🎤How does the Samsung smartwatch help MTV Roadies’ Raghu Ram stay fit?

Raghu Ram [00:00:00 - 00:00:39]

He worked with me and he went to a doctor, wasn't feeling well. So the doctor said, do you smoke? He says, no. Do you drink alcohol? Not much. Do you drink Pepsi? He says, yeah. Stop drinking it. It's not good for your health. And he said, you know what? My boss, I used to get a tray which had a glass of water, a Pepsi, hot coffee and hot tea. All four together brought to me. And whatever I felt like I would have, this happened ten times. He drinks every day in editing. Nothing happened to him. Why am I who had one Pepsi once? Why am I in a doctor's office? And she said, yeah, meet him in ten years. And he told me that. And that was that was a slap on my face.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:00:48 - 00:01:33]

Hello and welcome everyone to another episode of Down and Dirty, brought to you by India's homegrown research platform Poocho, where brands can run live interviews with their end consumers for feedback and insights. Today I have with me a dear new friend, Raghu Ram. He's an, I mean, he needs no introduction, but I will introduce him in any case. Indian television producer and actor. I know him from my, what is it, 1990s, early 2000 days as the anchor director at MTV Roadies, MTV Dropout, Splitsvilla. He actually has also written a book on his life called Rearview, My Roadies Journey, so do check that out. And today's a really special day for Raghu because his show, Jamna Paar, has come out on Amazon Prime's mini TV, so please do check that out. And Raghu, it is so good to have you on the show.

Raghu Ram [00:01:34 - 00:01:36]

My pleasure, Taapsi.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:01:36 - 00:01:45]

So yes, you haven't done this format where you're talking about some technological intervention in your life, an app of that form.

Raghu Ram [00:01:44 - 00:01:51]

You know that I'm useless. You know I'm useless in that. I'm not alone. My generation is like that.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:01:47 - 00:02:17]

I relate. I know. I had to pull it out. I was like, Raghu, there must be something on your phone that you're using. And of course, we have something fun to talk about. But before we get there, just let's take a step back. And give me a sense, Raghu, your show just came out. What has been an average day in your life in this last, let's say, week? Because a lot has been happening. So, from morning to night, can you walk us through what a day in your life is like?

Raghu Ram [00:02:18 - 00:04:48]

Wow. Firstly, I'm going through a transition phase in my life because I'm changing lanes. I was more focused in the direction production aspect of creation till now. But in the last six, eight months, I have shifted more to the acting, writing, creative aspect of content creation, which is my first love, which is my core competency also. But as you grow older, I don't know, I think people expect you to advance in your career, which means now you have a desk thing, you have an office, your office, your work is just people management and running off an office, which is the worst, which is just poison for me. It's kryptonite. You know, so I've last seven, eight years, Rajiv and I have been struggling, Rajiv is my twin. We've been struggling with that. And finally, we've shut our company down, thankfully. And both of us are still working together, but not as a company. We don't run a company now. We're just free agents. And in that I have found a great freedom to write and to act, if my son allows, which is the big if, because my son Rhythm is four years old now. And I think before the lockdown, the pandemic and the lockdown, life was very different. There was an office that every generation thought that they had to go to. We're the first generation, we're the first human beings that I think since the invention of offices, who didn't go to office for a year, and then they realized, why do I have to go to office? So now I'm at home, which would be okay, but I can't work. I love being at home. I love playing with my son, but I can't work. He won't let me work. He gets jealous of right now you because I'm talking to you. So a day in my life, I wake up early. I wake up Rhythm. I wake up Natalie, my wife, with coffee and kisses and hugs and drive the son to school, come back, work out three times a week and then come back, freshen up. I have to eat a lot. I'm trying to gain muscle. So that's a lot of eating. I do that. Then I sit down and I write for a few hours. Till Rhythm has to come back. I go pick him up, come back. And then that's the end of that.

Raghu Ram [00:04:50 - 00:05:45]

Then I'm trying to do meetings. I'm trying to work. He's coming in. He's trying to wrestle with me and all that. Natalie is doing a lot of her work. Then in the evening, 5 to 7, I'm down with him playing. I come back, we have to calm him down, put him to bed. And then Natalie and I watch something or, you know, have a drink together, have dinner, and then we go to bed. It's this is generically it. Otherwise, in this week, it has been a lot of, you know, the screening happened yesterday of the show. Today, the show has launched. Tonight, we're going for dinner at the house of the Italian ambassador. I think he has his tenure in Mumbai has ended. He's leaving for good. So he's invited some of us to dinner. So, yeah. Date nights once a week with Natalie. So it's just that it's work and play and a lot of play with some.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:05:46 - 00:05:49]

And you said your day starts early. What time is early?

