From being Sedentary to losing 47 pounds in 3 months.

abhisheksengupta
abhisheksengupta Posts: 28 Member
edited October 2014 in Success Stories
Hello everyone,

I am a 5'10 male, 20 years old. I have been sort of a computer geek for most of my life. I suffered from Asthama since I was a kid and knocked myself into a sedentary lifestyle ever since I was a teen really. Started putting on weight since I was 14 thanks to lack of sports/exercise. I was extremely into sugary and fried food for a large part of my diet. Heck, I munched a few dinners at the hostel on 3 packets of Lays and a 600 ml bottle of Coke.

This June I crossed 212 pounds (96kg) weight, with an obese BMI, I had a significant belly and man-boobs, rest of body composition too being mostly fat. It was on June 18th that I decided that I had enough, I had to lose weight, more importantly I had to get fit and active.

I had never tried gym or exercise, as being overweight never bothered me. A geek lifestyle is very different that way :) The only thing that motivated me was the realization that the diet and lifestyle road I was on would definitely lead to a cabinet of diabetic and heart related medication at as early as 30. And I definitely did not want to spend considerable money or attention on health at the prime time of my career.

Like I said never went to gym, never cared, so I didn't know much about weight loss or calorie functions either. So I did what I was already good at. Geekishly I read up everything I possibly could about weight loss, exercise, diets, calorie values etc. Watched Youtube videos on workouts as well.
So at 212 pounds I started with long walks and short jogs ( yeah that was the best I could do). I put myself on a whole grain, low sugar 1300 calorie diet in the beginning. I found MFP, which was a huge help. Over the next two weeks my stamina and energy level improved significantly. I dropped 6-7 pounds immediately. Progressed to short bursts of running (although my relatively thin calves used to get sore after that), then swimming and then I finally made my mind to hit the gym.

Honestly, I was very private with the weight loss and diet affair. Never consulted friends, a trainer or dietitian in any way. The web was my sole educator. When I joined the Gym, I had a pretty good idea what to do. I was aware that cardio burns calories, but I had to be physically strong enough as well to be able to do cardio at a challenging resistance. So it began at a mix of both cardio and basic strength training. I slowly progressed through levels of resistance and duration. Then I found my gold mine of burning calories - the stationary cycle! It was a far more efficient burner and it did not challenge my weak lungs. I progressed to 1.5 hours of cardio at the gym everyday - yes I was loving cardio, mixed with moderate strength training.
Now something amazing happened, my obsession with exercise took over. Earlier I'd look around ways to avoid climbing that one flight of stairs. Now, I was walking to and back from college, to and back from the gym, climbing 9 flights of stairs occasionally.
My gym routine was 1.5 hours, that included 45 minutes of good speed, healthy resistance cycling. And the walking? By Gym+College, I was touching 6 miles of walking in a day. I had always been a music buff, so earphones in my ears all the while, I enjoyed myself :) I added Green Tea and a few fruits to my diet.

In a month after that, I lost 22 pounds. My belly and chest fat stood literally halved. Although I did lose a bit of muscle in the process. I now switched to more of the strength training, with continuing to walk the same amount I switched to a 15 minutes cross-trainer and HIIT mode cycling. I developed very visible arm and thigh muscles. My chest started hardening. I could do push ups, run for long and even a few lifts by then. Added quite a bit of chicken, 1 yolk, 3 egg whites, a slice of cheese to my diet. I passively lost weight even in the few weeks I didn't exercise because of exams.

After around 3 months (2 months of Gym) , with the bit of muscle gain I weigh 165 pounds now. That's 47 pounds (21 kg+) weight lost and definitely a lot more of fat than that ( I am aware that's too fast). I do still have a bit of an abdomen and chest fat which is reducing progressively. I am much stronger, faster and healthier than I have been in life.

I was called 'pregnant' at school, jokingly for my belly fat. But a smart geek nonetheless. Now i'm a geek who's an exercise freak :smile:

June 18:

Weight - 212 pounds
Waist size - 40"
T-Shirt Size - XXL

October 1:

Weight - 165 pounds
waist size - 34"
T-Shirt Size - L (comfortably!)

