Real-life weight loss stories often have a direct connection to people. Having a tough time starting your weight loss regime? Here is Dr Shashank Singhal’s inspiring journey to help you develop a healthy lifestyle.
Real-Life Weight Loss Story: Everybody’s weight loss journey is different. Every person has a unique reason for starting this new chapter that calls for both physical and mental engagement, along with an inspiring story to tell. Dr Shashank Singhal has a similar story, a story that many people might relate to. Singhal, who taught CLAT aspirants, revealed that the motivation behind his weight loss was threefold. He said, “I felt that my stamina to teach was reducing and I was not able to teach for long hours, I thought that it was high time. Also, I started having breathing issues which is when I felt, that I might die with this weight.” He recalled that his sister-in-law’s endearing words were an eye opener that pushed him to shed those extra kilos. “Shashank weight reduce karo, aage chalke bahaut problems ho jayegi, he added. So, India.com got into an exclusive conversation with Dr. Shashank Singhal to track his fitness journey.
Here is Dr Shashank Singhal’s inspiring story of weight loss and how he lost 30 kgs in 7 months by including cold coffee with sugar, pizzas and burgers.
How Much Did You Lose in How Many Days?
So, I lost 30 kg overall in 7 months. And let me break it down into parts. I weighed 105 kg to start with. Then, in the first month, I lost 10 kg, and I was 95 kg. The next 10 kg was slightly more tough, and I was 85 kg in two months. The last 10 kg was the toughest, and it took me the utmost discipline for four months to bring it from 85 kg to 75 kg.
What Was Your Weight Loss Diet And Routine?
So, I got inspired by our very own Akshay Kumar, who has mentioned in multiple interviews that one should not eat anything after sunset, and things would be fine. That was my diet mantra. I followed the simple Jain system of diet, where one should not eat anything after sunset. To this day, I follow that routine.
- Breakfast: Chole Bhature/Pav Bhaji/Stuffed Paratha/ Poori Bhaji/ Paratha Subzi/ Pizza / Burger along with almost 400 ml of Cold Coffee with sugar. Once a week, I added ice cream to my meals as well. I also did the same thing during my weight loss journey, which worked well for me. It was along with 10 almonds every day.
- Lunch: Dal + Sabzi + Raita + Roti/Rice – So here the main thing was I never had roti and rice together.
If I had hunger pangs at times, I used to have a cup of green tea with honey and lemon. I never had anything else in the day. This worked wonders for me.
During my weight loss, I used to do intense workouts of half an hour to 45 minutes (preferably six days a week) to maintain a calorie deficit. Post weight loss, my workout has become at max once a week, and that too is just 2 km running and 5 km cycling. And also, I do try to do 30 to 40 pushups daily.
Did You Completely Cut Down on Sugar?
No, not at all, I used to have sugar, in cold coffee as told and also once a week ice cream and maybe some laddoo. The only thing was that I used to have it for breakfast. So, that was very helpful as all the fattening things I was able to digest in the 18-hour cycle.
Did You Have Cheat Meals?
Yes, I used to have cheat meals every single day of the week. My breakfast was my cheat meal and my favourite is Chole Bhature. I have it once every week, starting from my weight loss journey up to date. I almost quit on refined oil and tried my level best to eat food prepared in desi ghee or pure mustard/olive oil.
What is One Rule That You Abide by For Losing Weight?
Discipline on when to eat more than what to eat. Maintain a strict 18-hour gap and also two meals a day. Also, losing weight requires intense home workouts to maintain the calorie deficit. We should not deprive ourselves of anything – Eat everything but at the right time.
What Was One Thing That Worked Best For You?
CONTROL! If you can control when to eat, 90 per cent of the battle is won. There have been times when I know that I would have to go for some marriage/buffet where I would love to eat a lot at night. I used to make sure that I didn’t have breakfast or lunch that day and then feast myself for dinner with unlimited starters, main course and dessert. And then make sure that on the following day, I have khichdi or a light lunch and to my surprise, not even one kg of weight would increase.
One Challenge That You Faced And How Did You Overcome it?
The hardest thing was forcing myself to resist the want to eat. I’ve always had a strong vegetarianism obsession. My fundamental funda was therefore a little strange. I used to make decisions on what to eat the next day. For example, chole bhature is one of my favourite meals. I used to watch a lot of chole bhature videos the day before to become more excited about it. I used to try to talk myself out of ordering it when my mother could make something even more wonderful and I would have it within the following eight to ten hours.
Is There a Weight Loss Myth That You Got to Know About During Your Journey?
Yes, people used to feel that you have to deprive yourself of your favourite food. Not at all. When to eat is more important in diet than what to eat. I literally had everything that I liked and I still do. Even after all that, I lost weight, and I have still maintained it for the last 3 years. Also, in order to keep things in balance, I used to make sure that the next day I had a light lunch and skip breakfast if I experienced nighttime hunger pains and couldn’t control myself enough to order supper from outside.
India.com decided to bring Real-Life Weight Loss stories for our readers which will inspire you to finally sign up for that gym membership or start making yoga an active part of your lifestyle. If you have an incredible weight loss story that inspires people to stay healthy, drop a mail at – tanya.garg@zeemedia.com