Real Life Weight Loss Journey: There are times when we try anything and everything to lose weight but nothing works. From hitting the gym to controlling your diet when you don't see results, then you stop following it. Like any other person who struggles with weight, Manvi Kedia too had accepted her fate of being fat. She accepted that her body will never change and this is how it will be. However, her passion for dancing paved the way for her and changed her destiny. The 23-year-old Manvi who once weighed 93 kgs, now weighs 59 kgs. Here’s how she lost 34 kgs within 1.5 years!

“I tried going to a gym but had zero motivation to continue it and left it within a week. Being a foodie I couldn’t continue following a strict diet, so I just accepted that I would be like this forever. But by the end of the pandemic, I joined a dance class around November 21, just to kill time as dancing is something that I like. Little did I know that within 2 months of continuous dancing, I will start seeing major changes in my body which will start my journey for weight loss,” Manvi said.

What Inspired You To Embark On This Journey?

“My journey didn’t start with the purpose of losing weight, it started with me starting something that I loved (dancing) and weight loss gradually happened. A lot of people feel that you need to be fit to dance, but it is the other way around, you dance to stay fit, and it helps you to stay fit, I promise,” Manvi said.

Like any other person, Manvi used to compare herself with other people a lot which used to make her feel disappointed. “I used to get disappointed by comparing myself with others. It took me a lot of time to accept the fact that everyone has their journey. Comparison only led to frustration. I realised that the only person worth comparing to me was myself, and that’s when I started celebrating small wins. As small as doing one push-up right helped a lot,” she said.

“Another challenge was being consistent. I think a lot of people struggle with being consistent over time. For the initial 3-4 months I had crazy determination but it slowly started to fade away. My mentor pushed me immensely to keep at it, he always says make your bad days less bad and your good days better. That is something which has stuck with me,” she further said.

It’s essential to focus more on the bigger picture as it helps to stay motivated, and this is what happened with Manvi. Her loved ones celebrated her small wins which kept her going. “Thankfully I had amazing people around me, who always celebrated my small wins with me. We tend to always look at the bigger picture and get disappointed if we don’t achieve our goals. I always set small goals for myself and made a point of celebrating small wins because I strongly believe when you keep seeing small changes it helps you keep motivated and gives you a reason to continue on your desired path,” she said.

Manvi’s fitness regime majorly revolved around dancing. Her regime included rigorous dancing of 3-4 hours that included basic core, arms and quads workout. “As I was dancing and was surrounded by people who were cautious of their eating habits, my junk food intake reduced significantly and I shifted to eating mostly home-cooked food, which included more protein and fibre,” she said.

Did You Encounter Any Setbacks, And If So, How Did You Overcome Them?

“When I started, my body had zero strength and zero muscle, it was mostly just fat. I started training and I built strength over time but every time I tried something new, some new movement or a new exercise I used to struggle and I always used to feel that was why I had to start from zero. But eventually, I realised that initially, it used to take me months to get a movement right, but now even if I struggle I would get it right within a few days,” Manvi said.

“I always say this that the only thing that will bring a change in you is you, your discipline and consistency. Our mind is a very strong tool, if we set it to something then nothing can move us. If you feel you are not seeing any results, just keep going because sooner or later you will, just don’t give up,” she said.

Achieving your weight loss goals not only makes you feel light but also changes the perception of people around you. “It feels unreal being on the other side of the weighing scale. My lifestyle has become healthier and happier. I would always be thankful to dance, if not for dancing I would have never transformed the way I did,” she said.

“Life has changed quite a lot, majorly it’s the people around me who have changed their perception about me. Now when anyone sees me first of all they don’t recognise that it’s the same person, and secondly, it gives them a sense of inspiration, if she can do it why not us. I feel so happy and grateful that I can inspire a few people today, never in my dreams had I thought that this would happen,” Manvi further said.