Yo-yo dieter.

Plan-hopper.

Wheel spinner.

Some of the terms Praveen had to learn to disassociate from through his RNT journey.

All his life Praveen had nurtured a love for sports. He was always active and spent the time playing his favourite games. But unfortunately, his activities weren’t supported with proper nutrition.

He carried on in this trajectory through his teens and early 20s.  And over time, his poor food choices significantly impacted his well=being.

The reality was, he had no knowledge of how to lead a balanced, holistic, active life.

It all came to a tipping point in Oct 2020, when Praveen had a harrowing experience working 18 hour days at a start-up.

“I was slaving it out at work and I had no time to even think about my well-being or to exercise. It got so bad that I had quit that job, but not before the stress had taken a major toll on my health.”

During this much needed sabbatical, Praveen was set on improving his health.

Eager to boost his activity levels, he started to play recreational sports like soccer and badminton. Unsurprisingly, after months of inactivity, the sudden surge of activity didn’t land well.

“I ended up hurting my knees and completely tore my ACL. I was in total shock as my body was completely falling apart and I wasn’t even 40 years old. To add to it all, my urologist told me that I was really low on testosterone. He prescribed some medication and recommended I start strength training to boost my T-levels. That’s when I stumbled onto RNT!”

Forming New Habits

Praveen’s journey towards a healthier lifestyle was riddled with a multitude of challenges. To begin with, he had to overcome a lifetime of poor nutrition habits.

“Growing up, my diet mostly consisted of fried foods and saturated fat oils. Vegetables weren’t given enough importance. I was also always encouraged to finish the food on my plate. My parents had an almost zero tolerance policy for wasting food which I carried into my adulthood.”

Breaking away from these habits and adopting a healthy approach to food was hard, at first.

“I could barely stomach the food in the Clean The Palate phase. But I kept telling myself that this style of clean eating was what I needed more than anything else.

After a couple of weeks, I got into the rhythm of things and it became so much easier. I also found foods I enjoyed eating, which was a game changer.”

Apart from nutrition, Praveen had to get to grips with his training regimen.

As a father to a young child, he had to plan his week in advance and block off time to get in his steps and training.

To keep him progressing, Praveen had one aim -  staying consistent.

“I’ve plan-hopped so many times and I’ve tried so many fad diets. So at first it was hard for me to stick to the plan. But I had read so many of the case studies and listened to so many of the podcasts, so I willed myself to trust in the process.”

Praveen and his wife had joined RNT together so trying to fit in slots around work and taking care of their son was challenging.

“After a lot of back and forth on who gets which training slot, I decided to wake up at 4:30 and train at 5am. My son didn’t need me at that time, my wife didn’t want to go to the gym at that time, so it made sense. And I’m so glad I did, I love the routine and discipline this has brought into my life.”

After 18 months, Praveen still heads to bed early to wake up at 4:30 and train at 5am. It’s become a part of his routine and he loves it.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

From the start, Praveen was ready to pull all the stops and commit to the programme. As a person who thrives on structure, he enjoyed the fact that he didn’t have to waste energy on thinking. He just had to set the plan in motion. 

“I learnt so much about strength training through the journey. Realising that cardio alone wasn’t enough to build a strong physique was eye-opening.

The first few months were just spent on building stamina and resilience. But I didn’t miss a single session - I made it a point to tick off all my non-negotiables. I have never had so much energy in my life.”

A big learning curve for Praveen was controlling his portion sizes.

“In the past I’ve struggled with overeating and bingeing. When I was at an all-you-can-eat buffet I felt like I had to eat my money’s worth. But the after effects were disastrous and I felt them almost immediately!

When I lost control at a social event, I felt devastated at losing days of progress. To compensate I would do crazy amounts of cardio and have even under-reported my scale weight. Snapping out of this binge-starve cycle has been my focus throughout the process.”

With the support of his coach and through the weekly coaching calls Praveen learned to change the way he approached social situations.

“I enjoyed the weekly coaching calls and the soul-searching conversations I had with my coach. The little nuggets of wisdom made me feel supported throughout the journey. Thanks to that support, I feel completely in control in all social situations, even when there is a spread of my favourite foods on offer.  I am able to limit my portion sizes and I am not as food focused any more.

Even when friends and family are pressing me to eat more or get an alcoholic drink I don’t feel compelled to give in. I no longer need alcohol to define my social identity.”

Nailing The Lifestyle Solution

When Praveen got to photoshoot condition, he just couldn’t believe that he was looking at himself in the pictures.

“I never thought I would ever sport a six-pack! Reaching that goal was a dream come true and I felt amazing.”

The real challenge was in navigating The Consolidation Phase. With the increased flexibility in meals and the boost in calories, he found himself snacking and reaching for foods he used to enjoy before he started RNT.

“I had to hit a hard reset and then slowly change my approach to nutrition. It was a hard lesson and one I’ve still not completely mastered, But I am getting much better at it every week.”

Setting New Standards

Praveen is so glad he didn’t let the cost of the programme keep him from signing up.

“RNT has helped me recover physically, mentally, emotionally from a traumatic startup job that had a serious impact on my physical, mental and emotional health.  The process has unlocked a new me, I have so much more energy now and I am able to show up and give my best in all areas of my life.”

Through the process, Praveen has more clarity than ever before. This has helped him take stock of his relationships and make monumental changes.

“When I was deep into The Grind of The Process Phase I made some difficult decisions to streamline my relationships. Before RNT, I didn’t have the self-confidence to stand in my own truth.

Never have I felt so happy, liberated and optimistic about what life can bring.”

The Podcast

Praveen talks about his journey from confusion to clarity in greater depth in Ep 363 of RNT Fitness Radio. In this episode he says, “What started as an aesthetic journey has evolved into finding holistic, long term health. Plus my son thinks I have muscles like a superhero!”