The comparison this page makes
Me
An Indian man, born 1972
Benchmark
The average 30-year-old European man
I chose a demanding benchmark on purpose. It was declared on 19 October 2026 and will not change when results arrive. Here is where I stand today.
| Measure | Me | Benchmark | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI | 22.4 | 26.8 | Ahead |
| Waist | 88 cm | 91.3 cm | Slightly ahead |
| Grip per kg body weight | 0.74 | 0.61 | Ahead |
| Grip strength, absolute | 48.1 kg | 51.6 kg | Behind |
| Fat mass index | 3.3 kg/m² | 4.0 kg/m² | Ahead* |
| Fat-free mass index | 19.1 kg/m² | 18.9 kg/m² | Level* |
Sources, methods and caveats for each figure are in section B below. The benchmark figures come from British and Scottish surveys of men in their late twenties and early thirties, and, for the fat and fat-free mass indices, from Swiss men aged 18 to 34.
* Provisional. These two figures come from a home body fat scale and will be restated from my DEXA report when it is available, whichever way they move.
Three claims, kept apart
Most self-tracking blends everything into one transformation story. Here each claim carries its own status, so you can see what is settled, what is a comparison, and what is still being tested.
A. Durability
Six years of weight maintenance after an initial loss. Data already in hand.
B. Population percentile
Where my numbers sit against the average 30-year-old European man, not against my own past.
C. Prospective tracking
A dated baseline panel, then scheduled re-tests. The only thread that can show a trajectory.
A. The durability claim
Weight regain after a diet is common, and it usually appears within a few years. A review of 31 long-term studies that followed dieters for two to five years estimated that between a third and two-thirds of dieters regained more weight than they had lost within four to five years (Mann et al., American Psychologist 2007). The initial loss is therefore not the notable result. The notable result is that it stayed off.
Before offering my protocol to patients, I tested it on myself. I went from 84 kg to 64 kg in 165 days. Six years later my weight remains below 65 kg, a net regain of about 0.8 kg.
This claim does not need new testing. It gets stronger with each year the line holds.
B. Where the numbers sit
For markers that are near their ceiling, comparing me with my own past shows nothing. The fair comparison is with an outside benchmark.
| Marker | My value | Reference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grip strength, absolute | 48.1 kg | Measured on 27 Sep 2026 with a Camry dynamometer, right hand, seated, elbow at 90 degrees. Benchmark: median 51 kg at ages 30 to 35 in British studies, mean 51.6 kg, 10th to 90th centile 38 to 64 kg (Dodds et al., PLoS ONE 2014). My value falls between the 25th and 50th centiles, below the benchmark median. Devices and protocols differ between studies. | Self-reported |
| Grip per kg body weight | 0.74 | Above the benchmark of about 0.61. The benchmark body weight of about 85 kg is calculated from the Scottish mean BMI of 26.8 (Scottish Health Survey 2011) and the Scottish mean height of 178.2 cm (Scottish Health Survey 2008, men aged 25 to 34). Weight-adjusted grip favours a lean body. | Calculated |
| Grip divided by BMI | 2.15 | Above the benchmark of about 1.93 (mean grip 51.6 kg divided by BMI 26.8). | Calculated |
| Grip per height squared | 16.6 kg/m² | Slightly above the benchmark of about 16.3 kg/m², which uses the Scottish mean height of 178.2 cm (Scottish Health Survey 2008, men aged 25 to 34). The two are close. The benchmark combines British grip data with Scottish height and BMI. | Calculated |
| Weight | 64.8 kg | Personal scale, measured on waking, fasted for about 12 hours. Height 170 cm, self-measured against a marked wooden door. Weight depends on height, so the benchmark comparison is made through BMI below. | Self-reported, 19 Oct 2026 |
| BMI | 22.4 | Below 23, the BMI that the WHO expert consultation names as a public health action point for Asian populations (WHO Expert Consultation, Lancet 2004). Benchmark: across 30 European countries in 2022, the median country had 49% of men aged 25 to 29 under BMI 25 and 15.5% at BMI 30 or more (NCD-RisC, Lancet 2024). I am in the lower half of the normal band. The mean BMI of Scottish men aged 25 to 34 is 26.8 (Scottish Health Survey 2011). | Calculated |
