Weight loss stories are usually told in dramatic timelines. Twelve weeks. Ninety days. A transformation that fits neatly into before and after photos. My experience was the opposite. I lost 17 kilos over roughly two years. Slowly. Inconsistently at times. With pauses, reversals, desserts, skipped workouts, and long walks that felt more like therapy than exercise.
This is not a guide promising fast results. It is a reflection on what actually worked for me and why the slow approach ended up being the most sustainable one. FYI… I am definitely not qualified to give any fitness advice and this is just me simply sharing what worked for me.
I Stopped Obsessively Counting Calories
For several months, I tracked calories diligently using apps. I logged meals, entered options to figure out how many calories I would be consuming (before deciding what to eat) and stayed aware of daily limits.
Ironically, this did not lead to meaningful weight loss.
What it did do was remove enjoyment from eating. Every meal became a negotiation with numbers. Most days, I went over my calorie budget and felt guilty about it. That guilt often led to more overeating, not less.
Eventually, I stopped tracking.
This does not mean calorie awareness disappeared. The months of tracking gave me a rough sense of how calorie dense most foods are. That awareness stayed with me. What changed was my relationship with food.
Instead of asking, “How many calories is this?”, I started asking:
- Does this feel like a sensible portion?
- Am I eating because I am hungry or just bored?
- Will this make me feel heavy and sluggish later?
Eating became intuitive again. Not perfect, but far more sustainable.
I Took It Slow and Avoided Extremes
I did not cut out junk food.
I did not eliminate sugar.
I did not follow a strict diet plan.
That was intentional.
Every time I tried extreme restriction in the past, it worked briefly and then collapsed. This time, I wanted a process I could live with for years, not weeks.
So I allowed myself:
- Desserts regularly, but not mindlessly
- Junk food occasionally, balanced by lighter days
- Social meals without stress or compensation rituals
Because nothing was forbidden, nothing felt urgent. The urge to binge slowly reduced on its own. The process remained enjoyable. And that enjoyment is the only reason I stayed consistent long enough for results to compound.
I Exercised for Enjoyment, Not Punishment
I never followed a rigid workout plan. Some days, all I did was walk. Long, unstructured walks where the goal was simply movement, sunlight and fresh air (though debatable these days in Delhi/NCR).
Other days, I mixed in short home workouts using dumbbells, resistance tubes or push-ups and basic bodyweight exercises. There were weeks when workouts were frequent and weeks when they were not. Instead of judging myself, I focused on one rule: do something I do not hate. That rule mattered more than intensity. Consistency came from enjoyment, not discipline. And over two years, that consistency added up.
Early Dinners Helped More Than I Expected
One habit that helped significantly, when I followed it, was early dinners on weekdays. On a good day, I had a light snack or meal by around 6 PM and avoided eating until about 9 AM the next day. This worked out to roughly a 15 hour fasting window.
I was not perfectly consistent with this. Some weeks I followed it well. Other weeks I did not. Still, the impact was noticeable:
- Fewer late night cravings
- Better digestion
- A subtle but steady fat loss over time
I never treated this as a strict rule. More as a helpful structure that I returned to when possible.
The Plateau: Where I Am Now
After losing 17 kilos, I have been stuck at a plateau for several months. This does not surprise me.
The habits that helped me lose weight slowly may not be enough to take me further. The body adapts. Comfort zones stop producing change. I now clearly see the need for a few adjustments.
First, I need to be stricter with desserts. Not elimination, but clearer boundaries and fewer casual indulgences.
Second, I need to increase the amount and quality of strength training. Home workouts helped me reach this point, but to move further, a gym would likely make a meaningful difference. Especially for proper leg training, progressive overload, and better balance, which are hard to achieve consistently at home. Yes, one can do some leg workouts at home with squats, lunges and add load using the dumbbells that I have, but my balance and form is not good. I worry that I might do them wrong (and even injure myself), so it would be better idea to do these under the supervision of a gym trainer.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, I need to fix my sleep.
On most days, I get by with around six hours of sleep. I know this is suboptimal. Consistently getting seven to eight hours of sleep would almost certainly improve recovery, energy levels, workout quality, and fat loss outcomes. Poor sleep makes everything harder, including appetite control and motivation to train.
If the first phase of my weight loss journey was about building sustainable habits, this next phase is about tightening the basics. Better sleep, better training structure, and slightly better dietary discipline.
The fundamentals matter more now than novelty. Losing weight slowly taught me something more valuable than discipline. It taught me patience. I did not lose 17 kilos by being perfect. I lost it by being reasonable, forgiving, and consistent over a long period of time. If there is one takeaway from this journey, it is this:
Sustainable weight loss is less about control and more about alignment. When your habits fit your life, progress eventually follows. Slowly. Quietly. And often, permanently.