Raghu Ram [00:05:50 - 00:05:57]

It's not really that early. I wake up at 7. It's 7. 7 is decent. It's not early but it's not late. How about that?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:05:51 - 00:06:05]

It's a good thing I asked you for more specifics. Okay, it's seven o'clock. Fine, right.

Raghu Ram [00:06:03 - 00:06:11]

When I say I wake up early, I'm the first one awake in the house. I was waking up Rhythm in my house. I will be here with another in my house.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:06:08 - 00:06:11]

Okay that makes sense because you say you’re waking up Rhythm. Okay okay makes sense and when it ends like what time like 11, 10, 12?

Raghu Ram [00:06:14 - 00:06:16]

Around 11, 11 o’clock.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:06:15 - 00:06:29]

11 o’clock okay. So it seems like in the morning when you get the writing time alone other than that, and when does Rhythm get back from school?

Raghu Ram [00:06:16 - 00:06:17]

2 o’clock.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:06:15 - 00:06:29]

So from 2 o'clock, life is kind of unpredictable.

Raghu Ram [00:06:28 - 00:07:19]

No, if I'm in the middle of, if I have a deadline or if I'm in a flow, then I'll actually leave the house. I'll go to a cafe nearby and write and I'll come back. But I try and make it back by five, six o'clock so that it's playtime and I don’t want to be out when he wants to be out and so like that. This is an amazing way to live my life. My whole life, Taapsi, has been working. I started working at age 20 and for the first six years, I did not take a holiday, not even one day, not a Saturday, not a Sunday, not a Diwali, not a New Year, not a Christmas. Six years later, I took the first holiday. And I used to live in office. I used to have a bath in the office. I used to have a suitcase. Rajiv and I, yeah, we didn't go home. This was the Roadies time? No, no, way before.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:07:15 - 00:07:21]

This was the Roadies time? Before Roadies. Okay.

Raghu Ram [00:07:20 - 00:07:25]

Yeah, I've been working since, so I've been working almost for close to 30 years now.

Raghu Ram [00:07:26 - 00:08:27]

And only in the last pandemic, right? Only in the last 10 years, ever since I met Natalie, have I slowed down and found something called a work-life balance. I don't even know what it is, something called work-life balance. So my life has been working day and night, no physical fitness, no diet, no play, a lot of alcohol. Behind the camera, it's how much you can abuse your body is a talent. It's a skill, actually. It's a talent. I used to be proud of the fact that I outlasted everybody. All my colleagues would go to sleep. I would keep going for days. In my book, I've written about it. I once went, my longest was three days and three nights without sleep. I was working. Then I had to go to a hospital because weird things started happening. So I've actually abused my body a lot and I'm paying the price for it in many ways. That is why I am now that in my new life, this is my new life, I'm very careful about my health. And that is why we are talking about that app today.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:08:28 - 00:08:55]

Got it. And so what would you say before we actually start talking about, you know, an app that enables you or helps you in this journey to take care of yourself? What, what are the enablers? Like what has allowed you to maintain this work-life balance? You mentioned Natalie, like that was a, there's a watershed moment in your life where that changed. You know, in addition to your wife's support, are there, what are other things internally or externally that have helped you stay, stay this course?

Raghu Ram [00:08:57 - 00:09:26]

I think, you know, Natalie has been a paradigm shift in my life. It’s clearly before and after. It's night and day. I used to smoke 2 packets of cigarettes a day. 2 packs of 20. That's a lot. Minimum was 20 cigarettes. But if I'm shooting, it's 40. If I'm editing, it's 40. If I'm partying, it's 40. And I was shooting, editing or partying all the time. There was no off switch.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:09:26 - 00:09:27]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:09:27 - 00:09:32]

It was up to 40 cigarettes a day. I used to have 20 to 30 cups of tea or coffee.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:09:34 - 00:09:38]

Holy shit! How did your body work like this?

Raghu Ram [00:09:38 - 00:09:44]

I don't know, a friend of mine went to a doctor, a colleague of mine, when I was working in Channel V 20 years ago,

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:09:39 - 00:09:41]

woah!

Raghu Ram [00:09:44 - 00:09:50]

He came and said, he worked with me and he went to a doctor, he wasn't feeling well and he came back and told us the story in a team meeting. He said, so the doctor said, do you smoke? He says, no.