| Waist | 88 cm | Measured at navel level, in the exhaled state, by me with a soft vinyl tape. I measure at the navel because it is my widest girth, and my abdomen does not hang. The WHO measures at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, so the two sites can differ. Below the 90 cm cut-off commonly used for central obesity in Asian men (Misra et al., J Assoc Physicians India 2009;57:163-170). Benchmark: mean waist 91.3 cm in Scottish men aged 25 to 34 (Scottish Health Survey 2010/11), and 88.7 cm in English men aged 16 to 34 (Health Survey for England 2022). My value is level with the English figure. That band includes teenagers, so a 25 to 34 figure would be higher. A pan-European source is still to be added. | Self-reported, 19 Oct 2026 |
| Waist-to-height ratio | 0.52 | In my practice I use a cut-off of 0.53 in men and 0.5 in women. This is my clinical convention from practice experience and is not validated. Indians are 9 to 12 cm shorter than Europeans, so the 0.5 line suits European and US populations but not Asians. Under my cut-off I am within the limit. Under the 0.5 line used in European and US guidance I am above it. | Calculated |
| Body fat (BIA) | 14.7% | Measured with a Beurer BF 500 body composition scale, in the morning, after emptying the bladder, before any food or water. BIA estimates fat from electrical resistance and shifts with hydration. Consumer BIA devices can differ from DEXA by several points of body fat percentage: in one comparison of 106 adults, the 95% limits of agreement for individual devices ran from about −6.6 to +4.6 points for the best device and −14.5 to +8.6 for the weakest (Bosy-Westphal et al., Obes Facts 2008). That study did not test my model. BIA cannot measure visceral fat. The DEXA scan in the baseline panel will. | Self-reported, 19 Oct 2026 |
| Fat mass index | 3.3 kg/m² | Fat mass divided by height squared: 14.7% of 64.8 kg is about 9.5 kg, over 1.70 m squared. Benchmark: median 4.0 kg/m² in Swiss men aged 18 to 34, measured by bioelectrical impedance checked against DEXA (Schutz et al., Int J Obes 2002). The benchmark group includes men younger than 30, whose fat mass is generally lower, so this benchmark is likely tougher than a 30-year-old one. The device differs from my home scale. The DEXA baseline will replace this figure. | Calculated |
| Fat-free mass index | 19.1 kg/m² | Weight minus fat mass, about 55.3 kg, over 1.70 m squared. Benchmark: median 18.9 kg/m² in the same Swiss men (Schutz et al., Int J Obes 2002). The two are close. The same caveats apply, and the DEXA baseline will replace this figure. | Calculated |
Grip strength, relative to size. Per kg body weight it is 0.74 (vs 0.61 in the average 30-year-old European man). Grip strength divided by BMI is 2.15 (vs 1.93 in the average 30-year-old European man). The absolute figure is shown above for completeness.
Grip strength will be re-measured under the prospective schedule below and then marked as verified.
C. Prospective tracking
My weight programme was never built to target arterial health, inflammation or fitness directly. These six markers are where a real trajectory can still appear. Arteries decide survival far more often than skin does, so vascular and metabolic markers come first.
| Marker | What it tells us | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| ApoB and full lipid particle panel | Atherogenic particle burden | Pending |
| Pulse wave velocity or endothelial function | Arterial stiffness; higher values predict cardiovascular events (Ben-Shlomo et al., JACC 2014) | Pending |
| hs-CRP | Systemic inflammation; linked to coronary disease, stroke and mortality (Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, Lancet 2010) | Pending |
| Grip strength | Strong independent predictor of mortality (Leong et al., Lancet 2015) | Pending |
| VO2 max | Cardiorespiratory fitness; higher fitness is linked to lower mortality (Mandsager et al., JAMA Netw Open 2018) | Pending |
| DEXA scan | Lean mass and visceral fat, beyond body weight | Pending |
All tests will be done at an accredited external laboratory and dated. The baseline panel will be done within about a month of 20 October 2026. The first re-test is in the first week of June 2027, and re-tests then run twice a year, in the first week of June and the first week of December. I chose June 2027 over December 2026 because a December re-test would fall only weeks after the baseline. Once two readings exist six months apart, markers that moved will be published as the active tracking story. Flat markers stay in A and B.
