'I don't need cheat days anymore'

Rahul Nanda says getting breathless during a trek had him realise that his weight was a problem; (right) He now weighs 77 kg

Rahul Nanda, a self-employed travel vlogger, weighed close to 110 kg, but it was never a matter of concern for the 34-year-old. He was happy being the big guy in the room. "Honestly, I never saw myself as overweight." It wasn't until a trip to Bhutan last October that Nanda did a rethink. During a hike to the iconic Tiger's Nest monastery, he found himself frequently falling short of breath. His trekking companion, who was much younger, had managed to race ahead. "On the way up, we ended up making friends with a group of trekkers. Finally, when I reached the summit, my friend tells me that the group thought I was his father!" I couldn't shake off that line from my head."

It's August. And Nanda now weighs 77 kg.

Although he started his weightloss journey on his return to Mumbai, most of the magic has unfolded during the lockdown. The isolation period turned out to be the runner's sprint to the finish line moment for him. Until the Coronavirus outbreak, Nanda had tried just about everything, from enrolling in a gym and dieting to running. The latter, while being one of the easiest ways to get fit, is also the most common cause of injuries. "While I did lose weight, I also ended up with a muscle tear. I was too heavy to run without caution." The intervening period from February to April was when he was able to figure out what was working. "You could say the lockdown was a curse and a boon."

These days, Nanda sleeps at 9 pm and wakes up at 4 am. He has a high-carb meal with two toasts and raw veggies on the side at dawn. "I throw in a slice of cheese if I'm going for a long walk." He glugs a large cup of black coffee as a preworkout drink to keep him going. After an hour-and-a-half of brisk walking, he's back home. "I have my second meal at 8.30 am. It's egg whites. Lunch is at 1 pm, with chicken and veggies." He has also built a home gym where he practices resistance training. But he doesn't rely on that alone. "I hit 10,000 steps every day without fail, whether it is going up and down the building staircase or taking laps of the compound." For Nanda, what has made the process enjoyable is understanding the role of nutrition in weight loss. In May, he signed up for a diploma in dietary supplements and is now halfway through another course in training certification, although he has no ambition of becoming a fitness instructor. "I'm doing this because I want to understand how the body functions. It's an amazing machine. I realised it wasn't just about cardio or pumping iron, but also about nutrition and the amount of rest you require, which I believe is the most underrated aspect," he says. Close to 30 per cent adults don't get enough sleep, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nanda says when you cut back on sleep - even though you are on the same diet and fitness routine - you begin to lack the energy to exercise and there's a dip in general motivation. Being well rested is half the battle won.

Nanda's lunch comprises boiled veggies, including mushrooms, babycorn and broccoli

What he has learnt has also changed his relationship with food. "I'm actually dreading the time my cook resumes work, although I would need help in the kitchen. I am genuinely interested in how food is cooked. I need to track the macronutrients in what I'm eating." The learnings have turned him into an ardent believer of eating in volumes, wherein you swap some of the high-calorie foods in your diet for options that are lower in calories but higher in nutrients, helping you maintain a calorie deficit while warding off hunger. His fridge is stacked with tomatoes, mushrooms, heaps of lettuce and other veggies. "A cardinal rule in weight loss is never ever starve yourself."

His interest in cooking has prompted him to explore recipes that can supplement healthy living. "I've taken popular, rich recipes and replaced them with healthy ingredients and tweaked proportions." He adds that you will never need multivitamins, if you eat healthy Indian food because it's inherently loaded with probiotics and nutrients. He says, "I don't need cheat days anymore because I'm satiated."

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