“Fitness is not something you can achieve in one day, it is a lifestyle.”

I am 35. I have been working as a software professional for the past 13 years. My height is 5’9″. I have never consciously tried to lose weight (before this). I cycled on a daily basis. I weighed 91 kg in 2016.
In December 2016 a senior colleague at work called me fat. This got me thinking. Later that year, my family and I went out on a picnic and we clicked a few photographs. When I saw photographs of myself, it was no less than a reality check. I was shocked at how I looked and realised I needed to do something about it.

“It was time to get in shape.”

I began to cycle daily for 4 to 6 km at a stretch. After about a week, I gained confidence and pushed myself to make it 10 to 12 km. Before I could realise it, I was cycling 20 km to and fro in just 55 minutes. This gave my morale a big boost. During this time I met like-minded people who were part of a cycling group. They covered almost 60 km every single day. From them, I learnt about Brevet, a cycling competition covering a minimum of 200 km (A cycling event where a rider has completed 200 km is called a Randonnée or Brevet and the rider who completes it is called a Randonneur). I took up this challenge and completed it in 11 hours and 30 minutes.

Along with cycling, I would also run. From being able to cover only about 3 km initially, today, I’m a proud participant of 19 marathons — 2 full marathons (42 km) and 17 half marathons (21 km).

With a proper diet, nearly perfect running schedule, support from my family, my wife and my mother, and consistent effort, I lost 17 kg.

My weight today is 74 kg.

The journey is still on.

The first few days were very difficult. After 30 days, I saw my waistline reducing and clothes getting loose. Watching comparative photos helped keep me motivated. After eight months of keeping at it, my waistline reduced from 38″ to 36” and is now 33″.

Fitness is not something you can achieve in one day, a few weeks or even a few months. It is a lifestyle.

(Several) healthy choices, in terms of food, drink, and activity, that one makes every day for a better, fitter tomorrow, is a fit, healthy lifestyle.
Never give up! One rep, one push, one pull, one step, one punch at a time and you will see yourself inching towards your goal, step by step. The sweat, the time and the dedication will eventually pay off. All you have to do is remain consistent.