Raghu Ram [00:09:55 - 00:11:22]

Do you drink alcohol? Not much. You drink Pepsi, he says, yeah, stop drinking it. It's not good for your health. And he said, you know what, my boss, I used to get a tray which had a glass of water, a Pepsi, hot coffee, and hot tea. All four together brought to me and whatever I felt like I would have. This happened 10 times. Somebody would come and they knew that Raghu's tray means one of everything will come. And while working, whatever I feel like, I will have a sip of that. He drinks every day in editing. Nothing happened to him. Why am I, who had one Pepsi once, why am I in a doctor's office? And she said, yeah, meet him in 10 years. And he told me that and that was, that was a slap on my face. So I stopped that tray business then. Drinking aerated drinks. That's ominous. But yeah, I'm, I'm seriously telling you my, my back is, it's, it's in bad shape. My sleep is something that I've had to reclaim. Really, even now I have trouble, you know, so yeah, I'm, I'm a specimen of somebody. I'm from a generation that may, it was manly to not care. If I, if somebody combed his hair, they'd say you're a girl. And that was supposed to be an insult by the way. Today in the world today, it is unthinkable. It was like that, you know? So I'm from that generation in Delhi. You know what I'm talking about?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:11:25 - 00:11:33]

First of all, you talk about that generation, like you're 75 years old, which even for any 75 year old watching this is no problem.

Raghu Ram [00:11:29 - 00:11:31]

I'm gen X.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:11:33 - 00:11:42]

But yeah, I mean, wait one second. So, okay, I get it. I get it. You know, like we have become a lot more conscious and aware of what's going in our body.

Raghu Ram [00:11:41 - 00:11:42]

Good, we should be!.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:11:42 - 00:11:58]

That is 100%. So, okay, so tell me this on the flip side, what comes in the way of you maintaining this rigor? Like, are there any challenges or obstacles in you maintaining this new life and this balance? Yeah. What is that? What are they?

Raghu Ram [00:11:58 - 00:11:59]

Life.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:12:00 - 00:12:04]

Like what? Responsibilities? Like a shoot? Like a show? It throws everything out of whack?

Raghu Ram [00:12:05 - 00:12:28]

Mostly, most of the time. But you know what, I have a great support in Natalie. Why I told you, why I actually started this is because when I met Natalie, the first time we got together, she's never dated a smoker. She's never smoked. So it became a thing that I, to be with her, even give this a shot, I have to be a non-smoker. So I quit cold turkey, 40 cigarettes a day used to have.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:12:29 - 00:12:30]

Oh.

Raghu Ram [00:12:30 - 00:13:27]

I picked her up for a date and leaned into a case where she recoiled and I said, Oh, I forgot you smoked. And that cigarette that I had had before that was the last cigarette. It's eight years now, eight and a half. I've not smoked a cigarette. He told me you have to redefine your relationship with alcohol. I did it. I don't get drunk now. In fact, when we started dating, I went to a chemist and I bought soaps and moisturizers for 10,000 rupees. I didn't have anything, nothing. It is Natalie. When she came into my life, it made me want to, it's not, it's not that it made me want to change my life. I wanted to change my life. She became the catalyst. She became the reason she became the excuse. And I changed drastically. I do not recognize the guy from the book that I wrote. I'm not that guy at all, at all.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:13:27 - 00:13:36]

Wow, now I feel like, now I'm going to read, I want to read the book just to know who that guy was because I have no context of that guy, not this guy.

Raghu Ram [00:13:35 - 00:13:37]

I'm not doing it.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:13:38 - 00:13:45]

I mean that I remember from the Roadies vibe only you know like I didn't need to I didn't know you personally obviously but….

Raghu Ram [00:13:43 - 00:13:46]

That was me. That was me. That was me.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:13:46 - 00:13:48]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:13:47 - 00:13:50]

I was intense, man. Everything I did, it was very intense.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:13:50 - 00:14:07]

Wow. Okay, so now let's talk about it. So what, you know, we're here to talk about, and now the beautiful context is you've kind of set this up, right? I mean, there's been a dramatic change in your life, the last eight years, 10 years since Natalie's come in.

Raghu Ram [00:14:03 - 00:14:04]

Yeah.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:14:07 - 00:14:19]

And she has obviously been the biggest support. And then now you have, I'm assuming, you know, a tool or a handful of gadgets to keep you focused, right? And motivated. So tell me a little bit about th ecosystem of technology, whatever you're using to sustain, you know, your motivation.

