Manvi Kaushal, a 33-year-old nutritionist, realised that she needed to adopt a fit and healthy lifestyle in order to be confident again. From battling harsh comments to not being able to climb a flight of stairs, life can be really cruel if you are overweight.
Read on her story to understand how she made the big switch and lost a whopping 32 kilos!
Name: Manvi Kaushal
Occupation: Nutritionist
Age: 33 years
Height: 5 feet 2 inches
Highest weight recorded: 90 kgs
Weight lost: 32 kgs
Duration it took me to lose weight: 1 year
The turning point: Even though I loved climbing stairs and being physically fit, one day I realised that it had become as difficult as climbing a mountain. I went back home and took a clearer look at myself in the mirror and realised that I had started looking like a fat lady and much older than my age. Additionally, I had no energy left and I felt really depressed. That was the point I decided that enough was enough and I had to lose weight.
My breakfast: I mostly have eggs or whole grains such as dalia or millets.
My lunch: For my lunch, I have lentils with some vegetables, one chapati or a portion of rice. I make sure to add variety in my food to get all the nutrients and keep a check on portions.
My dinner: Soups, salads and eggs
Pre-workout meal: One cup of black coffee with peanut butter toast
I indulge in: I am a foodie and good food makes me really happy! Cheat days are mostly about trying new dishes and satisfying my sugar cravings.
My workout: While I love doing HIIT training, over the past one year I have increased strength training because weight loss also leads to muscle loss.
Low-calorie recipes I swear by: As I l have a sweet tooth, I love eating apple cinnamon oats. Sometimes I also have oats pancakes to satisfy my sweet cravings.
Fitness secrets I unveiled: The human body is amazing and will adapt to almost anything, if you want it to. It is always best to alter your food habits and workout slowly and steadily so that the plan is more sustainable.
How do I stay motivated? I stay motivated by recalling all the negative comments from people.
How do you ensure you don’t lose focus? I never skip my workout or change my diet plans. If I do, I make up for it the next day. The fear of losing this physique, I have worked so hard to attain, keeps me focussed.
What is the most difficult part of being overweight? Losing my confidence completely and hearing people make snide comments had really taken a toll over me. I was no longer the same person who was happy, outgoing and confident.
What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? Ten years into the future, I imagine myself having a good physique and look very toned and defined.
What are the lifestyle changes you made? I am a foodie and love eating fast food. But over the past few years, I have slowly developed a habit of cooking for myself, as it helps me keep a tab on my eating habits.
What was the lowest point for you? I have always loved climbing stairs and it was really heartbreaking when I was not able to climb stairs properly one day. So, I went back home and took a good look at myself in the mirror. I realised that I was unhappy and had started looking really old and fat. I had lost all the confidence I had and did not laugh anymore.
Lessons learnt from weight loss: If you are searching for something that would help you lose weight in a jiffy, trust me, it is not going to happen. The sooner you embrace a new and healthy lifestyle, the sooner you will reach your weight loss goal.
