25/01/2026

ON SUNDAY January 25, 2026 theSunday Special VIII

He lost 100kg in 10 months

What Avinaash really lost was a decade of his life

BY MATTHEW BARSING

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A doctor who had last seen him at 185kg was stunned when Avinaash returned weighing 138. The doctor lifted his shirt, struggling to believe what he was seeing. When Avinaash explained that he had barely been eating, the advice was immediate and firm. Supplements were no longer optional. Around him, speculation grew. Neigh bours asked what pills he was taking. What programme was he on? What secret was he hiding? There was none. The social impact of the weight loss was as dramatic as the physical change. When his sister and brother-in-law saw him again, they were shocked. The last time they had met, he weighed 185kg. Now he weighed 127kg. Neighbours ques tioned whether he was the same person they remembered from the building. For years, Avinaash had been seen only rarely outside his home. Family moments stayed with him the most. He had not visited his aunt since &KULVWPDV 'D\ :KHQ WKH\ ¿QDOO\ met again in October 2025, Avinaash weighed 83kg. His aunt smiled the entire time. He had never seen her smile like that before. “It made me firm. nal. Neigh aking. secret pact of as the n-law d. The

Avinaash today, after losing more than 100kg.

“ , JRW P\ MDZOLQH EDFN , ZDV ¿YH \HDUV old the last time I had one. I got it back at 27,” he said, smiling. At his lowest, Avinaash reached 83kg. Today, he maintains between 90kg and 95kg, fluctuating as he builds muscle through strength training while losing fat through cardio. He is adamant about one thing. What he did was dangerous. “This is not something people should copy,” he said. “Please get professional help. A dieti tian. A trainer. Someone who knows what they are doing.” If there is one myth he wants to dis mantle, it is the idea of shortcuts. “There are no magic diet pills. It’s not willpower. It’s routine,” he stressed. Today, that routine is non-negotiable. Two hundred grams of protein a day. Eight hours of sleep. Gym sessions without exception. He does not fear returning to his old life. “I was obese for over a decade. I’m not letting that happen again. I feel like I got a second chance,” he said. Success, for him, is tangible. “Imagine carrying a 10kg sack of rice from the supermarket,” he said. “Now imagine 10 of those removed from your body. That’s what it feels like.” Avinaash chose to share his story for one reason only. To stop someone else from repeating KLV PLVWDNHV +H ¿UVW WULHG H[WUHPH ZHLJKW loss at 15. Nearly succeeded. Then quit. Over the years, there were countless false starts. January gym memberships were abandoned before February arrived. What changed was not the method. It was persistence. “It’s not about how you try. It’s how many times you try,” he shared. Today, at 27, he trains at the same gym he quit after a few days back in 2016. He has not skipped a session. “Life will beat you to the ground. But you keep getting up. Hope. Because what HOVH LV WKHUH ´ KH UHÀHFWHG

A VINAASH did not lose 100kg in 10 months. He lost some thing heavier. Nearly a decade of his life. At his heaviest, he weighed 193kg. He was pre-diabetic. Doctors warned that if his lifestyle continued unchanged, there was a real possibility he could one day need oxygen support at night just to breathe in his sleep. He was 26 years old. For years, he was unemployed and ODUJHO\ FRQ¿QHG LQGRRUV UHWUHDWLQJ DOPRVW entirely from the world. Life narrowed. Days blended into one another. The out side world moved on without him. “It wasn’t just about being overweight. It was about not living,” Avinaash said. The moment that cracked everything open came on 31 October 2024. Scrolling through photos from a Halloween party, Avinaash saw people dressed up, laughing and enjoying them selves without a second thought. What struck him was not jealousy. It was grief. Because of his weight, he realised he had quietly excluded himself from ordinary human experiences. Dressing up. Attending parties. Feeling free in his own body. The frustration that followed was sharp and unexpected. But the deeper moment came later that day. Despite years of self-loathing, unem ployment and isolation, one truth had never changed. His parents had never stopped loving him. “No matter how useless I felt, my mother and father were still there,” he said. “That was when I knew I had to do something. Not for me. For them.” He started immediately. And failed. Two weeks in, cravings overwhelmed him. The weight returned. The disappointment IHOW ¿QDO

I feel like I got a second chance.”

Avinaash

happy. And it made me feel guilty for not visit ing,” he said. He does not pretend the journey was socially rich. “I don’t really have friends. But my sister and brother-in-law supported me. That mattered,” he said.

Then, on 1 January 2025, he began again. This time, there was no romance LQ WKH H̆ RUW 1R VORJDQV 1R LOOXVLRQ that it would be comfortable. T KH ¿UVW PRQWKV ZHUH EUXWDO Mentally exhausting. Physically painful. Hunger was constant. Avinaash did not follow a med ical programme or work with professionals. He created his own approach. Looking back, he is unsparing about it. “It wasn’t a diet. I was starving myself,” he said. At the beginning, he barely ate. He drank water and fought hunger pains day after day. Over time, as the weight dropped, he slowly re introduced food. Three simple meals a day. Small snacks. Green apples. Sugar was cut entirely. No sweet drinks. No indulgences. Only water. T KH ZHLJKW FDPH R̆ UDSLGO\ Too rapidly. Five months in, the con sequences surfaced. Avina ash developed severe nerve LQÀDPPDWLRQ LQ ERWK IHHW 7KH pain was constant. Blood tests later revealed severe vitamin and PLQHUDO GH¿FLHQFLHV ± % YLWDPLQV vitamin C, Omega-3 and calcium. His body was functioning without the basic necessities.

There was one moment of un complicated joy. Seeing his face in the mirror.

At his heaviest, Avinaash weighed 193kg ¾ěßϰţ¾łϰÙĢěżěãßϰ mainly indoors.