I’ve always loved the saying, ‘We overestimate what we can do in a month, and underestimate how much we can do in a year’.

It fits into all areas of life perfectly, and no better quote sums up Varun’s incredible achievement of dropping a 100lbs in just over a year.

At the start of his journey of triumph, Varun wanted to lose not only 100lbs of bodyweight and achieve, in his own words, ‘a champion physique’, but wanted to be rid of all the stress, fear and health issues (borderline diabetic) he was carrying with him too.

Not an easy mountain to climb, and one which’ll naturally draw you towards the ‘shiny objects’, the quick fixes, and the dreaded yo-yo cycles. It’s human nature, and it’s why so many of us overestimate what we can do in a short period of time. It’s easy to think a ‘magic pill’ can solve your problems in a month, but the reality as Varun experienced, is that small steps focusing on getting a little better every day is what really counts. Consistent, forward momentum.

What can unfold over the months and years can completely surprise you. Varun went from 113kg overweight with zero confidence to now changing his life to the point he’s reaching his potential in every domain. He’s changed careers to follow his passion (health, and helping others), he regularly goes on extreme adventures to test his capacity (14 day bike tour around half of India, anyone?), and he’s now transformed into a serial dater!

The physical is always the vehicle. It’s not the destination or the end point, but it’s the foundation of everything. And it’s what allowed Varun to push forward and live a life that’s on his terms.

With a new found love for writing, I’m going to now let Varun take over, and walk you through what he’s called:

‘I’m the Guy Who Lost 100lbs and Here’s 8 Amazing Things I Learned Along the Way’

I started off at 113.7kg with a 45.6kg waist, and when asked for pictures, I refused to take my top off and snap my current condition. It was extremely difficult, but I now regret it as it means I can’t show you the true level of progress. But here are my starting images from a picture I found at the same time of starting this journey with RNT:

After losing an initial 15kg, I finally took my first topless pictures here (around the 98-99kg mark):

Let’s now dive into how the next 12 months unfolded…

1) Finding Your ‘WHY?’

“He who has a why can endure any how.”

My ‘WHY?’ was strong.

I was borderline diabetic, depressed, obese and lived a life with no confidence to do anything. I wanted to change this badly, and I’d reached the tipping point where I was not settling for anything less. I needed to get out of this badly.

Figuring out this ‘WHY?’ was critical for me, and I strongly believe that knowing your “WHY?’ is the very important first step in figuring out how to achieve the goal that you’re super excited about.

The reason I failed so many times before despite often being ‘fired up’ and ‘motivated’ was because I hadn’t thought about my ‘WHY?’, and as Akash likes to talk about, my ‘why behind my why’.

Having my strong ‘WHY?’ proved to be a real game changer for me, because every time I wanted to give up (and there were plenty), and/or when the going got tough, my ‘WHY?’ is what pulled me through. It was stronger than any excuse and obstacle in the world my mind could think of and it helped me achieve my end goal.

2) Dedication Beats Motivation

I now love working out in the gym, and it’s safe to say it’s one of my favourite things to do. That said, I don’t always feel like doing it.

Due to my schedule, I wake up at 4.30am to hit the gym and do my steps, even when I don’t feel like it. Why? Because I know the value of training, and how important it is for me. I don’t rely on motivation. I rely on inspiration within, positive habits and dedication to my ‘WHY?’ Since adopting this mentality, I’ve realised the value of doing things because of their importance and how it affects me, not based on how I feel at the time.

3) The Power of Simplicity

“Simple is what produces the marvellous”.

I wasted so much money and time jumping at the latest fad, test, diet, pill and therapy without having the basics mastered: diet, training, general physical activity, rest/sleep, stress management and lifestyle.

I really hope my story here inspires others to ditch the ‘shiny object syndrome’ and take it back to basics. We need to focus on simplicity, and establishing a foundation of basics before investing our precious time, money and effort into something novel.

The complexity bias is crazy, because simple is great. Before even considering anything more complicated, I now ask: Have I slept well? Have I drunk enough water? Have I trained? Am I saying ‘NO’ enough to reduce brain clutter? Have I eaten well?

I’m still amazed at how powerful this is. And I truly believe one of RNT’s real differentiators is how simple they can keep an often bastardised process.

4) Consistency Trumps Everything

It’s not sexy, but it’s the magic pill I was looking for in all my searches. Consistency. A few months into RNT I realised this was the real secret to success.

I had no idea of its power. The power of sticking to one plan for long enough to actually see the results. I used to switch between training programs, diets and whatever else that looked fancier on the other side. Then I learned to water my own grass, and stop worrying about what was out there.

‘Shock your body’ is definitely the biggest lie that I ever fell victim to. . It might work well for some very advanced people, but consistency is actually what trumps everything, and that is the real magic pill that we’re all looking for.

5) Plan To Win

With how busy life can be, I quickly learned the importance of planning everything. In the context of a physical transformation, I planned my training, cardio, food, steps and supplements. Everything was planned so I could go on autopilot and focus on execution.

The value of planning has now carried over to all areas of my life, and I firmly believe that planning in things such as finances and career development has allowed me to ‘10x’ these domains.