Safety blood tests (liver enzymes, kidney function, B12, folate, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, copper and a complete blood count) are drawn at the baseline and at every re-test. The results will be published with the rest.
Skin marker, face and neck
I use YouthBack™ serum on my face and neck, so any effect I claim must show there. The marker is skin elasticity measured with a cutometer. The instrument will be confirmed before the baseline and then kept. I will also take standardised photographs of the face and neck at baseline and at each re-test: same window light, same distance and pose, no filters or retouching, taken on the day of the measurement. Measurements are made on the same skin sites each time, with the skin clean and free of products, after the same resting time in the same room. Every scheduled result and photograph will be published, including the unfavourable ones. Baseline: Pending
Why not an epigenetic clock
Biological age clocks measure overlapping but different things, and they can disagree. Running several and quoting the best would be selective reporting. I will name my instruments before testing and keep them whatever the result. Grip strength, VO2 max, pulse wave velocity and hs-CRP each have independent prospective evidence linking them to mortality or cardiovascular events (see References).
The protocol
This is what I do. It is the regimen of one person and is not advice for you. Please speak to your own physician before copying any part of it.
Phase 1. Induction, 165 days
Walking 2.5 hours a day, with careful tracking of everything eaten. Not recommended to patients.
Phase 2. Maintenance, current
- Weight ceiling. Keep weight under 66 kg.
- Hunger-driven eating. Eat when hungry, never on impulse.
- Diet. Nut-based, about 1,800 kcal a day in six small meals, set out in the table below. No smoking, not even passive. No alcohol, not even at celebrations.
- Eating window. 9 am to 9 pm.
- Between meals. Green tea, cucumber or carrot if hunger strikes outside meal times.
- Sleep. 8 to 9 hours nightly. Melatonin 1.5 to 3 mg, one hour before sleep, on 5 to 6 nights a week. I take it for sleep and also for its antioxidant and skin effects.
- Exercise. Pull-ups: 100 in 8 to 10 sets, twice a week. Dips: 100 to 120 in 6 to 8 sets, twice a week. Running: 5 km, twice a week. Sprints: 4 of 45 seconds, once a week. For comparison, my single-set maximum is 20 pull-ups and over 30 dips.
- Supplements. Thirty oral items and one topical serum. The full list is below, with dose, frequency and start date.
- Goal. Remain fit until age 120.
Supplements cost about $200 a month. Food is extra.
Diet, a typical day
Eating window 9 am to 9 pm. About 1,800 kcal in total.
| Time | What | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| 9 am | 30 g walnuts and half a cup of tea with tulsi leaves | 250 kcal |
| 12 pm | 45 g peanuts and half a cup of tea with ginger | 350 kcal |
| 3 pm | Welltopia's Antioxidant Soup, one bowl | 250 kcal |
| 4 to 5 pm | One scoop (25 g) of Isopure whey isolate in 250 ml water | 120 kcal |
| 6 pm | 45 g peanuts and one cup of chocolate milk made with 99% dark chocolate | 400 kcal |
| 9 pm | 30 g almonds and Welltopia's Antioxidant Soup, one bowl | 430 kcal |
Nuts total about 150 g a day. Walnuts are 30 to 50 g, with 30 g as the minimum. The rest of the 150 g is peanuts and almonds, which I vary by taste on the day. The table shows a day with the minimum of walnuts. Welltopia's Antioxidant Soup is made for my own use. It is not sold and has not been given to anyone.
Supplements
Declaration. About 85% of the items below are what I take today. About 15% are items I took earlier and no longer take, because they did not produce much benefit. I do not say which. None of the items caused me a side effect at the dose I took. That is a fact about me only, not advice. I make no claim about safety or benefit for anyone else. This is a record of one person.
