Arthi Kumar’s Transformation Story

Guest article by Shwetha Bhatia

After trying everything under the sun to lose weight, a 40+ year old Arthi Kumar adopted lifestyle changes that not only helped her shed the extra fat and get sculpted, but also maintain the results. Let’s hear it from her..

1. How did you manage to transform?
My son was my motivation & role model. He is seriously into fitness. Initially I used to do cardio for 1 hr in the morning and 1 hr in the evening. After struggling to get the desired results, Mr. Chaitanya Shah, introduced me to Shwetha Bhatia, the dietician who put me on a diet regime and also gave me workout guidelines. My workout coupled with her diet plan has transformed me.

2. Why is weight training important?
People think exercise means randomly walking, jogging or yoga.It has to be structured with a balance of weight training & cardio. My results accelerated after I started weight training. It maintains muscle and in turn that boosts the metabolic rate and leads to fat loss.

3. Do you think a combination of exercise with diet has helped u maintain the results?
Definitely! An adequate protein intake is a must, otherwise the exercise will not produce the expected results. The diet and exercise must be in sync.

4. Are you feeling fitter and more energetic?
I’m never low on energy; neither during the day nor during my workout. Overall I feel fitter and more energetic.

5. What is the message you would like to convey to those looking for weight loss?
Exercise is not a punishment for eating extra calories. It’s a celebration of what your body is capable of performing! Don’t be obsessed by the weighing scale. Body composition (fat:muscle) is a better indicator of health and fitness than body weight. Weight loss is just the bonus or by product of being fit. Do not make dieting and exercise a short term project just to lose weight. It’s a process that should continue as long as we are alive!!

Shwetha Bhatia is a registered dietician with the Indian Dietetic Association. She runs her practice under the brand name “Metamorphosis’ in Mumbai. She is also a competitive fitness athlete (IBBF Bronze winner at the State & National Level 2015). She has also set up her own gym and nutrition counselling centre in Goa called Gym & Tonic. She’s also a columnist for the fitness magazine Krunch Today.