He has more difficulty than most losing weight.

“Without incorporating physical exercise into my schedule, I was unable to keep the weight off and gained the pounds back,” he says.

At his suggestion, Rao replaced two meals a day – breakfast and dinner – with a protein shake. It gave him all the essential nutrients while cutting out unnecessary calories – and left him feeling full.

“It took my body a few weeks to get used to having protein shakes instead of full meals,” he says.

He increased his consumption of fibre, meat (mainly fish or chicken), fruit and yogurt. He also substituted rotis – Indian flatbread made from wheat flour – with sattu roti, made with protein-rich gram flour from chickpeas.

A year into his new diet, Rao now has just one protein shake a day, at breakfast. Lunch is a home-cooked meal – salad, chicken or fish, two sattu rotis, vegetables and a bowl of yogurt. Dinner is fish or chicken with vegetables.

He also gave up alcohol, which he calls “empty calories”, for seven months. He used to have eight large shots of single-malt whisky on weekends with friends and now restricts himself to a maximum of two drinks per week.

“My health is important to me. I don’t want to lose the benefit of all the hard work that I have put in,” he says.

The exercise Rao added to his daily routine after being physically inactive for years was instrumental to his weight loss.

“I decided to give it a try. I worked out on the elliptical trainer for an hour each time, three times weekly,” says Rao, who also began strength training on the advice of his 20-year-old son Agastya. He put Rao through full sequences comprising squats, lunges, overhead bench presses, seated row pulls and more.

“It was special being trained by Agastya and it motivated me to stay on track. I wanted to show my son that I was committed to becoming fit,” says Rao, who now trains with his son twice weekly.

“I was thrilled to be a part of my dad’s fitness journey and see him proactively take ownership of his health,” says Agastya.

In December 2022, Rao took up running – against his orthopaedic doctor’s advice – during the Christmas holidays, while he was on Cheung Sha beach, on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island.

At the age of 22, he underwent surgery after tearing the meniscus on his left knee; he tore his right meniscus aged 38, but did not need surgery.

Running thereafter was put on hold. But decades later, on the spur of the moment, he set off on a run barefoot in the sand – and loved it.

“A few days later, I strapped a knee brace on, said a small prayer and was off!” says Rao, who now runs about 8km two to three times a week.

In August 2022, Rao joined his corporate dragon boat racing team, training for two hours every Saturday during the racing season. This gives him cardio and strength training, but also a sense of community.

Having lost 18kg after his renewed efforts to get in shape Rao now weighs 73kg - and is confident that he can keep the weight off for good this time.

“Willpower and holding myself accountable enable me to stay on course. I measure my weight every day. I allow myself an occasional treat, such as a small piece of dessert,” he says. “If I eat more on social occasions, I burn extra calories the next day by exercising more.”

“The best part is buying new clothes – and being able to fit into my son’s clothes,” says Rao, who has dropped two sizes from XL to M. “I love the look of surprise on the faces of my friends and colleagues, who notice the weight loss.”

His family members are proud of him. “My wife has been a huge support. She ensures that I get a delicious, healthy home-cooked lunch every day,” Rao says, happy they can eat together.

He has inspired others to get fitter, too. A colleague has returned to running after witnessing Rao’s transformation, and his 60-year-old boss has also started having daily protein shakes.

There is no secret to losing weight, Rao says. “The most effective approach is a combination of nutrition and exercise. It’s hard work, but the results are well worth the effort.”