There’s no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the hardest times in human history. Not just those, who got sick because of it but also others, who had to stay in their home because of the high risk of catching Covid-19.
Although there are reports that a lot of people were struggling with anxiety and stress there are exceptions as well like Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets NBA star, Nikola, also had to stay at home as the going NBA season was stopped because of the pandemic.
However, the Serbian basketball player took full advantage of this time. Before this unexpected break in the tournament, Jokic was performing in a very great way but he was having some trouble with his weight.
Due to his increasing weight, Nikola wasn’t performing to his full potential. During the break, in February 2020, Jokic announced that he has lost 25 pounds.
When the season continued, Nikola proved how much he worked on his health. His performance increased by a great margin.
Since then, his fans wanted to know how did Nikola bring this fantastic change within months of quarantine. To find out details we will have to dive into Nikola’s weight loss journey.
Also, find out how the Baseball star, Rafael Devers, lost 45 pounds during the quarantine.
Nikola Jokic’s Weight Loss Journey
As mentioned earlier, Jokic started his weight loss journey in the February of 2020. During the pandemic, Nikola was stuck at his home and he was afraid that he might end up gaining more weight. However, he soon came up with a solution. Jokic realized that the main thing that was contributing to his increasing weight was a set of negative habits.
Nikola started working on his eating habits. He also had to find a good place where he could work out. Jokic’s will to lose weight was so strong that he eliminated every difficulty and hindrance one by one and overcame the limitations in his game because of increasing weight.
The Serbian NBA player built a healthy diet plan and followed it throughout the time that he had to stay at home. He also started working out at his home. Jokic would also go for long walks in his neighborhood. Following are the details of his diet and workout plans.
Nikola’s Diet Plan
Even though being an athlete, Nikola’s diet already had very healthy items but since he was trying to lose weight, he transformed it further. Jokic started limiting the consumption of food that had more calories and might contribute to the growth of fat.
He started eating fresh vegetables for lunch and dinner. Nikola also followed the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away as apples have very low calories level, this proved to be a very good choice. Somedays, Jokic would only eat apples in lunch.
Nikola also stopped having sugar at all as it contains a lot of calories. By eliminating extra calories, he built a healthy diet plan and successfully lost a considerable amount of weight.
Nikola’s Workout Plan
The NBA star gave equal importance to his workout routine as he knew that burning calories was as important as limiting calorie consumption. He would do pushups, situps, squats, pullups, weight lifting, and other cardio workouts at his home. Jokic maintained this routine during the whole quarantine. He would also go for long walks early in the morning.
Before & After Weight Loss
When the quarantine started, Jokic’s weight was 284 pounds. However, after losing 25 pounds, Nikola continued his career and his weight was 259 pounds.
Weight Loss Proved to be a Booster
Shedding extra pounds proved to be very beneficial for Nikola as his performance increased exponentially. Nikola continued his streak of winning 3 All-NBA Team (2019-21). Besides that, Nikola was also awarded NBA Most Valuable Player Award 2021.
Nuggets’ President Congratulated Nikola
When Nikola shared his new photo with the team president, Tim Connelly, he received congratulations. “He sent me a picture after working out in the gym and following a strict diet plan”, Tim said in his interview. He continued, “No shirt on. He’s got abs. I’ve never seen him have abs before. Congratulations mate”.
Nikola’s Struggle with Obesity in his Childhood
As it can be seen in the photo that Nikola was somewhat obese in his childhood. This photo became viral after he won NBA Most Valuable Player Award in the year 2021. A lot of his fans couldn’t believe that he was the same Jokic who plays for Nuggets.
However, with the passage of time, Nikola overcame obesity. As he started taking interest in sports, he lost those unhealthy pounds along the way.
The NBA fan and famous YouTuber, Agent 00, has lost more than 100 pounds.
Final Words
Even though the time was hard, Jokic knew how should he use it. He transformed his health in a very positive way while the world was being shut down.
It’s true that hard times come and sometimes it is not in our hands, but what is in our hands is the interpretation.
Jokic could have easily interpreted quarantine as a roadblock in his career but he didn’t. He used the time and lost a tremendous amount of weight.
Also Read:
