Moving to the US from India at the age of 13 wasn’t just a geographical and cultural shift for Dr Vanita Rahman, but also marked the beginning of her decades-long struggle with obesity. Beyond a change in friends circle, surroundings, or her daily routine, the dramatic physical transformation happened within nine months of her moving to the US. After battling obesity for years, a friend’s suggestion finally worked for her, transforming her life forever. And no, it wasn’t Ozempic. In an exclusive interview with Financial Express.com, Dr Rahman shares her story.
Dr Rahman recalled how living in America came with a drastic shift in her lifestyle. While back in India, she used to play outdoors with her friends and ate a plant-based diet, in the US, staying glued to television and video games became a new norm for her. Also, animal-based foods formed part of her diet. This soon resulted in substantial weight gain that she struggled to get rid of for years.
“I was born and raised in India and moved to the US at age 13. While living in India, I ate a plant-based diet, played outside with my friends, and was a lean child. After moving to the US, my diet and lifestyle quickly changed as animal-based foods, television and video games became a part of my lifestyle,” she shared with us, adding, “within nine months, I went from a lean teenager to being significantly overweight.”
Rahman, an internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician, certified nutritionist, and personal trainer, completed her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Virginia and her internal medicine residency at the Washington Hospital Center. Despite being a physician herself, she couldn’t figure out how to manage her escalating health issues.
Trying and failing to lose weight throughout her university and residency years, she attempted everything she could to shed those extra pounds from daily exercise to several diets, but to no avail.
‘I was a physician who couldn’t manage her own health’
“I struggled to lose weight throughout my adolescence, college, medical school, residency and beyond despite trying various diets (including low carb). I exercised daily but still couldn’t lose the weight,” she told Financial Express.com.
Her obesity issues soon turned into a nightmare, after she developed prediabetes, early signs of osteoarthritis in her knees, and faced everyday struggles with frequent heartburns, asthma and allergies.
“My health issues extended beyond weight management. I also had prediabetes, early signs of osteoarthritis in my knees, frequent heartburn, asthma and allergies,” she said.
One change that finally worked
Going back to her roots finally helped Dr Rahman and she can’t thank a friend enough to finally come up with apt solution for her weight issues.
“Luckily for me, a good friend from medical school advised me to try a plant-based diet. While I was skeptical, I was also desperate,” she told us.
It worked almost instantly for her as within 6 months of starting a plant-based diet, she lost the extra body weight that reversed all her health conditions.
“I no longer needed my inhaler, nose spray or antacids. It has been 13 years, and this is the strongest and healthiest that I have ever felt. But this experience isn’t unique to me,” she said.
Ozempic has its own limitations
With the India launch of Ozempic, spotlight has shifted to newer ways of coping with obesity through GLP-1 medications. However, Dr Rahman says they have their own limitations and side effects. She warns that people may regain weight after they stop taking the medication.
“Ozempic, the brand name for the molecule semaglutide, has been approved in India for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, with weight loss observed as a secondary effect. Its growing use for weight loss reflects the increasing rates of obesity across India. However, lost in the conversation is the fact that nutrition plays a key role in the pathogenesis and treatment of obesity and related health conditions,” says the expert.
Dr Rahman says addressing the root causes of weight gain through diet and lifestyle is a safer and more sustainable approach for most people and for that whole-food and plant-based nutrition play a significant role as it improves metabolism, improves insulin sensitivity, lowers inflammation, supports gut health, naturally improves satiety, and leads to weight loss without any of the side effects associated with medications.
Disclaimer: Always consult a doctor before starting any diet or fitness routine. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.