Muscle Makeover – Nabil Shaikh gained 12 kg in 3 months at the age of 18
There are numerous inspirational stories of people who lost weight and had tremendous changes in their lives. Even in our blogs, the majority of success stories are about people losing weight and accomplishing their life's most unachievable goal. However, gaining weight and becoming a fitter and healthier version of yourself is a once-in-a-blue-moon thing.
Similarly, we'd like to share the success story of an 18-year-old guy who began his fitness adventure at such a young age. And had become an inspiration to many of his age. Nabil was able to gain more than 10kg in just 6 months. Nabil learned about WFH through his brother in the year 2019. Due to his school life and studies, he barely had any time left for working out, and going to the gym was an out-of-the-box question. Then he began his home exercise journey with the WFH team, and he has transformed his physique from a 54 kg boy to a 65 kg healthy-toned-fit body.
The reason that motivates you to start Fitness Journey
I'm one of those guys whose weight-gain motto is "I eat so much junk yet never seem to gain any weight," which is sadly true, much to the envy of others. For the most part of my existence, that is. I've been under 9 stone or slightly above since I was 14 years old. Throughout high school, I rarely ate breakfast and was lucky if I bought myself lunch. I was just never hungry, or so I convinced myself. Instead, I'd 'treat' myself to a 'Chicken Burger Friday' — it was a need.
On my 18th birthday, I realise I've made a mistake. That schedule is no longer sustainable for me, both physically and mentally. I've been depriving myself for years, even though I wasn't aware of it. I believe I had an eating disorder unknowingly for a period of my life. All of that has to STOP.
At the moment, I realised that I needed to take action in order to improve my lifestyle and make it more sustainable. My brother was already using an app named WFH - WELLNESS | FITNESS | HEALTH - at the time. It's an app that encourages you to pay attention to your diet and workouts, thereby transforming you into a healthy habit-building lifestyle. As soon as I heard about the prices, I was hooked on the idea of registering myself. I was 18 years old and had very little money, so this app was a wonderful fit for me, with everything under one roof and at an affordable price.
What is the most difficult part about being unhealthy?
Honestly, I didn't think that there was any visible impact of my unhealthy lifestyle on me. But I am very certain that it could be because I am relatively young, and sooner or later this whole unhealthy lifestyle is going to bite me super hard. SO, yes there is nothing good about an unhealthy lifestyle. If you want to live clean and healthy or maybe longer then you must start your fitness journey as soon as possible.
Starting Phase and procedure of transformation journey
As soon as I signed up, the WFH coach and dietician team walked me through the basics of holistic health. They outlined the main science involved, as well as how BMI and TDEE have such a large impact on our bodies, which was surprising to find. The app includes a BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator as well as a TDEE calculator. As a result, I discovered that the amount of energy obtained from meals vs the quantity of energy consumed by your body determines your body weight.
My goal was to gain weight, therefore I added a few details such as age, gender, and height. The WFH app then did all of the calculative work for me. The software calculates how many calories you burn per day while taking into consideration your daily physical activities. It also calculates how many calories you should have consumed to gain those muscles in order to achieve your objective. It suggests your calorie intake based on all of those calculations, which will help you select what and how much food to eat, as well as how much to consume in what quantity.
Diet Followed
My meal plan was planned according to my schedule. WFH Dietician and nutrition paid extra attention towards the nutritional value of my meal as I was in my growing age. So they suggested more food that is rich in minerals and vitamins.
Aiming for 3000 calories per day is a shared vision. Some days, this was just not possible, and I was wicked to forget to stick to my plan due to my examinations and study schedule. However, the WFH team was so supportive that they synchronised my diet programme with my study schedule. However, by the end of October, I had managed to come closer to the 10 stone mark while maintaining my healthy lifestyle.
Throughout the journey, I generally ate homemade food, and my daily meal plan consisted of things like morning protein shakes with seasonal fruit like banana or mango. Then for lunch, I'd have a non-veg curry with ghee parathas and a big glass of buttermilk with some salad. And I did finish my day with some vegetables and multigrain roti or rice. I bought fresh fruits or nuts for in-between snacks.
Macros and quantified diet
Calorie counting and keeping track of calorie intake was simple using WFH food measurement spoons. When you enroll in the WFH programme, measuring spoons are sent to you as a thank you gift, and each spoon is labelled with a different colour. All you have to do is measure the food with the provided spoon and you're done.
Workout Followed
My workout was mostly home-based workouts with not too little equipment. My training programs were 70% straight training and 30% CrossFit training to increase stamina. Along with my studies, I was able to spare at least 1 and 1/2 hr time for a workout for at least 4 days a week.
The workout plans were set in the app and their live video features allow you to watch and talk to personal trainers. They guide your exercises and make sure you are doing it right and maintaining the right posture so you don't hurt yourself. It was my favourite feature of the app as the WFH coach and trainers were so supportive
How did you stay Motivated during the journey?
My entire family is a fitness enthusiast; my brother is a professional trainer, and my father is a big follower of Ramdev Baba and his yoga. So finding inspiration to live a healthy lifestyle was easy for me. When I was feeling down, I used to practice some morning yoga with my father.
What are the lifestyle changes you made?
My eating habits have never been perfect; I'm a constant snacker. I could live off of cups of tea, biscuits, bread, and tea (dinner for those who call it dinner). So the one thing I've changed the most is that I keep a tight check on my meals and the nutritional value it provides.
What did you give up for your transformation success?
I gave up on my careless attitude toward my life. And I'd like to thank WFH's coach, who has always educated me with knowledge and guided me to the better side of my life.
Lessons learnt from the transformation
As part of my resolutions, I'm going to prioritise my meals and make sure I'm eating the correct kinds of foods. I'll be going to the gym more, and with the addition of my brother, who is also on the same road as me, I'm sure I'll be even more determined to make this happen.
