Back in 2001, I went on an amazing trip to Lebanon with the family that lasted 4 weeks. I remember going from one restaurant to the other, eating and splurging on mouthwatering Lebanese food. We ate lunch at a place in the mountains, then went down to Beirut where we were suggested to eat dessert at another; after that we looked for any café that served good fatty carby coffee. Our blood sugar levels would definitely drop after our marathon eating spree, so we translated that crash into “let’s go back to the apartment and rest; we didn’t get enough sleep.” We got more than 10 hours of sleep per night and we traveled in a mini-bus, so exhaustion was definitely not the problem. Whenever we went on long trips, we ate a lot of soft-serve ice cream in between huge meals; and for some reason there was a lot of soft-serve ice cream in Lebanon. Yes, we needed the energy to survive those agonizing trips that were spent seated in a mini-bus.
We went on for an entire month on that exact routine and it was amazing up until I got a welcome home message from my dad: “My God. You’re fat.” He said that when he first saw me arriving to Kuwait from the airport. I wanted to hug my dad after of a month of not seeing him, but all he could emphasize was my increase in size (particularly the lower area). It was bad and my dad annoyed me about it. I was already big to begin with since all I did before my trip to Lebanon was eat whatever was infront of me and spend 2-3 hours lifting the heaviest weights at the gym. I went from 100kg of fat and a bit of muscle to 130kg of fat and absolutely no muscle in a span of a month.
After my dad started emphasizing how fat I got (my love handles…my God), my family and friends noticed the difference and laughed it off. It literally took me a few seconds to do something about it. I had no knowledge of nutrition or training, so I just winged it and took my chances since I knew I could not get any lower than this (my God…the love handles). I ate 3 meals a day, consisting of Nestle Fitness Cereal and skimmed milk for breakfast, a chicken salad with a lot of ketchup for lunch, pineapple juice after a workout and a tuna salad with also a lot of ketchup for dinner. I did a minimum of 2 hours a day of cardio, abs and weight-lifting (in that order) 7 times a week and increased the time spent at the gym when results started to slow down. Obviously, I was a ketchup addict and used copious amounts of it; the training lasted forever too.
12 weeks and 60kg later, my weight went down to an all-time low of exactly 80kg. I stand 190cm, so 80kg is extremely skrawny for a guy my height. After that, I researched, experimented and practiced and lived happily ever after.
What differentiates me from other nutritionist/dietitians/gurus/doctors/professionals? The story above. I know how it feels to be fat and how to overcome that obstacle. I know how it feels to look at that molten chocolate from Chili’s and not the cute girl devouring it. I know how to psychologically deal with stress that might hinder my fitness goals. I also know when my bodies tells me that the current technique is no longer working. A health practitioner has to know all these things before preaching to clients. You can’t expect to take advice from an overweight professional who can’t seem to keep his life in order.
Middle English diete, from Old French, from Latin diaeta, way of living, diet, from Greek diaita, back-formation from diaitsthai, to live one’s life, middle voice of diaitn, to treat.
A dietitian provides you with a modified way of living based on your current lifestyle. Dietitians are supposed to:
1) Teach you how to psychologically deal with your life in order to eat, sleep, and exercise correctly.
2) Provide immediate solutions based on their own experiences and education in order to overcome a client’s obstacles and challenges.
3) Be in control of their lifestyles and know how to deal with stress, which clearly projects their presentable appearance.
4) Understand your body and how it reacts to certain factors, including stress, nutrient and exercise (this requires time).
5) Practice what they preach.
If your current dietitian does not have any of these characteristics then I’d suggest you take the time to look for another. The same rule applies to a trainer. You wouldn’t want to hire a person who doesn’t look the part. Moreover, look for a trainer that was born with bad genetics and excelled into something presentable. The genetically gifted ones have it easy since their bodies are prone to muscle growth and fat-loss no matter what they do.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t born with the best genetics at all; I had to work hard for what I achieved. I started out with a plan and a journal, and throughout the years I soon realized that I can’t force my body into a fixed routine. I had to use an instinctive approach and listen to my body; my workouts are literally planned once I set foot in the gym.
