How intermittent fasting helped Hong Kong banker shed 17kg, then another 15kg after he put on weight working from home in the pandemic
- Before he turned 50 Sumanta Panigrahi lost 17kg by intermittent fasting – ‘the best birthday gift I could give myself’ – but put back 6kg working from home
- A stricter fasting schedule, weight training, running and morning dog walks helped him shed that weight and more to reach a healthy 85kg
Sumanta Panigrahi’s fitness journey personifies resilience and fortitude. During the pandemic, like so many of us, he put on weight – in his case, 6kg. But two years earlier he had worked hard to shed 17kg, going from a high of 111kg to 94kg.
Determined to lose the excess weight and keep it off for good, he lost 15kg within a year – reducing his weight to 85kg – and has sustained his new-found fitness level. What inspired Panigrahi to embark on his original fitness journey? And how was he able to shed the extra kilos, not once but twice?
Panigrahi, from India, is a senior executive with an international bank, and has called Hong Kong home for over a decade. He began working from home after the pandemic struck.
“I am a foodie. Spending more time at home gave me the opportunity to cook, which resulted in overindulgence,” says the 54-year-old, who is 1.79 metres (5ft 10½ inches) tall.
Panigrahi’s love of food led to his weight going up to 111kg in August 2017.
