Adnan Sami on weight loss: If I can do it, anyone can
In a candid conversation with Manoj Khatri, Adnan Sami reveals what he lost and what he gained in his life-changing experience.
Barely a year or so ago, he couldn’t walk five steps without resting, needed belt extensions in aircraft, couldn’t lie down for sleeping and had to travel with a custom-made wheelchair. Today, he enjoys playing tennis and squash.
Meet Adnan Sami, the singer-music composer, whose extraordinary transformation is the stuff that inspiring stories are made of. He lost a whopping 130 kilos in a span of one year – a feat that few can imagine, leave alone achieve. Interview excerpts:
What is obesity? How serious is it? How does it affect a person?
It is very serious, but I did not know the seriousness of obesity till my nutritionist told me.
When I signed up for losing weight, they did a lot of tests on me to check my reaction to various foods. What I realised is that it’s all in the mind. Everything you think and do affects your health. For some people, even if they smell food they put on weight [like me].
Every person reacts differently to different foods, and situations. Nutritionists analyse all your habits as a person – physical, physiological and emotional. They make you change your lifestyle, and do not make you feel that you are on a diet.
It was a tough call for me. I was put on a no-sugar, no-rice, no-bread, no-oil diet; only high protein. They asked me questions like, “What do you do when you are sad, or happy.” My answer to both was: “I eat!” I associated food with every emotion. It was difficult then.I had no self-control. When I was depressed, I used to eat and then feel guilty, and again eat. It was a vicious cycle. It was difficult to get out of this. You lose confidence.
There is another important factor that my nutritionist pointed out. Obesity can be genetic [disorder] and that is what people don’t understand. They simply pass comments like, “Ah, what a careless person.” But people are genetically different and that is also true for their eating habits. We know some people who eat a lot, but still do not put on weight, and for some, eating small portions also amounts to a lot of calories [their body makes a mountain of a molehill]. The body set-up and chemistry is different for each person, and it reacts in a different way to every food.
Obesity is as much a disease as any other physical disorder. Today, people understand; they are sensitive and sympathetic towards those who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction, but they don’t realise that obesity is as serious an addiction. which is why people go to rehabs or controlled-environment farms. But, what happens is that you follow those rules only till you are there; the moment you are out, you go out and party, and start hogging.
People look down upon obese individuals and make fun of them. You don’t make fun of a person’s physical disability – if they’re handicapped, blind, short, tall; it’s not their fault. This is also true for obesity. Many times, for most people, especially for those who are morbidly obese, it is not that they are just over-indulgent, but they seriously have a mental/physical problem. Hence, people need to be made aware and educated as there is a lot of ignorance about this aspect.
The first few weeks are always the most difficult. Can you share your experience when you started your weight loss programme?
For the first month-and-an-half or so, I went through serious withdrawals just like any person with an addiction goes through. There are so many things that we take for granted. For example, we walk into the kitchen, open the fridge, and just stare at it. We have nothing better to do, so we indulge. It’s all calories. To discourage me, my mom stuck two fridge magnets – one right on the handle saying, “STOP! FAT HERE!” – like a traffic sign. The other said: “A Moment on the Lips, Forever on the Hips.”
The full interview has Adnan Sami’s answers to questions like
- What has been people’s reaction to your weight loss?
- Did obesity affect your professional life? If yes, how?
- Where did you derive your emotional and mental strength from, especially during the period when you were consciously losing weight?
- What was your state of mind just before you determined to get rid of obesity?
- When did you begin to feel “it’s working!”?
- If I were to ask you to divide in terms of percentage, how much was it mental and how much physical?
- Physical changes are evident. But, in what ways has the experience changed you mentally, emotionally and spiritually?
- What would be your advice to our readers who are struggling to overcome a health challenge?
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Manoj Khatri likes to call himself an eternal soul disguised, among many things, as a writer. He is the author of more than 750 published articles — on business management, philosophy and everything in between. He is a certified counsellor and has addressed thousands of students and parents on exam-stress in public seminars. He is the author of What a thought!, a critically acclaimed book based on powerful ideas of some of the greatest thought leaders. Manoj is Editor and Publisher of Complete Wellbeing.
