Being a foodie may be a jolly good time for the taste buds and the soul, but the globs of fat you get along with it is just an unwanted bonus. 25 year old Aditya Malla’s penchant for a few hearty meals a day led him to a lifestyle that started affecting his looks, health and self esteem. Taking control of the reins, Aditya steered himself into a healthier lifestyle by shedding the pounds and putting on some muscle. It is a work in progress, but it is definitely an admirable transformation nonetheless.

1) THE SETBACK

I was very active throughout my childhood and school life; as a result I had a heavy diet throughout. When the same diet carried on into high school and college, it took a toll on me; especially when I didn’t really have any form of exercise. Riding the motorcycles everywhere did not help much either. Before I knew it I had a big pack of fat bulging out in the middle. I maxed out at 110 kgs.

2) THE WAKEUP CALL

I was very active during my school life, but there I was having a hard time running a few minutes at a stretch. Then, came the breathing problems. At one point of time I just felt uneasy being myself. I had stopped swimming because I was so self-conscious about how I looked. So it wasn’t really a wakeup call as such but all these factors had been piling up for a long time and it was high time that I did something about it. That’s when I started working out.

3) THE MOTIVATION

I actually quit the first time I joined the gym. I think I worked out for a month and then disappeared for about a year. But deep down, I felt like I needed to take control of my life so I decided to rejoin a gym again. Having a really good instructor was one of the reasons I couldn’t cheat while working out so I literally had to do everything I was told to do. The first three months were horrible. Four hours each day of working out and not seeing any transformation at all really dragged me down. But that stopped mattering much when I started to enjoy what I was doing and having myself surrounded by people who were giving so much to stay fit. It really motivated me. But after I started to see changes in my body, it was all the motivation I needed.

DON’T THINK THAT YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT REALLY FAST AND ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU CAN NEVER TARGET FAT LOSS TO A SPECIFIC AREA.

4) THE DIET AND THE WORKOUT

When I started out initially, I really didn’t put much of a thought into it. I was working out 4 hours a day and trying to avoid food as much as possible. My diet included corn flakes, lentil, soups, juices the odd rice and that was it; 3 square meals a day. So I was bound to shed weight really fast. But as I started reading about fitness and diet I came to realize I had not been going about the whole ordeal in the correct manner. So as of right now, I work out about a couple of hours a day and squeeze in cycling rides whenever I can. I eat about 5 – 6 times a day now. It’s much more balanced but since I am still looking to lose weight, I am going for a high protein and low carb diet.

5) THE DO’S AND THE DON’TS

Don’t think that you can lose weight really fast and also keep in mind that you can never target fat loss to a specific area. This is an ongoing process and it really takes a lot of time and commitment to see the results you really want to see.

You do have to control your eating habits and bring a change in your eating habits. Without doing that you will never get the results you seek no matter how much you work out.

6) THE REWARDS

The rewards are plenty. Firstly, I feel good about myself. I feel confident going in front of people. I haven’t had any sort of breathing problem now. Overall, I think this has also helped me relax my mind and just remain positive. I am actually at 88 kgs right now but I still hope to lose another 5 – 10 kgs.