Paraj Primlani, who was born and raised in Delhi, had been overweight since childhood. He often used to get mocked for it, but he never let it affect him. “After studying for CA/CFA and working in KPMG for three years, I realised that all the gruesome working hours were taking a toll on my health. I was 35kg overweight, obese, demotivated, and had unknowingly invited a lot of health problems.
That’s when I thought it’s time to start studying about nutrition. My brain literally became a data mine of al l the nutri t ion-related topics.” In 2016, he began his transformation journey with a basic diet and daily three-hour workout. “I made myself a 1,500 calories low carb high-fat diet, and I used to do fasted cardio for 10 minutes daily in the morning and two-hour gym in the evening.” After shedding 30kg in eight months, he started ParaFit, a global online nutrition and workout consultancy venture in 2018.
“I was just 23 then, when I started it all alone. I was the content writer, the digital marketer, the nutritionist, the sales bead; literally everything,” adds Primlani. After a year of operations, the company started its nutrition and diet food subbrand ParaFit Delivers to offer freshly-cooked and nutritious meals tailored to one’s diet. “ParaFit picked up immensely. Our plans stood out because we suggested butter chicken, biryani, pasta, etc., and guaranteed 6-7kgs of weight loss within a month.
One year down the line, I saw that the biggest problem that people were facing is to cook/carry their own meals, make the right proportions, and stock the correct ingredients. That’s when ParaFit Delivers came in the picture, and in 2019 we designed a healthy and nutritious menu after doing research for four months,” he adds. They recently launched a new Keto menu, and a bigger base kitchen to serve their clients better.
They offer three plans balanced, detox, and Keto, and have 200+ dishes on the menu and every dish comes with a fun fact, health benefits, and nutritional values. The pandemic punctured their plans as well. “But after two-three months, business began to pick up. People started valuing their health like never before so home delivery and diet + food delivery subscriptions shot up. We are now working on a pan India line of superfoods,” adds the 26-year-old entrepreneur.
When a client signs up, they are counselled to understand their body, medical conditions, diet recall, and fitness goals. A regular follow up is done after deciding on their meal plans. “Our ready-to-eat delicious meals and quality is what makes us stand out. More than that, we are literally available all the time for our clients. I am present in every client’s support group,” he shares.
People say that weight loss that happens quickly comes back soon? “Not at all! That happens only when you are doing a crash diet. Our plans focus fully on wholesome nutrition. But if after finishing our plan you start eating two plates of Chole Bhature daily, then surely the weight will return,” he says. And even if someone wishes to discontinue after getting the desired results, they can.
“We do a short counseling session and give them study material so that they can plan a balanced diet based on home food on their own,” he adds. Primlani plans to expand ParaFit Delivers in all metros by year-end. “We are also working on a competitive pricing model to start serving B2B too,” he concludes.