Housing.com CEO Dhruv Agarwala reveals how he lost 71 kg in two years: ‘I felt I was going to die…’

The Singapore-based entrepreneur underwent a complete lifestyle transformation to shed nearly half of his body weight (from nearly 152 kg to 81 kg) with strength training, walking, and diet management.

One fine morning in October 2001, when the 53-year-old Housing.com CEO was on a business trip to India, he felt like he was having a heart attack, but it turned out to be a case of heartburn. The incident prompted him to take charge of his health.

“My heart was racing, I had palpitations. I felt I was going to die,” Agarwala told South China Morning Post (SCMP).

“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.”

Before the weight-loss journey, Agarwala was prediabetic and had been taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol for four years. He had also sleep apnea, SCMP reported.

Agarwala told the English Daily that from the start of his career, he developed unhealthy eating habits coupled with long working hours, suffering high stress levels and not exercising. This lifestyle made him obese, weighing 151.1 kg.

So how did he manage to lose 71 kg in two years?

Agarwala said his transformation began with strength-training exercises three times a week. Initially, he walked for 10,000 steps a day and then he increased it to 12,000 steps. He also used a prowler, a push sledge with weights, to build muscle mass. Other exercises included squats, and leg and shoulder presses.

Agarwala’s trainer Ahmad Zaki said that he motivated the top executive by mentioning tennis legend Roger Federer.

“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,” SCMP quoted Zaki as saying.

By November 2021, Agarwal was off all medications.

“My cholesterol and blood pressure levels are normal now, I am off the sleep apnoea machine and am no longer pre-diabetic,” he told SCMP.

Agarwala’s diet

On the diet front, Agarwala cut his daily calorie intake to 1,700 calories. Used to eating high-carb foods such as samosas, dosas and cheese toasts, he cut out alcohol, processed and fried foods completely, and ensured he ate protein in every meal.

The Housing.com CEO ate healthy snacks such as nuts, carrots, cucumber or yoghurt to control hunger pangs.

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Published: 27 Mar 2024, 06:36 PM IST