The point is, this whole process doesn’t take a few days or months; it takes years to understand. Once you think you’ve got it all together, some study comes out that falsifies the entire method, which makes it even more frustrating, confusing and agonizing. Then you try as hard as you can to muster up the patience to dig into more knowledge, causing more perplexity than an episode of Lost. Pat yourself on the back, because this is when you successfully know too much.
That was a brief introduction of myself and what you can expect in terms of knowledge and credibility.
Posted by Fahad AlYehya
Core Fitness – Kuwait
Picture by tachikoma
25 replies on “An Overweight Introduction”
Nice read! Very nice!
It makes it a lot easier when you know the person preaching to you is at the same level. On the other hand, ‘professionals’ who talk down to their clients because they are seemingly in the know, cannot strike that chord that is so important to the relationship with a trainer/ nutritionist/ doctor.
It’s not easy to do the workouts. It’s not easy to eat only what is written down on that piece of paper each week. It’s not easy to regulate sleeping patterns. It’s not easy not to give up.
Is obesity an illness? If cured (lose weight, down to ideal range), is it something the person will always struggle with?
well done for not taking the easy dangerous option of liposuction or one of those bizarre stomach shrinkers. I wouldn’t be able to go to Lebanon and not eat my way through the site seeing but 30KG hhhmmmmm you might have gone a teeeeny bit OTT :-p
Wahey! I was 145 last march/april so I feel you cent percent. Sugar, bp, pulse rate all dangerously high. To this day I thank my uncle for convincing me not to start insulin shots (docs advice of course). It took a violent shake up for me to change. Won’t go into details but it involved a 2 a.m visit to the hospital. Did you suffer from sleep apnoea and something like heart flutters accompanied with chest pains as well Fahad?
First of all I thought it was Mark posting about himself 🙂
Since moving to kuwait 18 months ago, I have put on a ton of weight mainly due to driving everywhere and the expat lifestyle.
Whilst always big, I found my waist had grown by 4-6 inches and my weight to over 125 kg.
3 weeks ago I decided to do something about it. I have started down the gym and trying to watch what I eat.
The hardest thing I have found is lunchtimes at work. In London I would have a wide selection of sandwich shops, but here most of it is fast food.
Very useful article Fahad thank you for all of this inspiration 🙂
@zohak. You can eat healthy from fast food joints too.
MacDonalds: Chicken Caesar salad – skip the dressing.
Subway: 6″ grilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread.
etc.
Cajie,
I tend to have a grilled chicken whopper at BK mainly, no cheese and no fries!
I do like my curry, eating tandoori chicken is a bit boring. Yesterday I had a chicken curry for lunch and 2 plain nan bread. it just meant I spent a bit longer on the cross trainer last night instead.
Tito, Thanks 🙂
JellyFish, It sure makes it easier when you know the person giving you advice has went through the same process. I’ve personally seen nutritionists who don’t look the part or don’t understand how an overweight person feels.
I consider obesity as a gateway to illnesses. Losing those life-altering 20-50+kg is similar to obtaining your first million. It’s hard and daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it you know what needs to be done in order to lose more or maintain. It’s also a change in lifestyle, which sadly a lot of health practitioners don’t preach to their clients. They just offer temporary solutions. This can either be translated to a lack of knowledge and proper education or a financial method to get the clients to keep on coming back.
melicieuse, Don’t blame me! Blame the awesome Lebanese food 😛
Reno H., Wow! Masha’Allah that’s great news! If you don’t mind me asking, how much do you weigh now?
Fortunately, I didn’t have any illnesses due to my active nature. I was involved in numerous athletic activities, which kept diseases at bay. My only problem was overeating. Why eat a burger when you can easily have 3? 😛
Zohak, Any health conscious individual can be placed anywhere around the world and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, Kuwait tends to take a toll on all our healths. The number of mouthwatering restaurants out there are astonishing! I’ll be sure to post on ways and methods on how to travel globally and still maintain :).
