Amrutha Mohan is on a selfie spree these days. And why not? The 25-year-old has worked hard to become a healthy 72 kg as compared to her former 105 kg self. “My mom is annoyed with me these days as I wake her up each morning asking if my belly is still flat,” laughs Amrutha, who won the Miss Kerala Athletic Physique 2018 organised by the Kerala Sports Council recently.
Amrutha, a fifth degree black belt holder in Karate and a national coach and judge of the martial art form, says: “I was always an active kid. I started learning Kalaripayattu at the age of four, karate at the age of seven... I have a black belt in Kung Fu and started power lifting in 2014 but have always weighed 100-plus. That was because I was a major foodie; I would eat twice of what I burnt out daily. However, despite my weight, I used to be able to do perfect splits, somersaults and the like and have won major karate, Kung Fu and power lifting competitions.”
Her turning point or “wake up call”, occurred during a National Power Lifting competition in Kashipur, Uttarakhand. She lost the medal because her opponent weighed 200 grams lesser then her. “It pricked my ego; my rival was 200 grams lighter and still picked the same weight easily,” says Amrutha who is an international power lifting coach and referee.
Amrutha Mohan - before and after
Upon returning to the city after the event, Amrutha put up a “goal chart”; she was to lose 37 kilograms in 100 days. “I started working out 10 hours a day: three hours of gym in the morning, two hours of swimming, two hours of karate and another three hours of gym in the evening.”
Her diet consisted of 10 to 15 boiled egg whites and four to five glasses of tender coconut water. “I was adamant that I would be the right weight and compete in the 68 to 72 kilogram category as opposed to the previous 82 kilogram category.”
So, is she still on that diet? She laughs: “No. I avoid rice and chappatis. Instead, I have green salads, grilled chicken, fresh juices sweetened with honey... Although I do allow myself cheat days, I don’t feel like having junk food or fried stuff these days. It helps that my present group of friends are fitness enthusiasts themselves,” she says.
Ever since she has lost weight, she has been on a shopping spree. “It feels amazing to be able to shift from XXL to medium. My hips and legs are still heavy though but I am working on them.”
So, what next? “Well, I be joining American University of Sharjah as head coach soon. I have started cross fit training and plan on training further in Dubai.”
(A close encounter with people and places in the city)
