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Bhakti Mathur

Avinash Gowda’s struggle with weight began as a preteen. He lost weight during his teenage years, only to slowly gain it back once he began working.
Years of work, travel and stress took a toll on the Singapore-based IT executive, now aged 50. A lack of exercise combined with a poor diet, smoking and drinking led to him reaching his heaviest weight in mid-2015: 101 kilograms (222.7 pounds).
During a routine medical check-up at the time, Gowda was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension, leaving him shocked and determined to act.
If he was unable to shed the excess weight, he would need bariatric surgery such as a gastric bypass – a complicated procedure not without serious risks.

“It was a wake-up call. I was only 42 years old. My first thought was, ‘Who would take care of my young family, should something happen to me’?” says Gowda, whose sons were eight and four years old at the time.
He went on to lose 20kg over the next 15 months, and another 10kg after that. Do you want to lose weight healthily? Here’s how he did it.
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First, he quit smoking.
“I went cold turkey, after smoking for 27 years. I had picked up the habit while at college, and soon was up to smoking a pack a day,” Gowda says. He has not been tempted to light up again since.
“A few months after quitting, I felt I had a new pair of lungs, my sleep improved, and my energy levels soared.”
Drinking alcohol triggered his desire to smoke, so he curbed that, too.

“I used to have four to six drinks on average, three times a week, socially, with clients and friends, and I cut that down to a maximum of two drinks per week, of either wine or whisky.”
He started going to the gym, three times a week, exercising on the cross trainer for 20 minutes.
“After a few months, going to the gym became a habit,” he says. He then took up strength training sessions with a trainer, and started following a keto diet. The high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbs.
Over the next 11 months, he lost 20kg, seeing his weight fall to 81kg.
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During the coronavirus pandemic, though, he was unable to sustain the loss.
“I would lose a few kilograms only to put them back on. During Covid, I worked from home. I enjoy cooking and would rustle up meals for the family and ended up eating more,” says Gowda, whose weight crept back up to 93kg by December 2021.
This time he was determined to keep the weight off. Over the ensuing nine months, he took up intermittent fasting, eating healthily and exercising regularly.
He lost 21kg by September 2022, cut his body fat to 20 per cent from over 40 per cent, and saw his waistline shrink 36 centimetres. He now weighs 72kg and aims to lose another 3kg over the next three months.
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How was Gowda able to sustain his weight loss this time?
In January 2022, he joined local gym Ultimate Performance at the recommendation of his ex-colleagues. He started hour-long strength training sessions with personal trainer Owen Bisman, three times a week.
“Our primary goal was weight loss. The health-related issues Avinash was taking medication for could be mitigated by achieving a healthy body fat percentage,” Bisman says.
“We also wanted to achieve body recomposition, which instead of simply losing weight, requires fat loss and muscle gain. Finally, our goal was to create a plan that was sustainable and allowed Avinash to maintain his progress.”

He focused Gowda on exercises such as dead lifts, chest press and split squats which use multiple joints and major muscle groups to maximise the output.
Bisman also set a goal for his client to walk 10,000 steps daily – a move Gowda calls game changing.
“It got me moving. I go for long walks with friends on the weekends. On weekdays, I walk in my neighbourhood. Walking is a habit now,” says Gowda, whose favourite walking trails in Singapore are in Bukit Timah, the Rail Corridor, Mount Faber Park and MacRitchie Reservoir.
He changed his eating habits, taking up intermittent fasting, not eating for 13 to 16 hours between dinner and lunch the next day. “After the first few weeks, I got used to skipping breakfast. I felt lighter and more energetic,” he says.

He began ordering from a meal-prep service meals of 350 to 400 calories each, usually fish or steak with vegetables, for lunch and dinner. He also enjoys salads with healthy dressings such as apple cider vinegar and Korean chilli paste.
And instead of the fast food, fried chicken and noodles that he used to snack on, he has protein powder mixed with granola. Occasionally, he treats himself to a pastry, pizza or some Indian food.
Gowda pays attention to the order of eating different food types. He starts his meals by eating fibre, followed by protein, and has carbs at the end. He drinks three litres of water a day.
For meals out on weekends, he follows a simple guideline of picking protein as the main portion of the meal, and minimising alcohol consumption.

“For weight loss to be sustainable, exercise and nutrition have to become a part of one’s lifestyle. Walking 10,000 steps a day and becoming aware of my food choices helped me sustain my weight loss,” he says.
“On days that I felt tired, I gave myself a goal of reaching the gym in exercise clothes, and walking a few kilometres on the treadmill at an incline, while listening to a podcast.”
Following a regular exercise regimen and a healthy diet also brought about a substantial improvement in Gowda’s medical conditions. His diabetes is in remission and he no longer needs to take medication for it. His blood pressure is normal now.
“For the first time in 18 years, my doctors have halved the dosage of my cholesterol medication and are considering lowering or even eliminating the prescription after my next medical check-up,” he says.
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Has he considered the new weight-loss drugs – Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – that are making headlines?
“My view is that they have benefits, but my concern is that one needs to continuously take them, while the underlying factors influencing weight gain are not addressed,” Gowda says, adding the long-term side effects are yet to be seen.
“Another concern is that these medications provide the weight loss – but not the benefits of improved cardiovascular health associated with cardio and the benefits of strength training.”

The biggest supporters of his new lifestyle are his wife and boys, now aged 16 and 12.
“I have more energy now, feel fit and strong and can keep up with my children – and don’t get tired as easily,” he says. The best part, he wrote on Facebook, is hearing his boys say that they can’t “flip” his belly any more.
“Health is a lifelong investment and it’s never too late to begin your journey towards fitness.”
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Singapore IT executive Avinash Gowda shows off his slimline form as personal trainer Owen Bisman holds up a now much too large jacket. Strength and cardio training, a keto diet, intermittent fasting, drinking less alcohol and quitting smoking helped Gowda shed 29kg. Photo: Avinash Gowda


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Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

A father to two young boys, Avinash Gowda had a wake-up call when, at 42 and weighing 101kg, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure
He quit smoking, cut down drinking, began cardio and strength training and a keto diet. After a lapse during Covid, intermittent fasting helped shed more kilos


Told he had type 2 diabetes and hypertension at 42, a 101kg Singapore IT exec quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, began cardio and strength training and adopted a keto diet. Intermittent fasting was the final step.


How to age well

Disease

The Keto Diet

Healthy eating