Congratulations Kuwait. Now the world knows we’re Fat

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

The Question

Fahad,

I have a question. This may sound really stupid. But, other than weight concerns. What other reasons are there for eating healthy?
What I mean by that is lets say someone does not have any weight issues. What benefits does eating healthy offer them? Apart from like getting all the required nutrients perhaps.

Like if someone is not fat and dont get fat, why shouldn’t they eat sugar? Or why shouldn’t they eat lots of fat? Or white bread? Or cookies? Cakes? Big Macs? Fries? Sodas?

I mean we always look at this from a caloric and weight loss/muscle gain perspective. But, beyond that, what are the long term impact on health of eating well beyond just getting all the required nutrients?

Can you talk a bit about that.

– Ed

The Answer

Well Ed, I am cleared to tell you how much wood a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

“Ed: I often wondered about this phenomenon. Do tell.”

A woodchuck could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could, but really, who gives a damn about a woodchuck?

On a serious note, I found this question too significant to include in the comments below my last post. I will be answering Ed’s questions in the order I see fit.

“1”

“I mean we always look at this from a caloric and weight loss/muscle gain perspective. But, beyond that, what are the long term impact on health of eating well beyond just getting all the required nutrients?” – Ed

Throughout my years in health and fitness, I’ve noticed that the only way I could pull people in to seek health is by sugar-coating reality. How could I approach a person who ignored his doctor’s instructions to eat properly in order to live? How could I convince anyone between the age of 20-30 to eat better and train frequently if their only concern is to enjoy artery-clogging fats and insulin-spiking carbs?

Like this:

Me: “Ryan Reynolds. YOU LIKE!?”

Male Client: “ahh..yeah…I mean YES!”

Me: “NO WORRY! I take VERY NICE care of you!”

Male Client thinks to himself: “Damn it, if I were a Hollywood celebrity, I would have so much time on my hands. You bet your ass I’d look like Ryan Reynolds. But I don’t have the time so you know what, John Goodman will have to do.“

and like this:

Me: “Angelina Jolie! VERY HOT, yes?!”

Female Client: “..no, I’m looking for something closer to Jennifer Lopez.”

Me: “NO WORRY! Who you like?! Demi Moore!? Salma Hayek!? SPICY GIRLS?!”

Female Client: “Ahh..no, Jennifer Lopez would do.”

Me: “OKKKKAIH! Very nice! NO BROBLEM! You no want to look like FAT lesbian! Ummm, you know! What her name!? Rambo O’Donahue?”

Female Client: “Rosie O’Donnell.”

Me: “YES! Very NICE! You look like Rambo O’Rosie right now!”

Female Client thinks to herself: “Of course, Angelina Jolie looks the way she does. What does she do? She doesn’t do anything but prep for movie roles. If I had her schedule, I would look even better than she does. All I need is more time, guuuurl!”

Yes, we all know that all celebrities do is hop around the world trying to look good. It’s not like Angelina Jolie has to juggle her time between taking care of her kids, adopting new ones, and trying to stop a global genocide. All she does is work out. PFFFT! Angelina looks the way she does because she makes time for the gym (and has the number of the best plastic surgeon).

Oh and Ryan Reynolds? That Canadian doesn’t have to do anything but look good for his wife. It’s not like he has to make time for reading scripts, auditioning, and all that stuff borderline funny comedians do.

Unfortunately, a lot of individuals could care less about their health and more about their appearance. If I can’t convince a person to seek professional help in order to save his/her heart, then I’ll convince them to do it for presentation. It’s shallow and materialistic, but gets the job done.

So, here’s my advice to all you John Goodmans and Rosie O’Donnells out there is to quit nagging about the levees of New Orleans and Bill O’Rielly and harness that energy running on a treadmill. You might hate it in the beginning, but trust me, your body will love you.

“2”

“What I mean by that is lets say someone does not have any weight issues. What benefits does eating healthy offer them? Apart from like getting all the required nutrients perhaps.” – Ed

Skinny does not mean healthy; it means that you have a fast metabolism that will eventually slow down because you’ve been neglecting eating healthy. By the time we reach 25, our internal processes and functions start to decline, resulting in less energy expenditure and more storage.

Imagine your body as a tree, and every time you treat it badly a lumberjack comes and chops it. The tree’s still up, so no problem right? You treat it badly again and good old Paul Bunyan comes right back and chop chop. Once that final chop comes into play, I’d suggest you prepare yourself because it is going to SUCK.

Stage One: You’re told by family and friends that you’re too thin, so you eat every nutritionally retarded food source you see in front of you. You maintain your activity level through 2-4 games of 60 minute soccer per week, but consume a huge fast-food meal right after in order to satisfy your hunger. Within a few months, you realize a small pot belly and your once-ripped structure starts to look smooth.

Stage Two: Your appetite is flourishing. You’re devouring everything in front of you while thinking “Hey! I need to gain weight right!?” Mommy and daddy still think you need to gain a few kilos, so eat up little piggy.

Stage Three: Your friends call you up and want to go munch at the Slider Station and you’re thinking “Hey! I needs tah dress up purrdy geeewd!” Oh, but wait; little piggy just realized something, “SNAP! My Diesel’s don’t seem to fit!”

Stage Four: You look bloated, and your face turns red every time you talk. Momma’s worried about her little piggy, so they visit the doctor and get some blood work done. “This little piggy had too much sugar and salt!” said the doctor. “He’s border lining diabetes and his blood pressure is too high!” Momma’s worried about little piggy and listens to what the doctor has to say.

Stage Five: You’re young and could care less about health issues. Plus, you’ve been consuming processed crap for the past few years; little piggy ain’t going to cut this anytime soon. More and more you eat, your weight climbs up 20kg within 6 months. Little piggy is officially big piggy.

Stage Six: Your friends think you’ve been tanning every weekend since your face’s red from the HBP. While playing soccer, your lower back starts to give in. “AWH! I must’ve kicked that ball not so geeewd!” Whoa there big piggy; you’re belly’s putting a lot of stress on your lower back. You go for another soccer game, but your endurance is suffering pretty badly. You breathe heavily and your knees start to wobble around. “Hey! I must’ve played too much soccer this week!” No big piggy; that was only 1 game, and you lasted 10 minutes. Your knees are wobbling due to the excess weight.

Stage Seven: Your soccer buddies don’t call you anymore because you’re starting to suck. “Hey! I don’t need soccer! I’ll just plug in FIFA on my Playstation 3, ERRRIGHT!” You spend less time on the field and more time chilling and eating at the duwaniya. By the time you graduate, you’ll be well on your way to obesity.

So yes Ed, everyone needs to be aware of their health. Obesity is a gateway to a lot of diseases that build up overtime. As we all know, nothing happens overnight; the diseases gradually build up until our bodies cannot take anymore punishment.

“3”

“Like if someone is not fat and dont get fat, why shouldn’t they eat sugar? Or why shouldn’t they eat lots of fat? Or white bread? Or cookies? Cakes? Big Macs? Fries? Sodas?” – Ed

What’s common in regards to the foods you listed above? They are all processed, refined, manhandled or whatever we humans do to make food tastier and longer lasting. Processed foods were designed to preserve, texturize, soften, sweeten, and pretty much denaturize food. Most nutritional value is lost and replaced by other chemicals and ingredients that have little or no nutritional value, which can be damaging to your health.

How bad are processed products?

Allergies, bad breath, body odor, diarrhea, constipation, gas, flatulence, abdominal bloating, frequent urination, edema, swelling, water retention, heart burn, acid reflux, stress, insomnia, sleeplessness, gastritis, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure, high (LDL) cholesterol, kidney stones, migraines, headaches, arthritis, gout pain, acne, yeast infection, memory impairment, tooth decay, tooth staining, nausea, photo sensitivity, tears, thirst, weight gain, hormonal imbalance.

