From 69 kg to 52.5 kilo: Mumbai fitness coach battles cravings, self-doubt to shed over 16 kilos and opens – The Economic Times

What would you do if the person promising to teach you discipline, resilience, and strength was the same one who had to wrestle herself out of the habits that kept her stuck?

From 69 kg to 52.5 kilo: Mumbai fitness coach battles cravings, self-doubt to shed over 16 kilos and opens – The Economic Times

You read that and you probably imagine before-and-after photos, dramatic music, and a neatly captioned post. But what you actually get, if you look closer, is a story about appetite, identity, work, and the slow, awkward unmaking of the voice that told her she wasn’t enough. This coach didn’t only change clothes sizes; she rewired the relationship she had with food, movement, and the people around her. You can learn from that.

Why this story matters to you

You might not want to lose weight. You might already be a coach, a client, or someone who has been told “just eat less.” What matters is how you read stories like this: do you use them as yardsticks, quick fixes, or permission to do hard, small things consistently? This article gives you the strategy, the pitfalls, and the human truth behind a transformation that is as much internal as it is physical.

The beginning: context and the honest setup

You need context before you can take anything practical from a transformation. She started at 69 kg. In a city like Mumbai, where people move, breathe, and edit their bodies and public images constantly, weight becomes language — subtle and harsh. She lost over 16 kilos to reach 52.5 kg. That’s not a drop-you-have-to-applaud moment; it’s hours, small decisions, setbacks, and the humility of admitting there were cravings and self-doubt.

Who she was and what she did for a living

She was a fitness coach — already positioned as an expert. That is both advantage and curse. As a coach, people put their expectations on her, and those expectations sometimes became a mirror that reflected back pressure, not freedom. If you’re in a profession built on the body, you know how often credibility is measured in kilogram and centimetre terms. That pressure shaped the urgency and the shame in ways you don’t always see on social media.

The social landscape of Mumbai

Mumbai is endlessly crowded, noisy, and has an appetite for reinvention. You know the city can be exhilarating and exhausting at once. Food culture is generous, social eating is deeply woven into career and friendship, and living spaces can compel compromise. In that environment, making sustainable changes requires more than willpower; it requires systems that fit your life, not the other way around.

The turning point: how decisions start

A turning point is rarely cinematic. It is an accumulation of small nights, unfinished promises, and a moment when you look yourself in the eye and decide to try differently. For her, it was a mix of professional stakes and private fatigue. Your turning point might be a wedding, a health scare, or a realization that you can’t keep coaching others before you get your own house in order.

The internal catalysts

You’ve felt that cognitive dissonance when your job asks you to appear a certain way and your body refuses to cooperate. It’s demoralizing. She was tired of feeling like a walking contradiction. That discomfort became fuel. If you’re waiting for motivation, realize it is often manufactured from dissatisfaction plus a plan.

The external catalysts

Clients asked questions she couldn’t answer from lived experience. Sponsors and colleagues judged. Friends tried to be helpful in ways that wounded. External pressure doesn’t create change, but it clarifies priorities. You can use it to set up guardrails — not as a whip, but as signals for where to focus.

The plan: how she structured the change

You can’t out-struggle design. She built a plan that respected biological reality, professional obligations, and emotional honesty. You’ll see the components below: nutrition, training, sleep, and psychological scaffolding.

Nutrition: more than calorie counting

She stopped thinking of food as a moral currency and started treating it as fuel and comfort in calibrated ways. She used portion control, protein prioritization, high-volume vegetables, and mindful treats. You should know that rigid “one-size-fits-all” diets fail because they ignore pleasure and context. Her plan included structure and scheduled flexibility.

• Protein at each meal to stabilize appetite.
• Vegetables for volume and micronutrients.
• Simple carb timing around workouts for performance.
• Controlled treats to avoid deprivation-driven binges.

You don’t have to give up foods you love. You have to choose when and how much.

Training: progressive, sustainable, and context-sensitive

As a coach, she knew how to program. She used progressive overload, compound lifts, and consistent cardio. But she also accounted for schedule variability. If you travel or late-night clients eat up time, micro-workouts and quality over quantity keep progress moving.

• Strength training 3–4 times weekly.
• Two moderate cardio sessions.
• One active recovery session (walk, yoga).
• Mobility work woven daily.

Consistency beats intensity if you can’t maintain the absurd intensity forever.

