Financial Independence saved my health: defeating prediabetes and high cholesterol

Vimal Fernandez
Apr 5
4 min read

Updated: Apr 22

Financial independence helped me adapt my diet and lifestyle to beat prediabetes and high cholesterol. — Financial Independence helped me adapt my diet and lifestyle to beat prediabetes and high cholesterol.

I had high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and a high net worth. Only one of those is fun at parties. 🎉🤓

In early 2024, I sat in my doctor’s office for my annual physical, expecting the usual “you’re fine” pat on the back. Instead, she flagged my A1C at 5.7—teetering on prediabetes. She brushed it off—young, decent metrics elsewhere, no biggie. “Worst case, we’ll get you on meds,” she said innocently. I left indifferent, but days later, it sank in. Digging into my results, I saw a history of high glucose levels and high cholesterol. Doctors had always sugarcoated my metrics to make me feel good, but I wasn’t okay with drifting toward a medicated future. I decided to take charge.

Financial Independence (FI) gave me space

FI gave me the space and permission to dig the hell in. It freed up time I spent overachieving at work, letting me focus on health—diet, exercise, sleep, and mindset. I dove into books (Glucose Goddess, Good Energy), grilled experts, and spoke to friends with similar struggles. Over the next year, I tested methods—some bombed, some clicked. By early 2025, a year after that prediabetes wake-up call, I reversed both markers and improved many others. No meds, just a plan, freedom to focus, and persistence.

Defeating prediabetes and high cholesterol: diet, exercise, sleep

This is what worked for me, and might differ for you. Every body is unique, so combining data and expert opinions with how you feel and what fits your lifestyle is likely a good path.

Exercise: the best type of exercise is one you'll actually do

Mine mixes cardio, strength, and recovery:

Moderate cardio (3 days): 30-minute jog/sport, heart rate 110-130 bpm (measured with a Fitbit).
Strength (3 days): upper body, lower body, full-body.
Recovery (1 day): rest to recharge.
Improving VO2 max: sprinkle in sprints on some days, 3x 30-second sprints (160+ bpm), 30 seconds rest between.
Steps: 10k steps/day, not hard with kids.

Three pillars of my diet: control carbs, prioritize protein, don’t fear fat

I revamped my eating:

Macros & micros: 130g protein (1 g/lb of body weight), 40g fiber (adult male).
Fiber fixed my cholesterol and helped control blood sugar. I was initially at 10g/day, yikes!
Cutting added sugar and ultra-processed carbs brought my A1C under control. For about 4 months, I used an over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to track how foods affected me—a total game-changer. Seeing my blood glucose in real-time revealed exactly what spiked it and what didn’t.
Supplements: creatine (great for the brain), whey protein, multi-vitamin, fiber (all-natural psyllium husk & chia seeds).
13-hour fast: I eat between 8 am and 7 pm, which keeps my fasting blood glucose under 100 mg/dL (usually around 86 mg/dL). Fasting works by letting your body clear excess glucose from your blood, countering insulin resistance. I used a CGM to hone this in.
Sample day (130g protein, 60g fiber):
Breakfast (8 am): Eggs, sausage, greens, multi-vit (15g P, 5g F).
Snack: Greek yogurt, chia seeds, raspberries (15g P, 15g F).
Lunch: Broccoli, chicken breast, pasta, blackberries (30g P, 10g F).
Snack: Nuts, protein shake with milk, psyllium husk, creatine (30g P, 15g F).
Dinner: Salad, steak, garlic bread, blueberries (30g P, 5g F).
Snack (7 pm): Salami, cheese, carrots, black beans (10g P, 10g F).

Sleep: calming the storm

My mind raced at bedtime—work, kids, random things I needed to do, it would take me an hour+ to fall asleep. I heard that meditation could help, so I started to watch videos and read a couple good books on the practice: Practicing Mindfulness and The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness. For a more digital approach, my wife loves Insight Timer. Now, meditating for 10 minutes at night calms me down and slows my mind. I’m asleep in 20 minutes, usually getting 7 hours of sleep, a modern-day miracle! But don’t worry, our kids still have nightmares and wet the bed, so there are days like that.

Making time for health

Work, kids, errands, hobbies, day-drinking—health gets put to the bottom. I took a risky step: I put in a medical accommodation at work allowing me to work from home. This gave me time to overhaul my diet and stay active, tackling both prediabetes and high cholesterol. My boss warned me it could stall my career—leadership loves office time, the path to promotions and monies. But because of FI, it didn’t matter, I didn’t need the promotion or the fat raise, so I chose health over climbing the ladder. I’ve extended the accommodation twice now, getting warned each time that I'm risking my career, lol. The classic debate: work vs life.

The results: green on screen baby!

A year later, my metrics—A1C, cholesterol, everything—are in the green. A DEXA scan—think X-ray for body fat and muscle mass—showed improved body comp too, dropping body fat by 5% and, this is likely BS, my biological age is now 26, yeeet! No prediabetes, no high cholesterol, no meds—just being in a position to significantly focus on health.

Health metrics — My wife thinks this is insane that I track this lol, it probably is, BUT, finally, within range!

Why FI matters

This journey added health as a new 'why' to my ‘retire early with kids’ dream. FI isn’t just about ditching rigid work schedules, it can also be about maximizing your healthspan. I want to be there for my wife and kids—vibrant, not medicated. Prediabetes and high cholesterol were warning shots, but FI gave me the ammo to fight back, pew pew.

This post centered on my relatively not-so-serious journey, but many families face chronic illnesses, disabilities, or injuries. FI lets you prioritize their care without the constant stress of money.

If you’re wavering on FI and early retirement with kids, think about this: it might not just save your wallet—it could save you or a loved one's health.

What's your next step? FI isn’t a dream—it’s a plan. Start with your 'why'.

This post is part of our 'finding our why' series, sharing real-world stories of why families choose financial independence and early retirement with kids.