About Me

The medicinal notes were exchanged between both doctors and before I could realise…; the ‘diabetic life style’ was part of my daily curriculum! Right from my mother, to my wife, to my well wishers – all were there to comfort me and give me plenty of advice. I was told to be punctual with my medicines and eat ‘healthy’… not to remain empty stomach… to the extent that I would carry a small tiffin with two sugar free biscuits always!!! I also started going for regular walks and doing ‘pranayam’ exercises! I too had my shares of injuries and health issues due to exigencies of service but at that point of my life I was very unhealthy with issues ranging from being overweight, blood pressure, acidity etc besides my herniated lower discs, knee and ankle injuries! And guess what … I never knew that worse was to follow! Right through 2016, the trips to Military Hospital and the Diabetic Clinic were a regular feature. The doctors were more than happy to ‘manage’ my glucose and hence the medicines would fluctuate as per the blood sugar levels! The doctors would egg me on to ‘exercise more’ to lose some weight and would give a smile and support with the managed sugar levels! I was also given plenty of advice by the ‘dietician’ in the Endocrinologist’s clinic who would tell me to modify my diet whenever we met and she would find me few kilograms heavier! From multigrain breads and quinoa to fruit chaat and sugar free digestive biscuits… my diet had changed! But within no time I realised that in spite of my regular morning and evening walks and healthy diet, I was getting heavier by the day and the body was getting uglier. All associated problems with obesity like acid reflux, high BP, high lipids, sleep apnoea and gastric issues were engulfing me. Having injuries in my knee and lower back were good enough reasons for me to focus on ‘dieting’ and do ‘light exercises’ as a means towards tackling my diabetes and obesity which I was doing religiously. When one fine day towards end of 2016, I found myself very close to the three figure mark on weighing scale, I decided to join the Gold’s Gym at Trivandrum. Working out at the gym slowly became my habit and though I put in my best under the watchful eyes of some good trainers, there wasn’t any good news coming easily. To my horror, one fine day, sometime in Dec 2016, I found myself to be weighing 99-100 kgs and that night I couldn’t sleep. I was so charged up that the very next morning I went jogging/walking to Shangumugham beach which was approximately 15 kms from our home. I decided to push myself physically and joined a running club. In 2017, I ran my first half marathon at Trivandrum with the only hope that this will at least kick start my fat loss. But to my dismay when regular workouts and half marathons also failed … I decided to take the help of Ayurveda. And what better place for Ayurveda than Kerala!!! Though I dropped a couple of kgs in 14 days at an ayurveda clinic it wasn’t there to stay like that. Very soon I regained back the weight lost after having spent lots of money on my health. By Dec 2017, I was super obese at 107 kgs, warned by the endocrinologist of my slightly high TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic with hypertension and high lipids and facing an inner battle within. During the New Year Eve bash on the night of 31 Dec 2017 at Officers’ Institute, when everyone else were dancing and enjoying, I was fighting a battle within. My self belief and pride was being challenged by a low self esteem, humiliation, guilt and scepticism!!! It was decided that night that I had to fightback – “it’s now or never.” That night was very disturbing for me. The soldier inside me gave a distinct call. At the age of 47, it was too early for me to fall prey to medicines and ill health. I woke up on 01 Jan 2018 with a resolve to fight back and regain back my lost pride and self esteem. I must also mention that during the later part of 2017 two incidents happened which had a lasting impression in my mind. Firstly, one of my colleague’s brother-in-law had to undergo a foot amputation at Trivandrum at an age of 54 because of gangrene!!! I witnessed that happen and to my horror I was told that he was diabetic and was explained about the diabetic foot and the issues related to restricted blood circulation and resultant gangrene…!!! Secondly, was during a short vacation in my own home at Delhi when I found my diabetic Dad taking insulin injection prior to his meal. The sight of him taking injections himself twice a day made me feel that he was nothing better than a ‘drug addict’… It was very demoralising to see your hero dad who was always the bravest and strongest become so meek and helpless … Both the above incidents (related to diabetes) triggered my already low self esteem to try and confront my diabetes so that I too don’t land up in a mess like this. I didn’t want to have medicines for the rest of my life and definitely didn’t want either to lose my foot or take insulin injections ever. I decided to read and acquire some basic understanding of the disease. The more I read the more inquisitive I became and soon realised that obesity and diabetes are brothers in arms!!! All this while, I ate moderately and was regular with my physical exercises. I also opened a diary and started logging my diet and exercise daily. The body felt better and the mind