Introductions

Hi,

I am Shyam Bali, a 55 year old, resident in Mumbai-India. Professionally, I'm into construction, but I have many other passions, one of which happens to be Nutrition. I was led into this area by a chronic affliction known as Diabetes. My own success of managing the big "D" with diet & exercise alone, led me to guiding other people to follow suit. For some time, I started email threads that many followed and contributed to. The idea for this blog came about from that. To begin with, let me share my own journey into Diabetes, and consequently Nutrition. So here’s my story.

My earliest record, indicates that I was definitely metabolically challenged as early as July of 2003. Prior to that, I don’t know. In 2003 my Blood Sugar fasting / post-prandial readings were 117/136 mg/dL. Diabetic ?, maybe not yet, but definitely going that way. But I was unhealthier, way overweight, didn’t sleep well and had a host of regular minor health issues.

Fast forward to Aug 2005 and I now reported a 125/157. In retrospect, and with my self-diagnosis, I would definitely say today, that I was a confirmed diabetic. But the doctor I was consulting didn’t think so. My problem was an excruciating pain in my right calf muscle, which he diagnosed as DVT – Deep Vein Thrombosis. The pain was so bad that I had difficulty walking. The 2D color Doppler scan that Dr ordered did not confirm the diagnosis, but still he did not put 2 + 2 together. I can now say that I probably suffered from PAD (peripheral arterial disease) + some neuropathic damage, brought about by my runaway sugars. But the doctor’s prognosis of DVT meant that I took blood thinners like aspirin + Vitamin E for the next 4 months, instead of treating or controlling my blood sugar.

Two years later, in August 2007, I was struck with a very serious bout of “allergic bronchitis”, something which I have struggled with since my youth. As Mumbaikars, most of us get bouts of sore throat, inflammation, cold & flu every 2-3 months. This is the same thing. This time the doctor was one of the senior most in Mumbai. By then my fasting blood sugar had risen to 219, and the good doctor put me on a steroid for the infection and a metformin + sulfonylurea combo pill for my BG. I responded very well to the pills (obviously) and the doctor wanted to send me ladoos to celebrate. He gave me a standard pamphlet of what to eat and what to avoid. Today, I can tell you, with certainty that, that advice is a recipe for disaster, and a good way to kill somebody faster.

I continued taking ½ or ¼ of those pills every day for over 2 years, with my blood sugar, doing very much what it wanted. I also tried all sorts of natural, ayurvedic, yunani and other remedies. You name it, I did it. My BG did not respond positively to any of those. Then in January 2010, I was sitting with my Guru (in more ways than one) Mr. Ashok Pandit. We were enjoying our “couple” of drinks and chatting about various things. I told him that my last fasting sugar was 173. He was very upset with my callous approach and wanted me to do something about it. Well, "something" had to be done, but we didn’t know what. Somehow, that recharged me and put me in the direction of a new mission – to control my blood sugar.

Not knowing where to go and what to do, I started first with exercise, walking anywhere between 7-11 kms a day. That helped, but the best was yet to come. In August 2010 I chanced upon a diabetes blog which was populated by some of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever known. Some of them were very harsh, but I learnt most of my fundamentals there. Unfortunately, that blog has been deactivated as there was a lot of hostility there. One thing led to another, and I started reading website after website dedicated to low carbing and good health. Most of these sites are managed by doctors, biochemists or researchers and the supporting links led me to peer-reviewed scientific studies that corroborated the theories that I was beginning to believe in. By the end of that month I was a confirmed low carber – for life.

Surprisingly, no doctor ever asked me to get my A1c done. I learnt of this test on the net and started getting it done periodically on my own. By my first test, my sugars were already well controlled, and so the A1c came back as a 8.0. I am sure in my earlier days it would have been anywhere between 11 & 12. The new knowledge led to a maddening intensity of self testing and experimentation. On some days I would check my blood sugars 20 times or more, for all sorts of variables. People thought I was obsessed, and yes I was. But my large data bank only confirmed all that I had learnt. I am a high glycator (make more sugar) and have a good count of red blood cells & hemoglobin, which have always made me struggle to get my A1c as low as I would like. Even then, I’ve managed to get it down to 5.3 for some time and now it stays ~ 5.5 But someday I’m going to take up a challenge and get it under 5.0 even if just for a quarter. It can be done.

My studies on diabetes also led me into another interesting area – the lipids (fats). This is a very complicated and hugely immense area of study. I’m learning at a rapid pace and am beginning to make sense of the subject, slowly but surely. Once I had learnt all about diabetes, I naturally started advising near and dear ones on what causes high blood sugar and how to control it. But people did not take me seriously and always doubted what I had to say. Their skepticism meant, that I needed a piece of paper, which gave me the authority to advice. So I joined up for a course on Nutrition from The University of California – Berkeley. Since it was an online course, I could afford to study at my own convenience, and appear physically for the written exam, when ready. I must add that I managed to get 94% marks in that exam, while undergoing one of the most stressful periods of business life.

One thing has led to another, and here I am, conducting my business, while at the same time, devoting at least 1-2 hours every day, to further studies on nutrition and disease. Of course I spent some money on the Nutrition course. But the course was a mere formality. I already knew what I know, and was at loggerheads with my instructor, most of the times. What I really learnt, came from the internet absolutely free. Therefore I have no intention to make this a gainful occupation. I am preparing myself to be able to take up seminars & presentations on these subjects so that more and more people can avail benefit from what I learnt. A Chinese quote says it all - Every journey, however long, begins with a single step. Take yours.

However, I must add a disclaimer, that the material or advice on this blog, is not a substitute for medical care. As and when, and if required, a doctor and drugs may be the right option for you. What I have done has worked for me, because of my strict discipline. The write-ups on the blog are for information only. At times, there may be underlying medical issues, and if you suffer from any ailments, please see your doctor. 

  
Thank you for reading. Do also let me know a little bit about yourself.

Healthy Regards.