Fat to fighting fit: A father's journey

Gulf News reader Humaid Al Humaidi has been fighting a battle against obesity for almost two years now. A 34-year-old Emirati, Al Humaidi has managed to lose over 40 kilograms since 2009.

He said: "For at least 20 years before 2009, my weight never went below 130 kilograms. I was known by my friends as the "big guy" or "big Humaid". It never bothered me and I loved the nickname."

Birth of daughter

Things turned around for Al Humaidi in January 2009 when his baby girl was born.

He said: "One day, I saw a man running after his child, but he couldn't keep up with him. The child was so sad and said to his father, ‘You are fat and you can't catch me'. That was a wake-up call for me."

He decided to work towards a healthier lifestyle after that.

He said: "I asked myself if I wanted to wait till I am in the same situation as that man or did I want to start now. Before my baby started walking, I wanted to be ready to play with her and to make her proud of me.

"I also had trouble breathing while I slept. I used to feel like someone was choking me. Sitting was also hard. And when I went for a walk with my wife, it wasn't just hard but also a little embarrassing."

With the help of a personal trainer, Al Humaidi started following a strict exercise regime. At this point, he weighed 141 kilograms.

He said: "Initially I tried working out in the gym myself. I would walk for 45 minutes on the treadmill, followed by some stomach exercises. My weight went down to 115 kilograms, but then it stopped reducing. That is when I got help from a personal trainer and he taught me new exercises."

Even at this point, Al Humaidi was motivated because he was worried about his daughter.

He said: "I kept imagining the worst scenarios. When she was in bed and I would sit or lie down next to her, I was so scared that I would fall asleep and accidentally roll over and hurt her. It was a nightmare!"

Gaining muscle

According to Al Humaidi, he was losing around three kilograms per month until he hit the 91 kilograms mark in the summer of 2010. In the span of a year and a half, he had lost 50 kilograms.

He said: "Since then I started concentrating on body building exercises. My muscle size increased and I now weigh 100 kilograms. All the time I spent in the gym is now paying off. My daughter is a naughty girl and she loves to run around. I can run behind her now."

In 2009, Al Humaidi's waist size was 52 inches. Today, it is 34 inches.

Apart from the exercise, Al Humaidi was in touch with a dietician and used to get weekly diet plans.

He said: "I used to mainly eat boiled food with a lot of vegetables and fruits. I had four meals a day — breakfast, an afternoon snack, lunch and dinner. However, on Fridays I took a break and ate whatever I wanted."

This diet plan is now a part of his lifestyle. Having worked so hard in the past two years, Al Humaidi's total body fat reduced from 21 per cent to 7 per cent.

Inspirational

The journey was long and hard, but extremely satisfying for Al Humaidi. Along the way, he inspired a few people to follow the path of a healthy lifestyle.

He said: "One of my brothers is also on the heavier side. If he goes out with his children he has to keep them restrained so they don't run away, as he can't keep running behind them. When we meet, we talk about it and now he is also making an effort to lose weight."

Recently, some of Al Humaidi's friends met him after a long break and were pleasantly surprised. Having seen the change in him, they have also joined a gym.

Al Humaidi said: "I never thought I could be thin and thought it was alright to be fat. Things have really changed now."

Plan to eat right

If you would like to contact Al Humaidi, send him an email to humaidi@hotmail.com