How I lost 19 KG (41.8 lbs) in 6 months

I don't know if anyone even reads my blog :D But since my last post had so many views I decided to write another post, this one is about my weight loss.

Note : I am not a doctor, I am just sharing how I managed to lose 41 pounds in 6 months. If you are unfamiliar with some of the terms in the post, please Google them. :))

At the time I started hitting the gym, I weighed 82 kilos (180 pounds). Now, I realized that I was way too overweight for my age (17 then, 18 now).

The first and most important thing before you start working out is to have a goal and image of what you want to look like after  1-2 years. Next step, be realistic, you are not going to see huge results in a few weeks time, it may take months, or years if you do it wrong. Last step - Doing your research, I spent hours and hours going on random weight-loss forums to ask what I should and should not do. So, without making this post any longer, I'll break this down to 2 parts. What to do, and what not to do.

Part 1 : What you should do!

A HEALTHY DIET! 

Minimize the size of your meals!

Instead of filling your tummy up with a mountain of rice(carbs)..fill up your plate with more vegetables, meats, and little bit of carbs and replace your high calorie deserts with fruits. Drink more water! I drank 1.5L water a day, every day, for the past 6 months.

I started losing weight so fast when I started following a proper diet. Avoid foods with saturated fat and sugar at all cost!

EAT MORE! 

As crazy as it sounds, eating more will help your body keep it's metabolism upt. I ate 5 to 6 meals a day, each meal was a small portion, like a cup of rice with chicken, egg whites, beans, potatoes, etc

So every time I got hungry I would eat a fruit instead of a chocolate. Thirsty? Make a cup of green tea with no sugar instead of a cup of milk tea.

CARDIO!

*Once you start going to the gym, make sure do some stretching before you exercise to avoid any injuries*

In cardio, it's always about pumping up your heart rate as much as you can to burn more fat. I would suggest ditching the elliptical machines, cycles, etc and doing high intensity interval training workouts (check YouTube). HIIT workouts are all about pushing yourself to the limit and triggering the "afterburn" effect

For example - You are sitting in front of the TV all day long on the day after your workout, but your body is still burning more calories than usual..yes, this is the afterburn effect in a nutshell.

So yes, don't waste hours and hours doing elliptical machines and walking on treadmills..you will get bored really fast with what you're trying to achieve! I only did 10-20 minutes of cardio at most! Tip : bring your Ipod or MP3 player if your gym has no music, there is nothing duller than working out to an empty silence
(I would avoid such gyms)

WEIGHT TRAINING! 

(Guys only ..unless you are a girl who wants to bulk up?)

Weight training is not so different from cardio, in fact, many of the people at my gym prefers weight training to cardio. This is because, with weight training

1. You are building muscle
2. You are keeping your heart rate up for longer periods to trigger the afterburn effect.

Now you might ask "I'm overweight, why would I want to build more muscle and look bigger" ?

Good question, I used to think that lifting weights would make me look "bigger". It took me a while to figure out how it works, if you got some muscle, your metabolism is high when your muscles takes in calories to maintain the muscles so all in all this means,  you will be burning more fat. 

Check YouTube for weight training workouts, I would suggest bicep-curl workouts, squats, deadlifts and bench pressing. 



Part 2 : What you shouldn't do!

CHEAT MEALS! 

yummmm?! no.

Over the last 6 months I have had 5 cheat meals (every time I had a cheat meal, in a piece of paper I wrote down when I had a cheat meal to keep track xD) at least once a month I would order a pizza or some fried chicken.I have read some interesting theories of people saying that they lost more weight by eating junk food at random times, this is complete rubbish.  It's okay to have a cheat meal once every two weeks, but if you want to get in shape faster.. then I would suggest having a cheat meal only once a month.

WORKING OUT- ONLY 4 TIMES A WEEK! NO MORE! 

Try to go to the gym at least 4 times a week, if you go all 7 days then you will be tiring yourself too much and you will faint at one point.

Also, if you workout only once a week then you will actually gain MORE weight! How? Good question, say, you go to the gym and spend 2 hours and rest for the rest of the week, your body needs to recover from all the energy lost in that one day workout, and for the rest of the days when you are "recovering" your body will not be burning more calories, in fact, it will be storing them more than usual! This has been proven. So yes, try to workout at least 3-4 times a week if you want to see some physical changes fast.

DO NOT EAT MORE THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS!

This is one of the main reasons I was overweight, I used to eat so much food to the point I was so full. Back then, I didn't keep count of my calorie intake, so yes. But come on, who wouldn't eat 10 pizzas if all of it didn't end up making their waistline bigger? I can think of just one person..Natalie Portman.

In simple, when you "feel" that you are no longer hungry, that is the point at which you should stop eating.




BEFORE (this is me, November 2011, age 17, 5"6, 180 pounds)

AFTER (age 18, 5"8, 138 pounds)

Not the best pics for comparison, but meh.
That's pretty much it, Good luck! If you know any friends who are trying to lose weight, please share this post with them :) Thank you.

"I make my own dream"

Aminda

A man I will never forget.

I have always felt the need to open a blog to write what's on my mind. I made this blogger account a while back, and up till now, I didn't have the time or interest to post something. Well, not anymore..


It has been 2 days since my grandfather passed away from old age(96 years and 8 months)..he had a witty sense of humor, even when he was in his deathbed. What I have learned from this man is that nothing lasts forever, life is short, death is inevitable, and I know his last wish would have been for us to not to grief and shed tears over his death, but to live on, and to make it count.

Ever since he passed away, and every time I walk into my grandparent's house, my head involuntarily turns to the chair he used to sit..he would usually greet me saying "Enna putha, awith inda ganda" (it means - Come son, take a seat). There are no words to explain the pain I feel inside of me every time I walk into that house, and to see his empty seat, which reminds me of the cold hard truth, that he is no longer with us. Today, my mother pointed her finger to my grandfather's chair, I stared at it for like an eternity where flashes of warm memories of him came to me of my childhood with him...his interest in Numismatics(collection of coins), his affection towards pets, and his deeply religious nature. 

My warmest and fondest memory of him was when he was in his deathbed, weak and barely even able to open his eyes..I walked up to him and he recognized me, raised his right hand with much difficulty and took my hand , smiled and said one last word "...Putha"(son)

Aththa, I'd like to believe that you are in a better place, somewhere far away, but you will always be with us in our hearts. May you rest in peace and attain nibbana.

Your loving grandson, Aminda.