Ankur Warikoo is fat-free at 44, flaunts six-pack abs: Grateful for second life, he says

Indian entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo is a transformed man. A life-changing diagnosis of Avascular Necrosis, a painful bone tissue-related condition, led him to take on a personal challenge to fight it and come back stronger. His doctor had asked him to stop walking, but he was persistent in his pursue to transform his health. At the age of 44, he is now proudly ‘fat-free’ and flaunts six-pack abs.

In a recent Instagram post, Ankur Warikoo shared this journey, showcasing his before and after photographs. This is not the first time he has spoken about his fitness journey. He often shares insights into his fitness and lifestyle habits. He previously revealed that he followed a mostly vegetarian diet and dropped from 79 kg to 69 kg.

Ankur Warikoo diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis

“Stop walking!” the doctor had written—underlined, twice—on his prescription in February 2012. At the age of 32, Ankur Warikoo was diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis. “My hip bone was decaying. I lay in the 10% with no cause,” he shared. The condition led him to undergo surgery, followed by three months of complete bed rest and five more months relying on crutches. It was a phase that tested both his physical endurance and mental strength.

“Life told me to stop walking. How could I tell life this chapter is over and I’ve won?” In what he describes as a “moment of craziness,” he decided to train for a marathon, a far cry from the doctor’s advice. After ten months of disciplined training, he completed the half marathon but the finish line didn’t feel like victory. “I thought I would feel great about it. But I felt the opposite. I felt I had cheated.”

Explaining this feeling, Ankur noted, “Up until that day, the maximum I had ever run was 14 kilometers. I could have shown up any day and finished the 21 kilometers without preparation.”

A journey from 26% body fat to six-pack abs

This realization led him to ask himself, “What could I do for which I had to show up every day?” and that is when he decided—”6-pack abs!” At 33, with 26 percent body fat, Ankur overhauled his life. “I had to change everything to reach < 10% body fat. And I did—diet, sleep schedule, fitness routine.” Despite being a food lover, he followed an almost vegetarian diet and focused on healthy eating.

Ten years later, in 2024, at the age of 44, he decided to repeat the journey—just to prove to himself that it was not a one-time success. “Today, I’m 44 and fat-free,” he proudly shared. His transformation is not just about building abs. It is about mindset, consistency, and resilience. “Grateful for this ‘second’ life,” Ankur ended his post with gratitude.

Ankur Warikoo lost 10 kgs, calls himself ‘fat-free at 43’

Last year entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo shared his inspiring weight loss journey, revealing that he dropped 10 kilos in a year. Posting on X (previously Twitter), he proudly wrote, “Fat free at 43!” and hoped his journey would motivate others. Warikoo shared that he weighed 79 kg in 2023, and by 2024, he had brought it down to 69 kg.

In another YouTube video, he broke down his weight loss transformation using what he calls the “3T model”: Track, Train, and Transform.

• In the track phase, he focused on monitoring calorie intake and creating a 7000–7500 calorie deficit to lose 1kg of fat. He also increased his protein intake to preserve muscle.
• In the train phase, he lifted weights 3–5 times a week for 45 minutes. This can help build muscle mass and maintain a healthy metabolic rate during weight loss.
• In the transform phase, Warikoo reduced his calorie intake from 2200 to 1600 daily and made some dietary changes, supporting fat loss without losing muscles.

Ankur Warikoo followed a mostly vegetarian diet to get fit

In one of his earlier Instagram posts, Ankur Warikoo opened up about the diet plan that supported his weight loss and fitness journey. His routine was mostly vegetarian and focused on maintaining a balance. Take a look at it here:

• 9:30 AM: 1 scoop of whey protein + creatine + 1 walnut + 4 almonds + 4 cashew nuts + 5-6 raisins + supplements (Note: please use the supplements only after consulting a medical professional)
• 11 AM: 200 gm raw paneer, tofu or tempeh or 3 egg whites (rarely—I don’t like eggs) Or dal chilla
• 1 PM: Fruit (banana, half apple, mango or chickoo)
• 4 PM: 2 rotis (emmer wheat/jowar/soya bean) + sabzi + dal + low-fat curd
• 6:30 PM: 1 scoop protein with curd

His supplement list included omega-3, vitamin B12, vitamin D, whey protein, and creatine.

“Of course, I had days where I had chole bhature and sweets,” he shared, adding, “The key was to hit the calorie deficit on most days so that you lose fat while working out so that you build muscles.”