Weight loss story: This COO lost 23 kgs just by walking everyday

I was 34 years old and a COO in the Indian telecom industry. I was obese and weighed 74 kilos. That is when my health took a nosedive as an autoimmune disorder struck. A disorder in which one’s immune system attacks one’s own body was attacking my peripheral nerves. Over the next 7 years, it got progressively worse till I was 41. After a critical flare up, I was admitted to the hospital almost completely paralysed, unable to move my hands or legs or even speak.

Due to my medical condition, I was put on a strong dosage of steroids. One of the side effects of steroids is gaining weight and over the next 2 years, my weight shot up to 92 kilos. Over the next one year, I drove myself like crazy to work out every muscle in my body. I identified 27 exercises I had to do every day, and I set targets for each exercise for the next 52 weeks. The target for each exercise would go up each week. But the story doesn’t end there. Five years later, I discovered that all the steroids had led to a side effect - avascular necrosis. My hip bones were dying from within and I would need to do a hip replacement. Again, I took matters into my own hands. I continue to walk every second day and go to the gym every other day.

At the age of 50, I was weighing exactly what I used to weigh at 23. But life hasn’t been easy. Thanks to my underlying autoimmune condition, I keep tripping and fracturing my toes. I had 6 toe fractures last year- timed perfectly one after the other so that I have been unable to walk or exercise for a whole year. I put on a few kilos. Now I am back in action and will get back to 69 kilos in the next 6 months. So the journey continues. The important learning for me is that nothing is unachievable if you take total ownership and attack the problem with energy and drive. I also learned that the mind can overcome any shortfall in the body.

I mostly consumed raw vegetables and fruit to control the condition. I gave up sugar, dairy, and wheat. Now, everyday, I start the day with two glasses of green leafy vegetable juice, have fresh green salad at 10am, fresh fruits at 1pm, some rice/idli/dosa etc at 4PM, mixed vegetable smoothie at 6pm. I have nuts or dates for snacks. Following this, I came down from 92 kilos to 69 kilos.

One key exercise was walking. In the beginning, I could walk only half a kilometre, that too with multiple stops and I took about 24 minutes for that. But each day I pushed myself to walk a few metres extra, a little faster. I would time myself and record the distance and speed each day. At the end of six months, I was walking 6 kilometres each day, and covering that distance in just 72 minutes. Similarly, I pushed each wasted muscle in my body and became stronger. At the end of one year, I had reached 76 kilos. And I achieved all this with just exercise and daily 6 kilometre walking. My body recovered 90% of its strength, except for some permanent irreversible nerve damage which affected my balance somewhat and flexibility of fingers. I also do yoga 3 times a week.

1. Self discipline - getting up every morning and pushing myself to roll out the Yoga mat or to put on shoes to head for the Gym. Also to have totally given up sugar and dairy for 3 years. I did this by focusing on each day, one day at a time.
2. The belief that I am the one and the only one who can help me. Every day I tell myself multiple times that I am awesome.

Also Read: Weight Loss Story: “I Lost 20 Kilos By Including Soya Chunks In My Diet And Doing Cardio 4-5 Times A Week”