It is rightly said when you take the path that destiny chose for you; you will find your Ikigai. (A reason for being). Chanchal Malhotra found her IKIGAI and started the weight loss journey from 125KG to 75KG & Counting!
Chanchal Malhotra found her IKIGAI
I’m Chanchal Malhotra, from Mumbai, 30 years old, doing interiors for healthcare and corporates across India. Now minus 50kg and life coaching many millennials and teaching them the right way to treat your body, mind & soul. My fitness journey graph has been a Rollercoaster ride..! But the lessons I learned from that made me who I am today. And I’m looking forward to spreading my learning to everyone ready for the “RIGHT CHANGE.”
Well, it took me three times to realize that this is it..!
From weighing over 100kg to dropping to 65 and then putting all the weight back again, the 4th time, I decided NOT THIS TIME.! It will be slow but permanent..! After two years and minus 50kg, I’m now focused on consistently disciplined (FCD), and exercise has become a part of my daily routine.
Just like food is essential for our body, activity is equally important. If we starve for days and days, our body will give up. In the same way, if we don’t keep our body active for days and days, our body will give up. That results in obesity and many harmful diseases. There was a reason for the saying, “SLOW AND STEADY win THE RACE.” I finally got that.
Mantra: Eat in proportion, keep your body active. And you will not need to follow any “DIET.” The problem was always the lifestyle..! Now we have a solution…! All we need to do is apply and see the MAGIC it does to your body internally & externally.
Sometimes to let go of your sadness, one ends up making “COMFORT FOOD” their happy place. That’s how I dealt with my parent’s separation. And soon, without realizing I was a part of the OBESE category. Weighing over 110kgs, one fine day when even the plus size clothes refused to fit me because of my overall structure plus the weight on that was when I decided to pull my socks up. I hit the gym, starved myself to death, survived only on cheese and water, ate only fruits, and ended up losing my mind and a good 40 kilos in just seven months. Then what happened..???
I started to fit into smaller clothes was a pro, but the con list was long—- my skin felt dull, I was weak and unhealthy, my hair started falling, bones hurting, getting hungry, impatient, etc. And top of all of that, I started putting on all the weight back again. 1.5 years and I was back to 79kg-89kg- & it continued to go UP..!
So many people were constantly telling me, oh, you can’t do it all again. How will you lose weight? “CUT THE NOISE” was the formula I applied.
Once again, this time, I broke my record. Weighing over 117kgs, the result of me starving. I hit the gym again. This time I was introduced to all the possible fad diets it started from the Ketogenic diet — then the Paleo Diet—- the Intermediate Fasting diet—- etc. Keto was the one I was on for the longest got excellent results by eating fats. I mean, who would have thought, right? Yes, lose weight eating CHEESE / FULL-FAT CREAM/ BUTTER.
It was the most perfect for me, I thought. 4 months 30 odd kgs down, and then because this diet had no carbs (body’s main source of energy), workout got tougher, and I got weaker, which’s when I injured my back. L 4- L 5 (slip disc). Back on the bed straight for six months. And guess what was back? All the lost weight. Along came the loss of hope, loss of patience, back to 120-125KGs.
All the fad diets I did in the past were now showing their adverse effects on me.
- Slip disc
- Minor injuries time and again
- Me being my only motivation.
WHEN I FOUND MY IKIGAI
This time it took a man to break my heart to realize I needed to get a grip, focus on myself, my well-being, and my passion (which I was yet to discover). It started with me. This time talking to myself, meditation helped. My history with weight loss and weight gain taught me many lessons. I made a note of everything not to do.
- No crash diets
- No expectations
- Choosing permanent options.
- Going slow and study
- Most importantly! Being FOCUSED CONSISTENT & DISCIPLINED
I began my journey in 2018 April. I started slowly. First, I began changing my food habits because that was my biggest lesson from the past. I returned to my roots, our staple food roti (bajra / Nachni / jowar), dal rice, and sabzi. Simple “GHAR KA KHANA.”
Honestly, the fourth time, it wasn’t difficult because once you make all the mistakes and learn from them, you only apply the lessons you have learned in the past, and you keep going. All I did was keep going & keep it simple. I kept it basic and did not give up. I made it my daily routine (Just like you get paid for the job you do, here I got paid with getting in shape, being healthy, and happy from within— isn’t that what we are all looking for after all??
The biggest challenge for me is SLIP DISC – Being on bed rest for almost six months, moving my body was a different ball game; I had to be highly cautious..! I started with Pilates which helped me strengthen my back. I still face issues with my back, but I know I am stronger than that. Also, I have trained my mind where I keep my core strong and work around it.
Then I started walking because anything Intense would enjoy my body as my back was still unfit. I started doing Pilates to strengthen my back first. So a combination of Pilates and Outdoor walks gradually became outdoor jogs and then outdoor runs. Eating habits improved, the body started to show changes, was slow, but I felt happier. I looked younger. My skin felt better the quality of my hair was getting better. COVID -19 (The Lockdown) was the biggest test that the universe had planned for all of us.
It could either make me or break me. But I was so happy throughout this weight loss journey that I did not feel like indulging in anything unhealthy I cooked food at home, worked out, took care of the entire house, and became the best version of myself. Today I am 2 years down and minus 50 KGs looking, feeling, and being in the best state of mind-body & soul.
I am inspiring & Motivating so many young boys and girls and helping them throughout their weight loss journey by pushing them to choose a healthy lifestyle over fad diets and Spending money on gyms when you can use your body weight and workout at home. When doing all this, I realized that this is what I’ve been looking for all my life.
And the reason I put on weight and lost again was nothing but the way the universe was teaching me a lesson. It helped me understand my passion, inspiring and motivating others, and helping people throughout their weight loss journey gives me immense happiness. I feel a sense of fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment.
I want to reach out to as many people as I can and help them by motivating them throughout their weight loss journey. My only goal is to spread kindness and encourage today’s youth to take things seriously for their health and stick to simple and basic home food and active life.
Get out of the virtual world, Start living in reality.
I have learned all the lessons by making mistakes of following all the available fad diets in the market and understanding that they all have a reason behind it because the food industry is such. It took me a while, but this wisdom is my most significant achievement, and I will spread it as much as I can.
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That’s inspiring..
That’s inspiring.. What’s her insta handle