Squeezing myself into the chair at the front of the class, I was still wheezing from running up the stairs. "What a fatty," my friends sniggered. I was so busy trying to catch my breath that I didn't realise who the boys were talking about at first. I looked around to see who they were referring to, and they were staring directly at me. That's when it sank in.
These were my classmates, and they weren't being nasty, just honest. I was 16 years old, around 150cm tall and tipped the scales at 90kg. Up until then, I'd tucked into my favourite foods - fried chicken, burgers and pizza - simply thought my clothes were being shrunk in the wash, and that the chair at school was particularly small.
I couldn't stay in denial. I was overweight and hated it. But instead of spurring me on to improve my diet, my friends' disparaging remarks sent me to the fridge for comfort. Sprawled out in front of the television that night, I even had an extra portion of Chinese takeaway to make myself feel better.
I had always been on the fat side, perhaps because I didn't like sports much. It had never bothered me before. I was popular, had lots of friends and went out at the weekends doing what I loved - eating fast food.
I probably would have carried on like that if I hadn't fallen ill with a fever. It was so bad, around 104F, that I went to my doctor. He asked me to undergo a few tests and return the next day for the results.
After he'd examined me and studied the reports he said, "Jassim, you are going to have some serious health problems soon if you don't do something about your weight".
In that cold white consulting room his words seemed to echo off the walls. For the first time in my life, I felt scared. "Your blood sugar is high," he said, "and you could end up with diabetes." I stared at him, shocked. Could I really be on the brink of such a serious condition at my age? I was just a teenager.
"You have to change your lifestyle and diet," my doctor warned. "If you don't take care of yourself now, you could be in trouble later." I took the prescription to tackle my fever and went home in a daze. Extremely worried, I discussed with my parents what the doctor had told me. Of course, they were concerned and asked me to stop eating junk food. "You also need to get some exercise," they said.
My friends were also concerned and suggested I join a gym. "Please change your diet," they pleaded. I had always loved sweets and was never without a bag to munch on. For breakfast I'd used to eat a couple of burgers and wash them down with a fizzy drink. For lunch I'd have fried chicken and burgers with a milkshake and in the evenings I ate more burgers and maybe a Chinese takeaway too.
I tried to follow a proper diet for a few days, but then I spotted my favourite fried chicken and gave in. With oil dripping down my chin, the doctor's words echoed in my mind. Guilt made me order an extra portion.
Although my friends had started encouraging me to watch my diet and my weight, I didn't really listen to them.
A few schoolmates used to call me nasty nicknames such as ‘trailer truck' but I ignored them.
But I knew that I was putting on weight. My clothes were getting tighter, but somehow I just couldn't find the willpower to doing something about it.
At 21 I developed a large lesion on my back and had to undergo minor surgery. The doctors who operated on me told me that the lesion was related to my obesity and advised that I alter my lifestyle immediately.
That was the final straw. The pain I'd gone through with the lesion and surgery forced me to take control.
By that time I had ballooned to 120kg and my stomach and lower body were almost twice the size of my upper body. I wore size XXL clothes and I just couldn't bear to look at my reflection in the mirror.
Determined to change my life for the better, in the summer of 2008, I walked into Nashwan Gym in Jumeirah and asked to meet the fitness coach. "I need to get fit," I told the trainer, "and I'm willing to do anything you say."
Tough regimen
The first thing he suggested was that I visit a doctor. He then sent me to a dietician who worked out what I should eat. Beginning in the morning, I was told to have a large glass of lemon juice and a bowl of lettuce. After a rigorous hour-and-a-half workout I had a few slices of pineapple and more salad. Lunch was a large slice of grilled chicken and tuna. In the evening I had a serving of tuna and a large bowl of salad and later I had more tuna with pineapple juice. Luckily, I love tuna!
When I first started training at the gym, my body was crying out in pain. Even 30 minutes on the stationary bicycle was sheer torture, but my trainer kept the pressure on to keep it up.
He told me to stop looking in the mirror after every session to see if there were any changes, and instead to wait for my friends and family to start noticing the changes. After three weeks, my family started commenting on "something different" about my looks. I was happy and worked even harder with my trainer. He used to make me jog for at least half an hour, cycle, then stretch.
