Phase 1 of Sunil’s Weight Loss
- He decided to run, since he felt it was the easiest thing to start with – despite not having run even 500 meters till the age of 40!
- A quick trip to the BATA store, he walked out with a pair of Power shoes.
- Despite a waist size of 38”, he never struggled during his initial days and could run 3-4k with ease.
- He started running 3-4 days a week, irrespective of which city he was in.
- He brought his drinking down from thrice to once a week.
- The biggest challenge was he still had to eat that restaurant food almost 10-12 days/month. He decided to eat clean and healthy food as often as possible. Some of his visits were to interior towns where you don’t get healthy food . But he decided not to starve or diet and eat whatever best is available in such towns.
BAD News: First 3-4 weeks he did not see any positive results!
Phase 2 of Sunil’s Weight Loss
- By now Sunil had started running 7-8k per day, average 5 days a week.
- Most of his running was on treadmills.
- Inspite of having access to the gym, he never did anything for 3 yrs other than running.
- He never skipped any meals, did not give up on anything.
- Ate everything but in moderation and sometimes occasionally.
- Stayed consistent with his workouts, minimum being 4 times a week and max 5 times/week.
- He had no special information or dietitian.
- Rest days were taken seriously.
Some practical tips on Weight Loss by Sunil especially for Working Professionals (others are of course welcome to learn)
- Start tracking your workouts on an excel sheet and monitor your progress.
- Stop eating the airline food – It is downright unhealthy. I used to travel non-stop for work, but i decided to find healthier options. I started stocking fruit in my bag the night before an early morning flight.
- Re-consider your socialising with friends during weekends. I was very choosy of where to go and with whom to hang out. It was difficult but I had made up my mind and was bound to stick to it.
- Don’t start running to run any races or marathons. You are trying to lose weight and it’s a mammoth task by itself. Do it to lead a healthy Lifestyle. For the first 5 years of running, my goal was to find my fitness.
- No short cuts. It takes sacrifice to lead a healthy lifestyle.
- Moderation is the key. Be it junk food, alcohol, parties, irregular food habits, etc. Having said that, one need not give it up totally. I read people skipping meals and sometimes surviving on salads, soups, etc. This is uncalled for and can sometimes have adverse effect. All of us have that common sense to judge what is healthy and what not.
- Make a plan and stick to it as far as possible. You need to have patience and sometimes results can take time. Giving up is not an option
- Be sensible. Being sensible should not be under-rated. The thing I am proud about is not my podiums at some races or that I can run 100’s of kms at a go, but that I have never been to a physio or never been laid down with injury in my 15 years of running. The reason being I know my limitations and capability and train accordingly
All these years I was happy maintaining that 62 kgs and 30″ waist size and then sometime in 2012 I felt I could go below that to improve my running speed. That’s when I started doing core and strength training workouts in the gym and increased my running mileage. Within a year my weight droped to 58 kgs. Now I proudly maintain the same weight and 28″ waist. Occasionally it fluctuates between 57 to 59 kgs depending on my running season.
Wishing you all a TRANFORMATIONAL 2018! Find your wealth in your fitness.
Do what you love!
Related Posts:
Weight Loss for Runners: How much Carbohydrates a runner needs
Weight Loss & Running – How to get smart about Sugar
Weight Loss & Running – Protein for runners trying to lose weight
How to Read Nutrition Labels for Healthy Eating
1 comment
Nice article. Nothing new though. But yes, for those with a tendency to give up as they expect instant gratification via results, this is a timely article. I would add cycling to the list of endurance sports. Running for people with weight issues is a difficult activity. P.S: I’ve been running for over 30 years now. I have added long distance cycling. I do not subscribe to running 5-6 times a week as it can result in injuries. I advice 3 runs a week. And alternate with cycling/swimming/Yoga/Strength training.