What do you do when you are bullied for your weight right through your teenage years, not able to play your favourite sport and can’t fit into the dresses of your choice? Well, 29-year-old Sherry Sharma knew that if she needed to lose weight and get back in shape to reclaim her life, discipline was the only way out. Her inspirational tale of losing a massive 43 kilos is a must-read if you need a boost of motivation!
Name: Sherry Sharma
Occupation: Manager, Business Development
Age: 29 years
Height:5 feet 3 inches
Highest weight recorded: 95 kgs
Weight lost: 43 kgs
Duration it took me to lose weight: I lost 30 kilos in one year and the rest gradually over the years
Turning point: While there are a lot of breaking points when you are overweight, there is one particular incident which actually pushed me to lose weight and turn my life around. I really wanted to learn basketball and I wasn’t able to play it because of my weight. However, the sports teacher refused to train me because I was overweight and he felt like I would be a bad influence on the whole team. That was the point I decided to start my weight loss journey and I have never really looked back from that day!
My breakfast: Protein shake+ 4 eggs+ a portion of spinach + nuts
My lunch: Quinoa or brown rice + any green vegetable + salad
My dinner: 5 egg whites + 1 whole egg + boiled chickpeas or tofu or salad
Pre-workout meal: A cup of black coffee with MCT oil
Post-workout meal: 2 scoops whey protein isolate + nuts
I indulge in: I have assigned Sunday as my cheat day and I gorge on Nutella pancakes, waffles and dark chocolates.
My workout: I do rigorous CrossFit for 5 days week and run for 6 kilometres every alternate day. I stick to home workouts during the lockdown.
Low-calorie recipes I swear by: I vouch on protein smoothie and oats pancakes!
Fitness secrets I unveiled: Your weight loss journey boils down to consistency. You should not compare yourself with others or with their progress. It is your journey and only discipline and consistency will take you there.
How do I stay motivated? Whenever I want an instant boost of motivation, I look at my old photographs and realise how far I have come. I also take a look at all my favourite outfits which I want to buy in small size and fit in!
How do you ensure you don’t lose focus? If you are passionate about something, you will definitely achieve it. You should lose weight for yourself, not to impress anyone or by succumbing to peer pressure.
What’s the most difficult part of being overweight? When you are overweight, there are a lot of things that weigh you down. I was not able to play my favourite sports, I could not find dresses of my choice, I had poor stamina and was bullied throughout my teenage years.
What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? I want to achieve a bikini body.
What are the lifestyle changes you made? I made a lot of changes in my lifestyle:
Some of these changes were:
1. Quitting junk food from my diet
2. Sleeping for 7 hours daily
3. Keeping myself hydrated
4. Practising portion control
5. Managing my macros intake (protein, carbs and fat)
What was the lowest point for you? After my college got over, I joined my first workplace. However, I began to spend more and more time sitting and my physical activities reduced to a great extent. As a result, I gained 18 kilos! That was time I realised that I needed to balance my office, workout and my diet at the same time.
Lessons learnt from weight loss: If you are trying to lose weight, you need to understand that it is a journey, not a destination. This simply means that you have to put constant and conscious efforts in order to stay healthy and fit all your life. You must go for a workout routine and diet plan as per your lifestyle. Also, you must never go for short term plans, as you may end up gaining all the weight back. Remember that weight loss journey tests your mental strength much more than your physical strength. Motivation, discipline, consistency and occasional cheat meals will take you a long way!
If you too have a weight loss story to share, send it to us at toi.health1@gmail.com