We tend to take our health for granted. Sometimes a jolt is all that needs to set us rethinking and bring about desired changes in our lifestyle with happy outcomes. My annual medical check-up on February 9, 2019, was one such jolt as it showed that I was not as fit as I thought myself to be. My triglycerides level was 226, HDL (good cholesterol) was mere 32, blood pressure was 86-130 and I had Fatty Liver(fat builds up) Grade II, besides some thyroid issues.
The deterioration in health was apparent as, way back in 2005, my Fatty Liver had been Grade I, but had since degenerated to Grade II. More alarming was the fact that my HbA1C was 6.0 making me prediabetic. The possibilities of becoming a diabetic were strong as I have a family history of diabetes.
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I have been on medication for high cholesterol/triglycerides since 1998 and high Blood pressure since 2003. When told that there is no medicine to check further degeneration of fatty liver, and that switching to Low Carbohydrate Healthy Fat Diet with intermittent fasting can improve my health, my options were obvious.
To me, this meant, increasing intake of healthy fat in the form of flaxseed and coconut oil, ghee, butter, curd, paneer, soaked nuts and curtailing carbohydrate consumption. I was to add to it, restricting food intake to 8 hours every day and fast for 16 hours.
It took some time to adjust to the new food regime and restriction in intake of food but soon I started enjoying it. To see results of the changed lifestyle, I underwent regular medical check-ups - in April, June, August, December 2019 and annual check-up on January 23, 2020. There was constant improvement in my health parameters throughout this period.
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My last test results showed that the triglycerides level have come down to 114, HDL has climbed to 40, my BP is in the desirable range of 80-120, my HbA1C has come down to 5.6 and my fatty liver has reversed to Grade I in the last 10 months.
Another happy outcome is my weight has come down from 75 kg to 68 kg and my waist, which used to be 36 inches, has come down to 31 inches. Today my weight is the same as when I joined service way back in 1987.
I have had to take no medicine for high cholesterol/triglycerides and blood pressure in the last 2 years. It has been a fantastic recovery of health through power of food. It has been a pleasure wearing the clothes I had worn way back in 1993, during this winter.
(Satyendra Garg, an IPS Officer of 1987 batch, is presently Joint Secretary with Ministry of Home Affairs)
