How this musician lost 20kgs in a year!
Being a musician, Kiran Roy never felt the same after he gained a lot of weight. He was disappointed to see his overweight self onstage in videos. It was then that he decided to alter his ways, made amends to his diet and chose the healthy way. He switched to an active lifestyle and over the course of one year, he lost a whopping 20kgs! Here’s his inspiring weight loss story:
Name: Kiran Roy
Occupation: Entrepreneur/Professional guitarist
Age: 40
Height: 5'8"
City: Mumbai
Highest weight recorded: 98kgs
Weight lost: 20kgs
Duration it took me to lose weight: 1 year
The turning point
I was once a chain smoker and 4 years ago I abruptly quit smoking. Soon I gained a lot of weight. I had turned to unhealthy foods to make up for the nicotine cravings. Over time, I reached a whopping 98 kilos and seeing myself with a paunch, I was at the lowest point of my life. But being a musician, I soon realised that I wouldn’t be able to continue with my love for music if I continued to be overweight. Hence, I started my weight loss journey.
Diet followed
My breakfast: Immediately after waking up, I have pineapple, cucumber and papaya smoothie. One hour later, I ate 2 whole wheat bread, 2 whole eggs and almonds.
My lunch: Mixed veggies, fish/chicken
My dinner: Veggies/chicken
Pre-workout meal: Lemon water
Post- workout meal: Sprouts
I indulge in (What you eat on your cheat days): I love Chinese food
Low-calorie recipes I swear by: I have boiled chicken with soup made with very little salt.
Workout regime
I indulged in 10 km of running 6 days a week, followed by sit ups and push ups.
Fitness secrets I unveiled
I have been a gym enthusiast for 20 long years. But for the last 3 years, I have stopped going to the gym. What I realised is that going to the gym and lifting tons of weights is not what matters. Rather building strength and endurance is the most important aspect of maintaining a fit body.
How do I stay motivated?: The fact that I fit in my old clothes, the ones I wore onstage 10 years ago, is what keeps me motivated!
How do you ensure you don’t lose focus?: Come what may, wherever I travel or how much ever I party, I will never miss my daily run. That’s how focused I am.
What’s the most difficult part of being overweight?
Even when I was overweight, I was always active. Physically, I never had any problems. But yes I was a bit lazy and would procrastinate a lot. But now, even when I'm resting, if my kids ask me to run with them, I can easily get up and start running or playing, which I could not do earlier.
What was the lowest point for you?: Seeing myself with paunch and a double chin onstage in videos.
What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line?: I will lose 4 more kilos in the next 2-3 months and reach 74kgs.That's what I want to maintain 10 years down the line. I don't want anything fancy because anything fancy, be it diets or workouts, never works in the long run. It's sticking to the basics which is the key!
What are the lifestyle changes you made?
Earlier I used to have lots of white rice, maida, oily food, ghee, butter, salt, spices, sugar etc., but I have eliminated all of them completely. I only have whole grains, veggies and lean meat. Portion control is key. I had my last meal before 8 pm and I made sure it was light.
Lessons learnt from weight loss: Do your research well. One size does not fit all. One person will say eggs are bad, others will say it's healthy. So make your choices through well planned research. I also realised that one doesn't need lots of food. It's a typical Indian misconception that you need tons of rice, chapatis and curries followed by desserts. Portion control, calorie deficit and eating right is the key.
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.