Vishal Joshi: CrossFit, Healthy Eating “Saved My Life”

“I was lacking self-confidence. I didn’t care for myself. I didn’t think I was worthy of a lot of things. And CrossFit has brought that back for me,” says Vishal Joshi.

In 2007, Joshi was 280 lb. and miserable. Sluggish and agitated, he went to see his doctor, who informed him that he was diabetic. Joshi says his blood sugar was in the upper 200 mg/dL range on average, his triglycerides were at 999 mg/dL, and his cholesterol measured well over 200 mg/dL. According to the American Diabetes Association, healthy blood-sugar levels for diabetics are about 80-130 mg/dL. For healthy individuals, triglyceride levels should be under 150 mg/dL, and total cholesterol should be under 200 mg/dL.

In 2013, Joshi was told he had to do something or he’d die at a young age, and he didn’t want to set a poor example for his kids.

“My boys are my heart and soul. … I really had to sit back and think about ‘what is it that I really want to do? How am I going to do this? What am I going to do?’ So I made a conscious decision,” Joshi says.

After taking a free class at CrossFit Redefined in Spring, Texas, Joshi returned the next day and was hooked. Though he admits it didn’t happen overnight, he also cleaned up his diet. The combination of altered eating habits and daily CrossFit workouts yielded impressive results in a short time.

Just four months later, Joshi shocked his doctor with his progress. Joshi’s blood sugar averaged 120 mg/dL, his triglycerides were at 98 mg/dL, and his cholesterol had decreased to 110 mg/dL.

He now weighs around 220 or 225 lb. and has gone from six medications to two.

“It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but CrossFit saved my life,” Joshi says.