Yours Truly, Thank you! This is what I’m here for. I’ll be sure to provide more inspirational posts in the future :).
Fahad,
1) Did you use any fat loss supplements? Why?
2) I’m 188cm, my weight was 125kg and started working out and lifting weights at gym since a year now… weight dropped to 106kg and I am stuck in 106kg from a month it’s not going down lol what do you think is the problem?
Great Post thanks
Thanks and lol @ 3 burgers. I could say the same about pizzas but your jaw would probably drop lol. Nah I don’t mind telling you how much I weigh right now. I’m 85 atm. My goal is 80. It should be max 78 for my age and height but I ain’t that much of a health freak. Plus you gotta take into account how much of that weight’s from bone and muscle. Still working on my washboard 🙂 bless!
salam,
first of all, well done Fahad on changing your lifestyle. i love reading & hearing about such experiences because i can so easily relate.
second, what a small world, i supervised a presentation about your gym last semester at CBA, it was really interesting!
now, did you mean you hit 140kg and lost 60kg from there in 12 months?
because i would think losing 60kg in 12 weeks, while impressive mathematically, is about as unhealthy as gaining 6kg of fat a month! kindly advize
also, i know exactly what you mean when you mention that you put in more hours once the results started slowing down; when in fact, we should have been resting
i always say that one of the most common mistakes we kuwaitis do at the gym is that we over-train; thought not necessarily catabolic, it certainly is not anabolic nor is it pushing our cardiac endurance to new levels
kudos to you for saying it as it is regarding the self-proclaimed nutritionists/BBers/”scientists”, i spend half my time at the gym burning calories arguing on what actually works (based on my experience) and what is a residue of a time where gyms in kuwait were ‘run’ by a certain “type” of people who were on more mgs of steroids than they were on grams of wholefood protein 🙂
finally, as if the world wasn’t small enough, i think i know you from the gym! i spotted you on an incline-chest press in the dumbbells section and we said hello last week! mashala sej sej eldenya sgheera
i’ll definitely bring it up next time i see you or the guy ely emshabeh 3alaih 🙂
Yewesif,
1)Didn’t use any fatloss supplements when I lost those 60kg. However, I do use them from time to time in order to get down to 4-5% bodyfat. I’ll use fatloss supplements when I want to get rid of those stubborn areas.
2)The problem most probably lies in your diet. You might be dieting too hard or too long, i.e. going too low on calories for a long time. This causes your thyroid hormones to slow down.
I need to see how your current diet looks like in order to give you a conclusive solution.
Reno H.,
145 to 85? You literally dropped a human being! Masha’Allah good for you 🙂
Don’t concentrate on weight. Try to focus on recomposition (fat to muscle ratio) and the mirror. The mirror is better at criticizing the way you look as opposed to the scale.
You’ll get those washboard abs Ensha’Allah 😉
Ali Al Yousef, Wa3alaikum Al Salam 🙂
Yes, I do remember you spotting me with the DB Incline presses. Thank you again for that spot, I really needed it ;).
Secondly, the story above was the start of my journey, which means I didn’t know anything about health or fitness; I just did what common sense told me. I have a body type that gains and loses fat easily, so yes I lost 60kg in 3 months.
I’d like to clarify that the methods used in my post are WRONG. I did it out of common sense and not knowledge. Losing that amount of weight in such a short time has its health implications and I completely refrain from anyone trying it.
Thank you for your kind words and for that much needed spot 😉
Fahad,
My diet consist of 6 to 5 meals a day. Morning:( Egg whites, oats and 2 scoops of whey protein) Snack at 10:00am(Turkey/Tuna with some carbs) Lunch: (mostly chicken breasts mafyo7, brown rice and a salad). After working out, 2 scoops of protein followed by egg whites after 2 hours. At last, Dinner white meats. I do cheat sometimes between meals 😛 fruits or snickers 😛
Mind you, seeing this picture made me crave for lebanese food 😛
However, thank you for this well-written post. I personally enjoyed reading it.
