On May 28, 2017, Amal Al Khabori reached her maximum weight of 180 kilograms. That wasn’t an overnight task, but one event acted as a trigger to push her towards her weight loss mission and transformation.

One day, as she was watching her little son eat, she noticed that he was developing the same bad eating habits that she and his father had. It was that moment that set her on the weight loss path… Something just went click in her mind and she went about challenging herself to turn the weight clock around. She had always been full of life, weight or otherwise, but she realised that she had developed a comfort zone in the obesity that she carried around. As she says, “It’s only human nature to blame others for your own shortcomings.”

The Shrinking Arab – blog and her social media hash tag – which charts her weight loss journey and transformation, speaks of her determination, her mental fortitude to reach her goal, her quirky sense of humour in making her journey fun and her amusing look at life that has demonstrated to her the importance of positive thinking and right motivation. She has been a go-getter from the very beginning, and in her own words: “I always thought my super hero will appear for the weight loss…but then I decided to become my own superhero.”

In the following interview, she presents her inspirational story that began with a deep retrospection into her life.

Tell us about your inspirational weight loss journey.  

I am a single mother and entrepreneur from Oman. I am mother to the most adorable little 5 year old. From the very start, I was encouraged to share my weight loss journey that started in May 2017. I have been overweight as far as I can remember – in my school, at university and even when I started working; it was there when I got married and became pregnant. ‘I should be accepted the way I am’, would always be the little voice speaking to me in my head.

I always got the backhanded compliment ‘you have a beautiful face, if only you lost a little weight.’ I am sure many who have been in my place can relate to what I am saying. At different stages of my life, I must have tried everything, from memberships at most gyms in city Muscat to diets and weight loss groups, to even health farms in the UK. You name it I did it – even wiring of my jaws so I wouldn’t eat.

The only thing I have not done is the gastric bypass or banding-surgery, where they rearrange your insides. Then on May 28, 2017, I reached my maximum weight – 180++ kilograms.

What spurred you on to take up a weight loss programme at this stage of your life?

What I ignored was just how big I had become, even when I felt like I could barely breath or even get up to go to the toilet with all the weight I carried. Not waking up the next day was a terrifying thought.

Who, rather what has been your inspiration?

Thoughts like what will happen to my son…to my parents. What if my son becomes like me? My Son Noah will always be the main reason for this; travelling with him in 2015/2016, not being able to do 90 percent of the activities with him, got me moving.

I cannot preach what I don’t follow. Telling him not to eat certain foods and not practicing it is not the way forward. At 180kgs, I was just existing. I chose to LIVE for my son Noah, who is my inspiration. And my parents… My mom who also did the same (lost a person and some) went from 130kgs to 67kgs (but I became more stubborn and didn’t follow in her footsteps). 

How important has diet been in your weight management strategy?

While I have been on this journey of self motivation to changing my life, I have come to the realisation that that we are what we eat. Well, I became what I ate. I have come to the realisation through experience that typical calorie restriction behaviours like limiting or cutting out certain foods caused psychological damage. Shall we call it a ‘Diet backlash’ that occurred with me, where even the thought of a ‘forbidden’ food was enough to set me off and head me in the direction of over eating…?

I felt that as soon as I TOLD myself I COULD NOT have something, it became impossible to stop thinking about it – I am sure I am not in this on my own. The more I tried not to eat certain foods, the more I was inclined to overeat! And once I had access to them, I would be like ‘let’s do this’ (eat), since who knows if I will be able to eat these yummy foods again. The cycle continued.

My Conclusion, for myself, and I think for many others globally, is as follows: ‘food restriction, followed by deprivation, caused my overeating, followed by guilt’.

I have learnt to say NO 90 percent of the time. And, if I feel like eating something, then I take a bite – this is rare, but I do.

What’s the most important piece of advice you can give to someone who wants to lose weight without taking recourse to surgery or extreme diets?

First always remember your journey is different to the other person, everyone has a different tolerance level metabolism and age plays a part.

I started following some really amazing people who did the whole fat to fit transformation (weight loss), with and without the gastric banding, etc. One of them mentioned a diet to me and it made me do some research to discover that it’s called Intermittent Fasting.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a term for eating pattern that moves between periods of fasting and eating. There is nothing about which foods you should eat, but actually when you should eat and that they have to be low calorie. This is what worked for me, and in one week the change was apparent, even to those who saw me every day.

Do I recommend it? YES!

All the other things I did and started with are available on www.theshrinkingarab.com.

What can be the biggest motivation for an individual to hit the gym or seek alternative workout options to manage weight?

You have to reach out. The battle of the bulge is not easy: we become moody, edgy, irritable, touchy, and so much more. It’s easy to give up and fall of the wagon. That is why a support group is necessary. I have been lucky that I have my own little support group with me; it’s been a bumpy ride, but we are getting there.

So, when I started my weight loss journey and decided to join the gym, everyone laughed, including my immediate family and friends, who are close to me. You see, I had done this so many times that no one thought I would manage to pull it off.

Don’t get me wrong, they were tired of my joining the gym and not going through, and they all thought ‘ok, another failed attempt’. But this time, what no one realised was that I have had blessings sent to me (everything happens for a reason).

We don’t have any support groups here, so we initiated ‘theshrinkingarab’- we are growing #shrinkingarabsgrow. The goal is to positively impact a handful, if not more people – men, women and children, this year. Together, we can become the best versions of ourselves – #fightobesity.

 Do you think people struggling to lose weight are not trying hard?

From my experience, yes. I used to go to the gym and then eat and say I am not losing. So here it is: you are not losing, because you are eating too many calories and not eating right… It’s as simple as that.

As a model for people aspiring to lose weight, what would you advise people who are not able to manage the weight they have lost?

Reach out to us. I have got a personal trainer – it’s not easy, I wake up at 4 am every day. I walk with other shrinkingarabs and I go to the gym, do school runs, work and try to spend time with my son. Often, I take my son to the gym and go on trips so that he follows in my new footsteps.

I have cut down 50 percent of what my food intake used to be and what I eat; joined the gym and got myself a personal trainer. I didn’t get a year’s membership. I started one step at a time; one month and then the next and then 3 months, and so on.

Remember, you will fall off the wagon, we all do. And it’s ok. Just continue. Transform your mind and your body will follow. No one can make you do it; it has to come from within.  

Any personal tips or guidelines for long term weight management and overall fitness?

Don’t wait till tomorrow, start today with your transformation. Contact me on info@theshrinkingarab or Instagram @shrinkingarab if you want to be a part of this journey.  #bethechange it adds up to big results.

Start today! Stay hydrated. My weight loss was extreme. Today I suffer from excess skin – excess skin is the price I am paying today for being morbidly obese. It’s everywhere, my arms, legs (thighs), back, butt…but the stomach is the worst, it now hangs like an apron and is cery painful. I cannot work out as I would like because it is in the way. My only option is surgery (tummy tuck, arms, back – upper and lower – and legs), but let’s see, 20 kilograms to go. It isn’t easy it’s extra weight which I don’t want, its painful, from rashes to just skin pulling on your back and everywhere else.

I am still a work in progress, but I own it now, and am proud of myself. I love the body I am creating. I can proudly say that from not being able to do anything without huffing and puffing, I hiked Wadi Shab and can’t wait to explore and see my beautiful Oman from a different light. I walk 7-10 km every day; I work out at the gym every day. I have turned my life around.

I decided to become my own superhero!