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We've been asking you, dear readers, to share your inspiring fitness stories with us.
Here, Hemant Kadam, 33, tells us how he sacrificed his love for unhealthy junk food and changed his lifestyle to be fitter and lighter.
Until 2015, I worked in a organisation where I used to handle three projects at the same time.
I would reach office at 8 am and back home in Lower Parel (in Mumbai) by 11 pm.
Due to a tight work schedule I never really got any time to exercise.
I never followed any diet. I'd gorge on aloo rolls (aloo sabzi rolled in chapati) for lunch. I loved pizza and indulged in it at least thrice a month.
That was just the beginning of my major weight gain.
The inspiration to lose weight
When I joined a new organisation in 2015, my routine became simpler.
I would reach office at 8 am, leave by 5:30 pm and then go home, play counter-strike on my computer, eat dinner and then sleep.
By 2017, my weight had touched 99.8 kg.
By now, I was tired of holding my breath by sucking my tummy in and at the same time holding that smile on my face. So I stopped taking photos altogether.
I used to tell myself "Theek hai khaate peete ghar ki nishani hai yaar" (It's a sign of a foodie).
Everything was going fine until in November 2017, I had a severe pain in my lower back which went up to my right leg. I was unable to sit.
My orthopaedic told me it was nothing major; but the symptoms suggested I had slipped disc.
According to him, there were two ways to cure it -- 1. through medication, which would only reduce pain and 2. lose weight.
He gave me a few back exercises but also warned me it won't help me lose weight.
I realised it was my body telling me 'Time aaya hai gym join karne ka' (This is the right time to join a gym).
That's how, towards the fag end of 2017, I visited Fitness First (now taken over by Cult.fit) in Lower Parel.
I registered as a pre-sale member and requested them to start my membership from January 2018. I also consulted dietician Vasudha Sainik.
After a lot of research, I learned that for fitness, 'work-out is 40% and diet constitutes 60%'
When I was introduced to my trainer Anmol, I had my own reservations. But Anmol is a specialist in weight loss and Olympic weightlifting. She introduced me to various forms of weight training and 'Les Mills' RPM training.
Besides my trainer and dietician, my mother helped me stick to the diet. I'm grateful to these three wonderful ladies aka super women who are talented, sharp at their work and who did not just help me achieve my fitness goal but also cured my slipped disc.
My workout and lifestyle changes
I'd wake up by 5.30 am, like always but try to go to bed early, so I could complete 7-8 hours sleep every day.
I started having a heavy breakfast and early dinner at 8:30 pm.
When I am at work, I stand or walk every 1 hour and avoid sitting on the chair for a longer time. I walk for 5-10 minutes in my cubicle or stand and work whenever possible.
My tea/coffee intake has been reduced to 1-2 cups in a month. My water consumption has increased from 2 litres to 4 litres a day.
I work out at least 1.5 hours a day through 6 days a week. I rest it out on Saturdays.
During PT (personal trainer) sessions, which is thrice a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) we do a lot of weight training, sometimes circuit training followed by 1000 m rowing or 30-60 kcal on hand skiing machine or 60-120 kcal on Airdyne bike.
On Tuesdays I attend Les Mills RPM which is a high intense cardio (cycling 22 km in 50 minutes on a stationary bike).
On Thursdays, I do 15 minutes of running (2.5 to 3 km) followed by 1 hour core workout.
On Sundays, I spend an hour extra, which includes 15 minutes of running (2.5 to 3 km) followed by core workout and 50 minutes of yoga.
Before I achieved my targeted fat loss, I would do boxing instead of yoga which is again a high intense cardio.
Watch Hemant sweat it out at the gym in the video below.
Diet
My diet changes every 45 days.
It is not just WHAT I eat but also WHEN and HOW MUCH I eat.
My day starts with 2 cups of lukewarm water with either of these -- 1 or half lemon + 1 spoon honey or just 1 spoon honey or half lemon + 1/8 spoon cinnamon powder (home-made) or 30 ml aloe vera amla juice or 30 ml aloe vera juice.
Ten minutes later, I have 5-7 pre-soaked almonds or 7 pre-soaked black raisins + 1 spoon roasted sesame seeds (white unpolished) or 4 pre-soaked walnut.
Pre-workout (At least 30 minutes prior): 2 small bananas or 1 big banana (green not yellow) or one whole beetroot juice with its fibre or 1 spoon gulkand + 4 cashew nuts.
During workout: I drink at least 1.5 litres of water.
Post-workout: Protein shake (1 scoop protein + 200 ml water) or 6 boiled eggs (1 whole and 5 only egg white) to make sure I have 24 to 30 gm of protein after a workout.
Breakfast (at 9 am): 2 ragi dosa with mint chutney + milk with a pinch of turmeric or 2-3 methi/gobi/paneer/palak paratha with one bowl of curd or 2-3 wheat roti (chapati) with veggies + milk pinch of turmeric.
At 11 am: Seasonal fruit. Portion depends on which fruit I have e.g. One bowl of pomegranate or 2-3 plums or 1 mango or 1 orange or 10 to 15 black grapes (with seeds).
Lunch (at 1 pm): I must have 30-35 gm protein which can be in the form of curd or soya bean or paneer or chicken along with 2-3 chapati + veggies. Fibre intake is must with protein. I have water (500 to 700 ml) nearly after 40 minutes.
At 3 pm: 1 glass of butter milk or 1 glass of aam panna (only in summer) or 1 glass of sol kadi (if I've had fish or chicken for lunch) or 1 mug of hot water with tulsi tea (caffeine-free) or 1 glass of lemon water+ small piece black jaggery + black pepper + pinch of rock salt.
At 5 pm: A handful of roasted black chickpeas 60% + peanuts 40% or 1 bowl home-made poha chivda or 1 bowl of fox nuts tossed with some spices.
Between 6:30 and 7 pm: I have protein along with 2-3 wheat roti (chapatis) + veggies protein can be omelette (2 eggs with one whole and one egg white) if I have had eggs in the morning then I would not have any egg in evening or sandwich with lots of veggies and one slice of cheese + protein.
Between 7:45 and 8 pm: I drink 700 ml to 1 litre of water.
Dinner (8:30 to 9 pm): My meal must contain 25 to 30 gm protein with rice + dal/curd curry/egg curry/fish curry/chicken gravy + veggies all in 1:1:1 ratio. Dinner should fill you 85%.
At 10 pm (before bed): 1 cup of warm water with or without lemon.
Lessons learnt
Getting in shape is a continuous journey. When I started working out, my in-body (body fat and muscle composition) results were not very impressive (at least that's what my trainer said).
As per my in-body, my weight was 98 kg, muscle mass was 33 kg and PBF (Percent Body Fat) was 38%.
So our goal was to get PBF below 20% by increasing muscle mass which I achieved in 1.6 years. My current weight is 75 kg, which is ideal for my weight (5.9”). I'm on a muscle gaining plan now.
I have learnt many things from my weight loss journey. Most important is to follow discipline in your routine.
Go to bed early and start your day early with some good exercise. Remember excuses don't burn calories.
Tips for readers
Listen to your body and respect it. Don't take it for granted.
Control your desire for food and eating habits which will keep your weight in control.
If you don't want to go to the gym, at least do some basic exercises at home or jog in the morning. Try to challenge yourself everyday by increasing the jogging distance
Like my trainer would always say: 'Your body can do it; just convince your mind.'
Whenever I felt like giving up, these words would motivate me to keep at it.
INVITE
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