A weight loss is the main agenda of today’s urban dwellers. Everyone wants to become fit and always in search of various technics to remain fit. But, keeping fit is not an easy task right? You have to stop eating food that contains a fat, which means lots of sacrifices. But, here the story is completely different. Here the man lost almost 52 KGS by eating cheese. This guy went to size M from XXXXL by shredding down from 130 Kilos to 78 Kilos. This is a story of A 29-Year-Old Siddesh Vojhala, who is a Nutrition and a Fitness Expert Himself once used to weigh almost 130 kilos, let’s Hear the story directly from the horse’s mouth…
In our day to day life, we come across many stories of weight loss, making use of various technics clubbed with rigorous diet plans, but the story of Abhishek is different. According to him, He lost 25 kilos in the first 6 months time without giving up on the food containing fat. But, one day suddenly he met with an accident and tore his right knee’s medial meniscus, and that became the turning point in his life. “After reaching 90s, I met with an accident and tore my right knee’s medial meniscus (ACL). I was bedridden for 6 months and was immovable. I needed a surgical walker to go to the washroom. During that period, I started reading about nutrition and resumed my journey once my knee healed,” he said adding that “I was not given a horseback ride up to the Vaishnodevi temple, simply because I was overweight. He said ‘Yeh ghoda aapka wazan nahi utha sakta, Ghoda mar jayega’ (This horse cannot lift your weight as it may die), which was very embarrassing. Instead, he offered me a mule (on offspring of a horse and a donkey) and said, ‘Yeh khachhar aapka wazan utha lega, lekin double charge lagega’ (This mule can lift you but we will charge you double the price). I had no other option, but to agree to his demands. That was my turning point.”
The Diet
According to Siddesh, his breakfast would always contain a good fat and protein. It consists of Black coffee and paneer salad. “When we wake up in the morning, our cortisol levels are high. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Adding a carb meal in the morning stops the fat oxidation. Hence, sticking to protein and good fats is always a good option and it keeps the fat burning through the day,” says Siddesh adding that His diet would always consist of rice/chapati, veggies, soya chunks, curd and cheese cubes. It was basically a combination of carbs post workout, with good fats and proteins with fibrous veggies, and the dinner is paneer pulao with curd along with some veggies. “Eating rice for dinner or after 6 pm will not make you fat. The total calories consumed in the whole day is what matters here.” The most amusing thing here Siddesh would like to get indulged in Maharaja Bhog Thali. Once a month, “I used to treat myself and I still do.”
The Workout
The workout of Siddesh includes a weight training following a periodication model. “I change my repetitions every week along with the loads and HIIT at the end of the workouts, thrice a week,” he claims. The low-calorie fat of Siddesh includes Spinach soup, raw veggies with a cheese cube grated on it, Lemonade, Whey protein + fresh cream shake, Lassi with stevia.
According to Siddesh, he has discovered that Eating fats and rice will never make you fat but, going beyond your maintenance calories does. “Hence the best way to keep the fat away is, find your maintenance calories (TDEE) and stay within that limit If you want to lose fat. That state is called being in a ‘caloric deficit’. Combining a structured diet plan with weight training and cardio will yield results,” says Siddesh.
The Motivation
The motivation behind this is nothing but the strong willpower and a sheer determination to change. “As I went on losing fat, and came down from 4XL to XXL to M, life kept unveiling a new chapter at every interval, as the time passed. The sheer will to change and not to get into the old clothes kept me motivated,” he said adding that “Once I started seeing results, I never looked back. I was away from social media for a good six months. Once when I uploaded a picture after losing 30 kilos, my inboxes were filled with praises and compliments. Once you start seeing results, it becomes an addiction.”
According to Siddesh, the most difficult part of being a overweight is the clothes “They just refuse to fit you. I still remember when a guy at a store told me ‘Sir aap jeans silva lo’ (Sir, get jeans stitched as per your size). That was really embarrassing. Share-rickshaw guys refused to take me, because of the extra size. Instead, they could accommodate two guys easily. Body shaming, every now and then, you are the target of your friends and they always treat you as someone who is not serious about his life and eating habits. Can’t run much, can’t get into a moving bus, train, difficulty in taking stairs, and most importantly, you are the ‘leftover food finisher’, whenever you go out to eat. Why? No points for guessing,” he says.
The Target
The target of Siddesh is to maintain the weight in the bracket of 78 to 82 kilos with 9-13 percent body fat. “I am maintaining my weight 78-82 kilos since last 11 months, at 9-13 percent body fat and wish to keep it maintained for a healthy living. Being a Nutrition and Fitness consultant, I have to lead by an example. I am looking forward to being more flexible, active and willing to take my mobility skills to next level as I age.”
The passion to remain fit has changed the lifestyle of Siddesh and according to him, he has become more agile and aggressive. “I am no more a lazy person which I used to be earlier. I have become more agile, aggressive and more confident about the way I look and feel. My coach Aniketh Shetty once told me, “Always focus on becoming strong, looking good is a byproduct of it”. I can do all the physical activities at a faster pace. Being confident and a better decision making has to be on the top of the list.
Siddesh says that People looked at him as an unproven theorem. “As I went getting more obese, I was in a constant fear that I’ll get prone to diseases. Low grades, non-focused blurry career choices, rejections etc. just added to my misery. I don’t blame anyone. I completely accept what I went through and know that I myself was responsible for everything. I was not happy in my own skin. I felt like a burden to myself. Emotional eating made things worse.”
The Advice
According to Siddesh, In order for you to change, you need a hard blow. “You need a kick or an incident, which will change your life completely. Have an action plan and stick to it religiously. Results will follow. Give your everything to a dream no one else could see, but you. Ditch motivation and make discipline your friend for life. You cannot be always motivated, but you can always be disciplined. Have patience. Results happen over time, not overnight. Aur haan,”Akal badam khane se nahi, thokar lagne se aati hai” (Intelligence does not come by eating almonds but through a life-changing experience or a nemesis).
