In this article I am going to write about a friend of mine who transformed his body from a chubby 203lbs to 180lbs of lean mean physique. My friend is software professional and works abroad, now his story was also the same as the other typical software engineers who always have a hectic work schedule and a pretext to support saying they lack time to work out. He wasn’t the kind of guy always though, he was lean and fit during college days and but started to accumulate lot of weight as he began his career as an IT professional. He did try to work out in gym but couldn’t do it not because of the will issue but because of the back problem he had developed due to nature of his work, he did undergo physical therapy to heal the problem. The therapy was quite effective but was also advised by the doctor not to do any sort of weight training as its going to jeopardize his back problem and might cause great damage to his ailing back.
Unfortunately for my friend he was back to square one, all his efforts went in vain as he had dedicated his time and energy to get back in shape however having been there and done, I know how frustrating it can be when all your efforts fall apart as house of cards. He again began to gain weight at a quick rate due to his body type, well yet another obstacle in his way. As he was figuring out ways and means to shred that enormous weight he had gained, one of his friends invited him to be a part of their hiking expedition to Washington; little did he expect that his onetime surprise activity would become his lifelong obsession. He finished his expedition and did notice a change in his mood and stamina; now mind you hiking is no joke even though it appears to be simple because you don’t notice the amount of cardio vascular fitness it builds due to constant walking on hiking trails.
He again went on couple of hiking expeditions and he began to think this could be a way or activity which helps him shred his weight. Once he finished these couple of expedition he noticed that he started to lose weight however, he had to modify his diet so as to build his stamina and also to keep up with his buddies. They began to hike quite frequently and on difficult trails. He did tune his life style by try to get physical activity as much as possible; walk to work (currently take bus and walk from the transit center to work place about 15 minutes). He continued his Physical therapy as part of back problem. Now his diet was as follows:
Breakfast - banana or couple of cereal bars
Lunch - regular food;
Dinner - 4 chapatti’s; avoid fatty and other junk foods; calorie conscious.
Well within 6 to 8 months he was shredded to mean lean 180lbs for his 5’11’ frame. Well I am in for some serious competition I suppose; here he is now with the best shape he can be in despite the back injury and the initial setbacks he had to face.
Well I am a firm believer in the saying “there are many ways to be on the top but the view is always the same”. I emphasize on being super fit and leading a healthy life style which has to be achieved by natural means, irrespective of the tools you use to achieve it. It can be weight training or doing a heavy bag work or even going for hiking, basics remains the same to be fit and do what you enjoy. There is no point in going to gym when you don’t have the drive for it or doing something which don’t enjoy, remember everyone is unique we have our own limitations so never compare yourself with others but try to outdo yourself every time.
