✓ Reviewed for medical safety by Dr Laky Saha, DM (Nephrology), Reg. No. 20260710252, MMC, on 18 October 2026.
This is one person's experience, shared with their consent. Every body is different. It is not medical advice, so please keep working with your doctor, and never change or stop medication without them.
Ramya's story at a glance
- Who: Ramya Raghavan, 39, corporate trainer from Kerala
- Condition: excess weight since childhood, with back pain, cervical pain, fatigue and irregular periods
- Program: the Satvic lifestyle, learned from Satvic Movement's videos
- What she changed: clearing out her kitchen, no oil or milk, fresh home cooking and eating within a 6-hour window
- What she noticed: in her words, she went from 78 kg to 60 kg in 5 months, her other health concerns eased and she felt energetic all day
Ramya Raghavan suffered from excess weight since an early age. Along with excess weight came barrage of other health issues like back pain, cervical, fatigue & irregular periods. By changing her food and lifestyle habits she lost 18 kg and, in her words, felt like herself again.
"The moment I started following it there was a lot of resistance from outside. "No oil, no milk? You're gonna go weak & faint!". It involved a lot more of unlearning and getting rid of old stuff than imbibing & doing a lot of new stuff."
Why did you start following the Satvic lifestyle?
Since childhood I have always been slightly on the heavier side. Even though we used to have healthy food at home, but still the lack of awareness about eating healthy and the predominance of junk food in my childhood led to weight gain, which in turn led to low self esteem. I have always been seeking a way of a natural lifestyle wherein my weight doesn't trouble me neither in a physical or a mental way. I wanted everything to be in balance. I have done a lot of research and read a lot of books but nothing really clicked because everything was like getting results quickly and I felt that wasn't sustainable. So probably because of all my seeking, the universe heard my call and I happened to come across Subah's videos on YouTube. I've never had any major illnesses thankfully. But, I had weight issues because of which I used to feel lethargic and tired. I also developed problems like back pain, cervical & irregular menstrual cycle. I wasn't active and lively. I wanted to wake up in the morning and feel productive the whole day so that I feel fulfilled at the end of the day having used my energy to the optimum level- which was always something that I felt lacking.
What did you start doing? Tell us about your healing journey.
When I started to watch her videos, there were some things that I was already practicing. For example, I rarely take medicines for small things like a headache. It's been a decade since I've had a paracetamol or a crocin for a mild headache. That is my personal choice; I prefer to fast instead. I feel my immunity has grown stronger over the years, even though I did not have a healthy childhood. Intermittent fasting was something I was already doing.Getting into this lifestyle required a lot of mental strength. The moment I started following it there was a lot of resistance from outside. “No oil, no milk? You're gonna go weak and faint!”. It involved a lot more of unlearning and getting rid of stuff than imbibing and doing a lot of new stuff. I had to get rid of a lot of a lot of muck in my head and the muck around the house. First couple of weeks involved clearing out the kitchen and bringing the people around me on board, especially my husband. It took a lot of preparation time and mental grit to figure out stuff like how to cook food fresh, the ingredients needed.But with time and persistence I was able to follow the diet and habits as suggested by Subah.
What are the benefits you received by following the Satvic lifestyle?
I was weighing 78 kilos in January when I began this lifestyle. Now, I'm 60 kilos. I lost 18 kgs in the course of 5 months. The weight loss has been the biggest milestone I achieved. Along with it, my other health concerns also eased. Now I wake up in the morning and don't feel tired till I go back to bed. And even at that time I am thinking what can I do now because I still have energy left. I eat in a 6 hour window only now, as opposed to 8-10 hours earlier, and don't feel unnecessary hunger. (Note from Satvic Movement: fasting is not for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children under 14 or anyone who is severely underweight.)
Apart from the physical changes, have you noticed any mental or spiritual changes?
Right from childhood I’ve been spiritually inclined. I always wonder - “what is this all about? what's the purpose it serves?”The Satvic lifestyle definitely has an impact on my mental stability. I've had a rough childhood and a rough life. This lifestyle empowered me to overcome my past. There's no more garbage left in my head. I am totally through it. I’m actually able to lead a new life, a fresh life and face challenges that come across. Somehow, some divine power has been able to push me along and I think that because now I’m aligned with what nature wants me to be. I’m more in sync with nature.We are all human, we all go through ups and downs in life. And I've noticed that in these past 3 months, whenever I've followed the Satvic lifestyle including the diet, things go right. But when I’m not doing it, things don't go right. I could see a connection which can’t be perceived in the material world.
