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Bhakti Mathur

Last month, Shashank Gangil walked through a Hong Kong hospital corridor proudly carrying a newborn in each arm. The 39-year-old real estate professional had just become a father of twins, an event that would have seemed unlikely just 18 months earlier.
In late 2024, Gangil weighed 94kg (207 pounds) and faced a worrying list of health issues: high cholesterol, signs of fatty liver disease, nagging plantar fasciitis and poor sleep.
For years, he had told himself that “this is genetics”, but that explanation no longer felt enough.
By the end of 2025, he had shed 20kg and was moving and sleeping better.
“I felt younger than a decade ago,” Gangil says. Here is how he did it.
Pandemic puts brakes on active life
Gangil had grown up playing cricket in Delhi, in India, before moving to Hong Kong in 2012 and getting married in 2019. His work life had followed a cycle familiar to many desk-bound professionals: long hours at work, little activity during the day, weekend drinking and unhealthy eating.
He did play cricket on the weekends for a few local clubs and enjoyed running. He ran a half-marathon in 2018 and a full marathon in 2019.

But he developed plantar fasciitis, a chronic heel problem, over years of running and fast bowling. “Post-match, I would have severe pain in my heels for two to three days,” he says.
He gained weight during and after the pandemic, when sports activities were largely curtailed, hitting his heaviest in November 2024.
Earlier attempts to lose weight had not worked. “I tried workouts that were too intense for my heels – running, trail running, high-impact cardio, basketball. Sometimes I’d push through discomfort because I thought pain meant I needed to work harder,” he says.
Family planning triggers a change
He and his wife, Barnalee, began to focus on starting a family.
“We had been delaying having children for one reason or another. When we finally decided, friends warned that, at this age, I might not have the energy to play with children. I was having none of it. I wanted to be a fit dad,” he says.
His turning point came in November 2024, when he met lifestyle fitness coach Himanshu Thakur.
“He didn’t push me to make big changes. Instead, he asked me lots of questions – about my work schedule, stress, sleep, cravings and heel pain,” Gangil says.

Thakur developed a plan that emphasised stability, mobility work, low-impact cardio and movements that would not aggravate his heel pain, training two to three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes.
“The early strength work was deliberately careful,” Thakur says. “We began with limited-range quad exercises and moved towards glute- and hamstring-focused work to reduce stress on the knee and improve mobility. Low-impact cardio, such as cycling and the elliptical, provided conditioning without unnecessary strain. For plantar fascia, we worked on calf stretches and raises.”
The nutrition plan aimed to reduce fat while building muscle through a moderate calorie deficit and a high-protein, whole-food diet.
This was a switch from Gangil’s earlier habits.
“I would skip breakfast often. I ate out every weekend. I never kept track of what I was eating. At work, I’d grab cupcakes and waffles and eat whatever was readily available. Lunch was fried rice and noodles. Dinner was carbohydrate-heavy Indian food such as dal, butter chicken and naan. This became the default after a stressful day.”

Preparing his own food changed that, as he could easily fix meals and avoid last-minute decisions. For breakfast, he might have boiled eggs, or an omelette with toast and broccoli or Brussels sprouts; lunch and dinner could be dal and roti, with a protein such as paneer or tofu.
Consistency is key to success
The first month was tough.
“There were days I wanted to quit. Work stress, pain in the heels, and cravings for cake or pizza made it tempting to go back to the old habits,” he says.
Thakur kept reminding him that “consistency matters more than the mood”. Indeed, after the first month of being consistent, the routine became easier, Gangil says.
Morning workouts became his anchor. “The gym is usually empty in the morning, and I love it when fewer people are around.”
When he did not feel motivated to go to the gym, he used a simple trick: putting on his workout gear. “Himanshu gave me the framework. My discipline made it possible.”
Controlling his sweet tooth was a challenge. Watching his weight drop every week, though, motivated him to stay on track. He now has a slice of cake – every three weeks.
He also cut his alcohol intake dramatically. “From drinking five to six pegs of whiskey or vodka to just sipping one glass of wine the whole evening, I came a long way.”
Thakur’s plan for Gangil, who had been averaging only five to six hours of sleep a night, also made good sleep non-negotiable. He now sleeps at 10pm and wakes at 6am. He strictly follows sleep hygiene rules: no television or phone after 9.30pm and a calmer evening routine. He takes magnesium glycinate about 30 minutes before bed.

The shift, within months, was dramatic.
“I realised my heels did not hurt any more. Colleagues started saying I was looking ‘fit’. My clothes felt looser, and my belly started shrinking. My cricket performance improved. I could bowl consistently and effectively,” Gangil says.
When his weight dropped below 80kg, his doctor gave him the green light to stop his cholesterol drug.
“I had felt bad about starting medication at such a young age. This made the hard work worth it.”
Safeguarding benefits for the family’s sake
Now he protects his routine, for good reason.
“I’m more present and more energetic. Almost every day, someone compliments me that I am looking younger and fitter. At the hospital, after the twins’ birth, a nurse assumed that I was much younger. It felt nice.”
His old ideas were wrong, he realises. “I thought the way to lose weight was to eat less and work out more. But true fitness is much deeper.”
For others trying to lose weight, Gangil has this advice: “Start by creating small habits and keep repeating them until they become ingrained. Don’t go for extreme changes. Train in a way that protects your body so you can stay consistent. Build a routine around food and sleep, so that cravings don’t control your decisions.”
Parenting is a tough job, he says. “And parenting twins is twice the effort. The discipline that I developed last year has helped me in tackling these early months.”
The father, whose favourite quote is “Be the hero of your own life”, seems to have succeeded in becoming just that.
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Health & Wellness

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Shashank Gangil had high cholesterol, signs of fatty liver and plantar fasciitis. Here’s how he got in top shape before his twins were born


Shashank Gangil had high cholesterol, signs of fatty liver and plantar fasciitis. Here’s how he got in top shape before his twins were born.


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At 94kg, he wanted to start a family. How he lost 20kg to become a ‘fit dad’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Shashank Gangil had high cholesterol, signs of fatty liver and plantar fasciitis. Here’s how he got in top shape before his twins were born

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Shashank Gangil had high cholesterol, signs of fatty liver and plantar fasciitis. Here’s how he got in top shape before his twins were born