Weight loss story: “I lost 38 kilos by swapping rice with rotis and doing strength training”

Being overweight took a huge amount of toll on Marc Fernandes’ health. He suffered from knee and back pain, which caused him great discomfort, given his love for sports. His colleagues and friends constantly trolled him for his weight, which also affected his mental health. That’s when he decided to bring some changes to his lifestyle. Here’s what he did to achieve his fitness goals.

Also read: Weight loss story: “I followed a healthy vegetarian diet and worked out 5 days a week to lose 17 kilos”

Name: Marc Fernandes

Occupation: Student

Age: 20

Height: 182cm/5 feet 11 inches

City: Pune

Highest weight recorded: 115kg

Weight lost: 38kg

Duration it took me to lose weight: 7 months

I struggled a lot due to my knee and back pain. Being into sports, it caused me a lot of discomfort. I reached a point where I struggled to walk down the stairs of my building. This is when I realised something had to change.

My breakfast: 3 whole eggs, either scrambled, boiled or made into an omelette. I would sometimes include a chicken sausage or some milk if I felt more hungry than usual.

My lunch: A medium sized serving of dal with rice, with either chicken, fish or eggs for protein along with some tomatos or cucumber.

My dinner: Almost similar to my dinner, I would try to cut down on my dinner portion sizes and would often swap rice with rotis.

Pre-workout meal: Black coffee with no sugar. I would experiment with my pre workout by adding Coca-Cola (may sound weird but the caffeine really hits) to it for a refreshing taste.

Post- workout meal: Chocolate whey protein powder mixed in water.

I indulge in (What you eat on your cheat days): I would often refrain from indulging in cheat meals but I always had a hard time resisting pizza. I would eat a slice or two of pizza when I was really craving it. I would never overindulge as I had my aim set on my goals

Low-calorie recipes I swear by: Eggs and chicken, cooked in any type of gravy or even dry, could be considered low calorie, except when it's fried. I would often use rice cakes as a substitute for breadcrumbs as they are relatively low calorie, in case I ever had fried food.

I would play one type of sport ( usually football or badminton) for one hour daily. Apart from that I'd hit the gym and do around 15-20 minutes of cardio. The most important part is strength training. This ensures your body looks in shape once you lose weight and will also help you to maintain or increase your strength levels. I would train 2 muscles a day, 6 days a week, taking rest on Sundays.

The most important secret (not so secret) is to drink water. Drink as much water as possible, especially before meals because it makes you feel full and you end up eating less. Another important factor is to always be active and take part in any sort of physical activity, so as to make sure you're always in a calorie deficit.

How do I stay motivated?: Always keep your goals in mind. Visualization is key. Visualize your dream figure and put in the work required for you to achieve it. A lot of times you may not see the effort converting into positive results, but if you keep working hard, your dream figure will no longer just be a dream.

How do you ensure you don’t lose focus?: Like I said before, visualization is key. I was so obsessed with how I wanted to lose weight and become fitter, that I'd get sick even thinking about cheating on my diet.

The constant trolling by your peers or colleagues is the most difficult part of being overweight. The fact that your body doesn't work in the way it's supposed to. Being overweight is physically as well as mentality difficult. One requires a lot of mental strength to go through with their weight loss journey.

What was the lowest point for you?: I used to play football and would constantly complain of knee pain and at one point, even running seemed like a difficult task. My friends would make fun about my weight and my seemingly large chest which always affected me mentally. That's when I thought enough is enough, and decided to shut them up.

What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line?: I see myself fit and healthy, because a major part of my hobbies is playing sports, and one must be fit to perform optimally in a sport. I hope that in 10 years I could look like Cristiano Ronaldo but that's probably a little far fetched ;)

I started drinking twice as much water as I used to before. I started focusing on how much I was eating and paid more focus to being more active. I spent less time on the phone or on a screen and more time in the gym.

Lessons learnt from weight loss: Believe in yourself, even when no one believes in you. Have the mental strength to go through with your journey because it will be worth it. Most importantly, life is just much better when you're fit.

If you have a weight loss story to share, send it to us at toi.health1@gmail.com

These views are not generic in nature. Weight loss results vary for individuals and the views shared in this article offer no guarantee of specific results. The content is not intended in any way as a substitute for professional advice.