Name: Hemanth Rao
Age: 37
Starting Weight: 120 kg , Weight Loss 40 kg
Current Weight: 105 kg ( +20 kg muscle gain in 5 years )
Weight loss tips sound simple when we say them aloud. Eat less. Move more. Stay consistent. But anyone who has tried knows it is never that straightforward. We promise ourselves we will start from Monday. We clear out the junk food. We join a gym. And then life happens. Work gets busy. A family function comes up. Cravings creep in late at night. Slowly, quietly, we slip back into old habits and find ourselves at the same starting point again.
Hemanth Rao knows that cycle well. The difference is, he found a way not to let his relationship with food end in losing the extra kilos. He only transformed it.
Today, at 37, he is an Advanced Fitness Coach at Fittr. But a few years ago, he was over 120 kgs and struggling to recognise the athlete he once was.
From college athlete to 120 kgs
In college, Hemanth was deeply into sports. He played basketball and participated in athletics. Training was part of daily life. Staying active did not require motivation, it was simply routine.
“Things changed when I stepped into business full-time. Work took over, long hours became the norm, meals turned irregular and rushed, and exercise quietly disappeared. First I skipped a workout, then a week, then months slipped by,” Hemant shared with FinancialExpress.com.
“Food became my comfort after long days. I would randomly eat anything throughout the day and then binge at night. There were no medical issue behind the weight gain. Just a lifestyle that had completely shifted. Over three years, my weight climbed past 120 kgs,” he further added.
The trek that changed everything
The reality of it did not hit him immediately. He carried on, telling himself he would get back in shape ‘soon.’ The wake-up call came during a trek to Nag Tibba with friends.
What should have been an enjoyable outing turned into a struggle. He was breathless. His knees and back hurt. He could not keep up. At one point, he realised he might not even complete the trek.
“That was the moment I knew something had to change,” he shared with me.
It was not about how others saw him. It was about how he felt in his own body. He loved the mountains. He understood that if he wanted to keep doing the things he enjoyed, he had to take responsibility for his health.
Starting simple, staying serious
When he returned from the trek, he did not wait for another ‘perfect’ Monday. He signed up at the nearest gym.
“In the beginning, I kept it simple, strength training and some cardio. After a few weeks, I hired a coach to learn proper technique and structure. During this time I also stopped eating outside food and began paying attention to what came in my plate,” he told me.
He did not follow an extreme diet. He did not eliminate everything he liked. Instead, he focused on balance and protein intake, including eggs, paneer, chicken, in every meal.
“My breakfast was usually eggs with bread, or poha or upma paired with eggs. Lunch was rice with paneer and vegetables, plus a bowl of curd. Snacks included fruits, foxnuts, or sometimes even a cheeseburger with whey protein. Dinner was homemade chicken biryani with boneless chicken and rice, balanced with vegetables,” he shared.
He ate food he enjoyed. He just ate it differently this time.
When structure made the difference
After a few months, although he was losing weight, he felt his results could be better. His training and nutrition were not fully structured. That is when he connected with a coach, who helped him understand quantified nutrition and planned strength training.
His workouts followed a push-pull-legs split, training each muscle group twice a week. He aimed for around 12,000 steps daily and added cardio when required.
Over 18 months, he lost 40 kgs.
Changing his relationship with exercise
Earlier, exercise had become something he avoided. Now, it became his favourite part of the day. “It feels like a games period in school,” he says. “It is my time. It clears my head.”
Instead of working out to punish himself for gaining weight, he began training to feel strong. The shift in mindset made consistency easier.
Handling motivation, cravings and low days
Like any long journey, there were difficult phases. Busy work schedules. Family commitments. Days when motivation dipped.
What helped was support from people around him who encouraged him to stay on track. He also drew inspiration from the transformation of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli. Watching someone commit to fitness at the highest level reminded him that discipline delivers results.
Importantly, his diet was never extremely restrictive. Because he allowed himself flexibility, cravings did not spiral into binge cycles.
Beyond the 40 kg milestone
“When I crossed the 40 kg weight loss mark, the number on the scale felt satisfying. But I was even more proud of reaching single-digit body fat and building a physique I once thought was impossible,” he said.
He celebrated the milestone with a professional photoshoot, something he had never imagined doing at his heaviest.
That moment pushed him to think bigger. While studying exercise science and nutrition, he decided to pursue bodybuilding seriously.
From personal goal to professional purpose
As friends and acquaintances noticed his transformation, many began asking for advice. Gradually, he realised he wanted to help others achieve similar results.
Today, as an Advanced Fitness Coach at Fittr, he works with people who feel stuck, the way he once did.
Interestingly, his journey did not end with weight loss. Over the next five years, he focused on building muscle and strength, gaining around 20 kilos of lean muscle. His current weight is 105 kgs but stronger, fitter and healthier than before.
His biggest lesson: Consistency over intensity
If there is one message Hemanth repeats often, it is this: consistency matters more than intensity.
“People think they need extreme workouts,” he says. “The truth is, even moderate workouts done consistently can change your life.”
Weight loss is tough. Cravings do not disappear. Motivation does not stay high forever. But steady effort, repeated day after day, can quietly rebuild a body, and a life.
What does a nutritionist say about Hemant’s transformation?
To know if this was the right way to lose weight, I got in touch with Dt. Karuna Chaturvedi, Head – Clinical Nutrition, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Noida.
She shared that this physical transformation shows that a balanced and practical approach to food and fitness truly works. Eating in controlled portions, focusing on enough protein, and being mindful of calories likely helped create a calorie deficit while protecting muscle. Protein-rich foods like eggs, paneer, and chicken provide essential nutrients that help maintain muscle even during weight loss.
“At the same time, allowing occasional treats like biryani or a cheeseburger shows flexibility. This makes a diet easier to follow in the long run and reduces the chances of unhealthy eating patterns. Sustainable results rarely come from extreme restriction; they come from balance,” Dt Chaturvedi said.
She further explained that a high-protein diet gives the body what it needs to build and maintain muscle. When combined with regular strength training, it helps burn fat without losing muscle. “Following a structured workout routine such as push, pull, and leg exercises along with staying active (for example, walking 12,000 steps daily) can improve metabolism and support muscle growth,” she further told me.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. While the author has incorporated expert medical guidance while producing the story and ensured full authentic information is provided to the reader, you should always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.