clearer but still the spark to kickstart my reversal was definitely missing. I realised that probably I needed to do something more…?!? On 8 Jan 2018, my wife forwarded an article on reversing diabetes by Dr Jason Fung, a Canadian Nephrologist. The article was the first of its kind that I had read and it propagated fasting as a therapeutic tool to reverse diabetes. For a person like me who is a big foodie and had never fasted in his life, this article was surely not going to see the light of the day! But as I was glancing through the article my eyes got stuck on a note which stated that if you were on insulin or any oral diabetic medications you are unlikely to lose weight. This piece of information was interesting and relevant in my case! This led me to understand that how our body from being insulin sensitive slowly becomes insulin resistant which is the root cause of diabetes and obesity!!! I read and reread the article and found logic. That led me to doing research on Dr Fung and his achievements!!! I watched all his videos on u tube and would spend hours till late night reading and understanding the science of fasting. I realised that fasting is not what I see around me where people fast with a guilt as if they are punishing their body!!! Fasting has been propagated in all religions and societies since ages but we degraded the very science and logic behind it. I realised that fasting is not about being hungry – it’s about accruing benefits to heal your body by not eating for a particular period of time. That made sense. The write ups and videos also mentioned about ketosis and the benefits of a Keto diet which aids the process of fasting and when combined they act in favour of healing the body towards becoming insulin sensitive again. Ketosis is a state when your body runs on ketones and the main source of fuel in your body is fat and not carbs. So basically a Keto diet is also referred to as a LCHF – low carb high fat diet. Here too I was fascinated to learn that there is so much of fear associated with fats as a macro nutrient that we all have been made to believe that if you have fats, you will become fat… and that’s just not true!!! Fat is the alternate and cleaner form of fuel for your body. During the course of my study and research I realised that there’s a whole lot of these amazing doctors who are writing and propagating the theories of fasting and low carb high fat diet to reverse diabetes and obesity. Most of these doctors are from US, Canada and European countries… and they were rewriting the idea of managing type 2 diabetes patients by addressing the root cause (insulin resistance) and not the symptom (high blood glucose). Intensive study on these issues from 8-11 Jan made me convinced to take the plunge and my journey of diabetes and obesity reversal began on 12 Jan 2018. It was a determined yet risky decision of my life. “Am I doing it right?” ..the thought crossed my minds several times. After studying about the science of fasting and Ketosis, and convinced from within, it was time to implement. One thing was sure – and I told myself, “It couldn’t get worse than this”!!! My wife Ruchira was very apprehensive of what I was doing. But she had to be taken on board. Afterall the entire change in my diet had to be brought about from the kitchen…and I must admit that she has played a big role in my reversing both the diseases. For her and all my close relatives and loved ones it was impossible to accept that being a diabetic, I will be “empty stomach” and “fast”….! My parents and in laws were furious. They won’t listen to any of my logical reasoning and the reactions ranged from how “unhealthy” the idea of fasting was as it could lead to ulcers, acidity, low BP, giddiness, damaging of internal organs etc. Even my colleagues at work place were quick in responding about how unhealthy fasting would be. Well, I must also admit that my daughter Akanksha, who was a first year engineering student at that time, and my son Arnab, a grade 8 student then, were ready to understand the logic and reasoning and gave me the much needed thumbs up!My wife reluctantly accepted that I could do this for a few weeks and see the results before treading further on this path. It was important to log everything in a note book and I decided to do so. My first day of 14 hours fasting began on 12 Jan itself. Now what I started is called “Intermittent Fasting” or IF. Basically it means to fast for a period and eat for a period in a 24 hour cycle. The whole idea is to use fasting as a therapeutic tool to ‘heal’ your body!!! The idea isn’t to punish the body or be hungry. That’s where the catch is. Along with fasting, it is very important to eat. Now the whole idea is to eat wholesome and nutrient dense meals. To lose weight you don’t have to eat less and fall prey to the big myth of a calorie restricted diet. That’s illogical and not common sense…. and hence it has never worked. You can’t tell a person with 100 kgs weight (in which 70 kgs approx will be muscle and bone mass) to put less fuel in your body. The poor guy will give all the wrong signals to the body… it all gets messed up big time. So while I fasted for 14 hours, it was important that my wife gets the right diet ready for me. I ate a low carb and a high fat meal for the first time in ages!!! For a 107 kg obese man to have cheese, mayonnaise, ghee & butter was