If you want to live a long and healthy life, one of the most important things to do is eat healthy and keep a track of your meals. Overindulging in food and vices almost always leads to sudden weight gain and even fatigue-ness.

32-year-old Ashish Balure tells us that he moved to the US in 2017, and in a new country, amongst new friends, he had no control over his eating habits. This led to not just a sudden weight gain but also multiple health issues. I moved to the United States for work, two years ago, I was living in company provided accommodations - hotels mostly. So naturally, during this period, I wasnt cooking my own meals. I made peace with whatever was readily available, think burgers and pizzas."

Plus, my job as a senior management consultant was very demanding. I was always on my toes as my work wasn't time-bound. After living like this (living on junk food and working at odd hours) for 8-9 months, I realised two things. One: I wasnt following good sleeping patterns. Two: Id become obese at 89 kgs with 29 percentage body fat. I had also become a very negative person and started having issues with my lower back."

"A constant feeling of fatigue and lack of energy would also prevent me from doing my daily chores properly. Gradually, this also started affecting my work! he recalls.

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To tackle these issues, especially the back pain, I reached out to chiropractors and doctors. Certain medicines prescribed by them did help me relieve the pain for some time, but more or less - this had become my lifestyle now! I used to also consume very little water, drink a lot of sugary juices along with very sweet tea. And, I think, all of this started showing on my body by way of fat and aches.

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Finally, what led me to a fitter path was a conversation with my wife, followed by a conversation with a friend in Mumbai. While my wife helped me understand why I might be feeling low and mentally frustrated all the time, my friend criticised me for my belly fat. That was my trigger and motivation to lose weight."

"I looked in the mirror and observed my body, only to realise that I was the destructor of my own life and the excess fat was taking a toll on my health. This very day, I decided to rewrite my lifes narrative by working out, losing weight and channeling a positive attitude with the help of the below plan."

To lose weight, the first step I took was - write down goals for each aspect of my body and transformation, and read it every day! Post which, I started working out at home for a month before enrolling myself in a gym. I did this to ensure my consistency in regard to my workout routine."

"This is what my home workout routine included: 10 reps of push-ups + 10 reps of free style squats with a gradual progression.

When I finally joined a gym, I started working out 6 days/week. And on the seventh day, I played football, cricket or went swimming to burn daily calories.

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After 1.5 months of consistently being able to follow up on my workout routine, I enrolled with a personal trainer for 8 weeks. Together, we created a workout and diet plan to benefit my overall health."

"Essentially, the idea to enrol with a personal trainer was to improvise my form while lifting weights so I could achieve a desired output. We also set up a realistic goal of reducing my body's fat percentage by 6-7 per cent in those 8 weeks. Heres what that diet and workout routine plan looked like" -

Balure followed a simple 6-meal diet plan and also upped his water intake to 3-4 litres a day.

Meal 1: 1 serving Oatmeal with Almond milk and Cinnamon + 12 cup Blueberries

Meal 2: A blow of Greek Yogurt + 12 bowl Fruit

Meal 3: Chicken (around 150 grams) + 1 bowl of Rice + 2 portions of any Green Vegetables

Meal 4: 15 Almonds + low-carb Protein Bar

Meal 5: A cup of Tea and 3 Whole Eggs

Meal 6: Chicken/Fish/Tofu (around 150 grams) 2 portions of Vegetables + half a bowl of Rice

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I created an entire weight loss workout plan with my trainer, which was based on my body type. My body type is an endomorphic in nature, which means I gain fat very easily, so doing HIIT and heavy weightlifting were the best approaches for me to get lean.

Flat Bench Press

Incline Bench Press

Decline Press

DB Flies

Matrix Treadmill Sprint 30s

Shoulder Press

Split Squat Jumps

Plank

Ropes

Ball Slams

Wall sit

Ball pass

Lat Pulldown

Asst. Chin up

T bar/Barbell Row

Low Row

Plank

DB Crunch

Side Plank

Lying Leg Raise

Over the Mountain

Mountain Climbers

Bicycle Abs

Russian Stack

Squats

Lunges

Quad Ext

Calf Raise

Goblet Squat

Weighted Box Step up

Glute Kickback

Opposite arm Opposite Leg

Split Squat

JumpsIce Skaters

Wall sit

Crab Walks

Stiff Legged deadlift

Hip Adduction + Abduction

Exercise ball ham curl

Ham String Curl

Ropes or Burpees

Push ups

Sit ups

Lateral Raise

Close grip push-up

Biceps Curl

Shoulder Press

Superman(s)

Shoulder Press

Lateral Raise

Reverse Pec Deck

21's

Hammer Curl

Forearm Curl

Biceps Curl

Skull Crusher

Close Grip Push ups

Rope Cable Ext

Triceps Pushdown

Running 3 kms

Swimming

Each activity was done for 3 sets with increasing weight size in multiples of 20. The first set comprised 25 reps, second - 20 reps and the third one comprised 10 reps.

The biggest challenge for me on this journey was to be able to finish these sets after the personal training was over. I had to mentally push myself to finish 25 reps. But, believe me, its all a mind game! If one decides to do it then you can really do it! The first few days were hard, but after that my mind started directing me in the correct direction to finish the required sets and reps.

I have been able to maintain my current weight by completely curbing processed sugar, oily food and junk food from my diet. This also includes aerated drinks. Even the tea that I drink now is sugar-free.

I also indulge in one cheat meal per week. Cheat meals help the body restart and follow a diet routine even better. People often confuse a cheat meal with cheat day where they eat anything for an entire day - this is wrong.

Gautam Buddha once said, To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. Going by this saying, if you want to lose weight and maintain it, you should treat it as a duty. This will help you stay consistent and get a desired result.

Disclaimer: The diet and workout routines shared by the respondents may or may not be approved by diet and fitness experts. GQ India doesn't encourage or endorse the weight loss tips & tricks shared by the person in the article. Please consult an authorised medical professional before following any specific diet or workout routine mentioned above.

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How to lose weight like this guy, who lost 15 kgs after realising that he was on the brink of obesity - GQ India - What a man's got to do