Raghu Ram [00:14:27 - 00:16:01]

Sustaining motivation is the right way to put it. I think people were consistent with their health goals even before apps and cell phones, but those were a fraction of a percentage of human beings. People couldn't. People couldn't. Nobody had... When you have Fitbits and Wearable, these things that count your steps, it's only then you realize, man, this one, it tells me, get up and move. Not that I have to, I'll just lose it, but at least, if not this, nobody's telling you. Nobody's telling you that you've been sitting on your ass too long. This is not something, an app is not something that'll make you healthy, but it will make you aware that you're not paying attention to your health. And that is what helps sustain motivation. Even if you want to intermittent fast, there are tools, there are apps for that. If you want to walk for fitness, if you want to work out, if you want to track your sleep, you want to track your blood pressure, your resting heart rate, all of it, cardio health, it's there. And because it's there, you become conscious of it. You don't become aware of it. It's like meditation. When you become aware of your thoughts, that's when you realize, man, I'm holding myself back. I'm the one who's feeling my life in negativity. You'll be doing that without being aware of it, but when you're aware of it, you can do something about it. And that's what this app is for me. It is something that makes me aware of the fact that I need to look after myself now.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:16:02 - 00:16:09]

Yeah, and that is so important for you. I mean, right now that is a fundamental, you know, like a journey, like it's the prime journey.

Raghu Ram [00:16:09 - 00:16:15]

I'll tell you why and you are very familiar with it. Ask Mark.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:16:15 - 00:16:16]

Hmm.

Raghu Ram [00:16:16 - 00:16:19]

He will tell you, there is an age gap between me and my wife.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:16:20 - 00:16:22]

Mm-hmm.

Raghu Ram [00:16:20 - 00:16:26]

Like with you and Mark. We have 14 years, almost 15 years apart.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:16:21 - 00:16:22]

Yeah. Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:16:27 - 00:16:42]

I am in my late 40s and my son is just, you know, a toddler. I now know that I have to look younger for my wife and be younger for my son. So of course, it is. I don't want him.

Raghu Ram [00:16:42 - 00:16:48]

My twin has an 18-year-old, right?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:16:48 - 00:16:51]

Oh, wow. Yeah, I didn't know that.

Raghu Ram [00:16:48 - 00:17:13]

I have a standard to know where I could be or where I should be with respect to my son. That energy level when Rajiv's son was a toddler, we had a different energy level, obviously. Different fitness level, different body. And the friends that Rhythm has, their fathers are much younger than me.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:13 - 00:17:14]

Hmm.

Raghu Ram [00:17:14 - 00:17:17]

They are a little older than Natalie, maybe.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:17 - 00:17:17]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:17:18 - 00:17:28]

10 years younger than me, right. I don't want that to be a, to Rhythm to miss out on something in his life because of that. You know, that's why I'm the guy who plays with the

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:25 - 00:17:26]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:17:28 - 00:17:32]

kids the most. All the kids in the building play with me. You can ask Natalie.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:33 - 00:17:38]

That's crazy. What are you wearing? What's on your, what brand is it?

Raghu Ram [00:17:38 - 00:17:43]

Yeah, it's a Samsung Watch 4, classic, classic Watch 4, yeah.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:43 - 00:17:47]

Okay, so it's a Samsung, the Samsung, the Android universe. Got it.

Raghu Ram [00:17:47 - 00:17:48]

Pardon me.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:47 - 00:17:50]

And I said it's the Android universe. Android, yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:17:49 - 00:17:52]

Android, yeah. Rajiv is iPhone and I am Android.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:17:50 - 00:17:59]

Okay. That's where the twins diverge. They come together in all things except their tech brand.

Raghu Ram [00:17:56 - 00:18:01]

We will not touch anything other than that.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:18:01 - 00:18:09]

Oh, that's crazy. And what is what's the app connected to that? So what are you using to track your sleep, your health?

Raghu Ram [00:18:08 - 00:18:40]

It has an app called Samsung Health that is on my phone and every data see if I don't, hold on let me just increase the brightness, so there are obviously things like heart rate, calendar, health, weight, body composition, all of these things.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:18:31 - 00:18:33]

Yeah, yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:18:40 - 00:18:49]

They are connected to the phone as well so every time I exercise or every time I do anything it is recorded through my watch to my app on the phone.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:18:49 - 00:18:59]

Okay, so we will see the app. Tell me something of all the things that it can do, right? Because these things can track all sorts of things. What's most meaningful to you? What are you, what are those numbers that you care about?

Raghu Ram [00:19:04 - 00:19:27]

Couple of things. One is resting heart rate. I want to see that my resting heart rate is within a normal this thing. I don't know why but I feel that my heart health is okay. I mean, I got it tested recently, but I feel it's not okay. I feel like I get tired or I feel, you know, I hate running. For example, I love walking.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:19:26 - 00:19:26]

Hmm.

Raghu Ram [00:19:27 - 00:19:42]

I hate running. If I run, I feel that stress in my heart. You know what I'm saying? So I'm actually, I'm very conscious of my resting heart rate. Second is body fat percentage.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:19:42 - 00:19:43]

Hmm.

Raghu Ram [00:19:43 - 00:20:21]

There's a thing which calculates your skeletal muscle, how much is that, body fat percentage, and a lot of other things, you know, weight, skeletal muscle, fat mass, body water, body fat percentage, BMI, BMR, basal metabolic rate, all of these. This is something that I, so I have to wake up in the morning, get on the scales, check my weight, whatever difference there is, add it on, and then it analyzes. I don't know how accurate it is, but it is reference for me, at least from day to day. Has it gone up? Has it gone down? That is a number I keep track of.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:20:22 - 00:20:29]

Oh, interesting. So, wait, I don't even know that this is a fluke because I also haven't done that. So, wait, you wake up in the morning, you take your weight, which is...

Raghu Ram [00:20:29 - 00:20:34]

I'll make up another one. Before having anything, correct, take your weight.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:20:29 - 00:20:35]

I wake up in the morning before having anything. Haan, before having anything, correct. Huh.

Raghu Ram [00:20:35 - 00:20:38]

So, I'll show you when I'm sharing my screen.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:20:38 - 00:20:40]

You can share your screen now. You can show it to me. 

Raghu Ram [00:20:40 - 00:20:42]

Can I do that now?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:20:40 - 00:20:41]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's do it.

Raghu Ram [00:20:43 - 00:20:51]

Share. Screen. OK. And I share.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:20:53 - 00:20:54]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:20:55 - 00:20:57]

Can you see it?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:20:56 - 00:20:56]

Yes, I can.

Raghu Ram [00:20:57 - 00:21:04]

So, there are these numbers, which are how many steps. This is today, of course, because yesterday was different. Let me go to yesterday. It looked better.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:21:08 - 00:21:10]

Now I won't judge you.

Raghu Ram [00:21:09 - 00:21:11]

Yeah, it's been a lot better.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:21:10 - 00:21:14]

I haven't gone out of the house. You better not see mine then.

Raghu Ram [00:21:14 - 00:21:21]

Right, so I try and walk 10,000 steps every day, but my target is 12,000.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:21:22 - 00:21:24]

Okay, yeah, I can see that.

Raghu Ram [00:21:22 - 00:21:36]

Yeah, but at least 10,000 but I try and make it 12,000. It doesn't happen every day but I try and make sure it does. So this is one aspect of it. 

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:21:34 - 00:21:35]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:21:36 - 00:21:41]

Then the other thing was, hold on.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:21:38 - 00:21:41]

That BMI thing, yeah. I want to know what that means.

Raghu Ram [00:21:44 - 00:21:46]

You see this, body composition.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:21:46 - 00:21:47]

Yeah, okay.

Raghu Ram [00:21:47 - 00:22:00]

Alright, so my weight has been going up gram by gram because I'm on a weight gain this thing, right? I'm now 63.8, which is the heaviest I've been in years. 65 was a window, it was a ceiling.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:22:01 - 00:22:02]

Okay.

Raghu Ram [00:22:01 - 00:22:05]

It was a block. I could not touch or cross 65. I just couldn't.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:22:01 - 00:22:07]

Even if you, even if you eat.

Raghu Ram [00:22:08 - 00:22:10]

I eat everything, I drink everything.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:22:10 - 00:22:14]

You're one of those who just doesn't put on weight, no matter how much you eat.

Raghu Ram [00:22:14 - 00:22:33]

Everybody has that. Your body has decided a weight. No matter if you want to reduce it, it will slow your metabolic rate down to come back to that weight. If you eat more, if you do more, it will speed it up to come back. Your body has decided you are this many kilos heavy. That's it.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:22:33 - 00:22:34]

Right.

Raghu Ram [00:22:34 - 00:22:40]

And my body is decided at 65 kgs. That's it. So I'm fighting tooth and nail.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:22:38 - 00:22:42]

But now you're 66.8. 

Raghu Ram [00:22:41 - 00:22:42]

Wow, man. I'm going to take a weekly lap.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:22:43 - 00:22:45]

Oh my God, this is...

Raghu Ram [00:22:45 - 00:23:03]

I am at 16.8% fat, which is okay. My average is around 17, I think. I go from 15 to 19, depending on the day. So average is anywhere around 17%, which is healthy, which is not bad for men.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:04 - 00:23:08]

So how do you do this? This thing that you said, you know, when you wake up in the morning.

Raghu Ram [00:23:04 - 00:23:09]

Yeah. If that is all you need

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:08 - 00:23:11]

No, no, no. But what do you do? Tell me what you do?

Raghu Ram [00:23:12 - 00:23:14]

So can you see me on the screen?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:14 - 00:23:22]

No, I can't see you on the screen. I can only see your screen, so you can stop your share screen if you want.

Raghu Ram [00:23:16 - 00:23:24]

Okay. Yeah, how do I do that? Hold on, hold on.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:25 - 00:23:28]

Yeah, no, that's me. Ah, there we go. Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:23:28 - 00:23:41]

Right, so you have to get your weight before you eat anything else, and you go to that part on your phone, which is this, okay, and it says measure, it'll ask you for your weight. I hope you can see it.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:43 - 00:23:44]

Yeah, I can see it.

Raghu Ram [00:23:44 - 00:23:51]

Put the weight it and you confirm, all right? And then you put these two fingers, ring and middle. Okay.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:51 - 00:23:52]

Okay.

Raghu Ram [00:23:51 - 00:23:54]

And you touch the two ends of the thing

Raghu Ram [00:23:54 - 00:23:58]

And it'll just calculate on its own. And it'll give you the whole thing.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:23:58 - 00:24:00]

It will calculate what? Your BMI.

Raghu Ram [00:24:00 - 00:24:09]

All of it, all of it. Your skeletal, what your weight is, how much of it is your muscle, how much of it is your fat, what is the percentage of fat that you have, what is your basal metabolic rate, everything.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:24:10 - 00:24:16]

And the fact that you're even regurgitating these terms means these are things that you are monitoring, right? Because it's just rolling off your tongue, right?

Raghu Ram [00:24:15 - 00:24:17]

BAM! Yeah, yeah I do monitor. Yeah.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:24:18 - 00:24:26]

No, no, that's good. Because I'm just like, I don't even know, like, what is skeletal weight versus a non-skeletal weight. But I would like to know.

Raghu Ram [00:24:25 - 00:24:53]

So when people say I'm losing weight or I'm gaining weight, they have got the concept of weight wrong. Weight is not weight. Weight is fat or muscle. When you want to lose weight, you don't want to lose muscle. You want to lose fat. You're saying that you want to lose weight, but you want to lose fat, right? That makes sense. So Your body composition depends, among other things, on your basal metabolic rate.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:24:54 - 00:24:54]

Hmm.

Raghu Ram [00:24:54 - 00:25:15]

What is a Basal Metabolic Rate? It's the amount of energy you need to function, for your heart to pump, for your body to do the things it does. It takes energy, right? Suppose you run and burn 500 calories in an hour, kilo calories, right? That is nothing. That's a fraction of what the body requires.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:25:12 - 00:25:13]

Yeah, yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:25:15 - 00:25:35]

Running is, let's say, not even 5%, not even 2%. Your body takes a lot of energy. So all the food that you're eating, all the things that you're consuming, it's converting into fat and energy. So you want to lose fat. The more muscle you have, the higher your Basal Metabolic Rate. It takes more energy. Therefore, you burn more fat, the more muscle you have.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:25:36 - 00:25:37]

Oh, interesting.

Raghu Ram [00:25:38 - 00:25:49]

Your body weight will remain the same. But the fat percentage keeps going down, muscle increases, so you'll remain let's say 65, but at 65 I can look ripped and muscular or I can be skinny and fat.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:25:40 - 00:26:02]

That's awesome. So how long did it take you in your journey, your transformation journey to get familiar with this, you know, the science behind body and health?

Raghu Ram [00:26:03 - 00:26:06]

Actually, now it's easier because of YouTube.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:26:06 - 00:26:08]

Okay, okay.

Raghu Ram [00:26:07 - 00:26:29]

Once you go on YouTube and you're conscious about something, there are people that you start following and the algorithm gives you more like this. There's a lot of knowledge that is accessible to us now. A lot of apps do that. For example, when I was intermittent fasting, there was an app that I used to use. I don't do that now because my wife told me not to. I became too thin.

Raghu Ram [00:26:34 - 00:26:48]

It also gives you users, creators, content creators on intermittent fasting. It will give you tips, it will give you, you know, have these things. So, apps are doing that as well. So, I think...

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:26:47 - 00:26:56]

Is that where you got your information? Like YouTube is where you go to learn about, you know, new things around your body and health. 

Raghu Ram [00:26:55 - 00:26:56]

Yeah.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:26:56 - 00:26:56]

Very cool.

Raghu Ram [00:26:57 - 00:27:08]

YouTube is a great resource for learning, I feel, you know, so it helps me, it keeps me motivated. It's not just giving me knowledge, it keeps me in the frame of mind.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:27:09 - 00:27:11]

Correct, correct.

