It’s the new year, and with the new year usually comes the resolutions that many of us make, determined to see them through. The most common among them is to try shed those stubborn pounds.
In 2023, I made that decision, to finally make a change, and do better for both my mental and physical health. I was still in university at the time, and had finally got done with my in person classes, with only the end of year submissions remaining.
I have always been chubby, but at this point in my life I had completely let go and weighed an embarrassing 16 stones and at 5ft 6in – I was medically obese. Through a carefully crafted diet plan, and an even more gruelling physical regimen, I lost over 20kgs within four months. However, as I soon learnt, I had gone horribly wrong in my approach.
This was me before I lost weight in 2023.
(Image: Shaurya Shaurya)
Cut to 2025, and I am not very pleased to see the number on the scales once again touching triple digits. In retrospect, the dramatic steps that I took through my weight loss journey in 2023 and 2024 played a huge role in me failing to keep the weight off. While evidently, I’m not an expert in losing weight, and you should seek professional and medical advice but here are my missteps, in the hope it can help you.
Set realistic goals
I already mentioned that I lost more than three stones in a few months, but I did not mention what my target was. I actually intended to lose four-and-a-half stones in the same timeframe. Baffling, I know. Now that I look back – that was never realistic. For the latest health and Covid news, sign up to our newsletter here
I remember the disappointment I felt every time I looked at the scale to realise I was always behind my goals, all the while not recognising that what I achieved still took a lot of work and was in no way a small feat. The disappointment, coupled with frustration on not losing further wait gradually made me lose hope.
Even after I lost over 20 kgs, I did not feel as healthy as I hoped, and was marred with pain.
(Image: Shaurya Shaurya)
This, in turn meant I was no longer motivated to go to the gym, and continue the process further. It’s precisely for this reason that you need to set realistic goals. This does not mean that you ought not be ambitious, be so, but also understand that it genuinely means it takes time to get where you want to want to be.
Don’t do too much too fast
Another glaring error that I made was putting too much strain on my body. Right at the start, I began with workouts that left me unable to move a day later. While you do need to push yourself to be better — you do not need to push yourself to the extreme.
In hindsight, my physical activity was way more intense than it should have been. As soon as I got out of the bed, I used to prepare to go out to the gym. In addition to working out at least an hour and a half in the morning, I made sure to exercise an hour more in the evening. This continued seven days, and along with uneven sleeping hours this left no time for my body to rest and recuperate.
I pushed myself to the extreme for my weight loss goals, before a health condition made me stop.
(Image: Shaurya Shaurya)
While this did mean that I lost weight rapidly in the short-term, it also meant that I invited other health problems. Eventually, around the four month mark, my elbows started giving up, leading to a tennis elbow which meant I heard a pop every time I extended my arm. It took me a month of icing and physiotherapy appointments to get back to normal.
While I was relieved upon looking at the weighing scales, the subsequent forced rest that I had to take meant that I had already started gaining back weight during recovery. So the crux is, don’t be me – take rest when you need, because exhaustion will catch up, not matter how much you try to avoid it.
Diet in moderation
At the start of the article, I mentioned how a carefully planned diet helped me lose weight. That’s all it was – planned. Planned to attain a certain cosmetic standard which has nothing to do with actual health.
Don’t get me wrong, I ate all the right meals. My portions were calculated, calories were counted, and the macronutrients thoroughly studied. This is where I feel I went wrong. You can try, but you cannot always truly know how many calories or protein you consumed — it will always be a rough approximation.
It’s not helpful to always obsess over how much you consume daily because no two days will be the same. Sticking to a planned diet — the same diet everyday some days left me sleeping with hunger pangs on some days, and on the others filled beyond overeating. Listen to your body, it is wise and will tell you exactly what you need.
Don’t obsess over your weight loss
I understand that once you have made the change, and start noticing the change, you will feel proud of yourself, as you rightfully should. However, it is important to not be totally consumed by it. Your weight loss should be a part of your life, not the other way around.
I distinctly remember a friend who was very concerned about the pressures I was putting on myself. He said: “You should know you are more than what the scales show.” I rebuffed him at the time, but now that I look back, I understand what he really meant.
Even after working out for more than a hour a day, I still felt disappointed at not losing enough weight.
(Image: Shaurya Shaurya)
My life revolved around plates, both the ones that I lifted in the gym, and the ones in which I ate my carefully calculated meals. I did not realise how much strain that was putting on my life and relationships.
I found myself going out less, apart from when I was exercising, I found myself socialising less, and I found myself enjoying life less. I understand that to break old patterns you might want to do less socialising, but when you take it too far it has a habit of coming back with a vengeance and this brings me to my final point.
Set limits for yourself after you’ve lost weight
It is a beautiful feeling to realise that you have made considerable strides in what you set out to achieve. As such, you might find yourself falling back on old patterns, not realising when you go too far. If you’ve obsessed over your weight loss as much as I did, it is easy to think that you deserve a reward. You might think, “what harm can a single drink do?” or ‘A burger won’t set me too far back”.
To my utter disappointment, I gained all the weight I lost, if not more.
It is important to realise that yes, you do deserve a break, but it’s even more essential to map out the extent to which you can relax. In my case, it was one drink, and one takeaway, then another, and one more, until I could barely recognise myself in the mirror.
So this incredibly embarrassing tale was my journey from fat to fit (sort of), to fatter but it does not mean that the journey has to end here. I’m ready to make a change again, this time armed with the knowledge of all of my mistakes, are you?