by NAINESH CHAINANI
(Vadodara, Gujarat, INDIA)
Weight loss story BEFORE
Age: 26
Height: 5'8"
Before: Sep'14: Weight: 300lbs. Waistline: 46" Bodyfat: Never Checked (Regret)
After: Sep'16: Weight: 142lbs. Waistline: 30" Bodyfat: 11%
Name: NAINESH CHAINANI
From: Vadodara (Gujarat), India
Email: Naineshchainani@gmail.Com
Bodyspace: http://Bodyspace.Bodybuilding.Com/Naineshchainani/
Facebook: https://Www.Facebook.Com/Naineshchainani
Twitter: https://Mobile.Twitter.Com/Naineshchainani
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naineshchainani/
i weighed 300lbs. Things got worse as not just me but my parents also felt/left ashamed with the way i looked. To the point that i wasn’t allowed to attend my cousin’s wedding. Reason being the way i looked, and i don’t blame them, i am sure no parent would want people to laugh at their kid for the way he/she looks.
"Everything happens for a reason!"
This denial of not being able to attend the wedding, hit me hard. It acted as an eye opener and was enough to wake up the lazy couch potato, who hadn't been doing any physical activity since a few years plus the extra pounds which weighed me down and left me feeling more lazy & lethargic.
However, this time i kept my approach slow but consistent. After losing 55lbs in 2006 & 100lbs in 2009, i had an experience of losing 155lbs so i knew the drill. I maintained a note of the mistakes i committed in first two trials as i didn't wish to repeat them again. I wished my third trial to be the final & most refined one with minimum or no mistakes.
I started with making healthy choices like going for small walks at least 5-6 days a week, trying not to eat anything with lot of oil, cheese and sugar, but i didn't put my 100% into it. Maybe i didn't want to rush things up this time as i really wanted the results to last forever. Hence, i started bringing in changes slowly but at a consistent pace.
::: HOW I DID IT:::
NUTRITION PLAN:
I started with avoiding things i should completely stay away from and added those to my diet which were light on calories and satisfying at the same time.
After few months, i corrected my meal portions. I broke them down to 7-8 meals per day, this enhanced my metabolism and helped me burn few extra calories even while resting.
Once portions were in place, i corrected my meal timings. I simply use to avoid having any solid meal two hours prior to my bed time, all caloric dense foods were consumed in morning which left me feeling satisfied the entire day. All carbs & fats rich food were taken before working out so that everything gets used up while getting converted into energy, all post workout meals were high on protein and fiber and last two meals of the day were just fruits.
Sundays were compulsory cheat days! Because body needs a shock once a week otherwise it gets used to your diet, therefore, i used all my Sundays to eat anything and everything. I used to write down things i craved for from Monday to Saturday and ate them on Sundays. This way i fulfilled all my food cravings and in return it allowed me to stay focused on my goals and just wait for the upcoming cheat days. (It’s all about training your subconscious mind!)
ACTIVITY PLAN:
I started with 40 minutes of walk 5 days a week, next week i increased to 6 days, after that i kept on adding 5-10 minutes every 1-2 weeks. Sundays were compulsory rest days! as i didn't want my body to get used to of my routine, plus taking a day off proved really beneficial to keep my moral high so that after a day's rest i get back to my routine all fresh, motivated and super charged.
After 2 & half months of just walking i developed some stamina and got rid of my lethargic feeling till some extent, my lifestyle wasn't sedentary anymore as i was doing some physical activity for minimum an hour every day. Then i joined gym to give it an extra thrust and pushed myself hard to give in all I have got.
At the gym, i started with an hour of cardio every day and half an hour of circuit training (light weights but fast pace, with minimum to no rest between sets).
After few months, i shifted to 30 minutes cardio, an hour of circuit training then again 30 minutes cardio. As and when my body got used to these exercises & routine, i raised the bar by increasing the intensity in cardio & weights in circuit training.
The more weight i lost, the more motivated i felt. Earlier i used to shy away from checking my weight in my couch potato phase, and now when i'm active i cannot do without checking my weight. The figures excite me to push myself harder every time i step on the scale.
Few months down the line, i was lighter by many pounds. It's a pretty well-known fact that when you are on the higher side of your weight you tend to lose it very quickly, however as and when it gets to the lower side you lose the pace. The entire process slows down gradually, as you get near to your standard body weight, you have to push it even hard to get that scale moving. Since it's the stubborn body fat which can only be lost with a lot of extra hard work and right nutrition plan otherwise you'll end up losing your muscle mass instead of that stubborn fat. Therefore, i started morning running sessions as during that time you're in a fasting state which makes it a perfect time for your body to utilise that stubborn fat by converting it into energy to fuel your morning cardio session.
After starting am cardio sessions, i felt even better. My strength was on a rise and my stamina constantly surprised me whenever i tried to push myself to failure. My body was getting in shape, even people started noticing the change which gave me a different high all together, the feel good feeling got converted into feeling great, with the praises/compliments/appreciation i got as a result of my hard work which i put in for my own good.
The more people noticed, the more effort i put in to get better. I literally got greedy for compliments, it's like i started this transformative journey for myself and after going ahead with it till some extent i got tired and frustrated with the same monotonous lifestyle and exertion i used to put on my body every day. I started losing hope and motivation but since people started noticing me and my changes my hope and motivation level skyrocketed.
It's very easy to pick up things, tasks and drop them anytime when you know no one is watching, but it gets next to impossible to drop things and give up when you know a lot of people are watching and tracking your progress as you have set an example for them, you have inspired them to keep a watch on you by transforming yourself in such a way that now people are counting on you, so you would never want to become a bad example for yourself as well as for others.
For the final few months, i was doing 30 minutes of cardio, 2 hours of circuit training and again 30 minutes of cardio along with my am running sessions. By this time i was an inspiration for people willing to lose weight, i became a topic of discussion amongst friends and family. I started off as a fitness blunder and now a "weight loss transformation inspiration". This gave me a different high and i was loving it, people used to come to me in the middle of my workout just to get some tips on how i did it and even to congratulate me on my progress.
In a nutshell, in the age of short cuts like weight loss surgeries and bypasses, i chose the hard way out. It took a lot of serious hard work, dedication, time and consistent efforts just to get better and better each day, i thank those people who motivated me in the right way to keep going and i thank those negative comments from positive people more because of them i pushed myself hard just to prove them that i can!
If i can manage to knock down 158lbs in 24 months with such slow but consistent approach anyone can do it! Start before it’s too late!