Replies

  • witch07
    witch07 Posts: 1 Member
    well done you. Your an inspiration.
  • So lovely to read, very happy for you. I love how you educated yourself by doing what you do best!
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
    well done - great story!
  • Local_Atlantis
    Local_Atlantis Posts: 262 Member
    Amazing!! Well done, you! :smiley:
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Over 15 lbs a month is amazing. Funny how we pick our bit of cardio. Some of he gyms these days are using the myride virtual cycle ride system which gives you a screen to look at and a virtual journey to go on.
  • BlackStarlight
    BlackStarlight Posts: 554 Member
    :)
    Welldone you!!
  • Well done!
  • thinkpositive92
    thinkpositive92 Posts: 111 Member
    edited October 2014
    Wow that was so friggin inspirational! Thank you so much for posting and well done!!! You're amazing!!
  • abhisheksengupta
    abhisheksengupta Posts: 28 Member
    edited October 2014
    Thank you for the appreciation everyone. I'd like to share two, less usual tips that helped me remain interested in working out (for those of you wanting to loose weight)

    1. Make and maintain an awesome playlist on your phones/music player while working out.
    2. Try all kind of exercises, whatever you read/come across. You are bound to find that one cardio activity that you'll love doing. My case was cycling. Yours could be swimming, dancing etc.
  • bazarn
    bazarn Posts: 80 Member
    Way to be a badass! And while the weight loss was a bit faster than usual, I can relate. I had prediabetes (at only 27!) and was really in a hurry to avoid getting diabetes, so I lost at about 10 lbs/month for the first 5/5.5 months. And now I've been losing at anywhere between 2-5 lbs a month depending on how lazy and self-indulgent I'm feeling (haha!) since I'm not even very overweight anymore heh. So I thought I'd give my 2 cents and let you know that I understand all too well the rush you can feel to get out of the "obese" range, and beyond, for health reasons.
    I agree on both of your above points, about the music and trying different things.

    Again, just wanna say CONGRATS, and keep on being awesome :)
  • abhisheksengupta
    abhisheksengupta Posts: 28 Member
    bazarn wrote: »
    Way to be a badass! And while the weight loss was a bit faster than usual, I can relate. I had prediabetes (at only 27!) and was really in a hurry to avoid getting diabetes, so I lost at about 10 lbs/month for the first 5/5.5 months. And now I've been losing at anywhere between 2-5 lbs a month depending on how lazy and self-indulgent I'm feeling (haha!) since I'm not even very overweight anymore heh. So I thought I'd give my 2 cents and let you know that I understand all too well the rush you can feel to get out of the "obese" range, and beyond, for health reasons.
    I agree on both of your above points, about the music and trying different things.

    Again, just wanna say CONGRATS, and keep on being awesome :)

    Glad to know that we shared the same rush towards our goal. And congrats to you too for the achievement, especially since you were determined to fight off prediabetes! Kudos.


  • granturismo
    granturismo Posts: 232 Member
    Well done. Have your concentration levels in college have also improved?
  • BrittanyMG3
    BrittanyMG3 Posts: 163 Member
    edited October 2014
    Congrats to you!! what an inspirational story! I have a weakness for D2 and i guess technically speaking, I'm a little of a gamer geek. I also tried turning my life around and becoming more active because I spent most of my day munching on chips and playing games..but, almost 80lbs are gone today and your story gives me hope that I too can love the exercise part of my lifestyle just as much if not more than I enjoyed playing.
    Good luck to you on the rest of your journey!! :D
  • abhisheksengupta
    abhisheksengupta Posts: 28 Member
    Well done. Have your concentration levels in college have also improved?

    Yes they have. Atleast in longetivity. I feel less tired going through the day at college.
  • bazarn
    bazarn Posts: 80 Member
    bazarn wrote: »
    Way to be a badass! And while the weight loss was a bit faster than usual, I can relate. I had prediabetes (at only 27!) and was really in a hurry to avoid getting diabetes, so I lost at about 10 lbs/month for the first 5/5.5 months. And now I've been losing at anywhere between 2-5 lbs a month depending on how lazy and self-indulgent I'm feeling (haha!) since I'm not even very overweight anymore heh. So I thought I'd give my 2 cents and let you know that I understand all too well the rush you can feel to get out of the "obese" range, and beyond, for health reasons.
    I agree on both of your above points, about the music and trying different things.

    Again, just wanna say CONGRATS, and keep on being awesome :)

    Glad to know that we shared the same rush towards our goal. And congrats to you too for the achievement, especially since you were determined to fight off prediabetes! Kudos.


    Thanks! It's so nice to go to the doctor and find out that I have a normal blood glucose and triglycerides, and a kickass heart rate heh heh :)
  • wow29
    wow29 Posts: 283 Member
    Wow
  • blabrecque_xo
    blabrecque_xo Posts: 65 Member
    That's amazing! Good for you!
  • jnc777
    jnc777 Posts: 49 Member
    Well done that's great
  • LoraKay131
    LoraKay131 Posts: 58 Member
    thank you for sharing your success! :) Congrats!
  • Tljordan40
    Tljordan40 Posts: 61 Member
    Very Inspirational. Thank you for sharing... ;)
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