Sometimes it felt like a boot camp, but I believed in my trainer and for eight months I kept on training and dieting until my weight fell from 120kg to 85kg. My friends were amazed with the changes and kept encouraging me to keep it up. The health benefits I felt were almost immediate. I could climb a set of stairs without panting, walk for an hour and not end up wheezing and even jog for more than two kilometres without tiring. And finally, my blood-sugar levels were within a normal range.
I had lost a lot of weight, but I still felt that I looked unattractive. To tighten my body, my trainer put me on a muscle-building plan. I started weight training to tone my arms, legs and build up my chest. In a few months, my body started to look toned. I also kept to my diet religiously. I was allowed to snack on fruits if I was hungry, but that was it. For a guy who had always reached out for a pizza or burger at any hour of the day, I must say it was very difficult. But I kept my objective in mind and kept away from the fridge at home and from dining out with my friends.
After 12 months of training and following a diet, I was 80kg and went shopping for new clothes because most of my jeans and shirts were too loose. I felt so happy to throw away my XXL clothes. I found, to my absolute surprise, that I could fit into a medium-sized shirt and trousers! I looked into the mirror and knew that I was stepping out in style.
A new man
With a better and healthier body came a sense of self confidence and higher self esteem. I looked back on the days when my friends called me a ‘drum' or a ‘trailer truck' and I thought I should surprise them.
I hadn't seen my best friend, Mohammad Abdullah, for a while because I was always at the gym. So when I turned up at his place, he was stunned. "I cannot believe it is you, Jassim," he said. He actually didn't even recognise me at first. Seeing the astonishment and happiness in his eyes and in those of my other friends, was a huge motivator for me and I finally knew that I really did look different.
My confidence soared. I felt a lot happier about my body. I used to hate having my picture taken because I was embarrassed by my body, now I looked forward to posing for the camera.
Still, I wanted to challenge myself further. I have a dream of joining the police force so I need to be trim and full of energy. I also wanted to build muscle and tone my body, so decided to take up powerlifting. It became my new challenge and with my trainer's help, I decided to compete for the annual UAE Powerlifting Championship. All the big gyms in the UAE send their athletes to compete and I had just a year to get ready.
I started by lifting relatively light weights and after a year could confidently lift around 100kg. My trainer put me on a strict training plan where I built up my muscle mass. In 2010 participated in the UAE Powerlifting Championship in Umm Al Quwain and won the gold medal in the 80kg category! This medal still hangs in Nashwan Gym.
My life today…
When I wake up in the morning I have a glass of water or a large glass of juice then a shower and head straight for the gym. I lift weights for an hour before heading work and then to university in the evening where I am studying for a degree in information technology. Two years ago this would have been unthinkable for me as I could not have taken the pressures of a job and studies. But a regular workout helps in building stamina
I'm glad that I was saved in time by the doctor who warned me - I haven't had to go back since! - and my trainer who motivated me. I want to reach out to others who are living their lives on junk food and little exercise in the hope that my story will be their inspiration.
Getting him in shape
Nashwan Mohammad, co-owner of Nashwan Gym talks about Jassim's programme:
"When Jassim came to my gym, he wanted only two things: to lose weight and have a good body.
"We asked him a few questions about his diet and lifestyle and then did a weigh-in. We found that he needed extensive training to get his body into shape and improve his health. As any gym trainer will tell you, people expect miracles to happen in a few days and they want to see results almost immediately. But we make sure that customers understand that a body that has been neglected for many years without exercise and a nutritious diet will take time to correct itself. What one needs to have is patience.
"In Jassim's case, we got a detailed medical report from Rashid Hospital about his blood sugar, blood pressure and the condition of his heart before we decided to draw up a regimen that would include diet and exercise.
"We also did a physical examination of his body at the gym to see which parts of his body had accumulated fat and needed to be toned. I then started him on a set of cardio exercises including cycling and jogging.
"As with others who come to my gym, Jassim was also given a customised regimen and told to stay away from quick fixes such as steroids. We have a strict policy of checking for steroid use among those training with us and if we notice any trace of steroids in their system, we don't allow them to continue at the gym.
"Instead he was given a whey protein supplement that he could have regularly in addition to his customised diet meal plan."
