Even Doctors Struggle – Dr. Muffaqam Lost 139 Pounds!?

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At Amanah Fitness we have had many SUCCESS stories over the past couple of years, Alhamdulillah! This story we are about to share really stood out to us and we thought it would be an eye opener to all those trying to lose weight! This story is by Muffaqam Shah, a doctor, who TRANSFORMED after realizing the importance of his health and eating habits. He was kind enough to share his story with us, here is what he has to say:

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Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever pictured myself writing an inspirational piece for a fitness & lifestyle page; yet here I am! I’d love to talk about all the specific nutrition and fitness regimens that helped me lose my 139 pounds over 9 months, but Amanah Fitness already does an amazing in doing that. In this piece, I hope to motivate and inspire as many people as possible to take those initial steps towards becoming the best version of themselves. I will briefly share how I ended up at my heaviest weight of 311 lbs and the steps I took to achieve the motivation needed to lose that weight. I hope that my story will help people realize that there is NOTHING stopping you from achieving your fitness goals but yourself!

My story is one that I’m sure many people can relate to. It begins all the way back to when I was a child; I was always a chubby kid, I loved to play, and I loved to eat. Fast tracking through elementary school and high school, I quickly escalated from being chubby to being overweight. As a result, my childhood activities became more and more difficult and I became less motivated to continue them. It was easier for me to stop trying altogether, instead of embarrassing myself by participating in those childhood activities. Even though I stopped some activities, I was still a little active during this time – I was a certified lifeguard and swimming instructor at my local YMCA, I played on my high school cricket team, and played some basketball recreationally.  I may have been relatively active, but my knowledge of nutrition was extremely lacking. I would eat whatever was at home, then at school, followed by restaurants with family and friends. There was no real gluttony per se, but there was also no balance or self-restraint. As you can imagine, these habits caught up with me as I transitioned into the real adult world.

Most of my time at University consisted of countless hours of studying, then reward myself afterwards with a fulfilling and rewarding meal from a restaurant or digging into a home cooked meal. As time passed, the same cycle repeated itself: studying, then rewarding myself with lavish meals. I’m sure most people, not only students, can relate to the above situation, especially those living away from home like myself. In order to offset bad eating choices, people often times try and exercise once every now and then. But as I learned the hard way, you can’t out-train a bad diet.
As I matured, so did my eating habits. Rather than just indulging in home cooked meals, I had the money available to be able to buy WHATEVER and HOWEVER much I wanted from restaurants or grocery stores. Eating was fun! There were new meals, recipes and menus to try all over the city! But as I went from overweight to obese, the harsh reality began to settle in. Regular things became harder to do – running and brisk walking for a little while caused back pain, performing my daily prayers was tiresome, painful, and uncomfortable. I would be out of breath fairly easily and, as a medical student, I knew what all these signs meant. But, like every human being, I chose to ignore them. I was always the “big” guy, no one ever expected me to be a “fit” person, hence that was the role I accepted and became content with.

Looking back, I did experience a moment in my life where I had made some progress with my weight loss. It happened when I was 21 years old; I hit the gym hard, did a lot of cardio, followed everything that a coach told me, ate what I thought was healthy and hence saw some results. I lost about 30 lbs and felt great about myself! But when those workouts stop and you start having those extra “cheat meals”, there comes a point when your super restrictive “diet” becomes too hard to keep up with. That is when all of the old eating habits come right back. In my case, I ended up gaining ALL the weight I lost and then some more. Again, a very common ending for many weight loss stories.

At this point relatives and family friends would show looks of surprise whenever they saw me; the slight double take or judging look was common. Some of them would hold their tongues and be polite but others would say it outright, “What happened, why are you so big? Why don’t you try and lose some weight?” This is one of those awkward situations that I’m sure many people have experienced. My response was always to laugh it off and say, “Yeah I’m trying”. Whenever my family would try and talk to me about my weight, I’d either change the topic or get upset and leave the conversation. I wasn’t in denial that I was headed down a scary path, but I wasn’t ready to face the problem head on, because to be honest, it was such a daunting task. There were so many questions and uncertainties involved. What if I don’t succeed? What if I can’t do the workouts? What if I fail?

All of this led me to my heaviest weight of 311 pounds!

