How to lose weight and keep it off: this dad shed 29kg through keto diet, intermittent fasting, strength training and daily walks

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

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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

Published: 11:15am, 20 Aug 2023

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.

Avinash Gowda in January 2022 (above, left) after putting on weight he had lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in September 2022. Photo: Avinash Gowda

“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.