How I lost 120 pounds (even though I broke my back) | Harjot Atwal

Law360 Canada (May 2, 2024, 1:03 PM EDT) --

Harjot Atwal

“You didn’t gain all your weight in one day; you won’t lose it in one day. Be patient.” — Jenna Wolfe

I recently posted on LinkedIn the story of my 120-pound weight loss between December 2022 and April 2024 and was told it was inspirational. I thought I would share the story with the wider legal profession, flesh it out and also add in the part where I suffered a compression fracture in my back and a spinal epidural hematoma.

In December 2022, I weighed approximately 400 pounds (I’m six foot five, so it may not look to be exactly that much at first glance). My diet had become extremely poor, I had been consuming very high-calorie beverages extensively, I was certainly depressed, and I worked very little that year in the practice of law. It was time for a change, which included following a well-known treatment program very thoroughly.

Back to the weight part. Between 2010 and 2014, in law school, I gained 100 pounds. I wrote about it here 10-plus years ago. Essentially, I would get super stressed during exam time, and I would gain 10 to 20 pounds each exam session. I mention eating lots of pizza and consuming quite a bit of coffee (the very high-calorie beverages were also involved at that time too).

As I went through articling and became a lawyer, I was mostly focused on getting as good at my job as possible and learning as much as I could. Occasionally, I would try to get in shape but give up soon thereafter.

The first step to my weight loss was controlling my diet. I tried different dieting strategies. At first, there was a lot of lean chicken. Eventually, I settled on “Healthy Choices” meals. They are generally 300 calories or fewer, so I could have an accurate idea of calories consumed per day.

After a couple of months, I started going to the gym. But, partially because I would get self-conscious going there and partially because the nearest GoodLife is 20–25 minutes away from my house, I soon decided to start walking outside

With walking outside, I enjoyed the fresh air and the scenery, and I started taking photographs again. Moreover, I could break up the walks into one-hour segments of five kilometres each and go multiple times a day (particularly because I have greater schedule flexibility with my own law firm and can work remotely). Eventually, I got up to walking three times a day. I also did keep walking outside during the winter (just with extra layers, a tuque and gloves).

Unfortunately, I suffered a serious setback in December 2023. Essentially, I fell, and this led to a compression fracture in my back and a spinal epidural hematoma. It was quite painful, but the pain became excruciating on my birthday (of all days) in January 2024. I ended up having to go to the hospital four times, be fitted for a back brace and start taking pregabalin and celecoxib (which reduce inflammation in the nerves). Before I got the right medication, I would literally feel like screaming for 1.5 minutes when moving from a standing position to lying down on my bed (such as when going to the washroom or making myself food) before the pain subsided. I also obtained a heating pad and intermittently used it while also icing my back regularly.

Eventually, it was time for active physiotherapy. The goal is to strengthen both your back and your core. So, in addition to doing crunches in my bed or squats beside it, I was also doing the cat-cow pose and bird dogs among other exercises. In time, I was strong enough to start walking outside again, which is also excellent physiotherapy for back pain.

I had to start from the beginning again. At first, I could only walk 30 minutes. Then, an hour. You get the idea. I can’t remember when exactly I got “back up” to three hours (pun intended), but the medication really helped (much better than the opioids I was first prescribed).

My weight loss had, of course, stalled during the time I could not exercise, but eventually, I even started going to the gym (since I had lost enough weight that I was no longer self-conscious about my appearance) and started weightlifting. As of the day I am writing this piece, in terms of back exercises, I did four sets of machine/cable rows (70 pounds), lat pull-downs (100 pounds) and T-bar rows (20 pounds). I also did two hours of walking outside and 40 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill earlier today as well.

How does my 120-pound weight loss help me professionally? I don’t have any deep insights. I just find I am more confident. I’m happier and quicker to smile when meeting new clients. I’m more comfortable with myself, and I think that translates to improved relationships. I also live a much healthier lifestyle overall, which is very important to my professional success.

On a personal level, I would like to find a life partner and start a family. I think this weight loss will help with that. And, seeing as how I have wanted a family of my own for a long time, I think that would make me function better professionally as well. It would be a different kind of motivation to succeed.

I am still about 15 to 20 pounds away from my pre-law-school weight, but I know I will get there if I keep trying my hardest. Though, as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Harjot Atwal is a real estate lawyer. In 2023, he opened up his own shop, Atwal Law Firm. You can reach him via email at harjot@atwallawfirm.ca, by phone at 905-264-8926 or on LinkedIn.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

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