Yewesif,
Contact me via email buddy. We’ll arrange a meet if you want to step it up 🙂
toomzz, That picture brings back great memories!
Appreciate the compliment :).
Hi Fahad, 60kg in 12 weeks!! that is mental!! but good for you,
I was 140kg when I was 20 years old, I lost the same exact weight (60kg) but it took me about 5 months, still alot of weight in a very short time, don’t you think?
My weight has always yo’yo’d for a good ten years.
However, I am 31 years old now and 136kg and its scary. I am big but not flabby, the weight is distributed evenly all over my body. I have played rugby all my life, I play basketball, I play football, – I am a very athletic person in terms of those sports, I am fast for my size, I hate the gym though – and I hate diets – I do not like to be restricted and do not like to be told what to eat. But I fully understand that that is not an excuse, I fully understand that I must not wait for help. I need to make a decision about this.
My only problem is, if I do lose the weight (and I know I can as I have done it in the past) how do I maintain that suitable weight for me? I think it is way harder to maintain the right weight than to actually lose those extra pounds, am I right in saying this? Like I said, I am an athletic person but I miscalculate healthy living. Any advice?
Thanks in advance,
lol I was ignored by a few family and friends at social gatherings because they could’nt recognize me. The guys around my residential area thought my brother came to Kuwait and I moved out lmao. Been paying a lot more attention on muscle build up since october 09. Getting my family and friends healthy as well. I’m well toned and actually proud of my reflection. Not going for the Lou Ferrigno look (turn off for me) but that washboard will be the cherry on top. Hope to have it in another two weeks. Thanks for the advice Fahad and once again Godspeed to ya m8!!! 😀
HAHAH LOL
interesting read man….!
dude you are really inspiring me to lose weight! :p
i was a 180 kg way back 2009.its takes me 1year to shred down my weight.now i was 145kg im a 6’5 tall.is that good at my heigt?i enroll to a gym and they are telling me to take steroids so that i can gain more muscle..is that good for me?
is that a kind of fat burner or for muscle?
@Just, it’s a lifestyle. A diet doesn’t mean you need to cut carbs, fats and calories; all you need to do is clean up your act! Your eating habits may already be optimal, but you may not be aware of how important nutritional timing is. Moreover, a gym isn’t your answer; any vigorous activity will suffice.
I’ll be honest with you, 136kg is overkill. You could be facing serious health problems in the future. I can identify your problems if you post up how an average day (in eating and activity) looks like. I personally know overweight active individuals who are borderline diabetic and suffer from high blood pressure. The medications for those are enough to ruin your life due to their severe side effects.
Your weight fluctuates because it’s “weight-gain”. People always assume that those fluctuations are fat, while in reality they are due to water retention. Fat takes weeks if not months to accumulate, while weight (mostly water weight) takes days to rise.
The only solution is to adapt to a moderate lifestyle with moderate eating habits and activities and concentrate more on losing the fat.
EVERYONE: FAT-LOSS IS PERMANENT, WEIGHT-LOSS IS TEMPORARY 🙂
@Reno H., any advice you need please feel free to ask 😀
@Dbsustan and Pyyth4 Thanks guys! Pyyth4, God willing you will lose the fat! Wait and see my friend :).
@q8link, Masha’Allah! Bro, you must be BIG! How lean are you?
Please, anabolic steroids are not your one-stop solution to muscle gains! Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones with severe side effects if not used appropriately.
Before I begin preaching about drug-use I need to clarify where I stand in regards to this: I’m not with it or against it.
Anabolic steroids, when used appropriately can be of benefit when an individual has spent years upon years of building a foundation on both his physical structure and eating habits. Unfortunately, that is not the case in Kuwait.
God knows I’ve sat with 18-22 year olds who have taken mind-boggling dosages (a month after they have joined a gym) that ruined their futures. Some were successfully treated, others were not. A few had kidney and/or liver failure.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not crucifying anabolic steroids. I’m a man who believes in science, and what science has presented to me is that anabolic steroids are like any drug out there: beneficial in moderation and dangerous when pushed to extremes.