In theory, losing weight is straightforward. Still many people including me struggle with it. Just because it’s a simple theory that doesn’t make it easy. Like many, my body transformation was a roller coaster ride with multiple fluctuations in my weight gain and multiple failed attempts at trying to lose weight. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong in gaining weight if you do it for a purpose (i.e. bulking) but mine wasn’t. Mine was more due to the inactive lifestyle (partly because of my eye surgery) and bad eating habits.
I also was one of the people who love the idea of putting minimal effort and getting results quickly which was probably one of the reasons behind my drastic fluctuations where I would just give up after a month or so. It took me a few years to realise my mindset and approach was completely off. Not to approach it as just a weight loss phase with strict restrictive diets and drastic changes which were just detrimental on both my mental and physical health, but rather approaching it as a journey to achieve a sustainable and healthier lifestyle was the way to go. Now here I am, exercising often, eating healthy (most of the time 😜) and feeling happier with myself.
When my weight gain started
I was never a skinny kid nor an obese kid growing up. My relationship with food was unhealthy with a junk food obsession and running away from veggies type. During those years I did not really think about what a healthy lifestyle meant, at that age who does? But I used to play a lot of sports and engage in physical activities often which may have been the reason I was not obese.
It was during high school (9th grade) where I had a major eye surgery and was prescribed 4 months complete bed rest post-surgery. My diet remaining the same but with minimal activity my weight increased significantly. Even post-surgery after I went back to school life, I was still restricted from playing sports for 1-2 years. My lifestyle became more sedentary and I was spending more of my time around gadgets. In addition to a sub-standard eating lifestyle consisting of highly-processed food most of the time my health was deteriorating.
I think many of you must have at least set a New Year’s resolution once, I did so too during my senior year (high school).
“This year with a new me…..”
I decided I will start engaging more in physical activity and follow a healthier diet by cutting out junk food. It all went down the drain with the eating lifestyle I promised myself to indulge in. However, I still did keep the physical engagement promise throughout the year. As a result, I did lose weight and it could be observed from my photos but I was not getting any healthier with the same frequent runs to the doctor (allergies, cold etc.).
Realization
In 2014, I started my undergrad chapter pursuing my degree in Computer Engineering. The situation took a downfall. My physical activity engagement was down to zero, my eating habits got a lot worse. I used to stay up late most nights (3-4 am) which ended up in me devouring more food than I should eat. My life at that time consisted of sitting at the desk for a long period of time eating, studying and playing. This continued for over 2 years. I started to hate being in photos with my full body exposed, I despised myself while looking in the mirror and It was hard for me to find clothes that did not make me look obese. My body started giving signs as I suffered the occasional back pain and regular allergies.
In my junior year, I reached my peak weight (around 89 kg) and was suffering from constant knee pain and self-loathing, I knew I had to “STOP” or else I won’t be able to cope with it in the future. These were still signals building up to me realizing I needed a change. The main reason was probably the day I blacked out for a moment. It may have not been directly related to my physique, but I knew it had something to do health which was probably getting worse because of my lifestyle.
2017
I made my goal (target weight of 75kg) and decided no matter what I did I won’t stop until I reached it. The goal was no different from what I used to set before the only difference was the determination to not give up this time. The first thing I did was cut down my diet drastically (cutting carbs completely in the evening because I read it was the way to go!) and started jogging regularly. It was really difficult at the beginning, but once I got used to it (hunger and soreness), it got easier. When I measured my weight, slowly I was down 2 kgs, then 5kgs and just like that I reached my goal. Once I got the taste of it, I wanted more so I continued with same diet (no carb at night) and reached 64 kg at one point (was a mistake!).
2019
I was impressed I reached my weight goal, but I was still experiencing frequent cold and starting to hate my food choices. I was not eating unhealthily but my diet at the time still lacked food rich in nutrients and was basically bland (i.e. selected boiled veggies, meat). My mom used to tell me I started looking really thin, so I made up my mind and started weightlifting.
I know, I should have started a long way back, but I was one of the people who believed “weightlifting is bad for you, once you start and stop your muscle with turn into fat… blah.” myth. I really want to go back and give myself smack in the head for believing that.