6) The Value of Pain and Patience

This isn’t talking about pain and patience in the typical fashion. I want to talk about it in terms of letting go. This transformation taught and enabled me to have the patience to let go of things outside of my control, and to live with less stress, anxiety and frustration.

The innate ability to focus on myself and really become self-aware enabled me to hone in on my pain points, live through them, and know that with the right work and patience, I can let them go.

This is arguably the biggest change in me outside of the obvious 100lb drop in body weight.

7) Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

I had so many limiting beliefs when I started my journey. My fear of failure loomed over me. My fear of success was even greater. Could I really change? Should I change? Do I deserve to really change?

I felt weak and completely intimidated, but I quickly learned that this was okay. It’s normal to feel like that, so if there’s one piece of advice you take from this, it’s this. As the weeks and months go by, you’ll find yourself developing habits and routines that will make everything easier.

My fear of failure and success has drastically reduced. Need to drop 100lb to get insanely ripped? Sure, I’ve done it! Need to ask a woman out? You got this! Want to try something new and out of your comfort zone? Go for it.

It’s not been an easy journey. I’m writing this from an incredibly happy place, but there have been some very dark days, and some real lows. I’ve cried a lot. I’ve had constant strong urges to quit, injuries to make my life miserable, and all sorts of stigma and abuse handed to me. This has been a journey to hell and back, but I’m here. I’m standing and I’ve overcome all my demons. This is Varun 2.0.

8) Hire A Coach Who Cares

I’ve hired multiple ‘personal trainers’ in the past, tried all sorts of generic cookie cutter plans, and experimented with every ‘magical hack’ I could find on the Internet.

The result? Zero progress.

Enter RNT.

Working with RNT has redefined what I believe makes good coaching, and the value they can bring. At RNT they put the ‘personal’ in personal trainers (even though I don’t like calling them that – as I think of them as so much more!), and their invested level of care is incomparable.

As a result of working with RNT, and my own journey, I’ve now recently become a qualified personal trainer myself, and have grown a side business out of it too, with the hope to make it full time! Despite this, the accountability I gain from still working with RNT is invaluable, as it’s like having a second set of hands, eyes and a more experienced mind to help you out with things.

Final Stats & Pictures

At this point, I’m now 66.3kg (-47.4) bodyweight with a 27.7 inch waist (-17.9), and a completely different human being. You can see how I’ve transformed here!

[Note: the first ‘before’ picture show me at 30lbs lower than my heaviest, which was a few months earlier]

—

(Back to Akash)

Key Lesson to Learn

Witnessing Varun change has been truly transformative on every level. I recently travelled to Mumbai on a family trip where I was honoured to finally meet Varun, who flew down from Jaipur to train and enjoy some good food.

Hearing his ambition to take his career, relationships and his training to the next level was exciting, and is exactly what going through a transformation is all about. It’s the vehicle to change, and if you embrace the simplicity of the process, the sky really is the limit.

Varun’s lessons on the face of it seem straightforward. And that’s the whole point. He spent years chasing complexity, when the power and results lay in the simplicity that was always in front of him.

Next Plan?

After speaking with Varun, his next goal is to build muscle. After consolidating his gains, he’s in a prime position to go through a lengthy investing period. This is brand new to him, but if he approaches muscle building with the same tenacity, consistency and effort as his fat loss endeavours, I have no doubt we’ll see Varun 3.0 in a year’s time!

To read his testimonial:

”Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This is possibly the most accurate way of describing what RNT does for its members. Since commencing my fitness journey, their guidance and versatile approach have allowed me to not only transform from being overweight, depressed and borderline diabetic with zero confidence into something I never believed I could achieve, but also acquire a very thorough and comprehensive understanding of the science and art behind changing your body, and learning how to maintain it year-round.

Sure, there’s nothing special in what they are doing, but it’s RNT’s simplistic approach, educating while transforming, 5-star support and the personal touch they bring is what makes things magically different from every other online coaching company/platform out there.

I urge anyone with physique oriented goals to allow RNT to do for you what they have done for me, and I can almost guarantee you shall not be disappointed! Signing up to RNT has been the best decision I’ve made. I’ve lost 100+lbs (113kg > 66kg), 18 inches off my waist, switched careers, and changed my entire lifestyle to now serve me. All the stress, fear, doubt and borderline diabetes have left me. It’s been a hell of a journey so far. When I thought I couldn’t reach my goals, they always supported me and kept me going.

Had I not had RNT by my side, my dream of getting that cover model physique would’ve remained a dream itself. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – In a world full of so-called qualified, airbrushed and zero experience coaches, RNT are the real deal. A real game changer.

And for anyone worried online coaching doesn’t work? I’ve worked with RNT from Jaipur, India, halfway across the world from them. It’s not just about a diet or training plan, it’s so much more. It’s a simple, clear and the best roadmap to your goals. Even though it’s online, I feel like I know them all at RNT, and feel part of a community that lifts me and pushes me to a new level!

I really appreciate RNT’s investment into my life, and it’s really been an amazing experience so far! We’re only just getting started!

To read Varun’s feature in Men’s Health, click here.