From 96 kgs to 69 kg.. Read Along

From 96 kgs to 69 kg. Here is a special post on our good old RR member, J.Ajay's (@jkavajay) b'day who decided to use the lockdown time to transform himself completely and give himself a new gift of a much healthier lifestyle. Swipe through to read along his journey in his own words >>>

" Hello Everyone. Greetings to all. Hope everyone is safe and sound. So, here I will be taking you all through my body transformation journey which I am proud of and happy to have undergone the transformation during the pandemic induced lockdown not long ago.

I am aware that this lockdown period was highly painful and depressing for almost all of us. Nevertheless, there were also quite good times that all must have experienced during this lockdown which must have made you really happy and these are the times that you may not have experienced if not for the lockdown hiatus. One such major happy event that I experienced is my body transformation or weight loss journey.

The tables have turned upside down since the onset of the pandemic where the life continued in a reverse direction for many of us, some with a positive note and for many, unfortunately with a negative note. My life too reversed literally, fortunately in a positive way. From weighing 96 kgs pre lockdown to 69 kgs currently, my life literally went an amazing reverse transformation much to my happiness and satisfaction. All this was made possible only because of the lockdown induced restrictions. If not for lockdown, I would not have really imagined myself undergoing such body transformation that too in a very quick time.

My transformation journey started with my only fear of gaining extra weight because of the outdoor restrictions imposed by the lockdown, prohibiting any outdoor activities like running or cycling which I love the most and which keep my weight under check if not less because of my overeating habits.

So what are the changes that I incorporated in the lockdown to make my journey successful? Before I answer that let me remind you this quote “Change is the only thing that is permanent” and that’s true and in my case, I am happy that the changes were happy and motivating ones. To answer the question, I incorporated plenty of changes that I wouldn’t have taken up if not for the lockdown induced fear. First and the foremost change that I incorporated in my routine is the addition of bodyweight exercises/ strength training exercises on a daily basis mainly because of the outdoor running restrictions. Prior to lockdown, I used to stay away from these exercises and would not exercise on a regular basis except for running. But without strength training, the running performance will not be that great and mostly we are prone to injuries without any strength training exercises. As our famous Barefoot Runner, fondly known to all of us as “Bobby” put it out in his words that “It’s not that running makes us fit but we can run only if we are fit” says it all and accentuates the importance of strength training. Therefore, inclusion of strength training literally strengthened me in my fitness journey but this was not the one that was a X-factor in my journey.

The major change that I undertook apart from strength training is that I changed my food eating habits and really understood the nuances of things like food, diet and other things associated with it. Before lockdown, I was an overeater, who used to munch on anything (only vegetarian though) indiscriminately and hardly bothered about it! But all that took a U-turn during the lockdown and the major reason that I was able to adopt good and healthy food habits is this book called “Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight”, an amazing book by renowned nutritionist and dietician Rujuta Diwekar. This book is highly informative and really influential where the methods prescribed in this book to adopt healthy eating habits, are really easy and are such that we can follow those methods consistently for a life time without any fuss. So, here we can see that another reason for my successful transformational journey is my love for reading books and this confluence of reading books and healthy eating literally changed not only my body but also my mind. Because of the information wealth that I gained from the above mentioned book, at this point I would recommend all of you to read this life-changing book irrespective of the fact that you are book worm or not. Give it a try and enjoy the pleasures and the benefits that you surely will experience after reading the book. Waiting for your review!

So this is how, I was able to experience a successful transformation journey since the lockdown and I am continuing this journey with regular workouts, running, cycling , healthy eating habits, reading books and lots more!. I am very happy to have reversed my life in a positive note and I am confident that I can carry forward these healthy habits till the end of my lifetime. If I can turn the tide to my advantage, so can you! Provided you have faith in your endeavors and persist in the difficult times like the lockdown. With this motivational note, I hope that my journey is inspirational for all my readers and if your response to this is a big yes, then what are you waiting for?? Hurry up and grab a dumbbell in one hand and a cup of salad in the other. Stay strong to stay fit to stay happy. " - J. Ajay kumar