Whenever someone begins their weight-loss journey, their plan always starts with a calorie-deficient diet, strict workout schedules, and intense lifestyle changes. However, often, these habits are not sustainable, leading to crash outs and ultimately you feeling miserable.
Addressing this exact issue, Saswati Mishra, a home Pilates instructor and fitness coach, shared a guide video on Instagram on February 23 showing how to lose weight from scratch. According to the coach, she used to weigh 80 kg and lost 23 kg by adopting healthy changes. She explained that for many, weight loss starts off intensely. However, we actually need to go slow.
“Most of you crash after a week of working out, not because you lack discipline, but because you use your initial adrenaline rush wrong. And here’s how you can smartly build momentum using that high in your life, so this time you don’t crash after a week: I have the perfect low-impact bodyweight workout to start with. But a workout alone is not enough,” she emphasised in the clip.
In the video, she shared a few home workouts you can do to kickstart your fitness journey and offered meal and lifestyle tips to support your workout routine.
Workout
1. The fitness coach emphasised introducing your body to cardio by walking 5k steps daily until it becomes comfortable with that number. Next, she suggested gradually increasing it to 8k and 10k as you progress further.
2. She also recommended choosing a low-impact workout routine to do daily until your body becomes familiar with movement. “Don’t worry about the split – just start and do the same boring routine until you’re ready to go further. Once you’re there, you’re ready to start with your strength training by introducing weights,” she added. Here are the workouts she suggested:
- Walk out to planks – 10 reps, 1 set
- Plank crunches – 10 reps, 1 set
- Bird dog – 10 reps, 1 set each side
- Knee squats – 10 reps, 1 set
- Wide-legged squats – 10 reps, 1 set
- Wide split squats – 10 reps, 1 set each side
- Knee tuck pulses – 10 reps, 1 set each side
- Wall sit – 30 seconds, 2 sets
Meals
1. “Don’t go cold turkey on your diet. If weight loss is your goal, then you need to be in a calorie deficit,” the fitness coach warned. She suggested starting by controlling your portions. “Once that’s in control, move to swapping your breakfast with fruits &and 1 protein source. Slowly, once your body gets accustomed to the changes, introduce protein and fibre in each meal,” she added.
Lastly, she recommended controlling carb and fat intake and focusing on 3 big meals and 1 snack per day. “That’s it. That’s the trick,” she added.
2. Next, she suggested following an 80:20 rule from the start – 80% of your meals in a month should be just whole foods and protein, and only 20% of your meals in a month should be eating out.
Lifestyle
Lastly, regarding lifestyle changes, the coach advised sleeping 8 hours a day and managing stress by listening to music, moving your body, or simply meditating. “Don’t confide in alcohol, caffeine, and smoking for that,” she warned.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