like ‘crazy’! “A fat person having fats is going to make him more fat” – well this is what we have been made to believe over the ages. But this was something different I was trying out to heal myself. That day I had an eating window of 10 hours (24 minus 14 hours of fasting) … and I ate twice during those 10 hours with a cappuccino and some nuts in between!!! It was well begun and I could straightaway feel the energy of fats showing its colours during the workout at Gym the next day. Within a few days I increased the fasting window to 16 hours and restricted the eating window to 8 hours and then further increased the fasting window to 18 hours and the eating window correspondingly got restricted to 6 hours in the third week itself. The sudden change in my diet wherein I left milk, rice, wheat, fruits and dal (I was already off sweets) had to be carefully substituted with the “good fats”, proteins and lots of vegetables, salads and dairy derivatives so that the nutritional balance is maintained. With that part taken care of; my intellect gave me the confidence to believe that I wasn’t doing anything stupid! The results were quick to show. A person who was afraid to climb on the weighing scale was more than happy now to see the scales coming down. Four weeks into this regime and I had lost 8 kgs. All along I was very careful and the anxiety of not messing up things prompted me to buy a glucometer so that I can maintain a note of my blood glucose every week. Mind you in this journey I was alone. I could not consult any doctor because few close doctor friends had already brushed my idea of all this long back! So I had no option but to study more about all these issues from the available sources. I recollect that during one such informal discussion while I was already into my second month of the regime, a doctor friend admonished me that my brain will get affected as carbohydrates are critical to functioning of the brain and with so much of fats in my diet I am going to increase the cholesterol in my blood which will be detrimental to my cardio vascular system and I should therefore immediately resort back to a balanced diet! My efforts to debate on the subject was blunted by the fact that I had shallow knowledge and was trying to reason out on medical issues with a qualified doctor. That time I wasn’t fully aware on the subject and I had to swallow the humble pie. But that very night I read all relevant material available on the same and became wiser. Aim was never to go back to the doctor friend and challenge him back. Aim was to become more aware and thereby become stronger in my approach. I was also more than convinced because I realised that the persons who have written and researched on these issues are also highly qualified doctors across continents. They are more dynamic in their thoughts and approach and hence have done extensive research to suggest a de-novo look at tackling the menace of diabetes and obesity…. and hence they have taken the effort to recommend something different from what has been penned down in the medical manuals decades back! I realised that I need to read and acquire more knowledge so that I am not only convinced of what I am doing but I am also able to give a logical scientific reasoning to my actions. A steady weight loss for next few weeks (a kg per week) coupled with tremendous mental clarity and high energy levels got me happiness and my josh was high at work, home and the gym!!! Mind you, I was still on my drugs though… and then one fine day in Feb 2018 end, I got a shock to find my fasting glucose level at 70!!! Before that in the preceding weeks the readings were between 85 and 100!!! So what does that mean? Someone had once scared me with the term hypoglycaemia… So, was this reading a signal of the same??? … Hypoglycaemia was part of my study that night! For past 2 years the glucose levels in my blood had never gone that down. But the fact was that I had never felt so good either in years! I was feeling lighter, energetic, satiated and happy – and my colleagues in office would also endorse the same. The symptoms and circumstances leading to hypoglycaemic conditions are much different and hence I decided to see and explore through the videos of Dr Jason Fung and Dr Eric Berg; my two mentors, again. By this time I had developed tremendous faith in them… and I wanted to be sure for the reason for my blood glucose levels to fall down? Now, it’s a bitter fact that whatever I was doing was without any medical supervision…. And neither of the above two doctors or any other doctor whom I read or was reading ever propagated that…. And this was one risk which I had to take because I was pushed to the wall and I was desperate. The more I read and browsed, the clarity came. Very soon I understood the mistake I was probably making and hence realised that it was time to reduce the dosage of my medicines. So the next morning off went one medicine (Metformin) from my life and I made a deliberate and conscious note of it. Now it was time to closely monitor my blood glucose. Over next seven days I used my glucometer thrice and to my utter joy and satisfaction the glucose levels for the next one week remained between 85-95 mg/dl…!!! After that it was something like getting a “kick” every time I left a medicine or for every kg of weight that I lost!!! By mid March 2018 and subsequently by