Weight Loss Story: Woman Loses 33 Kilos Postpartum with Strength Training And Strict Meal Timings

A woman goes through many stages in life and the amount of weight she gains postpartum is just unprecedented, says Priyanka Patel (41). “I had my baby at 27 years of age and I went from being 56 kgs to 81 kgs. I had a C-section delivery and feeding my child also made me gain some kilos,” says Priyanka, an IT professional and now a certified nutritionist who has so far helped over 40 women lose weight in a holistic manner.

What prompted Priyanka to lose weight?
Lost in the everyday hustle of life where she had to take care of her household responsibilities, do her motherly duties and also devote her time to her job, Priyanka says how for the first 5 to 6 years post-delivery, it didn’t even occur to her that she needed to do something about her weight. It was only when she closely looked at her photos from a wedding ceremony that she felt genuinely bad about her shape. “I realised later that I was developing some serious body image issues. My confidence level had dropped significantly. To restore it, I knew I had to lose weight ASAP,” says Priyanka. By eating right, in moderation and by regularly working out, Priyanka brought down her weight from 81 kgs to 48 kgs.

Also read: Weight Loss Story: This Woman Shed 36 Kilos Postpartum; Walks 10K Steps Daily, Eats More Protein

On her diet
Just by eating home-cooked and clean food, Priyanka was able to lose 5 to 7 kgs in a span of 3 to 4 months. She followed three rules when it came to her diet. First, she was very particular about her meal timings. Secondly, she also made it a point to have her dinner early. Thirdly, she made sure she drank 4 to 5 litres of water on a daily basis. Besides, she believes that portion control has been a big game-changer for her in her weight loss journey.

How she worked on her digestion and gut health
Priyanka has been consistent with taking ajwain water, jeera water, methi water and dhania water. “I alternate between all these concoctions and have seen marked improvement in my metabolic rate and gut health too,” she admits.

On things she avoided from her diet
Priyanka completely eliminated junk and processed food from her diet. She also replaced sugar with pure jaggery.

‘I make my own bread and love millets’
Priyanka says how she loves making her own breads. “There is no preservative in the breads I make and they are healthier to eat too,” says Priyanka. She also says how she has introduced millets in her diet as they provide a rich source of nutrition. “I love having ragi roti, chena roti and bajra roti. These are all very nutrient-rich and good for your health,” shares Priyanka.

Also read: Weight Loss Story: From Using An App To Measure Calories To Eating Millets, How This Woman Lost 20 Kilos In 6 Months

On her workout plan
Priyanka says she still regrets why she started doing strength training so late in life. “I was 35 when I was introduced to strength training. From being a simple homemaker to doing deadlifts with 18 to 20 kgs of weight, strength training has sculpted my body, improved my posture and helped me lose weight without losing muscle mass,” shares Priyanka. She also enjoys doing push-ups (35 to 40 reps in one go) and pull ups.

She says how one of the things that has worked out well for her is walking for 10 to 15 minutes post dinner. “It genuinely makes a huge difference; everyone must try doing it,” says Priyanka.

Challenges she faced during her weight loss journey
Most women will relate to this, as Priyanka shares how she was wary of clothes she would wear to gym. She was always skeptical that her bulges and flab would show. “This is the reason why for the longest time I stuck to doing home workout. However, I could see that I was being inconsistent and not being productive at all,” says Priyanka. Eventually, with some motivation from her husband and some pep talk, she mustered the courage to go to the gym and workout. “I simply focused on showing up every day, not giving a damn how I looked and gave my 100% to my workout sessions. I would wear long t-shirts so that I didn't feel under confident in doing lunges and squats,” says Priyanka.

Mistake she made during her weight loss journey
“In the beginning, I used to think that I could gorge on anything just because I was exercising. However, that’s not how things work. I now make sure that 80% of the time, I am eating right and healthy. It is only 20% of the time that I allow myself to indulge on not-so-healthy food items,” shares Priyanka.

Piece of advice for people trying to lose weight

Priyanka gives a lot of importance to one’s mindset. “Just eating right and doing a workout is not enough. One has to make sure one does everything with a positive mindset. Even workouts should be done with a happy mind to get the best results,” says Priyanka. She also says how stress can reverse the impact of all the good effort that one puts in to lose weight. “Therefore, I always tell people to just not stress about anything,” says Priyanka.

Complete meal plan of Priyanka that she followed during her weight loss journey:

Before breakfast
A few drops of lemon in warm water

Breakfast
Eggs/ Poha/ Upma/ Veggies or Paneer sandwiches/ Stuffed paratha

Noon
Few slices of any seasonal fruit

Lunch
Rice/ veggies/ dal/ salad
(If she has chapati in her breakfast, she avoids having it again lunch)

Evening snack

Half cup of jaggery tea/ roasted makhanas/ Toast with topping of paneer or egg bhurji

Dinner (last by 7:30 pm)
Chapati/ dal/ sabzi/ dalia/ soup/ sauteed veggies