How I Lost 75 Pounds in 3 Months

If I can do it, you can too. All you need is a push

Growing up, I never thought too much about my weight, exercise, or nutrition. On the contrary, I loved munching on junk food. I was passionate about my aptitude for eating and even used to boast about it. I was always on the heavier side most of my life, but I never felt embarrassed about my weight. I was 29 and I weighed 270 pounds.

Being a complete couch potato, and a food enthusiast, I was the complete opposite of what your traditional role model would look like.

As they say “Ignorance is bliss”. Well, it is bliss as long as you can ignore it. My time to stop ignoring it was not too far. All I needed was a nudge, a rather big one. Here is my story of how I lost 75 pounds in 3 months.

The Motivation

It was a fine Sunday morning. 9 AM shouted my bedside clock. Still sluggish, I gathered myself to wake up. Feeling sweaty and tired, I started to step down from my bed. I suddenly felt a dull, aching pain in my chest. I laid down on my bed again, gently pressing my chest. I had felt this pain before, but today it lasted more than a minute. After about a couple of minutes, the pain subsided.

I stood there numb. Panic started to creep into my brain. It stung a little bit more this time. What could be the cause of this recurrent chest pain? Could it be something serious? I wondered. I have always deferred my doctor's visit. Maybe it is time to go pay a visit.

I set up an appointment for Monday. I took a day off from my office.

Curious and anxious, I stepped into the doctor’s office. I looked around. I gave a nervous smile to my fellow patients. I waited for the nurse to call my name. Anxiously, I picked up a nearby magazine and started to act as if I was reading it.

“Sunny” !! called out the nurse. I slowly stepped into the doctor’s room. I sat down and explained my problem. I tried my best to downplay it. But Dr. Paul seemed to figure it out. I could see pity in his eyes. Unwillingly and hesitantly, I agreed to get the blood test done.

The next day, I went to Dr. Paul for the results of the blood tests. Dr. Paul had the results with him and he did not seem to be amused.

“You have very high cholesterol” Exclaimed Dr. Paul. “Your LDL and Triglyceride level is extremely high. LDL is 185 and triglyceride is 400”. I had no idea what they meant but I sensed it must be frightening.

“At your age of 29, this is very very alarming. It highly increases the chances of a cardiac arrest !” Exclaimed Dr. Paul.

He gave me a lot of medicines and suggested lots of exercises.

Panic-stricken, I left the doctor's office. The word “cardiac arrest” stuck with me for a while. I had no idea what to do. I picked up the medicines and headed back home.

For reference, here is the LDL and Triglycerides chart. Yeah, mine was that high.

Coming up with a plan

I just finished going through 50 websites on how to reduce cholesterol. It seems there is only one way out — exercises and eating healthy. I did not like both. My mind started looking at easier alternates, but could not find much.

I quickly came up with a plan:

1. 1 hour at the gym in the morning.
2. Healthy eating — Skip rice for lunch to something more healthy like a flatbread (commonly known as chapati in India).

I went outside to shop for gym clothes and a pair of shoes.

Satisfied with the mini achievement, I came back home. Little did I know that the actual implementation would be so much tougher than creating a mental routine.

Roll, Camera, and Action

I woke up early the next day. I felt an enhanced sense of anxiety and excitement.

I reached the gym. It was my first time inside any gym. I felt people were looking at me and must be wondering why I came to the gym. After all, I am not a typical figure that you will see in the gym.

Avoiding eye contact, I headed to an empty treadmill. I started to walk. After about 15 mins, I stopped. I was all tired. This is the longest I have walked at a stretch in my entire life. I looked at my calorie burned on the treadmill — It said 100 calories. Must be decent, I thought. The little sense of pride vanished when I saw 250 calories on the treadmill beside me. I started looking around at other machines. I tried my hand at the dumbbell, the row, and a few other machines.

This continued for a week. By each passing day, I was getting more disinterested. It was getting tougher to keep any enthusiasm. I could not find the motivation to wake myself up every morning to head to the gym. I used to get tired very soon. My body did not want to exercise. I was not even losing much weight. I must be doing this wrong, I presumed.

I knew I needed some help and guidance.

There is no shame in asking for help

The next day I went over and explained my problem to the GYM instructor. He made things very simple. He had only one suggestion for me — Run

Sometimes the role of a teacher is not to tell new things. Sometimes it is making you believe the things you already know. It is about motivating you to do the right things.

He lit up the pathway to my goal. I could see the destination again.