mid April 2018, I left both my remaining medicines in a gradual manner. My weight too had dropped by approx 18 kgs by April end and now the efforts were “visible”!!! Compliments started pouring in which motivated me to get healthier and fitter by the day. All this while, my wife ensured that the composition and variety of my diet remained within the parameters – which would remain LCHF, nutritionally dense and complete and full of energy. Obviously my body was now slowly getting back to becoming “insulin sensitive” because through low carb diet and controlled periods of fasting I was ensuring that the insulin levels in my blood remained lower than what it was used to! For explaining insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity, I have a nice little analogy. Just imagine if I decide to physically tie a married couple with a rope for few days what will happen to their sensitivity?!? The sensitivity will go. On the contrary if I physically separate the couple and lock them up in two different rooms for few days; and then let them meet up one day; the mere separation will get the sensitivity and emotions of the relationship to flow! As an army man it has happened in our lives too. Whenever we have come back home after few months of separation due to call of duty, the reunion with the family members has been sensuous and full of emotions! That’s what has happened in a diabetic type 2 body. The physical proximity of insulin (in blood) and the millions of cells in our body for past many years has led to a condition where the sensitivity has reduced so much that the body (cells) has become resistant to insulin. The relationship between cells of our body and the insulin secreted by pancreas needs to get more sensuous and emotional!!! That will not only get your blood glucose levels normal but will also ensure that you have good health and healthy vitals- BP, pulse, lipid profile, regeneration of cells (autophagy), more energy and a sharper mind!!! My medicines for other ailments too were saying good bye one by one, in a graduated manner, and I was feeling better with each passing day. During my period of weight loss and dropping of medications, I never left reading. Whenever I got time, be it at home or at the lounge of airport, I continued to study more about diabetes, low carb high fat (LCHF) diet, Ketosis and fasting. In fact all topics related to it like cholesterol, fats, stress and sleep attracted me and I found that all these factors in a human body was so much linked. I also understood the importance of hormones and how they play a critical role in our body by giving the right signals to the brain! The joy of losing the excess fat in a regular manner, with obvious periods of weight plateau, was indeed doubled with my leaving all diabetic medicines by Apr 18 and balance medicines by Jul 18. I was slowly developing faith in my own body, nature, food and the lovely balance created amongst them by God! But it was also a period in my life when I was very cautious. Never had I been so excited to get my blood tested for the glucose, lipids, other vitals and minerals! Every month I made it a point to record my blood reports from different labs and analyse the effect of diet on the various parameters. A low carb diet enriched with healthy fats was doing wonders to my mind and body. I started feeling more energetic in gym and in spite of my low back injury started running on the treadmill, lifting moderate weights and increased my resistance training. In Jul 18, I was scheduled for my quarterly appointment with the endocrinologist at Trivandrum, Dr Deepa. I was confused since morning as to how to confront her…!?! How will she react on knowing that I had left all my medicines without her consent! Though that day I came to the Clinic as usual for giving my fasting and post prandial blood samples, I generally knew what my blood glucose and other readings would show! The nurses and staff at the clinic acknowledged my weight loss with smiles and appreciation when I came to give my blood in the morning but I was tensed for the afternoon appointment with the doctor! When I entered Dr Deepa’s chamber she welcomed me with a big smile…made me relax and asked the first question – “wonderful Colonel, I am amazed at your body transformation and blood report. What’s the secret?” I sheepishly apologised to her and she was perplexed! “But why are you sorry? … you should be very happy” …. and she read out my readings….!!! I too smiled back and said “Doctor – it’s a long story which I too need to share with you”… She continued, “I haven’t seen any patient lose so much of weight and get his readings to normal levels in such a short period…., what did you do? You weren’t losing weight for last so many months; what happened now?” Well, I slowly narrated my journey of last few months in brief. At places where I thought I needed to be sorry to my doctor, I humbly apologised, especially the decisions to leave my medicines without asking her. She was all ears and kept smiling from time to time. She too probably pardoned me in her own way and showed a large heart by acknowledging and applauding my efforts (she actually clapped)… It was a very nice and relaxed moment for me. When I asked her as to why so many patients outside the clinic also not do something similar to reverse their diabetes; she smiled and said, “you have studied