Real Life Weight Loss Journey : I Lost 15 Kgs by Eating Eggs in Breakfast, Ice Cream in Cheat Meal, And 8 Hours Sleep

Real-Life Weight Loss Journey: A communications professional, Love Verma was able to shed 15 kilos in a span of 5 months. He says, "Great weight loss stories are written in the kitchen and not in the gym."

Real-Life Weight Loss Journey: There is no denying that the coronavirus lockdown took a massive toll on our mental and physical well being. The quarantine period was a tough phase for everyone. There was a steep rise in the number of people who gained oodles of weight owing to disruption in their daily routine. Long work from home hours contributed to a sedentary lifestyle where people were required to sit for hours without any movement. Furthermore, less sleep, stress, unhealthy diet, and overeating also contributed to weight gain. Love Verma, a communications professional based out of Delhi-NCR found his comfort in food during the pandemic which resulted in weight gain. Love was determined to get back in shape and in a span of 5 months, he was able to lose 15 kilos. Impressive, right? Read his real-life weight loss story here.

The trigger point: I have always tried to keep myself in shape. But like the anxiety that surrounded everyone during the pandemic and its induced lockdown, I too found solace in food. With time I got gorgeously out of shape and the little workouts that I was doing mainly at home were not helping. I started feeling less energetic, and there was constant fatigue. I experienced an epiphany when none of the clothes I have, would fit.

I realized it’s time for me to change my approach. Thankfully COVID-19 was under control by then and gyms had reopened. I researched a lot, got my Body Mass Index calculated, defined my macros, and targeted a calory deficit to shed weight. It took me 5 months to cut 15 kgs. I used to weigh 98 kilos and after 5 months I weigh 83 kgs.

Weight loss and willpower: I did not target a time duration or a specific number per month. I wanted to get my lifestyle in order, get proper sleep and most importantly, eat right. I knew weight loss will happen at its own pace. What you do outside the gym is your actual training and great weight loss stories are written in the kitchen and not in the gym.

Weight Loss And Diet: To define my diet, I first took a blood test. It helped me give extra focus on my deficiencies and I would suggest everyone considers that to know how much they can train, how much time they need to recover, and what diet they should follow. Also, it’s important to define your macros and calorie intake. My diet included 50 per cent protein to build more muscle, 30 per cent complex carbohydrates and 20 per cent good fats.

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• Early morning before a workout – Apple and black coffee
• Post-workout (Breakfast) – 200 ml fresh juice to spike insulin, post that 6 egg whites and 1 whole egg
• Before lunch – 2-3 Eggs in multi-grain bread and peanut butter or replace it with whey protein with peanut butter
• Lunch – Home-cooked meal (rice/roti, dal, sabzi) with egg whites or chicken and salads.
• Evening – Almonds, walnuts and green tea
• Dinner – Boiled chicken or sautéed vegetables or steamed fish
• Supplements – Omega 3 and Vitamin D

Weight Loss And Cheat Days: I used to take a cheat meal once a week to shock my metabolism and break the saturation. It could be a portion of ice cream or chicken curry from my favourite restaurant with homemade chapatti.

Foods I Quit to Reach My Goal: The food I had quit are sugar, sugary drinks, canned beverages, processed food and high sodium foods.

My Fitness Mantra: There is no shortcut to losing weight. One should not starve. It’s unhealthy, can cause nutrient deficiencies, and can harm you in long term.

My recipe for weight loss has been to create a caloric deficit, burn more than what you consume, eat clean and take a high protein diet so that you can also build muscles. Also, get blood tests done regularly so that you need which vitamins you need to include in your diet. Don’t take multivitamins unless you need them.

Weight Loss And Workout Routine: Initially, I used to train 3 hours a day. Two hours of strength or weight training in the morning and one hour of badminton in the evening. This helped me gain more muscle and also burn extra calories. I tried burning between 1500 to 2000 calories per day. At present, I do strength or weight training for 2 hours.

What worked for me: I think being consistent helped me in my fitness journey. Saying no to the delicious spread whenever I visited my relatives or friends added to the long-term journey.

Keeping up with macros during travel is something I was never able to manage. I love travelling but at the same time you don’t get all your options when you are in the remotest part of the country, so it’s better to eat something than to starve your body.

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