With new vigor and focus, I tried running 45 minutes on a treadmill each morning. It was very tough for me in the beginning. And yes, I used to take long breaks in between, but that reduced as days passed. A nice playlist also helped me along the way.

By the end of the first month, I was able to run 45 minutes without stopping. A mega personal achievement for me. I burned more than 500 calories each run.

The extra motivation also helped me quit eating junk food and sweets. I always kept a box of peanuts handy, to munch on whenever I got an urge to eat junk food. For the first time, I felt hopeful.

Having a mentor to talk to really helped me. It inspired me to cross the initial resistance barrier. But I knew there was a long way to go.

Month 1, I had lost 25 pounds.

Here’s what my menu looked like throughout the journey:

Breakfast: Cornflakes / Omlette

Lunch: Whole wheat Flatbread (chapatti ) AND Lentil soup (Dal) AND Vegetables (lightly saute or curry) AND 1 Egg boiled (occasionally)

Snack: Fruits (Apple/Banana/Orange)

Dinner: Whole wheat Flatbread (chapatti ) AND Lentil soup (Dal) AND Vegetables (sometimes boiled or curry)

To Munch: Peanuts / Almonds

A companion always helps

There were so many times I felt like giving up. It was a constant battle inside my little brain. The agony of missing an extra couple of hours of sleep, or eating salad during a team lunch is not inspiring at all. I even started skipping a few running sessions.

Sometimes you need a friend to convert the same monotonous routine to something exciting. It was during this time that I invited one of my friends to the gym. It was more about boasting my efforts to him.

I soon realized that having someone to talk in between helped me focus more on my running. I felt less tired and more motivated. It could be because I did not want to fail in front of him. Whatever be the reason, it helped me a lot.

I increased my running speed from 6 mpg to 8 mph gradually. Instead of running for 45 minutes at a stretch, I did some interval training. After every 15 minutes, I used to walk for 3 minutes, take a break for 1 minute. Then repeat.

I was still focussed on my eating. No sugar at all.

Around the end of Month 2, I stopped having the medicines my doctor gave. I wanted to continue without them.

Month 2, I had lost another 18 pounds. Total weight lost: 43 pounds

Taking it to the next level

I was determined to lose more than what I lost in month 1. But I knew it won’t be easy. Studies say that is is easier to lose weight in the first month of exercise.

I could also see that. My weight loss had started to plateau at around the 225-pound mark. To lose more weight, I needed to either increase my physical activity or decrease intake calories. Using the same approach that worked initially was not helping further weight loss.

More on weight loss plateau here.

But I was adamant to break that. I set a target weight of 200 pounds by the third month. That means I had to lose another 30 pounds.

My instructor told me to try running outside. He explained how it would be a new experience for the mind and body. The extra resistance of wind and the slight changes in terrain would result in more body fat loss. The body would react differently from the monotonous treadmill run.

So, I listened to him and started ‘Month 3’ by running outside. Running inside was getting monotonous, and this really helped me enhance my motivation level. I tried different routes every week. I also started running twice a day, 45 minutes each.

There were points where I felt like I can’t go any further, but I proved my body wrong by pushing through. The end goal was clear for me.

I also kept my diet intact. No rice or any junk food. I stuck to flatbread, veggies, and lentils most of the time. It was the most productive month for me.

Month 3, I had lost an extra 35 pounds. Total weight lost: 78 pounds

I stood on the weighing machine. It read 195 pounds.

I did a cholesterol check again and my levels had dropped a great deal. It was just above normal. Dr. Paul was astonished at this change. I had done it. My transformation was complete.

8 years have passed by. My cholesterol levels have been in check since then. I still have not lost my love for running. For me, it is the most complete exercise for the body. It enhances your core, builds your legs. It alleviates depression and improves moods.

Here’s something I found online that will surely be helpful and motivate you towards running:

My experience of the journey taught me a great deal:

Do not wait for a medical emergency to start working on your health.

Choosing to take care of your body is much better than being forced to

Eat healthy. It is OK to eat out once in a while, but manage your diet

You do not need fancy machines and weights to be fit

Most importantly, if I can, you can too

To anyone who wants to start their journey, I know the unknown is really scary. It was scary for me too. There’s a lot you’re going to learn, but it’ll be so worth it in the end.

P.S This story is based on my friend’s amazing transformation. I had a first-hand experience of his will and determination. I went along with him to visit Dr. Paul. I was the friend to give him company at the gym. It was an amazing journey for me too and wanted to share this experience with everyone. He has become a fitness guru and frequently participates in marathons. Running has become a part of his life. It can be part of yours too

Keep running …