on your own; understood and applied the knowledge in a logical manner. That’s easier said than done… and most of my patients won’t leave or reduce their carbs. For them idli and sambhar is more important and hence it’s imperative for me to ensure that they don’t risk their vital organs with elevated glucose.” We parted exchanging notes and her last bit of advice was to be a bit careful with the fat’s intake!!! I did not ask her to see my lipid profile of last four months and left it at that. After all she was my well wisher and spoke with good medical intent. That day was another huge moment for me in my journey of diabetes and obesity reversal and I shall never forget it. The next few months I kept on losing weight and finally by mid July when I had lost 31 kgs and was appearing much fitter and better; decided to change gears of intermittent fasting and LCHF (low carb high fat) diet. I continued to stay away from trans and saturated fats as well as moderated my carb intake!!! It was indeed a lifestyle change that had happened. By Aug 18, I moved from Trivandrum to Patna on permanent posting. The shifting had its toll on my daily routine and diet. But the changed approach towards health within me coupled with body’s sensitivity towards insulin and balancing of other critical hormones ensured that I remained fit and my glucose, lipid profile and other vitals remained in a healthy range! After settling down in the new city I once again got back to my normal routine of regular exercise and nutrient dense, low carb diet taken twice or at the max thrice in a day. The regained intimacy between insulin and my body cells were too dear to me now and there was no chance of messing it up again. I started having a carb recycling meal once in a while which would include fruits like guava and rice with pulses or my favourite rajma! The festive occasions of Chath ( a popular festival of Bihar), Dussehra, Diwali, Christmas, New Year and Holi was all feasting times for me!!! My mother’s happiness knew no bounds when I had her hand made “payasam” and other “Bengali sweets” during Dussehra after years !!! I still surprise everyone in the family by going out for a cheat meal like ‘Chana-Batura’ at Haldiram followed by ‘Badam milk’. I don’t miss out on an occasional low carb dark chocolate or a piece of cake during any celebrations but generally I have become very conscious of my health and diet. Regular exercise, healthy low carb meals and occasional long hours of fasting has put my body at a perfect metabolic platform. All this while in last 6-7 months the size of my waist never increased. An occasional increase of weight after 2-3 days of indulgence during any festival was quickly compensated and I was back on track within 5-7 days. The faith between the body and mind that I have developed in last 15-16 months has been truly amazing. During March 2019, I also had an appointment with the doctors of Military Hospital (MH), Danapur (Patna) as part of the re categorisation medical board. Something similar happened as with Dr Deepa and the doctor at MH Danapur enquired if I was having any medicines? I was told to give my blood test again after the first test reports of HbA1c showed a reading of 5.5%…!!! A thorough investigation to include ECG, thyroid and even the retina prompted the doctor to appreciate my efforts and he said that he was more than happy to remove the term “metabolic syndrome” from my medical case sheet as I showed no symptoms of that! I was upgraded in my medical board by him. In today’s times of high speed data connectivity and social exchange platforms people got to know of my journey. Many started approaching me for help and guidance and I realised that my journey and experience could motivate friends and people suffering from diabetes type 2 and obesity to reverse the same. I opened a whatsapp health group in mid-2019, to share and make a difference to those who needed help, which is now on telegram app. I too decided to reach out to maximum through platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. My own journey of getting healthier and fitter doesn’t end here. I have set up some goals to achieve before I turn 50 and I have just one year for that! The feeling of coming down to size M from XXL and choosing your pair of size 32 jeans after being restricted to shop from a limited stock of size 44 has been nothing short of a miracle for me. There was a time when we would travel all the way to Lulu Mall at Kochi from Trivandrum to the “plus size store” to buy my clothes. This wonderful journey of my diabetes and obesity reversal doesn’t end here. It’s the beginning of a healthier and meaningful lifestyle which I endeavour to live with zeal and passion. My studies continue as there’s so much to explore and comprehend in this portion of medical science! I am fully conscious of the fact that there is nothing for granted as far as health is concerned. I also realise that there are many associated challenges and issues that the body deals with. Add to this fact that I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist – it makes me take my task of motivating people with much more sense of responsibility and passion! Finally, if I could motivate even one soul to tread on the path of obesity and diabetes reversal through ‘my story’, I shall feel happy and humbled. God bless all. Stay happy and healthy!!!