About a couple of years ago I was introduced to the amazing books on health by Andrew Weil. I started to follow many of the principles he laid out in his “8 weeks to optimum health”. Our family was already following some of these in our daughter’s diet.  I was raised a life long vegetarian and had gotten my cholesterol tested a number of years ago and it was normal then.

The 2007 Annual Medical Exam
I had money left in my flexible spending account (which mostly goes to visits for my daughter and wife) and decided to have my annual medical exam. I went in thinking that I would be reasonably healthy. I was shocked that my triglycerides were very elevated. They were 225 mg/dL and the normal should be below 149 mg/dL. My overall cholesterol was also slightly out of the normal range. It was 228 mg/dL and the normal range is < 220 in India or < 200 in US. I also found myself to be in the overweight category with my BMI exceeding 25 kg/m 2 and the normal BMI being in the range from 18.5 to 22.9.

Plan & Lifestyle Changes
It was a wakeup call and having seen other family members suffering with numerous health problems. I decided to take a two pronged attack. I decided to change my diet and also simultaneously decided to get more exercise. Our family was already practicing several healthy practices like use of Olive Oil (and no trans-fat products), as well as use of Organic.
It took me about 1-2 months to make the changes and I changed gradually. I incorporate a number of techniques from a variety of books. Andrew Weil’s Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, Gillian McKeith’s “You are What you Eat”. I picked up a number of other books from the library and developed myself. I found a common theme in many of these that I try to summarize.

I changed my diet in the following way:

• Increased my intake of Fruits and Vegetables. I started choosing Organic and/or Local Produce.
• Increased my intake of other whole grains (Oats, Quinoa, Buckwheat).
• Increased my intake of Sprouting Lentils (Moong) and Beans (Garbanzo, Adzuki)
• Increased water consumption (green tea, regular water)
• Increased my consumption of Soymilk, Ricemilk. I also tried Hemp Milk, Oat Milk.
• Reduced or Eliminated my White Rice Intake.
• Reduced or Eliminate consumption of animal based fat and protein (milk, cheese, ghee, eggs).
• Reduced my caffeine intake to be 1 cup a day in the morning
• Reduced my portions primarily during dinner.
• Incorporate Healthy Snacks such as Dry Fruits, Fruits, and Nuts.
• Pack my own lunch almost every single day and choose healthy restaurants for eating out.

I changed my physical activity to;

•  Incorporate Yoga into my weekly routine. I started with 2 days per week and grew it to 6 days a week. I also started to incorporate breathing and meditation into my routine.
• Walk with Family or Co-Workers to try to get 30 mins of walking. In the beginning I tried to get some exercise before every meal. This included using my elliptical machine for 20 mins in the morning.
• Bike to work (most days in the summer). It was 12 miles each way.
• Steam Bathe at least 2-3 times a week (mainly after my Yoga) in the gym.

Support and Progress

My family was very supportive during this process. My wife Bindu cooked delicious meals with the above changes. She also reduced her animal based fat and protein. The vanilla flavoring in the Soymilk she didn’t like. We did find a good soy milk which she liked. My daughter Anaga learnt Sun Salutations and participated in the 1 million Sun Salutation. She frequently accompanied me to my Monday Yoga Classes.

I also felt very supportive at work. Intel had in 2008 started a Health of Life program. Health for Life is a three-step program that includes a baseline health evaluation, completion of an online Health Risk Assessment, and a meeting with an on-site personal health coach to develop a confidential, individual health action plan. In addition they offer free classes in the gym on Yoga and Aerobic Exercises. I utilized the program and got myself checked in about 10 weeks.  My weight had dropped by 9 lbs. More remarkably, my triglycerides and my cholesterol were both under normal range. My health coach from Mayo Clinic
helped set goals and monitored my progress.


 

I contined to progress during the summer and continued to develop myself like trying a variety of different yoga practices, starting some tai-chi practice. I I enrolled in a program organized by a local non-profit  NWVeg which is an education and empowerment group focused on Nutrition, Chronic Disease Prevention, and the Food Choices.

Summary and Future

I just completed my 2008 annual exam and the results came in. The progress is not as dramatic as in the first 2.5 months. They were pretty good still. My triglycerides came down by almost 50% (to 114) from a year ago. I reduced my cholesterol by 20% (to 183) and my weight by 15% (152). That in short was how I lost 25lbs, reduced my cholesterol and reduced my triglycerides. I feel a lot more energy and I believe that the choices we make in our food and physical activity have a direct effect on our health. I have created a set of recipes including several new soups and will be happy to share it with anyone that is interested.

One of the areas I was disappointed with was that my HDL did not progress as well. It seems that I have to incorporate strength training exercises and eating more nuts such as macadamia nuts. I have started Tai Chi and hope to include Chinese Qi Gong in 2009 as well. Let us see how the year progresses.