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I was fat once! Now I run!

On Aug 12, 2013 I weighed 107 kg, which, for a 5'4'' guy, is 47 kg more than the Indian Army standards. But today, I weigh 82 kg, and I continue to lose a few pounds every week! At one point of time, running 100 metres would make me all tired and sweaty, but today I can easily run 10 km at a stretch!

So this guide is for all those couch potatoes who have lost all hopes of getting a good body!

I was at that stage myself. I know how it feels like. I know the bullshit that you keep telling yourself as to how you are not all that bad, and how the world should accept you the way you are! Let me tell you this straight! You are NOT special. You are just another lazy bum who wants things to change but does not want to endure any suffering! Or even worse, you are one of those who act on an impulse every few months. You hit the gym for a week and boom!, you lose it all again.

The first step is to accept that you have a pathetic body and that this needs to change!

Start Small

And once you make that choice, DO NOT jump into anything crazy.
Start small! No Special diet, no innumerable hours in the gym! Just start small.
On my day 1, I walked 500 metres in the morning!
2 weeks later I added another 500 metres walk in the evening!

After a period of 21 days, I was walking 3 km in the morning and 3 km in the evening! That was it! It was not tiring. And I felt like I could do this forever. However, there was NO change in my weight. I still weighed about 105 kg! So trust me, the first one month of exercise is not going to yield much. But that should not deter you from your path!

The next month I was walking 5 km in the morning and 3 in the evening. No other exercises, nothing! Only this 8 km walk a day!

Diet control

You cannot keep munching throughout the day and then keep fretting over why losing weight is so difficult. Quit Pizza, quit burgers, and quit paneer! Have some resolve and quit these NOW!

Beyond beginnings

While walking one day, I wondered how tiring would running be. That was when I started running. I ran for about 1 km and when I thought I could run no more, I stopped. I was panting! That was enough for that day. But it was fun! Running no doubt, is fun, if done right! So I changed my strategy a bit. Now I would walk 6 km and run 1 km daily!

Don't do it in silos

Once you start off with your weight loss schedule, tell people about it. They will encourage you. And if you happen to find haters, even better! You will have a reason to put further effort, and to prove them wrong!

I had never run more than 1 km before. It was last week of December '13. And I registered for Pune Running's Last Sunday of the month running event. I was sceptical, even nervous. But I knew that I could run 1.5 km and then walk 6 more. I thought a 5 km track wouldn't be impossible. Came the D-Day, and the whistle blew. About 50-60 of us started running. For the first 1 km, it felt damn easy. I was in the first 10 people. But when I crossed my 1.5 km mark, I started feeling fatigue. I kept on, though. Every corner I crossed, there was a volunteer cheering me up! And this cheering thing, it really works! But then came a time when I thought of giving up. I lied down on the footpath. I didn't want to move. And then an elderly man came over. He passed me a bottle of water and asked if I was okay. I was okay, but I was tired and I didn't want to run any more. And all he said was - "I am 55 and I am not tired yet. Get up and run!"

Fatigue, pain - it is all psychological. It is all in the head. I picked up myself and started running. Soon my breathing got back to normal, and my ankle stopped hurting. I completed the run. I ran a full 5 km, the very first time in my entire life. I completed it in about 34 minutes, which is pretty good for someone carrying 35 kg of excess weight!

But that day, I realized that I can run a full 5. I started posting about it on facebook, and people were generally encouraging.

The subsequent runs saw me getting even better. 5 km in 29 minutes, and then a 5 km in 25 minutes! When I told my dad about it, he told me that had I been in the Army, they would have rated me 'Excellent' for my timing ;-)

Fast forward today. I run with Pune Running's KP-KAL group. Running alone can be boring and monotonous, so find like-minded people in your area. I feel blessed that these amazing folks exist in my neighbourhood. Today, I can run 10 km and cycle 12! This did not happen in a day. It took time. But trust me, it is possible. It is difficult, I agree, but the sense of achievement after successfully completing a run is worth putting the effort! And if I can do it, you sure can! The key is to accept that a problem exists. And the one person responsible to make the change is YOU - the person in the mirror!

“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit that you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.”

Edit :
1. Have run 4 Half Marathons (best time being 2:19).
2. Max distance covered on bicycle is now 52 km.
3. Completed Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015: full 42.195 kilometers

Comments

  1. Awesome Prince......Keep running.....You are motivation to lots of people who have lost all their hopes of having a healthy life and are busy earning only money...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had been an 'all work and no play' guy myself. And in august last year, I resembled a human sphere! But yes, things are much better now! And if all goes well, I will run a half in the Pune International Marathon this year!

      Delete
  2. Aamzing + Inspiring.. Hats off to all ur dedication dude.. Way to go :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent Job .. You are an inspiration!!! Dude... This goes on our newcast... :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Really Great Article man.... Why din i read it earlier. ...I am 18 kg overweight...and want to loose all that ..

    ReplyDelete

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