Thin and healthy people do not have super powers that make them immune to the side effects above. They are more in danger of obtaining those side effects since they don’t see (keyword: SEE) any abnormalities on their bodies (i.e. belly, man boobs, ghetto booty, love handles, etc).

Please, I urge everyone to listen to my advice: stick to less processed foods! The farther you are from Mother Nature, the worse your health gets. The amount of sodium, preservatives, food coloring, phosphates and whatever crap they use to CREATE PLASTIC is on every possible processed product out there! You don’t need to cut junk food completely, just limit your processed food intake to half of its original amount and see how better you feel.

Don’t forget that junk food is called junk food for a reason. Don’t take my word for it; read this: EARLY DEATH.

“4”

“What other reasons are there for eating healthy?” – Ed

How am I able to work 8 hours in the morning, weight-train for 30-45 minutes, attend my businesses for 4-6 hours, write this long ass post and enjoy my time with friends and family? Without the help of Allah and my ability to control energy and stress through nutrition, I can never accomplish my days without negatively effecting my health.

1. Healthy eating will protect you from any diseases that are commonly prevalent when we grow older, including heart disease and diabetes. By eating healthy you are boosting your energy levels, improving your bodily functions, helping to improve your immune and generally end up leading a longer and more vibrant life.

2. Meeting your nutritional needs. By attaining a healthy lifestyle, you’re consuming every possible nutrient that is essential for living; you are literally insuring the longevity of your future. The vitamins and minerals in healthy foods can boost your immune system and shield you from many common illnesses. You will and can reduce the risks that are linked to serious diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

3. Healthy eating can reduce your stress levels. You will enjoy life more and have more energy to face the challenges before you.

4. You will sleep better and feel a lot more rested when you wake up.

5. The ability to lose fat quickly and maintain it long term. Most people who lose the fat with fad diets gain it right back (sometimes double) when they go back to their normal eating habits. With a healthy diet that you can maintain for life, you will lose that fat once and maintain it long term.

6. Healthy eating will keep you active and energized. Your body will tell you to seek exercise! I’ve personally seen obese individuals who’ve lost copious amounts of fat and started eating healthy. In the process, some of them took up diving and swimming as hobbies, while others strived to become triathlon athletes. Lastly, you will be able to run faster and longer, lift stronger and jump higher.

The One With All The Cliches

“You only live once.” This is the kind of crap you hear from people who could care less about their health, and its not even true. In fact, judging this truth from the show Lost, you pretty much suck if you don’t come back to life. Oh, and James Bond lived twice and cats live nine times. Whoever came up with that excuse is a fat dude who thought life wasn’t worth living because he was fat. Fat people don’t like to live because the more time they live, the more fat jokes are made at their expense. (And yes I’m joking, so take it easy)

“Who wants to live until 70?” Who wouldn’t wanna live until 70? People picking up after you and taking care of all your needs while you berate the living crap out of them? Seriously though, bracing yourself to fart is not cool. Stallone’s hitting 66 years of age and he looks better than 74% of the Kuwaiti population.

“I don’t need to watch what I eat. I’m skinny.” Your metabolism will eventually slow down. If you think you’re skinny and your abdomen isn’t noticeable, think again. Your overall structure is thin, but layered in fat.

“I’m still researching and looking for an optimal method in dieting and exercise while enjoying my box full of donuts and Oreo shake.” I bet you’re the guy who tells his friends all about the newest fad diets and about the latest exercises. You love to talk the talk, but when you try walking the walk, you end up gasping for air after 10 minutes. If you can’t make up your mind, ask a professional.

“I have no time for a healthy lifestyle.” No matter what your limits are and how bad they may be, there is no such thing as no time. You and only you is in control of your life. What’s the use of obtaining success if you can’t live a long healthy life enjoying it?

“The level of stress and pressure in my life is overwhelming!” I have a full time job from 8 am to 4 pm, spend 4-6 hours a day attending my businesses and still manage to eat 6-7 healthy meals, get in a decent workout and spend time with family. Sleep early, get in 30-60 minutes of exercise per day and spend more time with the people you love the most and less time at the duwaniya.

One of my relatives (Allah rest his soul and may he rest in peace) died at the young age of 45. I kept on nagging him a few years back to eat healthier, cut smoking and exercise; yet he couldn’t resist the temptations of food. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high (LDL) cholesterol and diabetes by the age of 35. His doctor urged him to pursue a healthy lifestyle if he wants to live longer (married with 4 kids), but he still did not listen.

He ate as much as his heart desired, smoked endless packets of cigarettes a day and neglected any source of activity. He kept on ignoring every possible side effect until one day his body decided to give in.

Take a look at this video and tell me if 70 isn’t young

Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait

79 Comments on Congratulations Kuwait. Now the world knows we’re Fat

79 replies on “Congratulations Kuwait. Now the world knows we’re Fat”

I’m in love.

You’re absolutely right Fahad. A lot of people don’t wanna live healthy because they’re happy with the way they look or feel, at least for the time being. Nevertheless, hopefully this post will be a wake up call.

Nice work 😉

Lol Excellent Post! I love how you’re using ppl’s self-interest/ care for their looks, for their own benefit; to keep them healthy & fit.

Good stuff, keep’em comin 😉

WOW !!
Amzaing Post Fahad…
Whenever i go out…I see people with pot bellys…not few..but arnd 9 out of 10 have a pot belly….The real reason why people have health issues according to me is regarding the expenses and boredom
There are activities to spend time here (Soap Football, Jet Ski, Aqua Park etc)…but people here (according to me) dont hang out and enjoy because they think that its not worth spending too mch for all this fun OR “or tried all that…what else to do”…instead of that i can go to hogg on the new burger XYZ restraunt jus came up with and spend the day…
If Im wrong in any sense I’ll accept…but this is the story what i think
I was one of the guys who used to Eat alot of fast foods when i used to hang out wid my friends… but now I havent eaten a burger in this month…Im working hard…and its showing…Ppl think its a torture workin out, going with a meal plan..but its amazing..you feel different in a positive way…After a month or so your temptation to eat at a restraunt
decreases
Peace Out

Fahad, since we live in Kuwait most people like to eat lunch at home with their family, where your mom cooks traditional food, can you list the healthiest ones, i really don’t which one is good and which one is not, maybe except the machbos.

F.D. Bliss,
Thank you so much! I hope people interpret this as a wake up call and not an insult.
______________

FJ Bliss,
Thank you! Will definitely keep them coming 🙂
______________

nahin123,
My loyal reader! Thanks bro 😉
I’m glad you set your life straight and wish you nothing but the best with your future endeavors!
______________

Ali,
Two words: PORTION CONTROL.
Virtually every restaurant, ethnic food or whatever comes to mind can be healthy when you practice portion control, for example:

Assuming your family is having chicken machboos, a salad and tidbits on the side (sambosa, koba, etc). Before attacking the food in front of you, appetize your hunger with 1 sambosa or koba. Do not eat anymore since those things can pack massive amounts of fat calories.

Now, for your main meal you will need to set up your plate in advance by dividing your food groups as so:
**1 plate:
1) 1/2 protein (half a chicken from the machboos, make sure it’s skinless)
2) 1/4 carbs (equal to 1 cup of machboos rice)
3) 1/4 salad (equal to 1 bowl of salad)
4) 2-3 tablespoons of daqoos (tomato sauce) & some salt to taste.

Limit yourself to the above portions and LEAVE THE TABLE. You won’t leave stuffed, but satisfied (yet hungry). Within 3 hours, your metabolism will be in full blast, and your stomach will start to ache for more food. This is the perfect time to add in some dessert (1 serving of whatever you prefer) with some green tea.

Hope this helps!

