Losing 65kg in 11 months: Tarek shows us how

Just a year ago, he weighed a shocking 165kg. He had always been hefty. His bulging waistline and chubby cheeks turned into features that were constantly ridiculed and teased.

He constantly found himself in a corner. Alone and dejected.

The jokes turned painful, and 20-year-old Egyptian Ahmed Tekha Tariq Salim decided that enough was enough.

He took to the web, read a whole lot of literature on healthy methods of weight loss and embarked on a journey that was truly life-changing.

In 11 months, he created a completely new life (and physique) for himself.

Today, 65-kilos lighter, Tekha is travelling the world and spreading the word about how easy it is to lose weight and stay healthy.”

That’s not all. The makeover also won him a full athletic scholarship to play basketball for university of Sharjah, where he studies media.

He has even set up a group called Tekha that motivates people to shed excess weight.

The wake-up call wasn’t any one incident, but the abuse that he had suffered over the years.

“It was everything. From when I was a kid, to school… everything. I was always insulted. The kids were always together and I was always alone.”

Despite the weight, he did play basketball, but even that didn’t help him.

“It was hitting me from everywhere. And, I felt like I had to change, I had to do something.

“I wanted to challenge all those people who were making fun of me. I wanted to challenge my friends who were getting away from me.”

The weight-loss was charted out after an intense research on the web.

“I didn’t join any fitness clubs or go to any nutritionist. I just went online and read up. I did it alone. Soon I charted out my own plan to lose weight. And, it worked.”

His success has now prompted him to encourage others like him who are battling the bulge, and help them lose weight safely.

“When they hear of my story they will be encouraged. If they see that I have lost 65kgs, then anyone can do it.”

Tekha also joins the Dubai Municipality’s ‘Your Weight In Gold’ campaign, and hopes it will influence people into adopting a healthier lifestyle.

In two days, he is off to America to speak at 10 seminars.

“I have been invited to speak about my way of losing weight.”

In October, he is off to Qatar, and early next year he’s travelling back to America for more talks.

Tarek is a firm believer that apart from the food plan and exercise, the key to losing weight is about “wanting it”.

“I use three operations – will, determination and persistence. In my opinion, those operations are much better than any fitness plans. It’s much better than hospitals and medicines. When you achieve it alone, you feel great.”

The trick is also about “converting your bad habits into your good habits”.

Tarek studies media in a reputed university in Dubai, and spends his free time visiting schools and spreading awareness about a healthy lifestyle.

“I know a lot of kids who are really depressed and sad but they aren’t doing anything to change that. They are just lying to themselves. They think it is impossible. They’d say they can’t do anything because they love food.

“I tell them that I didn’t lose 65 kilos at the snap of a finger. I worked really hard for this. And, if they are determined, they can too.”

Tarek highlights how it’s important for parents and teachers to educate children about healthy eating.

“During school breaks, kids often eat chocolates, croissants and crisps, or drink juices. These are loaded in sugar. It’s almost like they are killing their kids.

“I even told my dad that that he was actually killing me. If I hadn’t woken up I would have just kept getting bigger. And obesity can kill you.”

The dangers of the medical condition is not emphasised enough, he added.

“People might say he’s chubby and cute, but they don’t understand that if unchanged obesity can kill you.”

He claims that if education about food is not shared, more kids will be trapped by this deadly disease.

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