| # | Name | Dose | Frequency | Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CoQ10 (ubiquinol) | 200 mg | Once a day | Mar 2020 |
| 2 | Astaxanthin | 16 mg | Once a day | Mar 2020 |
| 3 | Zeaxanthin | 4 mg | Once a day | Jun or Sep 2021 |
| 4 | Lutein | 20 mg | Once a day | Jun or Sep 2021 |
| 5 | L-carnitine | 500 mg | Once a day | Mar 2020 |
| 6 | EPA and DHA | EPA 720 mg, DHA 480 mg | Once a day | Mar 2020 |
| 7 | Alpha-lipoic acid | 600 mg | Once a day | Mar 2022 |
| 8 | Resveratrol | 100 mg | Once a day | Sep 2022 |
| 9 | Curcumin | 500 mg | Once a day | Mar 2020 |
| 10 | Citicoline | 500 mg | Once a day | Jun 2026 |
| 11 | Magnesium (elemental) | 350 mg | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 12 | Zinc | 20 to 30 mg | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 13 | Vitamin A | 5,000 IU | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 14 | Vitamin D | 2,400 IU | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 15 | Vitamin E | 200 mg | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 16 | Vitamin K2 (MK-7) | 200 mcg | Once a day | Mar or Jun 2024 |
| 17 | Ashwagandha | 750 mg | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 18 | Shilajit | 1,000 mg | Once a day | Mar 2021 |
| 19 | Taurine | 2,000 mg | Once a day | Jun 2023 |
| 20 | NAC (N-acetylcysteine) | 600 mg | Once a day | Jun 2023 |
| 21 | Selenium | 70 to 110 mcg | Once a day | Jun 2024 |
| 22 | Chromium | 250 mcg | Once a day | Jun 2024 |
| 23 | Manganese | 5 mg | Once a day | Jun 2024 |
| 24 | Copper | 2 mg | Once a day | Jun 2024 |
| 25 | Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12 (B9 as folic acid until 19 Oct 2026). From 20 Oct 2026, Neurobion Forte: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, with no folic acid | 3 to 4 times the RDA until 19 Oct 2026. From 20 Oct 2026, per tablet: B1 10 mg, B2 10 mg, B3 (niacinamide) 45 mg, B5 50 mg, B6 3 mg, B12 15 mcg. Per day (two tablets): B1 20 mg, B2 20 mg, B3 90 mg, B5 100 mg, B6 6 mg, B12 30 mcg | Once a day until 19 Oct 2026; twice a day from 20 Oct 2026 | Jun 2024; source changed 20 Oct 2026 |
| 26 | Melatonin | 1.5 to 3 mg | One hour before sleep | Jun 2024 |
| 27 | Garlic oil | 1 to 2 g | Once a day | Jun 2024 |
| 28 | Probiotics (various strains) | 60 billion CFU | Once a day, morning | Jun 2024 |
| 29 | Berberine | 1.5 g | Evening, 7 to 9 pm | Jun 2024 |
| 30 | TMG (trimethylglycine) | 1 to 2 g | Once a day | Oct 2026 |
Upper limits. Some of my doses are at or above published upper limits for adults. Niacinamide (vitamin B3) is 90 mg a day against a US upper limit of 35 mg, which is based on flushing. Magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day, which is at the US upper limit. I chose these doses knowingly, I monitor myself, and I do not recommend them to others. Source for both limits: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets for niacin and magnesium (see References).
Topical. YouthBack™ serum, 8 to 10 drops, once or twice a week, since March 2021. I use it on myself only. It is not sold and has not been given to anyone. Any effect I report will be on the skin of my face and neck (see Limitations).
Change log
Many things change together in real life. Every addition, change or removal is dated here, so you can see what moved at the same time as a result.
| When | Change | Data quality |
|---|---|---|
| About 2018 | Photograph from before the March 2020 induction. It shows the starting point only. Weight then is not recorded here. | Retrospective |
| 20 Mar 2020 | Induction begins at 84 kg. | Retrospective |
| 1 Sep 2020 | 64 kg reached. Maintenance begins. | Retrospective |
| Sep 2020 to Oct 2026 | Weight stays below 65 kg. The protocol has hardly changed. Supplements were added over time, on the dates in the list above. Latest additions: citicoline (Jun 2026) and TMG (Oct 2026). Latest diet change: walnuts added around Sep 2026, with peanuts reduced by the same amount. | Retrospective |
| 19 Oct 2026 | This record opened. Rules of evidence set (below). Baseline panel to be done within a month. | Prospective |
| 20 Oct 2026 | B-vitamin source changed from Supradyn to Neurobion Forte. Reason: the folic acid content of Supradyn. Unmetabolised folic acid may be a concern at that intake, so I chose to lower it. Niacinamide is not a concern for me at this dose. Neurobion Forte is taken as one tablet twice a day. Strengths are in row 25. | Prospective |
Rules of this record
- Retrospective and prospective data are kept apart. The regimen was already running before this page, so a true pre-intervention baseline no longer exists. Everything before 19 October 2026 is self-reported history. Everything after follows instruments and intervals fixed in advance.
