In 2012, Ankur Warikoo received news that would stop most people in their tracks. At just 32 years old, he was diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis—a rare and painful bone condition where blood stops flowing to the bone, causing it to decay. The hip bone in his body was dying, and the cause was unclear. Doctors gave him strict advice: stop walking immediately. They even underlined it twice on his prescription.
What followed was a grueling recovery period. Ankur had to undergo surgery. He spent three months in bed, then five months moving with the help of crutches. This phase tested not just his body but also his mental strength. It was a slow and painful climb back to normal life. But this tough time planted a seed in him. He didn’t want to just recover. He wanted to take his health and mindset to a whole new level.
A crazy idea sparked a comeback
After months of rehab and reflection, Ankur decided to do something wild. He chose to train for a marathon. This decision came not from a love for running but from a deep urge to fight back. It felt like a rebellion against the illness that had tried to stop him. After 10 months of focused training, he crossed the finish line of a half marathon.
But surprisingly, the victory didn’t taste sweet. He felt something was missing. He later explained that he didn’t feel proud because, deep inside, he knew he could’ve done it anytime. “I felt like I had cheated,” he said. That led to a deeper question—what could he chase that required showing up daily, no shortcuts, and no cheat days?
From 26% body fat to six-pack abs
That’s when he came up with a new challenge: build six-pack abs. At 33 years old and with 26% body fat, he knew it wouldn’t be easy. It meant overhauling his lifestyle from the ground up. He had to change his diet, his sleep, his workouts—everything. He embraced discipline and consistency, day after day.
He chose a mostly vegetarian diet and tracked every bite. He became mindful of protein intake and made sure he was creating a calorie deficit without sacrificing muscle. Over time, the results began to show. The fat melted off, the muscle tone improved, and soon enough—he had visible six-pack abs.
Rebuilding himself all over again at 44
In 2024, ten years after that first transformation, Ankur felt the urge to do it again. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. This time, he wasn’t fighting illness. He was chasing discipline. “I’m 44 and fat-free,” he said with pride in a social media post, showing off his chiseled physique.
But the real story wasn’t about abs. It was about mindset, resilience, and doing hard things over and over. Ankur’s journey became proof that transformation isn’t about a quick fix. It’s about habits. It’s about showing up every day when motivation fades and fatigue kicks in.
Losing 10 kilos with his 3T model
Ankur’s approach to fitness was simple but powerful. He called it the “3T model”—Track, Train, Transform. These three pillars guided his transformation and helped him drop 10 kilos between 2023 and 2024, going from 79 kg to 69 kg.
In the Track phase, he closely monitored his calorie intake. He made sure to create a weekly deficit of 7000–7500 calories, which translates to about 1 kg of fat loss. He also bumped up his protein to maintain muscle during the cut.
In the Train phase, he worked out 3–5 times a week, lifting weights for 45 minutes. This helped him preserve muscle mass, boost metabolism, and avoid the skinny-fat look that often comes from losing weight without strength training.
In the Transform phase, he fine-tuned his diet. His daily calorie intake went down from 2200 to 1600. This drop wasn’t extreme—it was gradual and intentional. It helped him continue burning fat while holding on to lean muscle.
His mostly vegetarian diet plan that worked
Ankur’s food routine played a huge role in his fitness. While he didn’t stick to any strict label, his meals were mostly vegetarian, simple, and high in protein. He didn’t follow fad diets. Instead, he focused on real food, clean eating, and balance.
Here’s what a typical day in his diet looked like:
9:30 AM: 1 scoop of whey protein, creatine, 1 walnut, 4 almonds, 4 cashews, 5–6 raisins, plus some supplements (like omega-3, B12, vitamin D)
11 AM: 200g raw paneer, or tofu, tempeh, or sometimes 3 egg whites (though he rarely had eggs), or dal chilla
1 PM: A piece of fruit like banana, half an apple, or some mango or chikoo
4 PM: 2 rotis made with emmer wheat, jowar, or soya bean + sabzi + dal + low-fat curd
6:30 PM: Another scoop of protein, this time with curd
He didn’t cut out his favorite foods entirely. He still had days when he enjoyed sweets or chole bhature. But he made sure that the overall week created a calorie deficit. The aim was never perfection—it was consistency.
His secret wasn’t motivation, it was discipline
A lot of people look at someone like Ankur Warikoo and think, “He must be super motivated.” But if you listen to his story, it’s clear that motivation wasn’t the fuel—discipline was. He didn’t show up to the gym every day because he felt like it. He showed up because he promised himself he would.
His fitness journey wasn’t built in a month. It was years in the making. From the pain of Avascular Necrosis to becoming “fat-free at 43,” it’s a story of hard work, setbacks, and comebacks.
Ankur’s transformation shows us that even when life knocks us down, we can choose to stand up stronger. All it takes is patience, commitment, and a willingness to show up every single day.
