My top three goals upon starting the 8-month program were – Improve my digestion, lose weight, stress management, and mood management.

Payal took time to understand my medical history, browsed through previous medical records and tied all the pieces together. She then tackled the most critical areas first. She also shared the understanding of my history of diagnoses and the possible reasons behind them. She also shared tips, reading material that was helpful.

The biggest tangible change I have noticed since beginning the program has been : Improvement in my digestion, I am in better control and better equipped to deal with my digestion issues.

The most significant overall change I have noticed has been –

1. I have a better understanding of my symptoms, why I had them all these years in the first place and some knowledge on tackling them.
2. I also feel much better with all the supplements I am taking.

I would describe my coach as : Payal is patient and takes time to answer questions.

When I started talking to her, I felt quite relieved to know that 1) I am not alone and mysymptoms are not that uncommon 2) That there was someone who understood what I was going through and could even explain why I was feeling what I was feeling.

I would recommend Payal – to anyone out there who is unable to get a proper diagnosis of their ailments/symptoms for a long time.

This is the best investment I have made on myself so far!!

Over the last few years, I have been suffering from digestion and other ailments. More than the ailment, it was the lack of clarity on the causes behind it was making it all the more difficult to find a way forward to improve my health. I had tried Allopathy, Homeopathy and Ayurveda too but without much improvement.

When I spoke to Payal, she studied my medical reports for the last 3 years. She also reviewed the overall issues faced by me since I was a kid. By doing so, she was able to pinpoint the real causes which has accumulated over the years and presenting itself in the form of physiological issues now. She also gave detailed insight on the food including supplements and other lifestyle changes that will help me in improving my overall health. I am really grateful to Payal for her guidance and would recommend her to anyone looking for overall health improvement.

My (Payal’s) note :
Prashant had a history of retinal tear and a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) which may have been a ramification of his health struggles (since childhood)being unaddressed. I explained to him why/how it had reached that stage, the hits and misses, the implication of that on his diet and lifestyle there on. Giving a protocol for his reflux issues, protein and fat mal-digestion while ensuring he had adequate amount of protein since he had almost turned into a vegetarian, fearing pain and constant IBS symptoms. We discussed including weight bearing exercises for improving strength and muscles since he had minimised his workouts to doing surya namaskars. Decoding his mental struggles so that it didn’t seem as an aberration and how it tied in with his gut health. Supplementation involved around improving his liver and pancreatic health, better digestion, improving eating/sleep hygiene and supporting bile salts.

1. My top three goals upon starting the 6-month program were:
   To get fitter and be able to exercise without feeling fatigued, have better digestion and know what suits my body, and get leaner in the process of reducing swelling and inflammation in the body.
2. My coach was able to help me work toward these goals by :
   Helping me understand that how differnet types of food react differently in our bodies, how it is essential to have a protien rich diet rather than a carb heavy diet and then to digest the proteins better how it is essential to have lemon ACV water, how to feel fuller by eating more proteins. I was also amazed to see how adapting to a gluten free diet reduced my knee pain and periods pain to a large extent.
3. The biggest tangible change I have noticed since beginning the program has been:
   I am looking forward to exercising and don’t detest it as exercise with the right diet makes me feel very powerful and not tired or fatigued. My mood has improved and my skin and hair feels healthier.
4. The most significant overall change I have noticed has been:
   The attitude towards food and body. Learning to listen to the cues of my body and supplement it with a nutrition rich diet rather than a comfort driven diet.
5. I would describe my coach as:
   Very supportive, insightful and well informed. Can connect the dots very well between the different things going on in the body, the cultural upbringing and the resultant habits. It was a pleasure to discover so many new things over the course of 10 months.
6. I would recommend my coach to:
   My friends who are looking to get on the healthier side of living.
7. Other comments and feedback:
   Sometimes the recommended things are not feasible like for instance to cut out dairy when we have grown up on a dairy heavy diet especially when it is not causing much distress like gluten. Some of the habits that I built up in those 10 months I am going to continue them forever viz. lemon ACV water , cleaning the tongue, taking karela juice once a week, soaking feet in epsum salt warm water, eating atleast 2 eggs everyday etc. So thank you very much for that.
8. Can I state your first name (and/or your picture) and use your testimonial on my website and other marketing materials?
   Yes please feel free to use my first name and the testimonial but I would prefer if you don’t tag me anywhere on social media or link it back directly to me as I feel at this point of time I am not ready to talk about food and body etc on my social media as a director of my company.Thank you very much for your inputs and support, I will always try to live on the healthier side.

1. My top three goals upon starting the 10-month program were
   • Stop hair fall
   • Deal with my insomnia
   • Healthy gut
2. My coach was able to help me work toward these goals by
   • Making me understand my body better
   • Being a good listener & motivating me
   • Making an easy plan in terms of diet (easy -> doable)
3. The biggest tangible change I have noticed since beginning the program has been
   • I am able to sleep without a pill
   • I don’t eat or crave breads anymore
   • my sugar cravings have come down
4. The most significant overall change I have noticed has been
   • Better sleep (without pills)
   • Hardly any sugar / wheat cravings anymore
5. I would describe my coach as
   Knowledgeable / empathetic / great listener / always there for me / very very sweet / very good at her job.
6. I would recommend my coach to
   Anyone and everyone who has gut issues.
7. Other comments and feedback:
   One big learning – Everything starts from the gut. Healthy gut -> Healthy me.
8. Can I state your first name (and/or your picture) and use your testimonial on my website and other marketing materials?
   Yes, absolutely!