Sleep and recovery: non-negotiable

You’ve likely ignored sleep at some point because the city rewards hustle. She treated sleep as performance optimization. When you sleep better, cravings drop and decisions get easier. Aim for good sleep hygiene as a foundational habit.

Psychological strategies: re-scripting the narrative

She did cognitive work: identifying triggers, negotiating cravings, and re-authoring the voice of self-doubt. You should know that transformation requires mental labor. She learned to name the craving, delay gratification, and practice compassionate realism when she failed.

• Pause-and-name technique for cravings.
• 10-minute delay rule to assess true hunger.
• Journaling to notice patterns.
• Therapy or coaching for deep-rooted narratives.

The battle with cravings: tactics that worked

Cravings are biochemical, emotional, and social. You can’t just “will” them away. She used practical tactics that you can adopt.

Understand the type of craving

Not all cravings are the same. Was she physically hungry, emotionally craving comfort, or responding to cues like seeing food in the office? You must diagnose.

• Physical hunger: happens gradually, tied to timing.
• Emotional craving: urgent, often linked to feelings.
• Cue-based craving: triggered by sensory input.

When you can name it, you can treat it.

Practical, immediate tools

She used a set of immediate responses to cravings. You can deploy the same.

• Water first: sometimes thirst is misread as hunger.
• 10-minute pause with a distracting activity.
• Protein or fiber-rich small snack to blunt the spike.
• Brush your teeth — the mintiness reduces desire.
• Walk briefly to reset mood and hunger cues.

You’ll still have cravings. The goal is to reduce reactive eating.

The fight with self-doubt: strategies for your inner critic

Self-doubt is not a bug; it’s part of being human. She confronted it with evidence, community, and ritual.

Evidence collection

Track wins: a week of consistent workouts, a day without emotional snacking, a missed PR achieved. You need data that contradicts the narrative “you can’t.” She kept a small file of achievements. You should, too.

Community and accountability

She built a small, real community — not broad applause. You need people who hold you tenderly accountable: a friend who texts to check in, a coach who knows your history, or a peer group that doesn’t gaslight your progress.

Rituals of reassurance

Small rituals helped: morning breathwork, a written intention before training, a sign on the mirror that reads a truth you need to remember. Rituals don’t eliminate doubt, but they slow it down.

A sample weekly plan: what her week looked like

Below is a simplified table that models her weekly structure. Use it as a template, not a rule. You’ll need to customize to energy and schedule.

You’ll modify intensity and volume based on your training age and recovery. Her key was having a consistent skeleton for the week and the permission to alter it.

Meal example: practical, satisfying, manageable

A sample day of eating for her prioritized protein and satiety without moralizing food choices. You can copy, tweak, or use as inspiration.

You must calibrate portions to your basal metabolic rate and activity level. The point isn’t austerity; it’s sustainable, pleasurable structure.

The timeline: measurable progress and realistic expectations

Transformation is rarely linear. She dropped 16+ kilos across months, not weeks. You need realistic pacing and an acceptance of plateaus.

Expectations you should set

• Aim to lose 0.5–1% of body weight per week if healthy and supervised.
• Expect plateaus — they mean something: metabolism adapts, stress rises, sleep drops.
• Reassess after 4–6 weeks and adjust the plan with small increments.

What she did was measure trends, not daily weight. If you obsess over the scale every morning, you’ll lose patience quickly.

Sample progress table

This is illustrative. Your cadence will vary. The key is sustainable change and habit consolidation.

Opening the business: more than a ribbon-cutting

The headline says “and opens.” She opened a studio — a modest space that reflected her philosophy: accessible, no shame, skill-focused. Creating something public after a private struggle required courage and a clear mission.

From client to entrepreneur: the practical steps

You can turn transformation into a business only if you separate marketing from authenticity. She did the following:

• Drafted a business plan with realistic costs.
• Tested the idea with beta clients.
• Built a brand that leaned into honesty over perfection.
• Used social proof sparingly and meaningfully.

If you’re thinking about opening a space, you need to do financial modeling. Emotional momentum doesn’t pay the rent.

Her values embedded in the business

She prioritized accessibility, realistic pricing, and a no-shame culture. The studio wasn’t about extremes; it was about craft. You can make a business that reflects your values, but you’ll need operations systems and mental bandwidth to sustain it.