Yeah Fahad
And I might join Core Fitness for 14 weeks from November
Not sure abt it..need to save ALOT (arnd KD 270)!!!
Im in shape but i need strength and stamina…which is what i dont have…and a dude like you is perfect to keep me on my toes…
Gimme your number bro.. =)

Your such a genius , your a national treasure for Kuwait ! I bet you have a PHD at least?

yea btw Fahad, I got a couple of questions,
I used to workout regularly but now I do cardio every now and then, now I really want to start serious body building especially after reading this, thank you!
I am 77KGs and 179cm, my BF% was around 16% the last time I checked, I dont know weather to start by cutting my BF% first before I start bulking ( eating like a monster), or is it possible to gain muscle and loose fat at the same time?
my 2nd question is, My arm muscles don’t seem to respond to weight lifting as much as the rest of my body, they’re pretty skinny especially my forearms, I guess its genetic. What the best way around that?
Thanks in advance !

i know this is irrelevant to this post but..im not a morning person…i actually sleep till 2pm..im on a strict diet..i just have lunch and dinner and 30 mins of exercise..should i keep going with my diet without breakfast, should i add more calories to lunch? Should i just skip breakfast, im confused i am losing weight..but you mentioned that breakfast is important..what should i do?

The world already knew Kuwait was one the most obese countries.It’s a wake-up call only for those who read this blog and for those who follow CNN.The rest will just keep stuffing themselves.The key lies in educating people at all levels.

Good post as usual Fahad. As a testimonial, I can tell you that taking up that healthier lifestyle uplifts your mood like crazy! Not only that, but managing your day becomes 10 times easier and you learn how to plan your time accordingly. As a university student, juggling between classes, homework, exams and etc is also hard. However, once you start managing your time with your meals, gym, then you begin to manage your time with your day as a whole. Not only am I getting fitter, but even grades are going higher than they previously were because of this new time management. Thanks again for some words of wisdom!

Whoa.. Ed seems to have missed the train this time…Text book dumb ass.!

Fahad,
you made my day at work loool!

for Angelina Jolie, most the weight she gains goes directly to her lips!

yo Fahad…i really look forward to ur posts with much anticipation…i have a question..im 163 cm..i lost 10 kilos im down to 68 kilos..i do 3 hours of gym 6 days a week and im REALLY watching what i eat..ive educated myself well…how much more do u think i should lose?? and since ive started lifting heavy-ish weights, do u recommend i take amino acid shakes?

nahin123,
Contact me and we’ll work on something that’ll be both convenient and feasible.
Email me at [email protected].
______________

MapleLeaf_Cedar,
Thanks :), I have a few certifications but no PHD. God willing, I’m planning on continuing my education once I pursure this full time.

You can’t build A LOT of muscle when trying to shed fat, but it’s possible to through recomposition (switching fat weight to muscle weight).
How are you planning on approaching this? I’ll be glad to help you with training and dieting. 🙂

Fahad,

One thing you didn’t mention and I’m sure you are aware of it is that even if you look slim, if you are eating crap then you could quite easily have fat accumulations around the organs…this is not subcutaneous fat but actually much more dangerous. You can’t see it but it is there…you do mention higher LDL cholesterol and clogging arteries….again, not visible but very dangerous….you can’t go on looks alone…so the lesson is, eat healthily and if you can’t resist the occasional bad thing then be very moderate in what you choose….

Good Morning Fahad, Excellent post…

I need your advice on diet plan.

Here is my daily diary. I urge you to correct it where ever needed.

5 AM wake up (500 ml water)
5.30 One glass warm water + 2 tea sp. honey + lemon juice

till 6.30, prepare daughter for school, prepare her tiffin etc

6.30-7.00 Yoga

7-7.30 Wii game

7.30 One fruit from (orange, watermelon, grapes etc)

Between 10 and 10.30 Another fruit

12.30 Veg salad without fat dressing

4 PM One more fruit

7 pm dinner (2 chapati/salad/curry or rice/curry)

I try to drink 2-2.5 litre water daily.

No water during/immediately after meal.

No soft drinks, outside food but sometimes has the urge to go for fried items. I am resisting it big time but want to know if baked/grilled subsitutes are less risky.

Thrice a week (sun-thu) circuit workout for 30 minutes

yoga on fri/sat, 90 min each day.

Please note I am vegetarian and prefer home made indian cuisine.

great post fahad .. you should run for parliament .. all your posts are motivational!! 😛

well im making stuff up as i go hahaha…dont really have a plan…most of my fat is gone so i dont know how much muscle i can build with the fat i have left…so i thought maybe amino acid shakes will help me bulid muscle…im a short guy so i dont wanna get HUGE…but it wouldnt be the worst thing in the world to have nice arms and pecs u know??

Forgot to post that

Female, Age 36
Height 158 cm
Wieght 68 kgs… need to get into healthy weight bracket
No medication

Fahad,

I love you dude. Your articles adds lots of knowledge to me.

Thank you

Thanks for your reply,
I guess I’ll stick to a high protein low carb diet, an all-body workout and lots of cardio, until I get my fat levels down to around 8% and I’ll bulk from there..

af,
Nothing irrelevant here 🙂
Breakfast means “TO BREAK YOUR FAST”. Since you’re sleeping 6-10 hours per night, it’s safe to say that you’re not eating or drinking anything, hence the “fasting”. When you wake up at 2pm (which I don’t recommend) your first meal will be breakfast, even if you consume food that is normally served as lunch. Conclusively, by breakfast I mean the first meal you eat upon waking.

Personally, I think you should make the effort to rise early. Try comparing an 11pm to 8am sleep (8 hours) to a 6am to 2 pm sleep(also 8 hours). You’ll wake up energetic, happy and productive with the former and dizzy, groggy and suffer real nasty mood swings with the latter. Plus, that 4am to 7am time period is efficient at cleansing your system from yesterday’s wastes.
______________

desert sky,
To my unfortunate surprise, I saw more “shocked” Kuwaitis when they saw the CNN article.
______________

Zaid,
Thanks bro 🙂
I’m more than glad you’re reaping the benefits and maintaining a positive outlook in both your life and fitness goal.
______________

ahmad,
Glad you liked it 😉

Fahad I think you got it wrong

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Spartan,
Glad you’re enjoying them 🙂
Here’s what I think:
1) You’re spending WAY too much time at the gym.
2) You’ve got 5kg to go, then you need to stop with the fat loss.
3) Food is a lot more important than any shake or pill you wish to consume.
4) A wide thick chest and strong arms are great to have, but you need to also concentrate on all muscle groups to look proportional.

Provide me with more details if you want my help, including your current eating & exercise regimen.
Awaiting your reply :).
______________

Q80BOY,
Thank you! And I’m glad people are getting motivated :). Sometimes all you need is that one single push to get you started.
______________

Ratbag,
Very true; I have failed to mention this important fact which serves as a cause to all the diseases I listed above.
Fatty tissue around the organs have been proven to cause organ failure (i.e. liver & kidney failure).

Thank you for pointing that out :).
______________

Ali from Bahrain,
Thank you for your kind words, and glad that I am off benefit to you and others. 🙂
______________

MapleLeaf_Cedar,
Be careful not to go low-carb for too long. Try to carb cycle your days based on how you feel and muscle priority.
Let’s take these 2 scenarios below as an example:
Assuming your chest & back are weak, but the rest of my muscle groups are strong (in size & strength).

Carb Cycling:
*Day One: High-Carb Day, weak muscle group(prioritizing CHEST).
*Day Two: Moderate Carb Day, strong muscle (legs)
*Day Three: Low-Carb Day, CARDIO
*Day Four: High-Carb Day, weak muscle (back)
*Day Five: Moderate-Carb Day, strong muscle group(shoulders)
*Day Six: Low-Carb Day, strong muscle group (arms)
*Day Seven: Low-Carb Day, CARDIO

OR
Low-Carb & Refeed:
You can stick to low-carb for 6 days, then VERY HIGH carb on the 7th day ONLY.

red,
I did that on purpose for the sake of originality. I’m not concerned if a woodchuck would chuck wood, since a woodchuck chucks wood for a living. However, I am concerned if a woodchuck “could” chuck wood.