Now this number was an absolute shock to me. I hadn’t weighed myself for a long time. I would constantly tell myself that I was in the ballpark of 270-280 pounds and be content with it. I didn’t know what to feel at that moment; my mind was experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. On one hand, I was disappointed with myself for not prioritizing my health and for letting things get so out of hand. There were many times I questioned myself whether I would ever be able to get down to a normal weight, or was this just how it would be for the rest of my life? On the other hand, I was somewhat motivated to see if I could get back on the right track. I reminded myself that I had lost weight once before and why not give it another try, except this time “let’s keep it off for good, and let’s go all the way down to a healthy BMI once and for all”.

Finally, the daunting task of formulating a plan and goals for my journey came. I was so afraid to start because I didn’t want to make any mistakes this time; I wanted to get it right. As most people are aware, there is a plethora of conflicting information on the internet regarding weight loss. Trying to sift through all of that and devise your own plan is downright daunting. I believe this is the stage that a lot of people get stuck in. They resort to asking everyone and anyone who has had some success with weight loss for advice; they note down their tips, get very motivated and say “I’ll follow exactly what you did, I’ll go the grocery store tomorrow and get a gym membership as well!”. But then doubt, once again, sets in. The “what ifs” and questions about whether the tips or advice will actually work for them.

I was very fortunate throughout my journey because not only did I have the support of my entire family, but also the support and coaching of my sister. As a student in a Registered Dietician (RD) program and a true example of someone living a healthy lifestyle, my sister was the best example/coach/role model I could have asked for. To make sure that I started on a strong note, she formulated a nutrition program and workout regimen for me, and followed it alongside me for the first 2 months. If that isn’t pure selfless caring and support, then I don’t know what is! I realized through my experiences how important it is to have a fitness partner/mentor. My sister was a great help; she motivated me to start this journey and was always there to support me.

I realize that not everyone currently has this kind of support. The goal is to have someone there with you while you make these lifestyle changes. This is because, being straightforward, these changes are CHALLENGING.  Amanah Fitness was an excellent resource that was crucial in helping me learn about easy at home workouts and everyday things I could do to stay active. Unlike other pages that promote crash/quick result diets, Amanah Fitness taught me about eating a healthy diet that I could sustain for the rest of my life.

 

You need someone there that can help you stay on track and motivate you when you feel like you’re falling off track. I guarantee you that in due time you’ll enjoy the lifestyle, not only because of how it makes you feel, but because you WILL see results.

As I look back on my journey and try to pinpoint the exact spark or motivation that was the catalyst for change, one specific event comes to mind. It was when I met a Neuro‐Radiology Fellow during one of my electives, Dr. Matthew Deng. It was his approach towards prioritizing his health and fitness that I truly admired. Despite being in such a busy hospital environment he was able to successfully maintain a healthy lifestyle, a true example of “Practise what you preach”. I said to myself “Why can’t I do the same? Why can’t I be an example for someone else as well?” Many excuses and thoughts came to my mind but none of them were valid. The truth was that I just needed to make the commitment and put in the effort.

The changes I made have truly made me a new man. I have a love for fitness like never before and I enjoy taking care of my health. I enjoy eating a healthy diet whilst still enjoying myself in moderation. The physical changes are very apparent and I am now able to live life to the fullest. I am much more confident giving health advice to people now that I have incorporated the same advice into my own life. I truly believe that I can, and will continue this lifestyle for the rest of my life, because of how great it makes me feel in every aspect of my life.

All of these things would not have been possible if I hadn’t at least taken those first few baby steps. Although the baby steps may be the ones where you stumble and fall the most, once you’re able to get past them, you begin to make strides that you never knew you were capable of.

Two CRUCIAL salient tips that I must stress for anyone looking to get started are:

1. Don’t wait for the perfect time to start, just start!

2. You will make mistakes, learn from them, forgive yourself and move on. Don’t abandon your diet and workout routine because of the notion that you, “Probably already ruined it”.

Remember, it is these small decisions that you make throughout your journey that make a difference.

The few mistakes and slip-ups that you will undoubtedly have only serve to prove that you are human. Don’t let those small mistakes define you or hinder your focus on your goals. The journey towards a healthier lifestyle is most definitely a marathon, not a sprint. Constantly remind yourself that you CAN and WILL live a healthy lifestyle. If you make the changes for the betterment of yourself and not for the sake of others or to fit in/look good, that is when you will succeed! Please take another look at where I was a few months ago, I ABSOLUTELY believe that if I can do it, so can you!

If you’re feeling inspired by Dr. Muffaqam’s story and are ready to make changes to your health, be sure to check out our FREE Online Workshop: