I went from 80 kg to 64 kg with HealthifyMe

Name: Naresh Soni

Age: 39

Then: 80 kg

Now: 64 kg 

Lost: 16 kg in 5 months

His story

Naresh grew up in a small town in Karnataka and a traditional South Indian breakfast was a must. His day usually began with poori-bhaaji, or medu wadas/masala dosa with a generous helping of coconut chutney and sambhar. But weight was never a concern as he was blessed with a sleek frame; he weighed only 58 kg while at college.

He started piling on the pounds after he started work and sitting for long hours became a part of his lifestyle. “Over the years, I became bulky and developed a pot belly,” he says.

His challenges

Jokes and teasing didn’t bother Naresh; what got his goat was his own sluggishness. “I used to get stressed if I had to walk even a short distance or climb to the first floor of a building,” he recalls, adding that he had also become very irritable.

He was diagnosed with hypertension 10 years ago and also found it tough to keep his blood pressure level under control despite medication.

Finding HealthifyMe

When a friend of his shared a post about HealthifyMe on Facebook, Naresh became curious.

“I didn’t think a virtual tool could help anyone shed weight. But I started reading about the app and decided to give it a shot,” says Naresh, who used a basic plan for three months before taking up HealthifyMe’s premium package in April.

His diet

Healthifyme’s unique “calorie tracker”, which Naresh calls an “eye opener”, helped him distinguish between the “right” and “wrong” foods. “I had no idea that the coconut chutney I had every day was so fattening or that the pav bhaji I ate every evening had 500 calories,” he says.

Naresh became extremely diligent about what he was consuming. His dietician, Neha Jain, gave him a 2,500-calories-per-day upper limit initially and gradually reduced it to help him shed weight.

Breakfast now includes idlis or oats while lunch comprises two plain rotis with sabzi. His evening pav bhaji has been replaced by 4-5 almonds with a cup of tea. He ends the day with a bowl of soup and salad.

“It was a little difficult initially but Neha advised me to eat salad before every meal. That helped,” Naresh says.

Getting fit

Exercise didn’t feature in Naresh’s life till he came across HealthifyMe. That’s why fitness trainer Roshini Gilbert says she treated him “like a baby, holding his hand and encouraging him” as he progressed from one level to the next. 

Naresh started with a 10-minute walk daily; now, he goes for a brisk 40-minute walk every day. This is followed by half an hour of strength training exercises and yoga asanas.

Was it difficult to learn exercise from a ‘virtual’ coach? “Not at all,” says Naresh. “Roshni and the yoga teacher, Pragya, sent me links of videos that demonstrated the exercise.”

The rewards

These days, Naresh is revelling in the many compliments about his leaner body. But what he enjoys even more is his new-found agility. “Earlier, if something fell on the floor, I would think twice before bending to pick it up. Not anymore,” he says.

His BP medicine dosage has also halved. “My doctor says I may soon be able to stop the medicine altogether,” says Naresh, who even visited the HealthifyMe office in Bangalore to personally thank the experts for aiding his transformation.

Naresh dropped 16 kg using HealthifyMe. The results may vary for you. Let us help identify what works for you. Sign up for the best diet & training choices for your fitness or weight-loss plan.

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Disclaimer: Results may vary from person to person.