If that doesn’t make any sense, then I’m most probably bullshitting 😛

Unfortunately CORE Fitness is exclusively for men; You should make it unisex; I prefer male trainers to female trainers.. And in the few unisex gyms around in Kuwait, only female trainers are assigned to female customers… From my personal experience, female trainers are good at aerobics and yoga ONLY..

Dear fahad,
Thank you for your posts.

I want to tell you about my mother I want her to live healthy My mother has 5 children , she’s diabetic and take pills for it , her leg and arm are so skinny , but her extra weight is all in the belly!! Which kept growing as she deliver her babies(US) she’s 155cm she weight between 75-80 am not sure about that ! she 57years old she eat 3 regular meals, a breakfast “ 8-9 am which consist of cheese , baq9am lacto free milk and she start eating “khobez sh3er” she sometimes eat egg with za3taar , she like healthy stuff. Lunch is at 2.30 which is traditional Kuwaiti lunch 3aish w marg and these stuff whatever we cook daily , she like fish but she doesn’t like meat or chicken much and she cutting it off! After that she sleep and wakeup 5.30 to drink tea without suger, she eat very light dinner such as brown toast and bread or apple , and sometimes she eat salads or drinks milk with baq9am

I want her to live a healthy life, I notice she gets tired when she moves around , can you suggest a diet for her? specialy at lunch we want something all the family can eat!

btw she hate Exercise ….:/

Arti,
Good Afternoon Arti!
Thanks 🙂

Your diet looks solid, but very low calorie! Corrections below:

5:00 AM – (500 ml water)
5:15 AM – 1 teabag of Green Tea + 10 raw walnuts or almonds

6:30-7:00 AM – Yoga

7-7:30 Wii game

7:30 PM – One Fruit: Red Apple OR 1 Orange OR 2 Kiwi OR 4 Slices of fresh pineapple OR 1/2 Grapefruit

12:00 PM – Salad w/ 1/2 cup of beans (chick peas, red kidney beans, etc, must be fresh and not canned) + veggies (most green, no potatoes) + 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of fat-free dressing.

4:00 PM: Lunch
2 OIL-FREE Chapatis, Salad & Curry
or
White rice, Salad & Curry

8:00 PM: Snack
10 pieces of raw almonds or walnuts + 1 teabag of Green Tea

*Water intake: minimum of 2 liters.

Feel free to ask me any questions 🙂
______________

Seek,
A female branch is in the works, hopefully in operation by September 2010. Unfortunately, the government won’t license Core Fitness if it’s unisex.

Moreover, we can’t hire male personal trainers in a female gym due to our society’s restrictions.

I assure you, our female trainers will be up to par when it comes to training intensity.

Fahad…ok this is how my typical day goes:

breakfast: half cup of oatmeal with skimmed milk

snack: a fruit (usually an apple)

lunch: an order from Lofat (usually does not exceed 300 calories)

then i leave work go straight to the gym…30 minutes cardio (the steps machine), then about an hour-hour and a half of weight training…then i finish up with an hour of cardio (interval training on the treadmill)..

dinner: tuna salad

sounds reasonable right?

Salam Fahad,

I liked ur article it’s sooooo true

well me, knowing all that I still find it difficult to restart

actually I lost over 20kg on my own with starving diet, then I found myself back to where I began

I don’t like gym, though when I go I feel way better hehe

I feel like I want to be healthy n fit but there’s something keeping me down saying oh ur emotional eater oo stupid things like that

just postpone dieting n excercising ..

what can I do? Help!

Spartan,
That diet & workout plan looks exactly like mine 9 years ago! It’s reasonable and will get you down to your ideal weight, but you won’t be building any spartan-like chest and arms.

Here’s what I propose:

Upon Waking: 500ml of Water

0-15 minutes later: Breakfast
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal, 3 whole eggs, 1 Banana
(mix the banana in the oatmeal)

60 min after breakfast:
Green Tea (no tea w/ milk or coffe w/ milk)
OR
Plain American Coffee

3 Hours Later: Snack
Turkey Sandwich:-
1 thin Lebanese Brown Bread
2 slices of Turkey Breast
2 slices of non-fat cheese
Lettuce & tomatoes
1 tbsp of ketchup or mustard

3 Hours Later: Lunch
LoFat Chicken OR Beef Lettuce Wrap (1 order)

2 Hours After Lunch:
1 Cup of Plain American Coffee

30min Later: GYM
10 minutes of low-intensity cardio (treadmill, speed 5.0)
45 minutes of weight-lifting
5-15 minutes of ab work
30 minutes interval training on the treadmill

Dinner: (immediately after training)
1 can of tuna (w/ water)
Salad (all veggies, but mostly greens(
Dressing: 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp of lemon, 1 tbsp of olive oil and some salt to taste.

*DRINK A MINIMUM OF 3 LITERS OF WATER PER DAY.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Thanks a lot, Fahad. Appreciate your commitment to the job. Keep up the good work. Believe me, now a days, I am looking forward to your posts more than that of Mark !!! And its very encouraging to read and follow… Thanks again..

Thank you!!

Fahad u seriously rock!! wow..i appreciate the elaborate response!! bs it sounds like more food and less workout…will that make me lose fat and gain muscle??

oh one question Fahad, what do i eat the oatmeal with?? skimmed milk?? and can i replace the oatmeal with Muesli??

Arti,
I appreciate your kind and thoughtful words :).
I’m more than happy you find my posts encouraging and please feel free to ask me any questions you might have.
______________

MapleLeaf_Cedar,
The pleasure’s all mine 🙂
______________

Spartan,
The diet above contains all the necessary nutrients to enhance fat-loss and minimal to moderate muscle-gains. You may drink 1 can of diet 7-up every other day.

Here are a few tips for weight-lifting:
1) KEEP YOUR WORKOUTS VERY INTENSE!
2) Use moderate to heavy weights and try to squeeze out a maximum of 12 reps and a minimum of 6. If you’re hitting more than 12 reps, then it’s way too light.
3) Increase your weights by 2.5lbs each time you perform over 10 reps. Keep the poundages the same once you can’t go past the 6 rep range.
4) STAY HYDRATED! You’ll lose close to 50% of your energy if your water intake decreases by 2%!

All the best and good luck 🙂
______________

Nouf,
Salam Nouf!
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂
I totally understand how you feel when you said you’re an emotional eater.

Let’s try this out: how about you send me the exact foods that you LOVE to eat so that I can satisfy your cravings and help you lose weight?

Awaiting your kind reply.

Spartan,
Cook it with water and muesli is fine as long as there isn’t any dried fruits in it.

oh i hate fizzy drinks anyway…hate pepsi/seven up etc…i lift about 67 kilos on the bench press…i do 6-8 and feel like my bodys about to burst hahah

what about muesli with roasted nuts?? im sorry i know im asking alot

Well, living in society like Kuwait, where almost all folks look their age and even more older, where one of most discussed topics are medicines and doctors visits… one quickly get imression that ageing is getting looking older, taking a lot of medicine and frequent visits to doctors..
People accept it as normal standard and it is a good exuse to live a lifestyle that support their unhealthy habits.

What if reality could be different?

My Grandad is 77 and still working in his large garden. My Dad is 54 and free of any medications.

I know that I have a choice.

Good luck to all.
Um Abdulrahman

Spartan,
YES! I want that bursting feel everytime 😛
No roasted nuts because you already have your fat content from the eggs; and they are more beneficial than roasted nuts.
______________

Um Abdulrahman,
Masha’Allah for both your dad and grandad.
It would be great if we can change the way people percept old age.

Fahad,
already working on the perception issue, at least with the people near to me. Just pls if we can call it ageing instead of old age( technicalties 🙂 )age is only number.

Hi Fahad. First off I’d like to say Thank you for the taking the time to write another amazing and motivating article. I know how mentally demanding that can be. You keep out doing yourself and every article is better than the previous one. I don’t how you’re going to top this one but im sure you’ll come up with something. I hope you know the impact of the work you are doing here. You are motivating people so they can better take care of themselves, and I thank you for that. I think we all do. Using your knowledge to help others is the best type of charity a person can give. I don’t mean to suck up in any way. Reading your posts, I’ve come to know that you are the type of person that will answer any question one might have without a thank or a please. I just think you need to know how much you’ve helped the people here. So again thank you.

Now, if I may, I like to ask a few things about my current Lifestyle. My current schedule is this:

8:00am Wake up
500ml water (Thanks to you)
5 Minutes stretching and a 5 minute light weight lifting workout for my shoulder injury
5 Minutes Abs workout

7:30am Breakfast:
Two Scrambled Eggs on Brown Toast, Lettuce/Tomato and Mustard and KDD Pineapple Juice

In between: 500ml Water
10:30am: Snack
Apple and two Oranges or a few Dates/Almonds

11:00am: A 30 minute Cardio Session with 500ml water, since I can’t run until my shoulder becomes stable, I use the Bike, I know you don’t like it.

Right After: 200ml Skimmed Laben

12:00pm: Snack
An Apple and 200ml of Any fresh juice, Apple/Pineapple/Orange
Followed by 45mins-1 hour of Freestyle Swimming with 1 to 1.5ltr of water

2:30: Lunch
Salad: Lettuce, green peppers and celery with two pieces of Chicken Brest and apple cider vinegar with olive oil

In between: 500ml of Water

6:00pm: Workout/Snack
5 Minutes stretching and a 5 minute light weight lifting workout for my shoulder injury
Followed by Snack (Apple, orange, dates, almonds) With 500ml water afterwards.

11:30pm Dinner
Two pieces of Boneless/skinless chickhen breast.

12:30am: Bedtime

I swim 4-5 times a week and use the bike almost daily. On swimming days, I drink close to 5ltrs of water and 3ltrs on none swimming days. If you can add any at home workouts in there, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance and Allah yewafqk fe eldneya o al 2akhre.

Sorry, forgot to add this:

15 mins after breakfast: B12 Complex Pill

15 minutes after Lunch: Centrum Multi vitamin

Thanks Again 🙂

Dear Fahad,

thank u soooo very much for ur response oo interaction with ppl
ur such a sweetheart mashallah

I lived on real tough diet for about 3 months (Cambridge diet if u know it) but easy come easy go hehe

but I’m willing to stick to any diet as long as it’s healthy, simple, and satisfying
n one more thing I can do it forever

u don’t want to know what I love hehe (junk food + “baqala” chips n chocolate n dye juice) well u can say mostly i’m “baqala” girl hehe

I know how bad that sounds n I really want to stop, I feel guilty n we have heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer, diabetes in the family history
I do NOT want to end up with any inshallah ..may god protect u all

sorry to take too long, plz rescue me with a diet

Um Abdulrahman,
Haha! That’s what I meant 🙂
______________

MX5,
I’m speechless! I truly thank you for you kind words and I have absolutely NO IDEA how I’m going to top this post :p
I’m happy people are getting motivated and benefiting from the information I am presenting :).

I salute you for setting up your diet routine! I have a few changes if you don’t mind 🙂

8:00am Wake up
500ml water
5 Minutes stretching and a 5 minute light weight lifting workout for your shoulder injury
5 Minutes Abs workout

7:30am Breakfast:
Two Scrambled Eggs on Brown Toast, Lettuce/Tomato and Mustard and Fresh Orange Juice

In between: 500ml Water

10:30am: Snack
Apple OR 1 Orange OR 3 Dates OR 10 Raw Almonds OR Walnuts

11:00am: A 30 minute Cardio Session with 500ml water, since I can’t run until my shoulder becomes stable, I use the Bike, I know you don’t like it.

12:00pm:
NO EATING BEFORE SWIMMING! Cancel this meal and the Liban
45mins-1 hour of Freestyle Swimming with 1 to 1.5ltr of water

2:30: Lunch
Salad: Lettuce, green peppers and celery with two pieces of Chicken Brest and apple cider vinegar with olive oil (PERFECT)

In between: 500ml of Water

6:00pm: Workout/Snack
5 Minutes stretching and a 5 minute light weight lifting workout for my shoulder injury
Apple OR 1 Orange OR 3 Dates OR 10 Raw Almonds OR Walnuts w/ 500ml water

11:30pm Dinner
Two pieces of Boneless/skinless chickhen breast OR 2 Skinless Chicken Thighs & Legs + green veggies w/ lemon & vinegar

12:30am: Bedtime

*Your Centrum & B-Complex pill is fine.
*In terms of your home workout, what equipment is available to you?
*Would you kindly describe to me the cause of your shoulder injury and exactly where it hurts? What kind of pain do you feel?
*What are your physical stats? Height, weight, bf% estimate?
______________

Nouf,
Thank you so much for your kind words of inspiration 🙂
Please provide me with details in terms of your daily routine, including your food regimen, exercise (if any), etc.

I also need to know your physical stats (height, weight). Be as detailed as possible when describing your current lifestyle please (TIDALI3AY! Tell me what you REALLY want to eat).

Help me understand how your current lifestyle revolves so that I can provide you with something optimal. 🙂

Keep up the good work one thing to mention is

People eat when they are stressed?

Approximately 80% of people have a high adrenal reaction to stress – meaning that stress causes fluctuations in the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness. For example, chronic stress has been shown to increase ghrelin levels and ghrelin increases appetite. So it’s no surprise that many studies show that most people eat more when under stress and that they are not reaching for the apples and the carrots!

Use Cardio to burn off the stress response that keeps your blood pressure high and zaps your energy. It’s also essential for spending calories, increasing lung capacity, improving circulation and stimulating weight loss.
Every once in a while we all need a reminder…
Thanks Fahad

Dear Fahad,

though it’s real embarressing to say it, but here we go, i can do it
I’m 158cm, 96kg (I have never told this anyone
in my life hehe it’s my darkest secret :p)

usually wake up at 11am eat a fruit (banana, strawberry, or apple) to take the roaccutane (acne medicine) then 1 hr later whole grain toast with cheese or sometimes 2% milk n corn flakes
then lunch:
I sometimes cook like macroni with veggies or machboos (yes I cook coz no maid around here :/) .. But mostly the lunch part is at 5 or 6pm from a resturant (wendy’s pereferbly or five guys yummi hehe) then at night chocolate n chips n diet 7up (it must to be a diet hehe)

exercise: normal daily activities (cleaning n shopping) but we got a gym in our building (u know everyday I say today is the day for gym /_\ ) so the idea of gym is there

Fahad I promise from now that I’ll stick to gym as well as diet

thanks a million

Fahad,
Im craving for sweet !!!
Can i have Nestle Condensed Milk???
Protein – 7.3 gram
Fat – 8.3 grams
Carbohydrates – 55.8 grams
Thumbs Up OR Thumbs Down???
I know that fat is more than the proteins…so will it give me a big belly if i consume a little bit atleast 2wice a week???

Trust me, my diet routine wasn’t always like this. This is just a good example of what you taught us. I’ve added a lot of things after reading your posts. Thanks for the changes. I’ll be sure to make the changes right and keep you posted.

The equipment that I have is a few dumbells/barbells and some weights. I have a pull-up bar and a ab workout seat/bench. Planning on joining a gym in a couple of months once my shoulder is a 1oo percent. I actually made a mistake, the weight session for my shoulder lasts around 15-20mins, and I thought it was 5 mins.
As for my shoulder injury, three months back I suffered a tear to the supraspinatus tendon and I also have mild AC joint sprain to my right shoulder (Dominate Arm). After performing the MRI, the doctors tell me that I have what is known as Hill-Sachs Deformity which basically means that the humeral head of my right arm is not completed connected to the collar bone and shoulder blade because of some empty space around the humeral head. This was not a result of the injury; it seems I was born with it. The doctors told me that its either a I get a surgical procedure and fix it or I do physiotherapy and try to build up all of my shoulder muscles and make them bigger to fill up the empty space so it holds my shoulder tight. I’ve been doing this workout for about three weeks now, no less than twice a day and no more than three, and it’s been a great help. Right now I don’t feel any pain. The only thing is when I over stretch or do any sudden movement, I feel a slight movement in the AC joint, as if it’s not stable. I feel this when I jump up and down. I’m not sure put I think it’s because the tendon tear hasn’t healed yet and that’s why I feel that it’s not stable.

My shoulder muscles are getting bigger and im able to do more with my arm now. I’m Just slowly trying to go back to my old actives (running/swimming/basketball). That’s basically it. Thanks again for taking the time to read and reply.

I forgot to mention the cause of the injury. It was due to arm wrestling. I know. Stupid. I think it’s called emshabak in arabic. Its when you stand facing your opponent and try to twist his arm in the opposite direction. The other guy forced my arm to over stretch and I heard a tear right away. I know now that this game, or whatever you wanna called it, is very dangerous. Never again 🙁

I keep forgetting, As of today, Im 93KG and I stand 183cm tall. My current body fat is 18 percent. I am 25 years young. I am actually in the best shape of my life consider that I was 150KG two years ago. Hope I didn’t forget anything else 🙂

Nouf,
Appreciate your honesty 🙂
No embarassments here I promise you that.
The accutane needs to be taken in with a high fat meal, so I’ll be cancelling your morning fruit and replacing it with breakfast:

11 am: 250ml of Water + 1 teabag of Green Tea

11:15 am: 30 minutes on the treadmill (speed 5.0-6.0) + 500ml of water

12:00: Breakfast
1 Handful of Fitness Cornflakes w/ 1 glass of 2% Milk & 1 scrambled egg (no sugar)
(Take the accutane after this meal)

2:30 – Sip on 500ml of Water

3:30 – Snack:
1 Chocolate Bar OR 1 Bag of Chips w/ 1 teabag of Green Tea

5:30 – Sip on 500ml of water

6:30 – Late Lunch:
Choose One Option:-

Option 1: Machboos Chicken or Meat, or Em6abag Simach
1 cup of machboos rice, half-skinless chicken OR Meat (the size of your palm) OR Fish (size of your palm), 2 spoons of tomato sauce (daqoos), oil-free salad.

Option 2: Any fast-food restaurant
1 small sandwich (cheeseburger, chicken burger, fish burger, has to be small) + 1 small fries + salad w/ 1 tbsp of dressing

Option 3: 1 cup of pasta, macaroni or spaghetti + 1 skinless chicken breast OR 3 meatballs OR 5 pieces of large grilled shrimp + 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce (NO WHITE SAUCE! Especially alfredo) + veggies w/ 1 tbsp of dressing.

8:30 – 1 teabag of Green Tea

9:00 – 30 minutes on the treadmill (speed 5.0-6.0) + 500ml of water

10:00 – Snack:
1 Fruit: 1 apple OR 1 orange OR 2 kiwi OR 1 pear OR 1 peach OR 4 slices of fresh pineapple OR 6 pieces of strawberry

Nouf, if you abide by this diet & workout routine then I promise you ensha’Allah you will see great results!

Feel free to ask my any questions 🙂

hello fahad,
am an Indian women 44 years , 165 cm 110kg , i love carb , i have high blood pressure which i take medicine for and this is my diet

6.30 wakeup 4 glasses water vitmin C
7-7.15 eggs and tea w sugar , or oats as cereal and milk and little suger or cornflakes , or shaboora low fat cream
12-1 lunch : sandwich or salad or soup or fruit
5 any snack anything leftover 8 meat fish rice indian !
11 sleep
Am worried about my blood sugar can u suggest a diet?

I take supplements omega 3 q10 vitmin C multivitmins

nahin123,
Dude, 55.8 grams of carbs has 90% sugar!
I’m assuming you’re reading the nutritional facts for the entire container?
______________

MX5,
To sum up your injury, it looks like you’ve dislocated your shoulder. Don’t focus only on the injured side; make sure you tackle the other shoulder too so that your body stays in proportion.

It’s good that you are trying your best to provide physical therapy, but don’t forget that 50% is dedicated to recovery and rest.

In my opinion, I think you should do less shoulder workouts and more ancillary exercises. Lightly train your shoulders a maximum of 3 times a week (once a day) and try to hit the supporting muscles such as your back, triceps/biceps and chest.

Swimming & sports are great for rehabilitation since they focus on movements & muscle contractions that your body gets involved in on a daily basis (picking up a chair, sitting down, climbing stairs, reaching for the cookie jar, etc).

TRIM CLUB,
Thank you for pointing out such a valid point; I totally agree with you.

Controlling stress is very signficant when it comes to the continuity of a healthy lifestyle. It can hinder a year’s effort within a week due to releasing copious amounts of “cortisol”.

Also called “the stress hormone”, cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands and excerts numerous negative effects, including:

– Lowered immunity & inflammatory response(you won’t heal as fast from wounds)
– Weakened cognitive reactions
– Decrease in muscle tissue & bone density (cortisol is catabolic, i.e. muscle wasting)
– Increased visceral (abdominal) fat.
– Decreased thyroid function
– Hyperglycemia & general blood-sugar problems
– High blood pressure

How to control cortisol:
1) RELAX! Don’t stress yourself out!
2) Eat your protein! Optimal nitrogen retention has been proven to suppress cortisol.
3) Eat breakfast early! Cortisol is at it’s highest in the morning. Eat early to suppress its effects.
4) EXERCISE, but not too much. Exercise keeps you at a less stressful state, but too much increases cortisol levels.
5) Get your daily dose of vitamin C, which has been proven to decrease cortisol’s effects.
6) ENJOY LIFE!

TRIM CLUB, thank you for such a valuable contribution!

TRIM CLUB,

Thank you for pointing out such a valid point; I totally agree with you.

Controlling stress is very signficant when it comes to the continuity of a healthy lifestyle. It can hinder a year’s effort within a week due to releasing copious amounts of “cortisol”.

Also called “the stress hormone”, cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands and excerts numerous negative effects, including:

TRIM CLUB, thank you for such a valuable contribution!

uzma,
Hey uzma,
I’ll be honest with you, 110kg is very heavy. I’ll prescribe you a diet provided that you will abide by my rules. I’ll take your health (blood sugar, cholesterol & HBP) and weight into consideration, but it will be hard at first.

Your target weight is between 60-70kg, which means you’ll have to drop around 30-40kg gradually and I most certainly hope you are dedicated to this cause.

6:30 AM: 500ml of Water

7:00 AM: Breakfast (pick 1 option)
2 whole eggs & 1 fresh glass of orange juice
OR
1 large Handful oF All-Bran Buds (you can find this at Sultan Center) + 250ml of Low- fat Milk (1 packet of Tropicana Slim Sweetener)
OR
2 whole-grain (high fiber) Rusks (shaboora) w/ non-fat cheese spread & 1 egg
(NO TEA W/ MILK OR SUGAR)
*1 Multi-vitamin
*1 Vitamin C
*1 Omega-3
*1 Coenzyme Q10

1 Hour Later:
1 teabag of Green or Black Tea (no sugar of any kind)

10:00 – Sip on 500ml of Water

11:00 – Snack
1 Red or Green Apple w/ 500ml of water

2:00 – Sip on 500ml of Water

2:30 – Lunch:
Vegetable Soup (no cream) w/ a medium serving of chicken (skinless)
-1 Omega-3

4:00 – 4:30 – 1 teabag of Green Tea

5:00 – 6:00: 30-45 minutes of fast-paced waking
+ 500ml of Water

6:00 – 7:00: Dinner/Supper (last meal)
1 serving of skinless chicken OR Meat OR Fish (the size of your palms closed)
1/2 cup of Curry (no potatoes)
1 bowl of green veggies w/ 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon & salt

Feel free to ask me any questions :).

