Holding the Malayala Manorama daily dated August 1, 2018, Habeeb Anju, hailing from Alathur in Palakkad, had posted a picture and announced a self-imposed challenge on the social media, saying he would be shedding his extra weight and would appearing in a sexy six-pack form.
It was his bulging belly and extra flab which prompted Habeeb, who is an officer at the Alathur branch of the LIC, to take such a step.
Posting the picture, he had written on his Facebook page, “After 5 months, on January 1, 2019, I will post a sexy photo here, in which you won’t see any unnecessary fat on my body but just six packs which you can count.”
There were many who were skeptical about the youngster’s determination to get into shape. However, 5 months later, Habeeb gave them a fitting reply by posting a picture of him flaunting his 'six-pack' and holding the Manorama newspaper dated 25th December 2018. He also expressed his happiness for being an inspiration for more than 100 people to shed their extra kilos and lead a healthy life.
Habeeb reveals to Onmanorama about the major changes that happened to his body within these 5 months and also about his diet plans and work out regimes.
Planning
Habeeb confesses that he had begun to put on weight from 2013 – 14 onward. His clothes became tighter and used to pant heavily even if he climbed just two flights of stairs. Realizing that his health would be seriously affected if he didn’t do anything to shed weight, Habeeb discussed about it with a few friends and sought possible solutions.
He assumed that an ordinary person may struggle hard to successfully execute a work-out regime that demands a lot of time and effort. He was sure that things are not going to change immediately and it required some time. It was wise to opt for workout or diet plans which don’t drastically alter from the current routines.
Most people choose a workout regimen without even realizing the effects of it on their body and how they were going to help them be fit and healthy. It is very important to understand why we are doing workouts and its effects. Experts say that there are in fact a few basic ideas that need to be understood about workouts. Besides, knowing a few substitute workouts, which don’t require special equipment or specific spaces, would ensure that the workout regime doesn’t break.
Habeeb empasies that only continuous workout would yield results. After doing some extensive research on it, Habeeb prepared a unique workout and diet plan which suited his body and living situations as well. Habeeb followed this plan diligently and it evidently enough, bore positive results.
Support from home for the second term
Habeeb followed this workout plan until January this year and had stayed in shape. However, it was during this time that his wife Anju entered her third trimester and he suddenly stopped going to the gym or following the diet. When a few of his friends reminded about his growing belly, Habeeb joked that he was giving his pregnant wife a company. But, his belly kept growing even after Anju gave birth to their child.
“It was Anju who motivated me to change myself. When she told me she was going to hit the gym again, I decided to join her. I knew even if I decided to reduce my belly fat I might get lazy and stop workout. However, when I promised myself that I was going to get back into shape, it was Anju and Dr Shimna Aziz, a dear friend of mine, who encouraged me to post the pictures on the social media. I held the Malayala Manorama newspaper to motivate myself and remind me of the deadline,” says Habeeb.
He publicly challenged himself that he would shed his weight, reduce the belly fat and get fit before January 2019. Habeeb thought that since everyone came to know about his challenge from the social media, they would be curious about his transformation and keep asking questions. This sense of being answerable to the public made Habeeb more determined to achieve his goal.
Online ‘training’
Habeeb, however, was stunned when lots of people, inspired by his post, came forward to workout along with him. That is when he decided to go back to the workout lessons that he had earlier followed and even shared it on his Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Anju had started a Facebook group which was a perfect platform for people, who wished to stay fit, to exchange their ideas and inform about their progress. Her friends Shimna and Jeena were the admins of this group.
The trio had the responsibility to coordinate and monitor the group. Those who came in just to see what was happening in the group were eliminated. Now around 100 people remained who were genuinely interested to do work outs. They were from different walks of life and motivated each other. There were even a few doctors as its members who regularly gave advices on health and nutrition. Soon the group became an active online platform where people, who love to be fit and fabulous, shared ideas and inspired each other.
Mission accomplished
On August 1, 2018, Habeeb had weighed 58 kilograms. However, after 5 months of rigorous work out and diet, he now weighs just 51 kilograms and looks fit and fabulous. “I have been able to reduce my belly fat. My kids Tanmay and Naitik used to lie down on my belly. However, they now complain that they cannot play with my belly and doesn’t feel as comfortable as earlier while lying on it. They clearly have no idea about the sacrifices and struggles their father went through to get this toned down body. You can imagine the change that I have undergone when I say that my pant size has gone down to 32'' to 28'',” notes Habeeb.
