Busy schedules and work leaves many with little time to devote to physical activity, 29-year-old Jay was in for a rude shock when he happened to check his weight- a whopping 136 kilos! This was the much-needed reality check he needed to correct his lifestyle and he spent the next six months transforming himself. His weight loss journey is an incredibly motivating example of how the right diet and workout can change your life. Read to know more!
Name: Jay Thaker
Age: 29 years
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
City: Mumbai
Highest weight recorded: 136 kilos
Weight lost: 32 kilos
Duration it took me to lose weight: 6 months and 12 days
The turning point: I have always been on the heavier side and used to weigh 120-125 kilos! I spent so much money on gym memberships, but since I have a travelling job, it was difficult to take time out for exercise. Having a ‘sorted’ routine was something I could just wish for. However, the day reality hit me is when I happened to weigh myself while I was working and saw my weight was 136 kilos! I just stood there in shock, it hit me so hard!
My diet:
My weight loss journey started in December 2019. I started following Intermittent Fasting, with a relatively smaller fasting window (14:10). By February 2020, I was able to stretch it to 16:8. And then, the pandemic happened. While there were so many negatives to the lockdown, I got the best gift I had been wanting for long- TIME.
March was the time when I actually brought in more focus on my journey. The plan was to create a calorie deficit. I used an app, tracked my calories, and ate two meals a day (just lunch and dinner). Apart from this, I never indulged in snacking. Green tea/ coconut water were the only two things I drank. Day by day, with the help of exercise and strict diet, I managed to sustain my deficit and lose weight, the way I wanted. There were weeks I even lost more than a kilo!
My breakfast: Since I don’t eat anything in the morning, I just have a cup of green tea with lemon drops (zero calories, hence it’s allowed in my fasting hours)
My lunch: Lunch is the best part of the day for me and I ensure that my meal has wholesome nourishment. I have a complete meal (approximately 900-1000 calories), which has 2 rotis, vegetable subzi, a bowl of dal (moong, arhar), very little rice and some curd/ chaas to finish my meal.
My dinner: While lunch is heavy, I keep my dinners light. It is usually something like a large bowl of salad (carrots, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, pomegranates) with curd. Sometimes, I have a bowl of warm tomato soup.
Pre-workout meal: I used to work out in the morning time, i.e., during my fasting window. Hence, green tea is all I had.
Post-workout meal: I have a scoop of protein shake powder with water after the 2nd round of my workout and sometimes after dinner as well (maintaining an hour’s gap).
I indulge in: I enjoy everything home-cooked, which is balanced with carbs, proteins and fat. I have to give all the credit to my mom, who helped me! But, if I ever want to snack on something, it would be my favourite bajra thepla or pav bhaji!
My workout: Exercise is something I never compromise on now! I have a fixed 2-hour workout session in the morning- one hour of rigorous badminton and an hour walking/jogging. I do the same in the evenings. Apart from this, I also try and take out 30 minutes during the day to indulge in ab workouts and weight training exercises at home. I use a resistance band which ensures that isn’t too much muscle loss due to extensive cardio.
Low-calorie recipes I swear by: Veggies+fruit salad with curd and brown bread sandwich once in a while.
Fitness secrets I unveiled: If you want to start your weight loss journey, learn two words and implement them – CALORIE DEFICIT. Intermittent fasting worked really well for me for keeping myself off snacking and ensuring that I create maximum calorie deficit! Additionally, I ensured to stay consistent with my efforts, eat healthily and stay hydrated.
How do I stay motivated? I received unconditional support from my family and friends. However, I do have to say that there is no bigger motivation than stepping on the weighing scale and seeing the reduction for yourself. I was so happy to see the number change from 131 to 98 kilos! Once I started seeing visible results, there was no looking back. Every day felt like a new learning experience for me.
How do you ensure you don’t lose focus? Discipline is the key and the belief that nothing happens overnight. Even if at some point if the results aren’t as per what I desire, I keep on going.
What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? I see myself as a very healthy and active individual with a bit of muscle gain.
What are the lifestyle changes you made? I made a lot of lifestyle changes to reach my weight loss goal. Some of them included:
1. Eating balanced meals
2. Following the 3 C’s for weight loss – lots of Cardio, consume fewer Carbs, be Consistent
3. Discipline and determination. I started to enjoy my journey, rather than detesting it.
What was the lowest point for you? For the first few days, when I wasn’t habitual to eating healthy or working out, it was so difficult to swear off junk food. The cravings and getting used to the change were the hardest ones to cope with.
Lessons learnt from weight loss: Looks are secondary but the feeling you get once you are fit is a different kind of adrenaline.
Is it easy? NO. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!
If you too have a weight loss story to share, send it to us at toi.health1@gmail.com
