Sanjay Agarwal, a 49 year old Pune based businessman who went from fat to fit, all credit to his sheer persistence and discipline. Today he has completely transformed not just himself, but also his lifestyle and eating habits. All these have been achieved by just one change and that is by changing his approach and outlook towards HEALTH & FITNESS.
Bringing you straight to his story, we at Fitsaurus got in touch with Mr Sanjay through one of the Facebook groups in India where like-minded fitness enthusiasts share their day to day fitness views, opinions and something from their own personal fitness journey.
Sanjay was more than glad to share his fitness story with us and we were eager to know how he went on to accomplish his fitness goals and what led him to take up fitness seriously.
Sanjay recalls the beginning of his fitness journey and how it all begun.
“I have been one of those guys who has never participated in any sort of physical activity till the age of 45.
I was weighing 97 kgs at that time and my health was really starting to fall apart.
Turning point: My lifestyle had been very erratic because of my traveling schedules due to business, unhealthy eating habits etc.
My bad cholesterol levels rose to 260 and the doctor advised me to start long term medication for the same.
Driving force: It is only when you visit a doctor and he tells you how bad your health is then you start to realize your mistakes. Certain amounts of guilt sneak in and trust me it is one of the most depressing feelings ever.
It was at this moment when I decided to set things straight as I could clearly see the disaster waiting to happen in future if I did not make amends for it now & if I continued with the same lifestyle.
I got myself enrolled at a gym along with a personal trainer and took guidance from a dietician to ensure a healthy eating habit is put in place.
Diet followed: The diet comprised mainly of high protein and low carbs. I used to be put through weight training every alternate day followed by cardio on the other days.
Fitsaurus tip: High protein and low carb diet is designed specifically for weight loss because a high protein supply means your body gets its quota of energy from protein than carbohydrates but the difference here is that protein goes straight to your muscles while carbohydrates are mainly energy sources that add weight to the body.
Within the first six months itself I lost around 6kgs which kept me motivated.
Slowly I increased the intensity of muscle training and raised the tempo on my cardio training by hitting the road.
Fitsaurus tip: There is a difference when you run on the treadmill and when you run on a straight plain road. You are without any mechanical assistance when you run on the road so the efforts you put in are 100% yours. On a treadmill, you are designed to run as per the belt speed and that really is not utilizing your true ability. Only when you run on a road you will know your strengths and weakness and develop a running pattern based on your speed and body posture while running.
This actually paid off and more than the weight loss I lost more of fat.
I have lost a total of 17 kgs in my journey but the fat loss has been tremendous. I have lost almost 8 inches on my waistline and that has made the primary difference.
Actually i am of the opinion that the term ‘Weight loss’ itself is wrong. It should be ‘FAT LOSS’. The total weight of our body includes weight of our muscles, organs, bones, blood, water.
The only NOT REQUIRED weight in our body is that of stored FAT. This has to be removed. Hence the term FAT LOSS.
Fitsaurus tip: Eliminating fat from your diet is the first step. The idea is to lose weight in the right places. There are many spot reductions and tummy tuck programs offered by weight loss specialists. When you lose inches, it adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of your body and you look better than before. The main goal should be to lose bad fats and not body weight.
Today after 5 years of continuous muscle training, cycling, running and swimming I am a lot fitter than the person I used to be mentally, physically and emotionally.
I am able to lifT heavy weights, run half marathons, swim nonstop for almost 2 hours.
My bad cholesterol levels have dropped to 165 without a single medicine or pill being taken.
The biggest incentive I received from my fitness transformation is the health and fitness awareness that has been created in my family today.
When you take up fitness seriously, you are a role model to your family and today even my wife and kids are exercising regularly. We maintain a healthy diet and indulge only in good eating habits. We are today a very very health conscious family.
If my story manages to inspire even a single person to improve his or her health & fitness then I would have served my purpose.”
Closure note: We at Fitsaurus are extremely glad to share this very inspiring story of Mr. Sanjay Agarwal and with this story we are starting to believe in the purpose of our existence. Our motto is to bring the Indian fitness fraternity together. Over the years, there has been no dedicated health & fitness portal that solely focuses on Indian fitness. Many of us have tried to emulate western diet and training patterns without understanding the basic differences like climatic conditions, body types, diet and food availability etc.
At Fitsaurus, we intend to bring all the fitness enthusiasts of our country to one place, where ideas and stories can be shared. The most relevant and up to date content on Indian diet and training is provided to one and all. We are always looking out for more stories to feature on our website because no training modules or diet plans can substitute the impact of personal experiences. We welcome each one of you reading this article to our Indian Fitness Family. We are always open for queries, suggestions and contributions. Visit our website or write to us here. Our purpose is to keep you fitness motivated.