The emotional and financial cost: what nobody tells you

You will pay in time, energy, and sometimes relationships. She lost friends who couldn’t handle changes to routine. She had to decline meals and late-night drinks. She also had to invest in coaching, nutrition advice, and equipment.

Emotional toll

Change rewires social dynamics. People who dined with you may interpret your boundaries as rejection. That’s their issue, but you will feel it. Build emotional support as deliberately as you build your training plan.

Financial toll

You might spend on trainers, grocery upgrades, and studio rent if you open a business. Consider yes/no investments:

• Yes: quality protein, basic equipment, legal/business fees.
• Maybe: boutique supplements (trend-based), expensive gadgets.
• No: guilt purchases masquerading as investment.

Budget with brutal honesty.

Media, image, and credibility: the double bind

As a fitness coach, her body was evidence of competence. That’s unfair, and you know it. It creates a double bind: if you look “fit” you get access, but if you’re still transforming, people doubt you. She chose transparency instead of pretending inevitability.

How you can navigate public perception

If you work in an industry where image is currency, you can:

• Document the process without claiming perfection.
• Use evidence-based teaching to supplement image.
• Troll fewer vanity metrics and cultivate deeper testimonials.

Your credibility should be built on competence and compassion, not only on a promising before/after.

Common pitfalls and how you avoid them

You’ll be tempted by extremes. She faced the same and had tactics to avoid derailment.

Pitfall: all-or-nothing mentality

Solution: build micro-habits. Small wins compound.

Pitfall: overtraining while undernourished

Solution: prioritize recovery and nutrients. Strength is built on repair.

Pitfall: identity collapse when goals are achieved

Solution: plan for maintenance. Define what “success” means beyond numbers.

Pitfall: weaponizing shame

Solution: remember that shame narrows options. Use compassion and data.

What you can practically take from her story

This is the actionable list you can use tomorrow.

• Start with one sustainable change: bigger breakfasts, three strength sessions, or a fixed sleep window.
• Track trends, not daily fluctuations: weekly averages matter.
• Schedule treats and social meals so you don’t choose between social life and goals.
• Use a 10-minute rule for craving checks.
• Build a small support system that holds you accountable without shaming.
• If you open a business, run pilot programs first and budget conservatively.

You don’t need theatrical transformation to be legitimate. You need sustained, honest work.

Frequently asked questions you might have

You’re going to have questions. Here are pragmatic answers.

Will you lose weight if you simply eat less?

Possibly, but not sustainably. You might lose muscle and metabolic rate. Focus on nutrient quality and strength training.

How fast is too fast?

More than 1% body weight per week long-term risks metabolic and psychological harm. Slow is durable.

What if you don’t have time to exercise?

Make movement incidental: stairs, short walks, and strength protocols you can do in 20 minutes. Something is better than nothing.

Do supplements matter?

Not as much as protein, sleep, and consistency. Use supplements to fill gaps, not to substitute behavior.

The ethics of transformation stories

You must be cautious when you share and consume transformation narratives. They can empower and they can harm. She committed to transparency: sharing setbacks, acknowledging privilege, and naming the invisible labor. You should ask who profits from a picture and who is being harmed by a narrative of “fixed” bodies.

How to tell your story responsibly

• Acknowledge complexity.
• Offer tools, not miracle claims.
• Center sustainable practices over shock value.
• Avoid moralizing language around food and bodies.

You can change and still critique the systems that make you feel insufficient.

Final reflections: what you carry forward

You should leave this with three truths:

• Transformation is not a performance; it is a process.
• Pleasure and discipline can coexist; they must.
• Your body’s number does not define your worth.

She opened a studio and in doing so created a space where the work continued — for herself and for others. If you are thinking of making a change, consider what you are stepping toward, not just what you are stepping away from. Plan with tenderness and accountability. Expect setbacks and treat them as data.

You will want a roadmap. Keep it simple. Start with one small change and build a week’s worth of wins. The rest is patience, repetition, and learning to be kinder to yourself as you work.

Resources to help you get started

Below are compact, practical resources she used. You can adapt them to your context.

• A basic strength program (3 days/week, total-body focus)
• Protein-focused meal templates
• Short guided journaling prompts for cravings and emotions
• A peer accountability checklist for habit consistency

If you want the specifics — the exact workouts, portion sizes scaled to your metrics, or sample business budgeting spreadsheets — ask and you’ll get them tailored to your life and goals. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start; you need one reasonable first step, and you need to keep taking it.

Source: https://news.google.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?oc=5