Fahad,

So really. How much wood COULD a woodchuck chuck?

Thanks for the reply. It’s a great article.

I was looking for a bit more science but I’m guessing you want it to be simple enough for everyone to understand.

I wanted to ask you about 3 specific products:

1. Pasta and rice: I used to like pasta a lot. Used to eat a lot of it. And with lots of cheese too. But I pretty much went over my ideal weight by 20 kg cuz I ate a lot of pasta for like 2 years. Now I havent had any pasta or rice for pretty much 6 months (with a few exceptions). Is there any room for pasta or rice in a good healthy diet? I mean they are so carb-heavy!

2. Cooking sauces. I usually add some cooking sauce to my otherwise very healthy meals. Should I stop? I dont go for any specific brand or type in particular (should I?), just anything I like. Italian or Indian flavored ones usually.

This is one example:

https://www.loydgrossmansauces.co.uk/

3. Oil sprays

What do you think of those oil sprays? Usually its sunflower oil. They claim to have one calorie per spray and all other nutrients are neglible (in a single spray). You can get away with just a couple of sprays, as opposed to like the massive quantities you would use if you were using ordinary liquid oil. I usually use it for frying eggs or cooking chicken/fish etc.

Whats your opionion on those?

https://frylight.co.uk/

you deserve a round of applause Fahad

@fahad: i emailed you. but you never reply. Please email me with the appointment. I will be happy to stop by your place for the start.

Ed,

Seriously, could a woodchuck chuck wood?
You’re welcome and it’s my pleasure 🙂 schedule an appointment with me and I’ll give you the boring science.

1. Eating too much of anything is bad for you. Eating too much carbs is total destruction in my opinion.
There is always room for everything on a diet plan as long as you abide by the appropriate portions and methods used to prepare the dishes your stomach and heart dearly desire.
Preferable portions:
*Rice: 1-cup cooked.
-Source: Basmati white OR brown. Basmati rice has a “medium” glycemic index, which makes it more suitable for diabetics and dieters.

*Pasta: 1-cup cooked.
-Source: Virtually anything as long as you stick to the portion. Opt for the whole wheat version since it’s a lot more filling, has more protein & fiber and is generally less refined.

If you have a hard time losing or maintaining fat, then avoid eating carbs after lunch.

2. Cooking sauces:
This is how you can ruin my suggestions above. If by “I love pasta” you mean “alfredo sauce” then you’re in trouble.
When it comes to pasta sauces, white means fatty and red means tomato. If you can come up with a way to make your alfredo sauce without copious amounts of fat, then limit yourself to 1/2 cup of sauce per 1-cup of carb source.
If not, then stick to 1/2-cup of tomato sauce (without added sugar).

In regards to the Loyd Grossman sauces, the majority of sauces look great, but you have to be more specific since they have A LOT of choices. Name the ones you use and let me do the nitpicking yeah?

3. Oil sprays
I haven’t read or seen anything negative about Fry Light, and after some researching I’m planning on replacing my “nonstick fat-free spray” with Fry Light.
You can spray 9 times to reach 1 gram of fat, which is negligible.
______________

Hussain M. Taha,
Thanks Hussain 🙂
______________

Yousuf M,
I replied and awaiting your confirmation in regards to appointment time.

Hi Fahad,

First of great post love the fact that you dont waste time sugar coating anything, stick to the facts and get straight down to buisness. Now I need to ask a simple question I need to get in shape;yes I am 1 of those that is just getting around to a pot belly not over lapping the belt yet but no doubt will happen in a few years if I dont do someting about it. The issue is I suffer from Asthma and I get breathless a lot. I can do the usual fast paced walks some simple weight lifting and may be a little of some thing not to strenous but the thought of me having an attack on the gym floor doing anything else scares the shit out of me. Yet I dont want to give in to the fat. My wife says I can actually beat the asthma and get healthy with exercise so what can you do for me to get back into the proper healthy cycle??

Great post Fahad!

I’ve heard all those excuses (not to eat healthy) from friends and family over the years. So you’ve really nailed it this time.

I hope your posts reach out to the thousands of obese people in Kuwait and urge them to adopt a better lifestyle.

Cheers!

Security Advisor,
Hey! Appreciate your kind words 🙂

1) Before jumping into a healthy lifestyle, I’ll need to identify how your current lifestyle looks like.

2) Working out with asthma is not a problem as long as you abide by certain rules and precautions:

a) Take it easy: you’re in no rush, so take the time to warm-up and do your workouts without going crazy.

b) Stay hydrated: when you’re dehydrated your airway is impaired, so sip on water non-stop throughout your workouts.

c) Keep yourself warm: sudden changes in temperature will trigger asthma attacks, so wear something heavy to keep the heat in.

d) Breath from your nose: this can be very hard, but you need to do it. Breathing through your mouth lets in dry cold air, which will trigger an asthma attack.

e) Keep two inhalers with you: my current training partner has asthma, and we both have inhalers just in case he has a hard time reaching for his.

f) Train with a partner: refer to “e” above.

If you’re interested in taking the health route, then provide me with a detailed description of your current lifestyle and post it here.
Be very detailed, including your physical stats (height, weight, bf%), current eating regimen (including timings), proposed workout time (and preferred activity) and fitness goal (lose fat, gain muscle, etc).
______________

Aisha,
Thanks! And I truly hope so too 🙂

hi fahad i want your help pleeease ;p

1’m 23 years old, 185cm tall , 84,7 kgm ;p

my broblem is that i’m going to the gym since 6 monthes , no big changes in my body ;( , no muscles in the arm , chist , nothing change , i feel my muscles and i feel i’m good from inside , put there is no change from out side ,

i wake up every day mornin , go to work from 9 am untill 5 p.m , i dont eat any thing untill i come home , then eat the lunch , after 2 hours i go to the gym , do light workout or heavey sometimes , then go to my friends eat anything then go home and sleep at 1,2,3 am ,and sleep

i want u to give me a full advise about how many meal should i eat in the day , what is the best time to sleep and how many hours i should , what should i eat ( my blood is o- ) , i want to loss fats and have a big muscles ;p every day , every day letterly my wight change . another problem i’m suferring from is , is that i always feel exausted and tired without any reason , espicially in work time ;p

pls help me ;p some friend told me about u , when i was talkin to him about my problem
thnky you fahad

Fahad,

I am currently out of Kuwait. I’ll make an appointment when I get back in a month’s time or so.

1. Pasta and rice:

For now, I cannot afford em. I’ll see when/if I can.

2. Sauces:

https://www.loydgrossmansauces.co.uk/loydgrossmansauces/products/italian-sauces/tomato-chilli/

https://www.loydgrossmansauces.co.uk/loydgrossmansauces/products/indian-sauces/tikka-masala/

These two for instance?

3. Another thing I really wanna ask you about is recomposition. Losing fat and gaining muscle.

What is recompostion? Whats the deal with recomposition? How does it work? And what should one try to do to achieve recomposition?

Thanks.

Security Advisor,
I got your email but didn’t have the time to get to it. Would you kindly post your inquiry here?
______________

khalid,
By what you’ve described, I can only assume you’re eating like an average person and barely training to the brink of insanity.

