Great ideas come from painful experiences! Similarly, Fit4life India emerged from several pain points of Deepika Chalasani’s life. Instead of living with her problems, she decided to make a change not only for herself but also for others. This passionate woman took entrepreneurship as another feather in the cap. Through her role helped many Indian families around the globe change their food habits. Acknowledging Deepika’s contributions in the niche of Nutrition and Dietetics, Women Entrepreneur India had an exclusive conversation with her. To know more about her brainchild and the reason behind its establishment kindly peruse the following excerpts.
Tell Us About The Factors That Incited You To Choose This Niche Domain To Venture Into?
I did my Masters in HR from Symbiosis and moved to the corporate world. Was like any other corporate executive, thin girl with no health challenges. At 31 decided to have the baby. I gained a massive 25kgs from 68 kgs – 94 kgs. Saw the first traces of family genes showing up as the weight I gained, did not go off after delivery. I tried various options from gyming extensively to going on crash diets to enrolling myself in a slimming centre. I had tried it all. I did not see any sustainable weight loss after that. I would lose some weight to gain it back after a while.
“Fit4life India supports Indians across the globe on diabetes, sustainable weight loss, energy & fitness, auto-immune ailments like arthritis, fatty liver, heart health, cholesterol, BP, triglycerides, coaching & counselling services more”
At 39, I was at the peak of my career; coaching CEOs, Top management from large MNCs, globe-trotting on consulting assignments. I could see my health give away. I would get tired very soon, at home I would be irritable with the kids, would have extensive mood swings, knee pains, and sometimes palpitations.
Went for a medical check and to my horror all my family genes from both sides of the family showed up – borderline Diabetes, BP, and Cholesterol. The doctors told me to sort myself out or get to the medication route. I decided I had to figure it for myself as I had no solution so far that was sustainable. I also saw the bad effects of prolonged medications by elders in the family. My ray hope at that time was my dad and my mom. My dad at the age of 60 studied nutrition and sorted his health out and controlled my mom’s diabetes with nutrition and a healthy active lifestyle. Today, they continue to have fantastic health at 79 & 69.
So, I decided to study nutrition and figure it out for myself with the support of my dad’s nutritional immense knowledge. Over the last 2 decades, we have done extensive research on Indians and the uniqueness of Indian bodies. I am a big foodie and I just could not follow any regimented diet plans including my dad’s straight-jacketed approach. So while I was studying nutrition, working on myself and losing weight, I realized a very big role in sustainable weight loss or sustainable good health is the mind. “who we are as an eater” is as important as “what we eat”. We all have limiting or dysfunctional beliefs, which does not allow us to lose weight sustainably and happily. Thereafter went on a journey of working on my mind.
I did a host of certifications globally on the mind and body. I not only lost all the weight I gained during my pregnancy, At 47 years I am my slimmest best with fantastic health. I am 65 kgs (This was my weight when I was 27 years old) and have reversed all my health conditions. My HbA1C is 5.2. This weight loss is also more significant, as most women gain weight in the 40s.
What Are The Differential Factors About Your Services That Make You Stand-Out?
We offer services customized to Indian conditions, Indian genes, our culture, our traditions, etc. While keeping abreast of the latest happenings in the world of nutrition and wellness from across the globe, we chose only those that apply to Indians. We (My dad & me) have reversed our health conditions and my dad and I also have sustainable weight-loss for over 5 years now, (proud to be amongst one percent of the world to have lost weight and sustained it for over 5 years) . Our solutions take into consideration - family budget on nutrition, the practicality of implementation, sustainability of good health practices for long periods.
We give our clients results based on their blood reports. We make nutrition plans based on the blood report of clients and show the difference in their blood reports. So we look at the internal and the external dimensions. So over a period of 3 months / 6 months, clients see the difference in their blood reports with respect to sugar, cholesterol, liver, etc. We focus on consistent habit formations & lifestyle changes and during the process of the client’s journey with us.
Since Its Inception, How Has The Company Nurtured Itself? Illustrate The Growth Of The Company.
We incorporated Fit4Life India in 2012. Over the journey, we have helped thousands of families and clients in India (tier 1 & 2 cities & some towns), North America, Europe, Australia, Asia (middle east and southeast), happy to service clients in other geographies as well.
What Is The Roadmap Ahead? How Is Fit4life Gearing Up For The Same?
We envision to serve more Indians, more geographies, and start franchisees. We look forward to launching Nutrition and Wellness courses. And, I desire to extend our operations and venture into a healthy snack food brand, which is in progress.
One-Of-A-Kind Offerings
Weight management / belly fat / Diabetes & other metabolic disorders / lifestyle relate ailments like cholesterol, triglycerides / arthritis, PCOD / PCOS / children health / Energy & Fitness / cravings / coaching and counselling services for binge eating, stress eating, goals actualisation, work related stress, congenial relationships as such dimensions also cause health problems and weight
Customized plans that work for their body type and support their mindset. Sustainable habit formations that take care of long-term good health. Weight loss is just one of the many factors we look. During their journey of weight loss, we focus on the following dimensions - muscle gain and fat loss, better skin, more energy, improved blood reports (if there are any challenges)
• Educational and counselling approach
• Practical tips and tricks for sustainability
• Focus on holistic wellbeing – Appropriate nutrition / adequate physical activity / manage stress & improved sleep
• Signature recipes that work on Indian bodies