- Evidence is defined before results. The primary markers and the testing schedule are written down and dated before each tracking phase.
- All results get published. Flat and negative findings appear next to positive ones.
- Independent verification. Verifiers with no stake in the result confirm that the numbers on this page are true. They do not judge what the numbers mean. Each verifier checks three things: that the report is authentic and came from the laboratory or centre; that the sample or test was mine; and that the conditions were as stated (fasting, rest, device, date). Where a verifier is present, I say so. Where no one was present, the entry is labelled self-reported.
- Claims follow data. I review this page every quarter and will tighten or withdraw any claim I cannot defend.
No verifier has signed off yet. Each sign-off will be added here with the date, the verifier's name and background with their consent, any link to me or Welltopia, and exactly what was checked. Any objection will be published with the result it concerns.
Limitations and disclosure
- This is a single case. It cannot show that any one component of the regimen works, or that it would work for you.
- This is one regimen taken as a whole. It cannot show which parts matter, or that a smaller or different set would give the same result.
- There is no true pre-intervention baseline. Early data are self-reported.
- I run Welltopia, a practice that treats obesity and offers a Reverse Ageing Program. I have a commercial interest in how this record reads. Any product or service that draws on this record will be disclosed here. Today there is none. YouthBack™ (a topical serum) and Welltopia's Antioxidant Soup are used by me alone. Neither is sold, and neither has been given to anyone. If either is ever offered to others, I will say so here, with the date.
- I consent to publishing my own health data on this page.
The conclusion stays modest. This is a durability case, not a claim of proven efficacy.
References
Show all 14 referencesHide references
- Dodds RM, et al. Grip strength across the life course: normative data from twelve British studies. PLoS ONE 2014. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0113637
- Leong DP, et al. Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Lancet 2015;386(9990):266-273. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62000-6
- Mandsager K, et al. Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality among adults undergoing exercise treadmill testing. JAMA Netw Open 2018;1:e183605.
- Ben-Shlomo Y, et al. Aortic pulse wave velocity improves cardiovascular event prediction: an individual participant meta-analysis of prospective observational data from 17,635 subjects. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;63(7):636-646. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2013.09.063
- Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (Kaptoge S, et al.). C-reactive protein concentration and risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and mortality: an individual participant meta-analysis. Lancet 2010;375(9709):132-140. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61717-7
- Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Westling E, Lew A-M, Samuels B, Chatman J. Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. American Psychologist 2007;62(3):220-233. Summarised in UCLA Health news release.
- Misra A, et al. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians and recommendations for physical activity, medical and surgical management. J Assoc Physicians India 2009;57:163-170. PMID 19582986
- Bosy-Westphal A, et al. Accuracy of bioelectrical impedance consumer devices for measurement of body composition in comparison to whole body magnetic resonance imaging and dual X-ray absorptiometry. Obes Facts 2008;1(6):319-324. doi:10.1159/000176061
- Schutz Y, Kyle UUG, Pichard C. Fat-free mass index and fat mass index percentiles in Caucasians aged 18-98 y. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2002. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802037
- WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet 2004;363(9403):157-163. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)15268-3
- NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022. Lancet 2024;403:1027-1050. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02750-2
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Niacin fact sheet for health professionals (upper limit 35 mg a day from supplements, based on skin flushing, applying to both forms). Magnesium fact sheet for health professionals (upper limit 350 mg a day from supplements).
- Scottish Government. The Scottish Health Survey 2011, Volume 1, Adults. Height and BMI figures also draw on the Scottish Health Survey 2008 and the 2010/11 waist data.
- NHS England. Health Survey for England 2022, adult overweight and obesity.