1. My top three goals upon starting the 6-month program were:
   Due to the pandemic & initial strict lockdown situation, it mentally affected me a lot and my day-to-day activities were impacted. I started experiencing brain fog and fear. I would be nervous and over think a lot which started affecting my work performance too. Sedentary life led to indiscipline and weight gain, which made my physical as well as mental health worse. I desperately and eagerly wanted to get back to a regime that would restore my optimum health.
2. My holistic functional medicine coach was able to help me work toward these goals by:
   She began with making me understand that some of my symptoms were manifestations of stressful circumstances – like the pandemic, and slowly tried to investigate the underlying root causes of rest of my chronic health issues through our sessions, ongoing post session communication and support. She also created a comprehensive health history & symptom questionnaire to pin down every minute detail. She worked through each issue and earmarked the progress. She didn’t begin the program with any drastic or immediate lifestyle changes that would rattle me but rather slowly made me understand how each change that I made, would help in resolving each underlying issue. We gradually moved towards making those changes sustainable and worked towards each core issue. We kept working diligently and found a fix for all my symptoms and concerns while being in complete lockdown where there was limited movement outside and with solutions/remedies which were possible within the limitation of my own house.
3. The biggest tangible change I have noticed since beginning the program has been:
   I gained my confidence back! I was able to perform very well at work. I could inspire people in my team too, to perform even better, which instantly was visible and recognized at work, where I was able to bring in large amount of success to my business segment. During my initial health history session with Payal, I revealed about my chronic Psoriasis which has been afflicting me for over 15 years now. I identify psoriasis, as one of my most painful health experiences. I have been struggling with it for years but especially during winters it would aggravate to cellulites which would lead me to get into a vicious cycle of antibiotics prescribed by multiple specialists that I would seek solutions from. This was one of the biggest reliefs my coach helped me with. I have moved towards full recovery of my Psoriasis and this winter I was on path of complete recovery instead of heading towards infection which I normally have during winters. And while we didn’t get to strict diet control, she helped me concentrate on the finer aspects of my lifestyle and food habits which I corrected and it led me to having a significant control on my weight gain. Not only did I lose weight, I lost abdominal fat with visible 4 inches from my waist which came down to 34″ from 38″.
4. The most significant overall change I have noticed has been:
   Gaining my confidence and being able to outperform the expectation of business, helping my team perform too. It has not only helped me but also helped my family and business team members’ growth as well. Some of my habits have changed and created a new set of disciplines which has led me to maintain diet & lifestyle habits which are sustainably under check& at the same time to not lose the freedom of doing things which I love the most.
5. I would describe my coach as:
   She is a very sensitive person with an aspect of researching into deeper issues – from physiological & psychological aspects of an individual. She has vast knowledge of human health and behaviour. She helps you tackle each aspect on a timely basis. Moreover, she acts as a pillar of support helping you overcome any hurdles which you may come across during the whole program & moreover makes it look most easy and hence achievable, without any abrupt or knee jerk change.
6. I would recommend my coach to:
   People who are dealing with a lot of chronic health issues where modern medicine has not helped e.g. Chronic ailments(psoriasis) like I suffered, to look at trying this approach too, which would help overcome all the symptoms with root cause resolutions, with simple lifestyle changes dealing with core issues than the symptoms. Also, her deep understanding of human behaviour and the reason the way we do, why we do. So, this helps for people who are in leadership roles, who have high pressure for performance. She helps with each aspect in an in-depth manner and find easy methods to overcome hurdles and outperform from angles we never thought of.
7. Other comments and feedback:
   My life has changed commendably from the simple aspects of approaching an issue and helping me to look at things with a fresh perspective & not be prisoner of my imagination or legacy. I also understand the deeper physiological interconnectedness, not fall for medicine which struggles to help with only symptoms and not underlying problems.
8. Can I state your first name and use your testimonial on my website and other marketing materials?
   Yes you may.

1. My top three goals upon starting the 6-month program were
   At the onset of the program, my top three goals were as follows:
   • Weight loss (started the program at 92kgs)
   • Being able to make informed food choices
   • Improved digestion
2. My coach was able to help me work toward these goals by
   • Identifying gluten/ dairy sensitivity
   • Recommending gradual changes to my diet that weren’t extreme and didn’t seem too hard to implement in my day to day life
   • Working to create a diet that included supplements for continuous improvement in health
   • Reviewing my food intake on a biweekly basis and recommending changes based on our discussions
3. The biggest tangible change I have noticed since beginning the program has been
   I used to weigh 92kgs at the start of the program (in early February). At the end of the program, my weight has stabilized at 75kgs and I have been able to see a big increase in muscle mass.
4. The most significant overall change I have noticed has been
   My digestive system is in place ever since I eliminated gluten/ dairy based products from my diet. After working to improve my health over a period of six months, I have been able to gradually phase these foods in. Before the program started, I was facing digestive problems every time I consumed gluten/ dairy based products but now my reactions are very mild.
5. I would describe my coach as
   • Empathetic
   • Receptive
   • Meticulous
   • Compassionate
6. I would recommend my coach to
   Anyone who wishes to take control of their health and strive towards a better lifestyle. I was very nervous at the onset of the program when we identified gluten/ dairy sensitivity especially as a vegetarian living away from home but Payal worked with me to set up a diet that met my dietary requirements as well as my basic cooking skills. At no point did I feel that her suggestions were unrealistic or over the top – in fact, she even sent over reading materials, videos and recipes to reinforce my learnings throughout the program. Thank you for all your help – this journey has been extremely fulfilling and rewarding!