Raghu Ram [00:27:10 - 00:27:20]

If I listen to people who are writers talk about writing, it's not making me a better writer, but it's making me think about writing more seriously. It's making me want to write.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:27:20 - 00:27:21]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:27:21 - 00:27:49]

Similarly, I'm not going to become a muscle-bound anything, but it makes me realize that, okay, this is what I've been doing wrong. I should be careful of the amount of water I drink, for example. Something that, the time I go to sleep, those are the things that kind of, the light that I have around in the room, why I can't sleep, you know, the screens. We are a darkness-deprived society. We don't have darkness anymore.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:27:49 - 00:27:49]

Yeah, yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:27:50 - 00:28:06]

And the human, everybody needs darkness for the circadian rhythm and stuff like that. So yeah, our lifestyle is very unhealthy and apps and content creators help in making you realize how to course guide.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:28:08 - 00:28:19]

I'm going to put you on the spot. It's okay if you don't have an answer to this. That's totally fine. But are there, if you had to recommend some YouTube channels or resources or the content creators, does anyone come to mind in particular?

Raghu Ram [00:28:20 - 00:28:51]

A few of them. There's a guy called Thomas DeLauer, who's a content creator on things from fasting to workouts. Kathleen is a guy, a channel that is really good. Dr. Berg is another resources science. These are all guys who use scientific studies and code scientific studies to tell you, give you the information. So these are guys that are really, I mean, they're good content creators also.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:28:51 - 00:29:02]

That's great. That's great. Is there anything else, Raghu, that in this journey of your taking care of your health and staying motivated that you want to share that we haven't talked about?

Raghu Ram [00:28:52 - 00:28:53]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:29:08 - 00:29:44]

I really feel that it's easier for people to think about their health when they're younger. When you have a family, it becomes, in many ways, difficult. I think it's better now though. There's nothing much. I mean, if there is, it'll come to me as we talk. But I really feel that everybody should fall in love and that will make you feel, want to take care of yourself.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:29:44 - 00:29:54]

Yeah, I mean, look, your story is testimony to, like, I mean, there's no bigger motivation than that. I mean, the fact that you gave up cold turkey, like, I can't believe that. I don't know how.

Raghu Ram [00:29:54 - 00:29:58]

I was really alone in my house, it was bad.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:29:57 - 00:29:57]

It was.

Raghu Ram [00:29:59 - 00:30:02]

The withdrawal symptoms were murder.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:03 - 00:30:05]

Yeah, they must have been.

Raghu Ram [00:30:04 - 00:30:11]

Yeah, and I was alone. It's not like I was alone at home, night after night. It was just the simplest thing for me to light up.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:12 - 00:30:18]

yeah wow i mean that's also discipline huh like not everyone has that like just

Raghu Ram [00:30:18 - 00:30:23]

I was desperate to change myself. I hated myself.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:21 - 00:30:22]

Hmm.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:25 - 00:30:28]

Like you said, she was the catalyst, right? She was the catalyst.

Raghu Ram [00:30:27 - 00:30:30]

I realized that she doesn't know much about me.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:31 - 00:30:32]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:30:31 - 00:30:38]

I can be anything I want to be for her. If I say I'm a non-smoker, I'm a non-smoker.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:39 - 00:30:39]

Yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:30:40 - 00:30:42]

You know what I'm saying?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:30:41 - 00:30:55]

Yeah, that's crazy. I remember feeling that thing when I went abroad to study. I was 18 and I thought to myself as I got off that plane, or whatever, the first week I was there, I was like, shit, I could be anyone I want, like nobody knows me.

Raghu Ram [00:30:54 - 00:31:01]

I just decided I'm no longer an introvert. Damn it. I talk to everyone. You can be, right?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:31:02 - 00:31:10]

That's absolutely insane. That's amazing. That's an inspiring story. And thank you for sharing it. 

Raghu Ram [00:31:10 - 00:31:13]

I'll share it… Because you are in a very similar boat.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:31:13 - 00:31:16]

Yeah, yeah, I get it. 

Raghu Ram [00:31:14 - 00:31:28]

Can I ask you something and It's okay if you don't. I can understand why an older guy would find it nice to be with a younger woman, although

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:31:17 - 00:31:19]

Yeah, yeah.

Raghu Ram [00:31:28 - 00:31:34]

both Mark and I had severe reservations about it. What's in it for the lady? What's in it for the young woman?

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:31:34 - 00:31:38]

Where's Natalie in this conversation? We need to ask her.

Raghu Ram [00:31:38 - 00:31:50]

Yeah, why? She has a problem. The guy she was dating before me is my age. She seems to have an age limit that younger than me she won't. She just needs Gen X, that's it.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:31:51 - 00:32:05]

You know, I didn't even ask Mark his age when we were dating initially. I think we just connected. And you know what the beauty is, is that he and you, you're young in your mind. You know what I mean? So it was not even a consideration.

