At 400 pounds, Kishan’s health was failing, his social life was suffering, and he was facing a possible foot amputation.
His story, and how he’s now devoting his life to helping others with their weight issues as CEO of DownsizeFitness.com.
“Yesterday you said tomorrow.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
Growing up, Kishan’s family struggled with weight and he recalls his father’s every-weekend promise that, starting Monday, he was going to go on a 30 day liquid diet.
Kishan himself grew up being heavier than the other kids in grade school. He weighed 200 pounds (91 kg) by age 12, and 400 (181.8 kg) by 19.
How Being Overweight Impacted Kishan’s Life
Kishan describes the tremendous amount of social pressure he felt, and a perspective where he saw that the world didn’t work out in his favor.
He recalls not having close friends, not dating, and how he believes that – even these days with the ease of online social interaction from home – “there is not substitute for human interaction.”
He shares that the isolation stemmed from embarrassment, and his attempts to avoid recognizing the large issue that was in front of him.
“No one gets to 400 pounds because they missed a few gym sessions or ate a couple of bags of potato chips.”
To make things worse, a diabetic foot ulcer was going to require the amputation of his right food. Cholesterol and all bodily indicators of health was in ultra failing condition.
“I really do believe that it [weight loss] is a solvable problem with a really simple answer. The problem really lies in expectations and how long things take.”
The Turning Point
One day, at his peak weight of 400 pounds, Kishan needed a suit for a job interview and didn’t have anything that fit. He went to the suit store and was measured to have a waist 62 inches around. (5.16 ft, or 157 cm)
“When you are 400 pounds, the only time you put on a suit is weddings, funerals and job interviews. Otherwise, it is sweatpants all the time.”
Kishan realized that something needed to change. He had decades of health harm to undo.
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
One of the first things Kishan had to understand was the concept of moving averages with calories. In other words, that one “bad” day or meal wouldn’t completely ruin the healthy habits practiced during the rest of the week.
“Cheat meals and cheat days are terrifying because they are other things that are just going to work against you.”
Kishan worked to make his weight loss a “thoughtless exercise.” He created a routine that had him eating the same thing every day and exercising at the same time daily.
“Really get the core fundamentals down and build it up from there.”
What Kishan Learned About Food, Exercise, and Himself
Kishan has grown to love cooking, and sees it as empowering. When he cooks, it lets him “be in control of [his] own destiny” and takes the guess work out of things.
He also focuses on his energy level and how is body is feeling.
“It’s a lot more about how you feel than how you look… When you feel good, you look good.”
Kishan’s Advice For Your Journey
- Try starting with two exercise classes a week, not 6, so that you don’t burn out.
- Be very careful about cheat meals turning into cheat days.
- Incorporate your weight loss into your life or you won’t succeed.
You cannot simply go away and do a week of exercise and come back and expect it to stick.
- Your mind and body will make things difficult at first, so there is no point in adding complexity by using technology.
- Learn and be aware of your triggers.
- “Don’t underestimate your own influence.”
- “You don’t have to suffer in silence.”
“Making that decision and having that spark is probably the most important thing.”
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
On Kishan’s Workout Playlist
Kishan has a “Hustling/Work” playlist on Spotify. Some of his favorite artists are:
- Jay-Z [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- Notorious B.I.G. [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- Nas [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- Kanye West [ Amazon / iTunes ]
Contacting Kishan
Kishan’s mission is now growing DownsizeFitness to reach and help as many people as possible. You can reach him here:
- Email at kishan [at] downsizefitness [dot] com
- Twitter @kish_sh and @DownsizeFitness
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