Here’s your diet plan:

7:30 – 8 am: 500ml of water

8 – 8:30 am: Breakfast
3 scrambled eggs, 2 handfulls of All-Bran, 250ml of Skimmed Milk & 1 Banana
**(eat the banana first then the rest of the food)**

9:30 am: 1 Teabag of Green OR Black Tea (plain, no sugar, milk or anything) OR 1 Cup of Black Coffee (plain)

12:00 pm: Snack
15 pieces of Walnuts OR Almonds OR Cashews

3:00 pm: Lunch
Option 1: Turkey Sandwich – 4 slices of turkey breast, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 slices of low-fat cheese, veggies & 1 tbsp of ketchup and/or mustard.

Option 2: 2 skinless chicken breasts (5 oz total), 1 cup of white rice, 1 cup of green salad and 2 tablespoons of non-fat dressing.

6:30 pm: Lunch
Option 1: chicken breasts OR half a chicken (skinless), 1 cup of white rice, 1 cup of green salad and 2 tablespoons of non-fat dressing (tomato sauce, as in daqoos or marag)

Option 2: 8oz Lean Red Meat, 1 cup of white rice, 1 cup of green salad and 2 tablespoons of non-fat dressing (tomato sauce, as in daqoos or marag).

Option 3: 6oz Grilled Fish, 1 cup of white rice, 1 cup of green salad and 2 tablespoons of non-fat dressing (tomato sauce, as in daqoos or marag).

**You can substitute the rice with 1 medium baked potato. Eat it with the skin**

7:30 – 1 cup of Black Coffee

8:00 – 9:00: WORKOUT

0-30 minutes after working out:
Repeat any meal above WITHOUT the rice or potatoes.

*NOTES*
1) Drink atleast 3 liters of water per day.
2) Eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
3) Do not drink water when eating. Drink 15 minutes before and after.
4) Do not drink juice or sugary carbonated drinks. Diet drinks are OK once every other day.
5) BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR TRAINING! Don’t train heavy then light the next! Keep your training intensity the same ALL the time.
6) Use the information below as a guide:

CHEST – No more than 15 sets total (preferably 12)
BACK – No more than 15 sets total(preferably 12)
LEGS – No more than 15 sets total(preferably 12)
SHOULDERS – No more than 12 sets total(preferably 9)
ARMS – No more than 9 sets total

*Stick to 6-12 reps, with moderate to heavy weight. Light weights are FOR WARM-UP!

Security Advisor & khalid,
My reply to your inquries are in moderation.
__________

Ed,
Sure thing.

1) Sauces: You got great taste, but terrible health choices. Stick to only 2 tablespoons (PER MEAL) when marinating your chicken, red meat and fish.

2) Recomposition is a dieting technique to prioritize the preservation of muscle as opposed to prioritizing fat-loss.

Think of it as feeding the muscle and starving the fat by taking your your lean body mass into consideration and excluding fat mass.

This can be achieved by calorie-restriction, carb cycling, high protein and moderate fat intake.

Personally, I run all my clients through recomposition for the first 1-3 months to clean their bodies of useless weight (fat).

Once the desired BF% is achieved (5-10%), we switch up the diet by adding in more carbs and fats. Protein intake stays the exact same throughout all phases, which is 1.0 (high carb days) and 1.5 (low carb days) x lean body mass.

Fahad,

1. Do you mean by doing all these separately or together at the same time you can do recomposition?

Caloric restriction + carb cycling + high protein + moderate fat = recomposition?

2. “Once the desired BF% is achieved (5-10%), we switch up the diet by adding in more carbs and fats. Protein intake stays the exact same throughout all phases, which is 1.0 (high carb days) and 1.5 (low carb days) x lean body mass”

Why do you have high and low carb days once you have achieved desired BF%? Do you still continue carb cycling?

Or were you talking about high and low carb days from the recomposition period?

3. What is better and more efficient? To aim for recomposition? Or to try to bulk and then cut separately in consecutive phases?

thanks thanks in the room cheri cheri cheri poom poom ;p;p

o thanks thanks in the room cheri cheri cheri poom poom

i wrot every thing on my note, also save it here in my laptop, i will do my best and tell u later ;p
thanks 4 ur time n effort ;p

Ed,
1) All at the same time. That’s how “I” do it. Other’s use whatever techniques they see best.

2)Carb cycling ensures optimal calorie load on active days and maintenance calorie load on non-active days. I’m providing calories to increase muscle-mass as opposed to increasing weight.

Weight is composed of lean body mass, fat and water. A lot of lifters like to splurge on endless amounts of junk calories to gain a few kgs of weight thinking that the majority of it is muscle. When you gain fat, your body is telling you that your ingesting MORE than it can use for energy, which is counter productive to your muscle-building plans.

I use carb-cycling for all phases. Only difference is the amount of carb & fat calories used in each phase (less when dieting, more when bulking).

3) If you’re currently fat, you need to aim for recomposition first. If you can’t flex it, don’t carry it!

*Again, this is how I do it. Others have their own techniques.
__________

khalid,
Anytime 🙂 Keep me updated please!

Fahad,

Ok.

1. So how long will you take to take a client (me) from about 18% BF to about 10% doing lets say 2/3 times a week?

2. Can you recommend any “cookbooks” on healthy eating that may be compatible with these health and fitness focused diets?

I would prefer making my own food rather than eating out so I know whats going into my food but I pretty much suck at cooking.

Ed,
1. I haven’t seen you and don’t know how your body reacts to training and nutrition so I can’t really answer that question.

2. All my meals are home made; I eat outside if my schedule requires me too.
“Muscle Chow” is a great cook book. I’ve tried a few recipes with great success.

https://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Muscle-Chow-Workouts/dp/1594865485

Dear Fahad,

I got your reference from a relative who is already following your suggestions and I noticed the difference in his physique. I have always wanted to be healthy, but due to my work routine and partly due to lack of motivation (and laziness) I never got to work on it. But now after seeing my relative, I am really inspired and want to have a healthy body. Below are my current stats:

Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5′ 7″
Weight: 82 kg
Waist: 35.5

My run a small mobile shop in Farwaniya. Below is my current daily routine.

7:00 AM – Wake up and breakfast – Tea (with Nestle Carnation & sugar) and 1 Indian Bread (Paratha with butter)

2:00 PM – Come home and have lunch – 2-3 Chapatis with some Indian curry + some rice

4:00 PM – Have tea and leave for shop

11:00 PM – Come home and have dinner – 1-2 Chapatis with some Indian curry + some rice

I do have a pot belly and really need to lose weight and get in shape. I do not have the time and luxury to join a gym, but I do have a treadmill at home and I can spare 30 minutes for Cardio.

Please advice.

Thank you.
Abizer

Dear Fahad,

I am still (eagerly) awaiting your response.

Thank you.
Abizer

Abizer,
My apologies for the late reply. Below is your diet plan; feel free to ask me any questions or proposed modifications.

7:00 – 500ml of Water

7:15 – Breakfast:
250ml of Skimmed Milk + 2 Handfuls of All-Bran Sticks

8:00 – Black Tea w/ 1 packet of Tropicana Slim Zero

11:00 – 1 Fruit (Red Apple OR Orange)

1:30 – 1 teabag of Green Tea

2:00 – CARDIO
30 Minutes of High Intensity Interval Cardio
2 Minutes on speed 5.0
1 Minute on speed 7.0
2 Minutes on speed 5.0
1 Minute on speed 7.0
Repeat sequence

2:30 – Lunch:
1/2 Skinless Grilled Chicken
OR
8oz of Grilled Red Meat
OR
7oz of Grilled Fish
+ Salad and 1/2 cup of curry

6:00 – 1 Fruit (Red Apple OR Orange) + Black or Green Tea (plain)

11:00 – Repeat Lunch (you may switch to any other protein source)

*Sip on 500ml of Water in between meals.
*DO NOT DRINK WATER WHEN YOU CONSUME FOOD. Drink 15 min before and after eating.

Fahad,

Thank you very much for the detailed diet plan. Will try to stick to it as much as possible. I might come up with some questions or request for changes after 2-3 days of following the plan.

Thank you.
Abizer