Raghu Ram [00:32:05 - 00:32:06]

Okay, right.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:06 - 00:32:12]

You know what I mean? It didn't even come up. Like it didn't because you didn't look, he didn't look it. He didn't act it.

Raghu Ram [00:32:11 - 00:32:12]

Yeah.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:12 - 00:32:15]

And it just never, like my reference point for what...

Raghu Ram [00:32:14 - 00:32:20]

You didn't go for an older man. You clicked with somebody who happened to be older.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:20 - 00:32:23]

Unlike Natalie, I'm telling you she's a serial. There is a thing over there.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:26 - 00:32:29]

She is laughing at older men.

Raghu Ram [00:32:28 - 00:32:33]

I don't think she would have gone in there with me. Disappointed. I'm drinking.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:31 - 00:32:35]

That’s crazy, that's crazy, no that’s it now its recorded. It's going down in the history books.

Raghu Ram [00:32:34 - 00:32:40]

It's on internet.

Raghu Ram [00:32:40 - 00:32:44]

It's on the internet, it's a fact then. 

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:43 - 00:32:50]

That's right. Okay, rapid fire round. Are you ready? Okay, first question. Name one item on your bucket list.

Raghu Ram [00:32:52 - 00:32:53]

Travel to Japan.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:54 - 00:32:58]

Which social media platform are you most active on?

Raghu Ram [00:32:58 - 00:33:03]

Instagram.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:32:59 - 00:33:01]

What comes to mind when I say happiness?

Raghu Ram [00:33:04 - 00:33:04]

Wife.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:33:05 - 00:33:09]

And do you own a vehicle? I know you own a vehicle. You own a car. What car do you own?

Raghu Ram [00:33:07 - 00:33:12]

Yeah I do. It's a Freelander 2 Land Rover.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:33:13 - 00:33:18]

Which now requires all its wheels, all its tyres to be changed, unfortunately, because of the road.

Raghu Ram [00:33:16 - 00:33:27]

Yeah. I need a hovercraft man in Mumbai. Off-roader is not the thing. We've crossed that stage a long time back.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:33:27 - 00:33:33]

We've done a really good job. India knows how to push the limits of like every tech, everything that comes out.

Raghu Ram [00:33:33 - 00:33:34]

Yeah.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:33:33 - 00:33:38]

So, yeah. Raghu, this was awesome. I really appreciate it. Wait one second. You went on mute.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:33:38 - 00:33:44]

Just as I was about to say bye. Hang on one second. I can hear you.

Raghu Ram [00:33:45 - 00:33:47]

Oh now I can hear you.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:33:46 - 00:33:55]

Oh okay alright done awesome. Anyhow I was just saying thank you. I know you have a dinner to go to and it's the start of the weekend. I completely appreciate your time and I you know will see you.

Raghu Ram [00:33:47 - 00:34:01]

Tell Mark, I'd like to get a beer with him.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:34:01 - 00:34:02]

Done, done.

Raghu Ram [00:34:02 - 00:34:36]

Because you know that for viewers over here, there is a support group for foreigner women married to Indian men. Aadhaar. It's a support group. You know why you're not part of it? Because you're Indian and your husband is not Indian. And that is a rarity. All the women, mostly. Because, think about it. Traditionally, I'm not being sexist here. Traditionally, a man is expected to kind of... So, a man can only live there where he finds employment.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:34:37 - 00:34:38]

Uh-huh.

Raghu Ram [00:34:38 - 00:34:42]

And to work in a different country, visa issues, or work errors. You cannot be serious about a career like that.

Raghu Ram [00:34:42 - 00:34:54]

You can act, of course, but even then. So, visas are an issue because of which men can't settle as easily as women. Right? I'm not being sexist here. It's just facts.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:34:54 - 00:34:54]

Mmm. Yeah, I get it.

Raghu Ram [00:34:54 - 00:35:06]

So, there are many women and it's called Aadhaar, not the Aadhaar card. This is before the Aadhaar card came and they wanted to say basis, foundation, basis, Aadhaar, right? So, we want to have a husband's group called Laachar. That’s a joke.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:35:04 - 00:35:07]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:35:14 - 00:35:20]

Okay, I'll tell him. First I'll tell him, guess what that means and then I'll tell him, contact Raghu to join.

Raghu Ram [00:35:19 - 00:35:22]

Yeah, yeah, and he and I have a lot to talk about, of course.

Taapsi Ramchandani [00:35:22 - 00:35:29]

Yeah, okay, done. I'll pass on the message. I'll do that. All right. Bye-bye.

Raghu Ram [00:35:24 - 00:35:30]

Thank you. All the best, Taapsi. Bye-bye.