I lost 7 kgs and became bulge free

 Hi! I am Manisha, 25 years of age and an entrepreneur by profession. I have always been an avid fitness lover, did aerobics and zumba for about 6 years till 2015. Professional needs took me away from fitness. Being an entrepreneur sitting at a place whole day and managing work brought with it ‘the bulge issues’. There was no time for workout and I hogged like crazy and gained 12kgs! I joined Crossfit in January, 2016 when I couldn’t bear with the weight anymore. My clichéd New Year resolution was to get in shape and in the dresses that don’t fit me anymore due to the newly gained weight.

In fitness, not failing a day brings you one step closer to success, with every move that you do, every day.  I have been working out tirelessly without looking back for a year now and have lost 7kgs and 6 inches.

I followed a normal diet plan which every Indian follow, excluding the oily, deep fried stuff. I am pure vegetarian, and avoid sugar and alcohol as much as I can.

My diet plan was as follows:

9:00am: 10 almonds + fruit

10:00am: breakfast (poha/ idli/ roti + milk + dal/paneer)

12:30 pm: fruit

1:30 pm: coffee

2:30 pm: lunch (dal + roti/rice + veg + curd)

5:00-6:30pm: workout

7:00pm: fruit / fruit juice

8:00 pm: dinner (veg soup + paneer/soya/dal)

9:30pm: milk + dry fruits

and a cheat meal every week.

* I drink at least one gallon of water everyday, i carry my gallon bottle to work.

With the strict diet plan, I did CrossFit (6 days a week) which included high-intensity interval training, Olympic weightlifting, Powerlifting, Gymnastics, and other exercises.

Now, I watch what I eat like a hawk and that is how I am going to sustain my health. My fitness goals would be to learn handstand and Olympic Weightlifting with good technique and have a full fledged flourishing business.

Being an Entrepreneur with no fixed working hours it is very difficult to have a proper diet plan and workout.  Avoid everything white – white bread, maida, milk, salt, rice, and sugar. Replace with steamed, grilled green vegetables with olive oil. Avoid aerated, packaged drinks and junk food. Avoid everything that comes out of a packet.

Whenever I go out, I make sure that I pack all my meals and eat healthy as much as I can. I avoid skipping my workout but when I do, 100 burpees is the escape.

 My story did motivate a lot of my people around me. Some of my friends have joined gym or some other fitness activity. I am glad they did, and even started taking care of their diet. Coming from a typical baniya family, seeing my seriousness towards health and fitness, my parents have altered their diet and regular walk & yoga is part of their lives now, instead of the aloo paratha as earlier.

Initially when I started crossfit and weightlifting everybody around me raised an eyebrow as they are not “considered appropriate” for a women. It was difficult to continue my workout with such attitude but results made everybody turn their head.