Rajalakshmi C’s stunning transformation: How she lost weight twice!

Weight before: 80.5 kg

Weight after: 63 kg

Lost 17.5 kg in 8 months

Chennai-based software professional Rajalakshmi C. started putting on weight during her pregnancy in 2012. It had been three years and she was still not able to lose weight, this got her worried.

“My original weight used to be about 62 kg. However, when I became pregnant in 2012, it shot up to 90 kg. In 2015, three years after my delivery, I remained stuck at 80 kg. That was when I started to get concerned,” says Rajalakshmi, who works as a Senior Associate with Cognizant, in Chennai.

The weight gain took a toll on her health and left her feeling tired. “I was not able to do any housework or play with my son since all my energy was spent at work. I was mentally and physically drained by the time I got back home in the evening, and I also started to experience  pain in my back and shoulders.” says the 33-year-old. Worried about her health, Rajalakshmi consulted a doctor who recommended a lifestyle swap and weight loss to get her health back on track.” Fortunately, she did not have to look far to find a reliable weight loss programme. Cognizant had entered a corporate tie-up with HealthifyMe which enabled her to join the weight loss program as part of her employee benefits package.  

“My awareness on fitness issues before I enrolled was the same as that of the common man. For instance, I wasn’t aware of things like protein intake while I believed it was essential to cut down on fat intake. But HealthifyMe helped me correct a lot of misconceptions. For instance, I learned that fat isn’t bad and the body needs some amount of it to stay healthy,” says Rajalakshmi.

She used HealthifyMe extensively to keep a watch on her calorie intake and regulate her water consumption. “The app has a quick track feature which allows you to log food intakes based on your past record which makes using it very convenient,” she says. “The water reminder too, used to pop up at regular intervals and ensure that I was consuming enough water on a daily basis.”

Her weight gradually started to drop but there were a few minor hiccups. “I encountered several weight loss plateaus during the journey but they were all taken care of with the help of my HealthifyMe coaches,” she says. As a result, Rajalakshmi hit 63 kg in June 2016 after eight months of training.

‘A health condition, followed by a bout of medication, resulted in me regaining all the lost weight’

Cognizant employees who are enrolled with HealthifyMe are eligible to participate in a company-wide fitness competition which ranks them based on fitness levels and targets. It includes fun challenges like walking a predetermined number of steps every day, or burning a fixed number of calories. Rajalakshmi ranked first on the Chennai leaderboard for several months until she was forced to take a break after a health problem. A bout of medication that followed led to weight gain yet again.

But Rajalakshmi faced this challenge head on. She restarted her weight loss journey with HealthifyMe and started losing weight again. Currently, she weighs 69 kg.

Working with fitness coach Munira Jasdan and dietician Kunjal Shah, Rajalakshmi is sticking to the same regimen that helped her lose weight the first time round. She starts her day early, with a glass of water infused with pudina and cinnamon. Then she completes her housework before sitting down to a breakfast of dosa, milk and eggs. At 11 am she heads to the office gym for a two-hour long workout. She sticks to chapattis and vegetables during lunch, and prefers fruits during tea. Dinner at around 9 pm comprises chapattis, dal and veggies, or dosa and sambar.

‘The HealthifyMe instructors are just a phone call away and respond immediately to any queries I have’

Now that she has resumed training, Rajalakshmi’s name is back on the Cognizant lederboard, occupying the No. 3 position at the moment.

“Rajalakshmi is very dedicated and even if she has the smallest doubt, she will get it clarified by us. She is very regular with her workouts. When she first came to us, she was suffering from back and shoulder pain so we started some spine strengthening exercises for her before going ahead with the weight loss routine. We keep changing her training routine depending on the requirements,” says her fitness coach, Munira.

What does she think of a virtual weight loss app? “I don’t see any difference between a virtual weight loss app and the traditional method which entails face-to-face interaction with fitness experts,” says Rajalakshmi. “The HealthifyMe instructors are just a phone call away and respond immediately to any queries I have.”

Fitness and healthy eating have now become an integral part of Rajalakshmi’s lifestyle. She is extremely pleased with the results of the weight loss programme and credits it for improving her life. “The best thing about weight loss is that I have the energy to play with my son again. Earlier, I used to be so tired when I got back home that I used to have dinner and go to sleep immediately. But now I can play with my son and take him to the park over the weekends. I have made many new friends because all his friends have also become my friends,” she smiles.

“Life is back to where it was just after I got married,” she adds. “When I was overweight, I couldn’t help with the housework even if I wanted to, but now I can. The weight loss program hasn’t just led to a transformation for me but also for my family,” she says.

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