Sapna Vyas Patel – then and now
Many teenagers are over-weight and so was Sapna Vyas Patel weighing at 86 kgs. She was least interested to lose weight and blamed her genes for her weight gain. “Taunts and barbs used to hurt me but not enough to spur me into action.” said Sapna. Then one day she realized that being over-weight was way too damaging than she thought. An episode at the ice-cream parlour where she was assumed as the mother to her toddler niece left her disheartened. She was just 19. She realized that she looked older than she was because of the extra weight. Moreover, her dressing was baggy and shabby to cover up her bulge. This added to her woes. “I would pick up the basic garments, take them to the changing room and struggle to fit into them. I used to feel sad when I had to put them back.” This sounds like you and me, isn’t it? She couldn’t fit into the trendy clothes so had to pick the ones that would fit her. This made her appearance even scruffier.
Sapna Vyas Patel – 33 Kgs lighter
She started her weight loss journey in 2009 with a crash diet. “I began my weight loss with a crash diet. I lost initially but was irritated and hungry most of the time. The weight came back in no time.” So the learning for her was that crash diets do not work. For a long term weight loss benefit, one needs to change their lifestyle. One needs to follow portion size, diet control and regular exercise. Point taken! “In 2011, I started reading up on nutrition, diet control and workouts. I started working out and watching what I ate. Soon I started to see the kilos drop. The more weight I lost, the more confident I became.” People didn’t take her quest for weight loss and fitness seriously. Friends used to call her out for junk food but she used to refuse. You can call her headstrong or focused, entirely up to you. But she religiously followed the diet and exercise routine. “I focused on fat reduction and body sculpting. One hour of walking and weight training worked wonders for me. I successfully reduced weight without stretch marks, lose skin, dark circles and other side effects.”
Sapna Vyas Patel – working out
Sounds like a dream. But it wasn’t easy. The lass put in mass efforts to reach where she is today – at 53Kgs. “In this yearlong weight loss journey, I reached my weight loss plateau thrice and those were the times I found myself discouraged. Alternating my workouts with tennis sessions and eating controlled portions of food helped me start losing weight again.” As the body gets used to a certain type of activity, it accommodates itself and barely feels any strain in repeating the activity. Alternate activity of the same strength definitely challenges the body. In 2012, when she finally reached her goal weight, she made a video of her weight loss journey and within two weeks got over a lakh hits. “I soon realised that many people found my struggle to lose weight inspiring. I was not only able to help myself but could help others too.” She also started an FB page where she shared her story, diet plan and other tips to ‘Look Wow!’ “More than 5 lakh visitors have benefitted from my tips. I have more than 97000 followers on FB. I am about to launch a self-help website to motivate, help and support others. The website will be free. I also hold inspirational seminars to motivate more people to achieve their goals.” Well, she is a certified Reebok trainer so you can take her weight loss tips seriously.
So, what are her future goals? Apart from being Ahmedabad’s Health Minister’s daughter and maintaining her appearances at many charity shows and health seminars, she has her academic plans in place. “I am currently pursuing doctorate under the guidance of a professor at IIM-A. I have done MBA from Nirma University, and Bachelors in psychology in St Xavier’s college.” She wants to travel the world and help more people to reach their weight loss goals. Kudos Sapna!
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