When Golden ventured into the gym, he did so with cautious steps. “I’ve tried going to the gym so many times and then I gave up,” he laughs. And so he got help. “So I approached a trainer [at my gym] there and took a few sessions – his name is Alton Antony – I just started with him and he gave me a custom diet plan and exercise.”
Having someone to hold him accountable for straying from the right path worked well for the expat. “I started functional training for the first few months – and I ate less carbohydrates. I started to lose weight,” he says. As the pounds came off, says Golden, he started to feel more and more confident. He started imagining himself leaner and more muscular — and so he started working harder. “When I was 99- reached 98, I was excited, then I knew I could do it.”
The first few weeks were tough on his body, Golden recalls; it was used to good food and little exercise – now not only was the energy consumed, but the calories consumed were also limited. But, he says, it’s all about mindset. “In my head I set a goal to lose weight — and that was that,” he says. That said, he does admit to having some hiccups along the way. “Often I’ve told the trainer there’s no chance I could go to 100,” he sheepishly admits, adding that in times like these, trainers and coaches can really help.
So things like sugar and starchy vegetables were removed from the menu. Portion sizes were carefully chosen and planned. The only consumable that multiplied was water. “My water intake used to be less than a liter, now it’s three and a half liters,” he explains.
Today Alden, who weighs 84 kg, has lost 32 kg. “When I went to the gym, my waist circumference was 40. Now it’s 34,” he says, adding that this new frame has led to a change in his confidence, in his ability to interact with people. He adds that he is now more energetic than ever. His sugar levels are under control and as for the name ‘thadiya’, which means ‘fat man’, that name is a thing of the past.
