A dad whose weight ballooned from a diet of fizzy drinks and takeaways has described how he transformed his life and lost eleven stone. Adeel Khan, a 33-year-old businessman, used to drink five or six cans of fizzy pop a day and fill up on takeaways and sugary snacks.
Adeel, who is dad to a five-year-old son and two-year-old twin boys, owns a dessert café called Dessert Republic and a burger joint called Burger Republic. He weighed around 27 stones at his heaviest, and says during lockdown, he stood on his weighing scales and the reading said 'error'.
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Realising how unhealthy and unhappy he felt, he decided to drastically alter his lifestyle and become healthier. Months of dieting and a consistent exercise routine followed, and, slowly, his weight began to drop.
Now, Adeel, from Stretford, is feeling happier and more confident about himself- and he wants to share his story to inspire others. Telling the M.E.N. about his healthy transformation, Adeel said: " I have always been quite big. Because of my business, I am always around sweets and desserts.
"I used to have a share in a restaurant on Wilmslow Road called Jilani’s. I’d be eating food there and always getting curries, kebabs and all sorts.
"And then lockdown started, gyms were closed and my wife and I were always cooking and baking with the kids. After the kids went to bed, we would eat fast food.
" I never used to take my kids to the park, I was lazy and wanted to lay down all the time and eat. Before I knew it, I was huge.
"I would stand on the weighing scales and it used to say ‘error’. It wouldn’t go higher- the scales went up to a maximum of 168 kilogram s.
"I know there's a joke about that- you're so fat, when you step on the scales, it says 'error'. It hit me then.
"I had longer hair then, so I looked like a sumo wrestler. I used to fall asleep everywhere.
"Even when I was laying down, I could feel my heart getting squashed. I had pain in my back and knees because of all the weight I was carrying.
" I thought, I have to do something about it." To kickstart his new diet, Adeel started cutting out junk food and began ordering healthy meals from an online meal prep company called RNS Meals instead. He also started walking, and, when lockdown restrictions eased, incorporated sports into his routine.
" Initially, I started cutting down on my carbs, and eating things like soup, just to boost the weight loss," he said. "I started going to the gym, swimming and playing tennis.
"The gym was tedious, so I started playing football. Lockdown was hard, because there was nothing to do. So my cousins and I went for walks as soon as we were able to meet outside.
"We started counting how many steps we could do a day, seeing if we could beat each other. A lot of the time, putting on weight is about convenience- you eat junk food or you’re snacking because it’s convenient. But meal preps are low in fat and low in carbs, which really helped.
"I did that for about eight months and once I got to a better weight, I started eating normally at home."
Instead of reaching for his usual takeaway meals and curries, Adeel ate healthier foods such as fish, grilled chicken and salads. What fuelled him to continue his health journey was imagining himself wearing clothes in a smaller size.
"I had to buy clothes from Asda that were size 4XL," Adeel said. "I love going shopping but I couldn’t fit into clothes that I wanted. My dream has always been to go to Zara and H&M and buy clothes off the rack. So that kept me motivated.
"I told myself, I will do it, and slowly, the weight started dropping off. As the weight was coming down, people were commenting, ‘you look better’.
"So I kept going. I lost five kilograms, and then 10 kilograms, and then once I lost 20 kilograms, I had to buy new clothes. My size dropped to to 2XL, which was a big achievement.
"I can now shop at Zara and H&M and it's amazing. I've got rid of all my old clothes- I counted there were 10 bin bags full of them. The clothes were so big, you could have used them as a tent."
Marking the month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, also helped Adeel concentrate on his health journey. "When Ramadan came around in 2021, I thought, well, if I'm fasting all day, I might as well make the most of it," Adeel explained.
"W hen it came to opening my fast, I stopped myself from overeating. That really helped me- it was a jumpstart again to losing weight. I lost even more weight this past Ramadan- my weight has come to around 15.5 stones now."
Losing weight came with many benefits for Adeel, who reports feeling more active and more motivated to spend time with his loved ones.
"My day-to-day life has improved massively," he said. " I don't feel as lazy and I am more excited about doing activities with my wife and kids in the garden or going out and about with them.
"Even getting in and out of the car is so much easier. My relatives are complimenting me and saying 'wow, you're looking better and more energetic, we were so concerned about you because you've got young kids.'
" Even family I've not met for years, they are saying that I look like my younger brother. T o be compared to a 25-year-old is a massive boost.
“I’ve always been quite confident, even when I was overweight. When you’re big, you need a strong personality.
"I have got the personality, but now I joke that I've got the looks as well! It does wonders for my self esteem.
"I feel that people are taking me more seriously now I've lost weight. I was recently elected as governor for my son's primary school. It's like I have my life sorted out now."
Finally, Adeel shared advice for others who want to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Allowing yourself the occasional treat day is the key, he suggested.
"I would say to anyone, keep going," he added. "Give yourself treat days once in a while, but make sure the treat days don’t turn into treat weeks or months, or you'll go back to where you started."
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