However, this time I decided to change my approach completely and decided to focus on achieving a healthier and sustainable lifestyle rather than having a weight target to reach. I started incorporating various fresh foods in my diet by doing a lot of research, started exercising regularly by doing all sorts of activities (weightlifting, cardio, sports, yoga etc.). The most surprising thing I would say I started doing was probably cooking (because I never used to do this, hated it).
2020
Probably the best shape I have been in both mentally and physically. Shockingly started seeing abs!
My lifestyle changed completely:
- Started being an early bird. (waking up at 5am)
- Started eating healthy (love it!)
- Love cooking. Started making various different recipes (healthier version) and started to love them.
- Exercising regularly (weightlifting, cardio, yoga, calisthenics)
My future goals are enjoying and maintaining my healthy lifestyle, while my fitness goals are probably to gain a more muscular physique. My journey has been rough, but I learnt a lot. Here are several key learnings I picked up during this transformation journey.
Key Learnings
1. Consistency is key
This one is nothing new but indispensable. This applies to both you’re eating lifestyle and fitness. There is no shortcut when it comes to losing weight or achieving a healthy lifestyle. You need to progress slowly towards your goal with small steps. In my case consistency was the key difference in being able to achieve my goals compared to my previous failed attempts.
2. Don’t jump in too fast
When I started my weight-loss journey my goal was only to reach a target weight. That meant I gave my everything until I reached that goal. Even though I accomplished it, I started to hate my food choices and was hungry most of the time. Approaching goals in this sense were not sustainable as I would quickly succumb to old eating habits (junk food). Instead of going full in restrictive mode for a weight-loss goal, start slowly. Start my setting a small target which would require some effort but not too much that you would need to sacrifice everything (like losing .4kg a week).
3. Work on your form before progressing
Normally when somebody knows you lift weights; you get questions like “how much do you lift?”. We often get idea that how good you are depending on how much weight you can lift. I also was under the same impression and progressed my weight rapidly rather than focusing on how accurately I was carrying out the exercise. I ended up getting my shoulder injured because of my poor form.
I am not saying to not progress your weights, I am suggesting that the form of the exercises is being overlooked and people tend to focus on getting the number higher. So focusing on form is really important as it builds a foundation for your body to be able to build up strength for reaching that weight goal for the exercise.
4. Learn to let go
We dont always need to feel bad everytime we miss our fitness goal or consume a huge cheatmeal. What feeling bad about these stuff does is it demoralizes you. I used to not be able to let go and felt bad about going out to a party (eating alot) and it would disrupt my routine and mindset because I wanted it to be perfect.
To be honest, thinking back that party did not matter as it did not really affect my progress. So, learning to let go and assuring yourself it does not always need to be perfect is really important. If I have an unplanned cheat meal which breaks my calorie plan, instead of feeling bad I just carry on with my routine. It won’t really ruin my progress (However you should know your limits though). This applies to not only food, even to fitness goals you missed (No worries! try again).
5. Measure your food
This is more towards certain fitness goals you have set. For example, you would need to eat less or more depending on if you are cutting or bulking. Measuring your food comes in really handy as you have precise information of how much you are putting in your body. Food volume with respect to their calories can be deceiving and we may not be able to really estimate it.
Once I started tracking my meals by weighing, I saw how much I actually ate compared to what my estimates were when I was not weighing my food. It was quite surprising seeing how off I was with my estimates compared to how much macros the food were actually worth.
For example, I used to like snacking on walnuts. The amount of walnuts (on the right) I would just estimate it to around 15g before, turns out they are actually 30g (around 100 calories more!).
6. Don’t give up on the food you love
You don’t need to give up on foods you love just because you are on a restrictive diet. I used to do this and would feel miserable and hate my food choices (i.e. bland food). You can always cook a healthier version of recipes you love. Even for snacks you can always reduce the amount you consume by making it fit in your caloric goals. It’s not a sin to have an Oreo occasionally!
Learning how to adjust and incorporate those foods into diet is way better and sustainable than giving up everything and feel miserable with your food choices.
I am sharing my story to show that no matter what it is if you put your mind to it you can do it!
Stay Healthy! Stay Safe!
Leave a comment