Introduction: Imagining the Achievable

What is now achieved was once only imagined. With strong willpower, I always had the bigger picture in mind. I have come a long way, transforming from weighing 74 kgs to 61 kgs.

Weight: 74 kgs to 61 kgs
Inches Lost: Over 4.2 inches from my waist
Fat Percentage: 22.86% to 11.5%
BMI: 27.18 to 22.40 (Overweight to Normal Weight)
Time Taken: 15 weeks (This doesn't matter much; you have to go at your own pace)
Coach: Prajwal

The Struggle: Battling Myths and Misconceptions

Having that big belly was often seen as a sign of prosperity, and losing that fat around the waist area seemed like an impossible mission. Many myths about fitness and diet circulate on the internet. Almost everyone told me that it was part of genetics, and I couldn't get fit!

I was too afraid to post a recent picture on social media for months. It was sad, but I was too embarrassed to look in the mirror at one point. I would say, "I'm too tired; I'll do it next week." But I wanted to change this, so as usual, I started running. I used to hate running—there was no fun in running hours almost every day and seeing little or no results because all I knew was that doing cardio aids fat loss. Whenever I ran, I ran almost 5 km each run. Self-acclaimed fitness trainers and advisors misled me, saying, "The only way for me to get fit is to keep running 5 km/day and reduce my food intake."

I changed many trainers and looked into various sources of information, mostly coming across people saying, "You can never have a fit body with a vegetarian/vegan diet. You must eat eggs and meat for protein." There were also self-acclaimed gym professionals who advised me not to work out in the gym, as once I stopped, I would gain twice the amount of weight I lost. Hence, I started this journey multiple times with little change in the results.

The Turning Point: Discovering GOGETFIT

Amidst this chaos, I shifted to a new country and saw people living a healthy, fit lifestyle, which intrigued me to understand the culture and start adopting a healthy lifestyle. I came across similar people with the mindset of “One cannot get fit being a vegan/vegetarian.” But then, luckily, I came across Prajwal Prajju. This guy came as an angel in my life. Whom I never thought would soon become a great friend and business partner who helped me achieve my goals and taught me many lessons on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Memories!! Man, this journey was difficult. I was scared and skeptical when Prajwal offered me a workout and diet plan. I was pragmatic initially, thinking about whether this would work or not. I had been ripped off by many fitness trainers in the past, and I realized that getting fit is a luxury! I couldn't understand how he could see someone like me living a healthy lifestyle. But then, that's what a true trainer does. He envisioned what I couldn’t. And that's the reason I started my journey with him.

Overcoming Challenges: Breaking Myths and Adapting

As usual, I had this myth of seeing a linear weight loss graph and a fit body in a few months. Initially, it was most difficult to manage my diet, especially when it came to sweet cravings. Being a Gujarati child who loves eating sweet dishes, letting go of sugar seemed like giving up a drug addiction. There were days initially when I had a cheat day, and without looking at calories, I ate more calories than I burned in the week. Hence, there were weeks where my weight increased instead of decreasing. I learned how to micro-manage my diet and plan my meals to avoid these eating spells. I started from converting cheat days to cheat meals, and it took me almost three weeks to get over the sugar addiction. Yes, sugar is the most addictive drug being sold to everyone without any control.

Progressing Step-by-Step: The Path to Success

One strategy at a time and one hurdle at a time, I progressed day by day, overcoming my personal hurdles. It took me years to gain this fat; hence, I realized I needed to make dramatic changes to my lifestyle to see dramatic results. Initially, I used to compare my progress with other people in the gym, but ultimately I realized that the only competition is Me vs. Me. When I started seeing and comparing my results with the previous me, my self-confidence increased day by day with visible results in my character and perspective on life.

Then one day, Prajwal told me to start taking photos of myself bare-chested each week to compare my results alongside body measurements. I was again skeptical, thinking, why should I take photos? But now, when I look back and compare my results, I feel proud of myself.

The Lesson: Strength and Trust in the Process

More than having a diet and workout plan, it was about experiencing what this impossibility would do to me; how it would change me, make me stronger perhaps. And what I learned was that to get fit and live a healthy lifestyle, you don’t need to be strong or rich in the beginning! In fact, the decision of wanting to be fit comes first. And it means choosing that which is beyond your ability at the time of decision-making. Trusting that the experience itself will do the rest.

The challenge then itself creates the stronger you. It’s Magic. Try it, as the comeback is always greater than the setbacks.