Lessons From My 18 yr Journey To Permanent Weight Loss.

Hi, welcome to newsletter #13.

There’s more to life than the weighing scale, so let’s begin.

What's inside :

• Lessons From My 18-Year Journey To Permanent Weight Loss.

• What I learned this week

• Picture of the week

• Content summary of the week

Before 2005 I was an obese kid who was only famous in school for being good in studies.

As soon as I joined college I realized students here were better in studies, better looking and more confident. I was their friend only because they sympathized with me.

I gave my medical entrance exam for the first time in 2004 and I miserably failed. it was the first time that I had failed in a thing I thought I excelled at.

That's when I thought enough is enough and I decided to go all in.

In 2005 I not only cracked the medical entrance but also lost almost 35kgs of weight.

Now I was alone one of the cool kids like the ones that inspired me.

This event not only shaped my personality but also my career.

I became a surgeon and practice bariatric surgery which is the branch of surgery for treating obesity.

It's 2023 and I still weigh similar to what I used to weigh back in 2005

So, What did I learn from my weight issues journey of 18 yrs :

Losing weight is not a sprint. It's a marathon -

Most people get influenced by social media and think if they cannot lose weight quickly then there is something wrong with them.

However, after losing weight on my own, and operating on patients as a bariatric surgeon I've realized that losing weight takes one big push and a slow lifelong maintenance.

The push is generally 1 to 2 yrs when you lose the most amount of weight loss

and then there is a plateau in which you have to actively maintain by an active lifestyle and a good quality diet.

For lifelong maintenance there are 5 major life areas that matter:

Diet
Sleepy
Exercise
Stress
Environment

What you do every day matters more than what you do on cheat day.

There's no right way but many wrong ways.

The best method by which we will lose weight depends mainly on our diet, lifestyle, and medical history.

Sometimes your weight gain is not because you are lazy but because you have underlying medical problems like insulin resistance, thyroid imbalance, or side effects of medications.

So all of this needs to be considered before we know what works for us.

However, many wrong methods don't focus on making you healthy but only on losing weight, even at the cost of your health.

Crash dieting, overtraining, fad diets, Supplements, detox therapies, harmless but useless methods, things that are popular but not very impactful.

Using methods of losing weight is like cutting your limbs to lose weight.

We need all our organs to work well to stay healthy. Losing weight by putting health at risk is a sure shot way to become my patient.

There's a difference between weight loss and fat loss.

Remember, losing weight is never the goal. The goal is to become healthy.
A healthy weight is a symbol of healthy body and mind.

Your body is smarter than you think.

Adaptation has been a key reason for the survival of humans in the course of evolution.

Obesity is one such adaptive mechanism to store extra calories. Your body thinks this extra fat will help it in times of starvation. More fat means more chances of survival and more fertility.

So the best strategy is to keep trying new things to keep your lifestyle active.

Don't consider it a punishment but an excuse to try new experiences and make memories.

Being boring is the best strategy.

Losing weight and staying lean is like earning money and becoming rich.

Both are different things. You may win a lottery once but if you don't invest wisely you may become poor again.

Hence financial advisors tell you to invest money in a disciplined manner. Just like doctors advise you to stay disciplined.

Discipline today is equal to boring. But boring things often provide the most value in life.

Today I have become okay with waking up early, hitting the gym, eating the same food every day, eating at the same time every day, sleeping at the same time, and eating out less often.

Hence according to most people, I'm boring.

But the payout has been addictive: I can wear good clothes, I can do long surgeries without feeling tired, I can eat whatever I like.

Losing weight changes your life/ is addictive.

Trust the process.

Long life, lifestyle diseases, and obesity are very recent phenomena, of the past 200 years. Before that humans would not live long enough or have enough food to become old and obese.

Hence we are very poor at seeing the benefits of our boring healthy habits 30 years later.

No wonder we fall for instant happiness from pizza coke and Netflix.

Hence we need to form habits and routines for our daily life that shift our focus from some abstract future result to immediate reward and actions

Once we form habits that keep us healthy, we need to trust the process of living healthy so that it we can live longer healthier, and happier.

Weightloss is a meta habit

Meta habits are habits that attract more habits.

To lose weight you may need to join a gym, which means you'll eat clean, educate yourself, read books, make new friends, and develop new hobbies.. Traveling.. Photography.. and so on..

On the other hand, if you continue making excuses, eating junk food, living on the couch, and ignoring your health very soon you'll need doctors and medicines to reverse your mistakes.

So weight loss attempts attract more good habits whereas choosing to remain obese attracts worse habits for your health.

You can't stop educating yourself. 

The Science of Weight Loss and nutrition, diet, exercise, and human behavior is so deep that you simply can't declare that you know everything.

There's always something new to learn and try.

It has made me a better doctor and has given new career to many people.

Perfection is temporary.

Ideal physique is a good motivation but always temporary.

For most of us people who are not fitness models or actors, having a body that is free of diseases and within normal parameters is more practical and achievable.

Though I do feel bad at not having a six-pack despite years of effort, I'm happy to report that a six-pack is temporary but good health is permanent.

Good health gives you the freedom to enjoy life but to maintain a six-pack you may have to give up freedom to many things.

Don't fight alone.

So far I have been telling my story as if I'm the only one fighting alone.

But I've had the help of many people. My parents, teachers, friends, trainers, books, YouTubers, podcasters.

What I've learned is that it becomes much easier to achieve your goals if you choose your company wisely.

It's always fun to get fit.

You may feel that what's the fun in getting up early, hitting the gym before sunrise, eating the same breakfast every day.

But I would not exchange it for anything in the world because it has made me the person who's confident, fun, educated, and happy.

I would like to hear from you.

Reply with a topic you’d like me to cover.

Cheers,

Dr. Vishal.