Dhruv Agarwala, the CEO of the popular real estate platform Housing.com, has opened up about his inspirational weight loss journey in an interview with South China Morning Post. The tech CEO revealed how a health scare and a subsequent visit to the emergency room in a hospital prompted him to lose 71 kg of body weight in just two years.
His fitness journey started in 2021 when he mistook heartburn for a heart attack during a trip to India. At the time, he weighed 151.7 kilograms, was pre-diabetic, had been taking medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure for four years, and had developed sleep apnea. The incident served as a wake-up call for him to take control of his health
''I kept thinking 'One day I will lose weight, one day I will become fit,' until one day I landed in a hospital emergency room. I remember that moment clearly, lying in the hospital bed, when I resolved to take charge of my health,'' he told SCMP.
The Singapore-based entrepreneur then decided to embark on a transformative journey and went from nearly 152 kg to 80 kg in just two years. He undertook a complete overhaul of his lifestyle, including exercise and food habits.
Mr Agarwala undertook strength-training sessions three times a week with a personal trainer in Singapore and used to complete 12,000 steps a day, going up from 10,000. ''I started by walking along the river and soon I was walking everywhere, from running errands to helping around the house,'' said Mr Agarwala.
The CEO said he was inspired by tennis legend Roger Federer and became committed to achieving a similar weight. ''A fan of Roger Federer, he wanted a physique like his. I planted the seeds in him that he would look fantastic if he reached Federer's body weight of 80kg,'' he said.
Further, he cut his daily calorie intake to 1,700 calories. He practiced portion control, cut out alcohol, processed and fried foods completely, and added protein to all the meals.
While his lunch consisted of a 200-300ml portion of dal, 150 to 180 grams of cooked vegetables, and besan roti, his dinner consisted of celery or asparagus soup with grilled chicken or fish. He also now relied on healthy snacks such as nuts, carrots, cucumbers and yoghurt.
After four months of exercising, he lost 20kg after which he received a lot of compliments. Aiming to further shed his weight, he took up running and swimming in 2023.
''The best part about losing weight has been changing my wardrobe multiple times and finally being able to wear the clothes that I always wanted to. I feel good about myself. I have sustained my weight loss by raising the bar on my fitness levels, never letting myself believe that I have achieved my goals,'' he said.
Mr Agarwala, who grew up in Kolkata used to play cricket, football, badminton, and table tennis as a youngster. However, he said he started to put on weight after developing unhealthy eating habits and not exercising regularly.
