For as long as Malaysia-based Shashi Kumar Vijayan jogs his memory, he`d been overweight.
It`s no secret that an `effortless` blend of unhealthy eating habits and zero physical activity spares nobody, so why was 27-year-old, Shashi, going to be any different? And he sure as hell wasn`t.
"I remember myself as a plump 12-year-old who started eating even more after graduating from college in 2011," he mentions before painting a vivid picture of his drastic 34 kg weight-loss journey.
The realisationThey say a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, and Shashi, who weighed 98 kg in November, 2015 learnt it the hard way."I couldn`t concentrate on work and was extremely low on confidence," he says as he further mentions how the stress in his mind started affecting his professional life and left him in a perpetual state of tiredness.
"I couldn`t stand for long periods of time and was always confused, this is when I decided something needs to be done."The effortsLike most individuals new to the world of exercise, Shashi too was trapped in an ocean of incorrect and excessive information. "I couldn`t afford a personal trainer, so like most people, Google was my best friend too. But the options available on internet are so many that it confused me further."Having finally figured a way out of that storm, Shashi began exercising and as they say, rest is history.
"I felt calm after the very first day of exercise and thought to myself, `If one day can make such a difference, why shouldn`t I make this permanent?`"
And he did. He gave up on rice and resorted to protein-rich, steamed food instead.
The transformation
Change is a gradual process--specially when it comes to losing weight. It`s almost frustrating to not find the weighing scales in your favour. Something similar happened with Shashi.
"Although I felt calm and was putting in a lot of effort, I didn`t lose much weight. But those around me started pointing out how I`d started looking fitter and better. The compliments really helped me regain the confidence I`d lost."
The resultIn a year`s time, Shashi had gone from 98 kg to 64 kg, felt more confident and was obsessed with the idea of fitness."Today, I make it point to drink at least 2-4 litres of water everyday, consume lean meats, fish, soup etc and not drink soda-based drinks. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, so you can`t just go eat an entire cake after exercising for an hour."
Tips for beginnersIt`s easy to be confounded while treading on a path of weight loss. Information overload and misinformation join forces to do more harm than good--which is why we asked Shashi to share a set of pointers for those new to the phenomenon of exercise.
Here`s what he had to say:1.Weight loss doesn`t come without investing time and effort. Ditch procrastination and get started already.2. Stop fooling yourself into believing you`ve `earned` a cheat day. You undo your efforts by downing that bottle of coke or gorging on that bar of caramel chocolate.3. Drink water. Quit rice. Find substitutes.4. Steamed and boiled food is your best friend. Opt for food items rich in proteins and free from oil.5. Run on the treadmill, cycle--seek solace in cardio.
Source : India Today