“Me and my doctor were both so shocked to see my HbA1C level of 13.9 for the very first time. With a strict discipline and constant perseverance of following the proper lifestyle, I am now aiming for my HbA1C to be at 5.5. This journey requires efforts, as well as patience and I, will put in both to achieve my goal.”

Mr Vamsi Krishna, a loving husband and son, is a 41-year-old diabetic working as the Head of Sales in a company in Hyderabad. He is an inspirational person to everyone who is struggling with managing their health while working in a full-time job that requires most of their attention. With his single-minded focus and strict control, he has managed to achieve many health goals.

At present, Mr Krishna follows a routine which starts with brisk walking of 1 hour followed by his well spaced out meals including several mid meals between his breakfast, lunch and dinner. He broke free from being an active tea/coffee drinker and managed to reduce his caffeine intake from 7 cups a day to hardly 2 cups. He also compensates his tea/coffee cravings by opting for a healthier alternative - green tea. This lifestyle do-over was fuelled by none other than diabetes.

Momentary awakening

In January 2019, Mr Krishna was facing abnormal weight loss and decided to get his full body checkup done in which one factor stood out way more than the others. His HbA1C was found to be 13.9.

“Both me and my doctor were surprised to see those reports. I started medications immediately but now, realising that I was diabetic, I did not lose a minute to modify my lifestyle. I decided to follow everything that was required of me to bring my sugar levels down as I could not accept this diagnosis without a fight.”

Mr Krishna was quick to realise his mistakes in his routine and dedicated himself to bringing his sugar levels in control by following a proper diet and including physical activity in his routine. Over the next 6-8 months, he brought down his HbA1C to 7 which was further a pleasant surprise to himself and his doctor.

“By working hard on my health and following a proper routine, my HbA1C came down to 7 over the next 6-8 months. Even my doctor was surprised and happy that I managed to achieve this in such a short time. Usually, people do not take this thing seriously and let it slide. But I caught it early on and did not ignore the signs that my reports were showing. Instead, I accepted those signs and decided to bring them down.”

This was the time when Mr Krishna decided to never let his health go and started getting routine checkups done every 3 months. Even now he has not broken this resolve and gets a full body checkup every 3rd month, without any delay.

Finding the right advisor

But continuing on with a very strict routine for a full-time working professional is no easy task. Mr Krishna was also on the same boat. Although he wanted to be healthy and continue with a disciplined routine, his work-life balance was a bit disturbed. He was finding it difficult to manage his health alongside his intensive working routine. That’s when he came across Zyla and decided to give it a try.

“I was trying to follow the routine that every diabetic patient is advised - proper diet, exercise and medications. But it was not as smooth and regular in my daily schedule as I would have liked it to be. So I decided to give Zyla a try. I signed up without any expectations and was going to just see how it works for a month. But within that 1 month, my whole perception changed.”

Just in a month of joining Zyla, Mr Krishna could feel the difference in his previous and current routine. He was sold on the idea of having experts to manage his health rather than him doing it alone. One of the best things he found about Zyla was that it monitored his vitals on a daily basis.

“I had never checked my blood pressure in the past 10 years. When I joined Zyla I got into a habit of checking my BP as well as my sugar levels on a timely basis. I no longer had to worry about my health on top of my work. I was just focusing on my work and I had Zyla to focus on my health. The constant follow-ups and reminders keep you updated with your own progress and shortcomings. You can easily adopt healthier choices in your lifestyle.”

Since 6 months of being with Zyla, Mr Krishna has achieved his targets every 3 months. He has now kept a target of HbA1C of 5.5 for his next quarter and he is working towards that every day.

His hacks for great health

My HbA1c has never increased beyond 7 since that time. My main learnings in this journey with Diabetes have been -

• Regular monitoring and check-ups are key to staying aware of your body’s signs! It really helps you keep a check as well as understand what is working for your body and what is not.

• Small changes in your daily eating habits can certainly do the trick! If many small changes overwhelm you, start with one! But do make that start.

• Strong will-power and caution are equally important as well! There are many instances where I am offered sweets or I am in a situation where I might have to skip my walk but that’s life and at the end, our choice is what matters.

I chose to say no to all the people who told me to ‘take it easy’, ‘just one bite won’t hurt’, ‘it’s okay if you skip your walk today’. I did not skip my walks even when I travelled. I did not compromise on my food even when I was away from home. That’s the kind of attitude it takes!

Our winner’s words

Mr Krishna credits his family equally in his achievements. The two headstrong women in his life - his wife and his mother, have been his biggest supporters.

“My wife decides what I eat every day. I discuss my diet plan with her and she takes care of everything from there. She opts for the best oil, salt and other important ingredients that I will be consuming. Her job as my wife seems even more difficult than mine but she has done it with the utmost grace and dedication.”

As he celebrates his achievements, he also recognizes the hardship, strength, and determination it took for him to reach this stage. Reflecting on his journey, the advice he has for fellow diabetics is -

“Every choice you make for your body counts! I understand it is difficult with work and family life. But every day when you take some time out for exercise or a walk, when you consciously choose to avoid the samosa and have a fruit, IT COUNTS. Start with changing one small habit today. It will take many such small battles to win the final war, so take it one step a time but never stop stepping.”