I lost 18 kilos on this plan, you can too!

Today, I am extremely happy to share an experience I had over the span of four months. During this time, I lost 18kgs off to finally achieve my ideal weight. It’s not an extraordinary achievement because there are many others who have been able to do a lot more than that, but I thought it would be a good idea to share this little achievement to inspire people who have lost hope.

Neither was I on one of those crazy crash diets that scare people away from scratch nor was I following any of those numerous diet plans found on the Internet. I followed my own plan, based on some research and experience.

And guess what?

My strategy was extremely effective, and I achieved my target weight of 75kgs in four months. Research shows that effective weight loss rate is around one kilogramme per week. Considering my total weight loss, I was right on the money!

Neither was I inspired by any actor nor did I want to wear my favourite dress, as shown in various cereals advertisements.

A trip to Pakistan was all I needed.

Since, I went back home after two years, I was invited over to many of my relatives houses. Throughout my trip, I was bombarded with snacks, fizzy drinks and oily foods, as is common in countries like India and Pakistan.

As a result, I discovered that I gained two kilos in just five days! This was a killer for me because I was already 16kgs above my ideal weight. Since I have a large physique, I would placate myself by saying that I really didn’t appear to be a someone who weighs 91kgs. But this soon stopped satisfying me and hence, I decided to go on a weight loss rampage.

I call this a rampage because when I weighed 80kgs, many people started telling me that I looked like an ill person compared to earlier. But I was determined not to be hindered by anything or anyone before I achieved my target weight.

And so, here I am, back to being a fit and smart guy. Yes I know I’m bragging a bit much, so I shall get down to sharing my plan of action.

The diet plan

Here, I would like to share with you my food schedule.

Breakfast – Nestle fitness cereals or porridge.

Lunch – A couple of boiled eggs or steamed chicken sandwiches in brown or whole meal bread with any sauce of your choice excluding mayonnaise or any other creamy blended sauce, not even low fat. And an apple and an orange.

Dinner – Grilled or steamed chicken, fish or steaks with a couple of brown or whole meal breads with any sauce.

Besides the three regular meals, I used to have a cup or two of coffee or tea a day, around 2.5 litres of water and some nuts.

Most of the credit for my weight loss and unfaltering will power goes to my mom and my wife, who cooked grilled food for me every other day and supported me throughout my diet regime.

Exercise plan

Exercising is the hard bit. It was quite a tough ask because we need to spare time and have the willpower to be consistent. There are many ways by which one can find the inspiration to avoid boredom in exercise. For me, the most significant thing was my inner feeling. If we have the internal push, nothing can stop us from achieving our target. I believe that all other external factors such as watching TV and exercising outdoors are minor issues.

Ever since I started working out, I have been doing the same exercises; running, striding, cycling and 40 minutes of aerobics. I had to spare around an hour and a half a day. In the beginning though, the exercise was a bit mild; I started with half an hour daily and progressed from there.

To maintain the urge, I gave myself one day a week ─ a cheat day. I think it is important to compensate for the effort of the whole week and change our exercise and eating patterns for one day. However, what we shouldn’t do is let ourselves go extremely off track. For me, my cheat food was either biryani or Chili’s chocolate molten lava cake (yum), and I would replace aerobics with swimming during the weekends.

To finish on a serious note, I would like to reiterate the importance of physical exercise for a healthy weight loss regime. If I discontinued my physical exercises, it would not take me very long to revert back to my old eating habits if I maintained the eating plan without exercise. Realisation of the importance of exercise if very important and I am therefore extremely fortunate because at the age of 25, I have made exercise a habit and now live a more healthy, smart and active lifestyle.

Exercise not only makes you feel better about yourself, it is proven that a healthy dose of exercise a day helps to avoid sickness, heart problems and obesity in the long term also. With physical exercise, we can shed the extra calories gained by the occasional binge on junk foods or desserts. Besides your regular work out plan, there are numerous ways to exercise in your daily course of affairs such as using the stairs instead of elevators, walking or cycling to work or parking cars at a distance.

This plan worked brilliantly for me and today, I am a confident, healthy and happy man! I hope this piece serves as inspiration and encouragement for those who want to change their lifestyle for the better.