SW: 298 lbs, CW: 199.5 lbs, GW: 176 lbs, Height 182 cm (6ft0in).
Sorry for the long post. Needed to get this off my chest and share with people.
A little background info: I was chubby since I was around 4-5 years old. Most of the food in our region is carb-heavy and I loved eating, so it was a potent combo. Along with that, majority of my family is on the heavier side, so that didn't help. My family never pointed out the fact that I was getting unhealthily fat, except maybe two of my uncles, one of whom always tried to play sports with me and get me off of my chair (or bed) whenever he could. He was/is into fitness, so that's that.
My schoolmates used to tease me, call me names, and make fun of me. Thankfully, the bullying culture is not very widespread in my country, but still, coming last in races, not having enough endurance, feeling like vomiting or fainting after playing some sports, it hurt quite a bit. In spite of all this, I couldn't stop binging. My parents enrolled me in Karate classes, swimming classes, but I ate more than I burnt. Much more.
From around class 4-5, my health fell off a cliff. I got many stretch marks. I hit 100 kgs in class 8-9, and was easily one of the top 5 heaviest people in whole school. This is the time when I was morbidly obese. The sheer look of disbelief in others' eyes and the gasps when they saw my weight in school health check-ups was deeply saddening. It didn't help that I was very shy. I used to slouch the whole day, and always worried about what other people thought of my physical appearance. To hide my belly fat, I used to keep the bag on my lap while sitting in class.
Cue to early 2019: I took a gap year after graduating from school. I was in and around 125-135 kgs during this time (didn't check my weight as I was too afraid to do so). This was 6-7 months before I was due to enroll in college. I realised that I was at the "prime of my life", and I couldn't just let this time slip. The feeling of not fitting into clothes I wanted to purchase, brands not having my size available, it really hurt. I didn't go out much as I was too ashamed of my appearance. I rarely took a picture of myself or allowed one to be clicked. I was always into sports, but couldn't perform well due to obvious reasons.
I finally decided to do something about all this. I started by walking all the way from my coaching class to home (3.5kms/2.17miles). Along with this, I began with some low-impact bodyweight exercises and cardio. Then, I bought some resistance bands and used them. I became deeply passionate about fitness and eating well in general, and started eating proper meals at proper times, CICO, and the like. By June 2019, I reached 107 kgs. Gained a bit of muscle mass as well. Then, I went to college, where my weight dropped to around 100 kgs pretty soon (mostly due to the poor food we had in our mess). This is where it hovered till the pandemic and lockdown hit, and I was confined to my house.
We live in a pretty densely populated part of the city in a 2BHK apartment. So, free space is a luxury I cannot afford. I have to make do in a small strip of floor where I can spread my yoga mat and do my exercises. I am a Computer Science Undergrad, so most of my day is spent in front of my PC. During this time, I have tried my hand at a lot of things, which include calisthentics, kettlebells, shadow boxing, HIIT, etc., along with run-of-the-mill cardio and resistance bands that I always did. I also did 5K runs (slowly built up to them) within my apartment! All these ensured that I didn't get bored, had variety, and worked different parts of my body. Many apps, websites, blogs, and YouTubers have helped me on the journey, and I am immensely grateful to all of those/them. Initially I used to take whey protein, but I meet my daily goal of protein through my daily diet, so have stopped it long back. I have also stopped tracking CICO, as I felt it was not easy to track calories for my native cuisine, but I try to eat healthy. I still enjoy calorie-heavy food sometimes. Also, I mostly have to eat whatever my mother cooks (she has made many changes and adjustments to our diet after I started my weight loss journey), so hopefully once I graduate college and get a job/go for higher studies, I'll have further autonomy over my food. I subconsciously practice IF (have my first meal at 11am, dinner at 8:30pm). No Keto or any specific diet plan. I am omnivorous, but do not eat pork or beef.
What next: Now, I want to achieve my goal weight of 80kgs. I want to be fit and have a healthy amount of physical strength. I don't want to get jacked.
I am posting this just to share a major milestone (for me) that I hit today, and to tell the people who doubt themselves, anything is possible, given you have the faith and willpower. Genetics and all are just small factors. It heavily depends on your life choices, what you allow to put in your body, and what you do during the day. I have gained a lot of knowledge, willpower, tenacity, and confidence in the last 2-3 years.
During this journey, many a time have I hit the plateau. The longest one was from May '20 - Dec '20, when I was stuck at 95 kgs. It is hard, but a very fulfilling and fruitful journey. Some people will make fun of you when you try to be healthy or make lifestyle changes. Use that to fuel your eagerness to prove them wrong.
On the other hand, many of my friends, some who belong to the above group, have complimented me a lot once they saw that I had drastically lost weight. My family members also praise and appreciate my weight loss. When I perform any physical task which I previously could not, the look on their faces is something that keeps me going!
All the best to everyone!
Some pics (no recent outdoor pics as the place I live in is still technically under lockdown+parents won't let me leave the house due to COVID).
P.S. Sorry for grammatical errors, if any. The post might appear incoherent in some places. I had many things to say, and tried to keep it as short as I could. I am sure I still have missed a couple of things here and there.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/odozmp/sv_i_m21_am_sub200_lbs_after_9_years/
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