something that could test me. The Navaratri presented me with an apt opportunity.

I followed OMAD (One Meal A Day) for nine days non stop. Except for a wholesome, home cooked lunch at 1pm, I didn't eat anything for the rest of the day. That would make it a stretched 23:1 IF.

My daily activities and exercises remained unchanged. I remained fresh, energetic and calm too. No sudden, significant or drastic loss of weight was noticed.

As posted earlier, I have remained in the sub 60kg zone for more than 40 months at a stretch. The last vestiges of fat around the waist remains though.