67 Responses to Adnan Sami on weight loss: If I can do it, anyone can
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hi adnan u luk dam gud plz gv some tip wat diet i shuld take
I am 30 years age,my height is 5ft 2inches and my weight is 90 KG..Kindly advice me the best way to lose weight.
Well done Adnan!!! what a wonderful dedication…. thanks for sharing I really appreciate yr Great Efforts, Great hard work and dedication…. I am very much impressed with yr diet regime….. U r 100% right and proven it that if u can do it then anyone else can do it…..very well said 70%yr mind and 30% yr body’s r my inspiration and I ll definitely try yr to follow footsteps….
I LIKE YOUR DIET CHART .IT IS VERY GOOD .NOW YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD.
OMGGGG!!
This is soo shocking and adnan sami you are so right about all this what you said about when person upset or happy the thing they do is eat which i do and i really want to LOSE WEIGHT SO MUCH please help me and tel me what i need to do i beg you ,
my wait is 15 stones and i want to lose it to 9 stones please email me back what i need to do please,
May god give u long life and keep smiling and wish u best to the future
.x
This is not a big issue at all in this modern medical Science …. It’s happened due to Bariatic Surgery – where Doctor put-out ur stomach from your body and u eat only 100 ML to 150ML per 2 hour basis Liquid for first 4 months then u start eat slowly slowly , as much as slow as 2 month child. Your body need protein , vitamin etc covered by Liquid Doubled tone Milk… + Protein Powder and Vitamin Tabs, Calcium medicines.
Many Doctors are doing Bariatic Surgery in India now a days … week before my wife did this same operation in kolkata….
it is truly inspiring.thanks for sharing ur experience it was gr8 and motivating.
hi,how r u , i hope u are fine and wish the god that give u all happiness of life.
i am 33 years lady from Haryana, my weight is 82kg. i want to reduce the weight. please consult me or give the phone no. or address of your nutritients.
thnks
God bless u
Please suggest a good nutrintionologist in Delhi.
Awaiting for ur reply…
Hi,
I am Sadaf from Rawalpindi (Pakistan).
the whole interview is very, very impressive specially for those who are going to lose weight. the whole is great inspiration for me i am also too much worried about my weight but now i am feeling that with consistency of mind and with strong will we can do it.
Hii Adnan,
M 21 YEARS OLD AND I M 59KG, N I WANT TO LOOSE MA WEIGHT , SO PLZZZZZZZZ ADVICE ME
REALLY WE SHOULD INSPIRE FROM U……..
Really the story is amazing and so inspiring for all who really feel that weight reducing is such a difficult task.
Really awsome!!!!!!!!…………
Adnan’s story is really amazing that how he reduced his weight just in an year. It’s marvelous achievement of him. I’m also an overweight and performing Yoga and other tips to reduce it. I would suggest others also to do same
Hi
Sir Salaam
Imtiaz Ahmed Here form Hyderabad (Pakistan)
I am your big fan and I like you and your songs
Congratulation and happy marriage with Zoya
Sir I want to know how you reduced your weight
I am also fat therefore I also want to reduce my weight
Please sir share with me this secrete and give me some guidelines
For my above problem
With positive Hope
Bye bye
And take care of you and your family sir
ALLAH AAP KO OR AAP KI FAMILY KO BUHAT KUSH RUKHE
Thank you sir
hi,
I m Rizwan, i m obesse(130kgs), can u help me to find a nutritionist and ways to reduce my weight.. plssssssssssss
hai adnan,
im 25yrs old,i want to reduce my weight 25kg.can u suggest some methods and also give details of ur nutritionist
Hi Adnan..its a great job. Congrats! You know I have been trying my obese war last 12 years in my life. Now I am 39 years old and the war did not work. because it was not continuous process and combating all the time with my tongue. I can’t control my tongue! and my mind!out of control!… it’s a very difficult job…when i smell i eat, when i see food I feel that my mind is missing something… how can i do my dream job??
Regards
Ruzmila
Aadab…
I m a 25 yrs old girl..And i m obese.tried so many things but in vain..its difficult to makeup my mind for marriage in such situation as i m not getting good proposals.
Adnan can u plz help or suggest me any diets,exercises and tips for weight loss.plz plz plz Allah will surely help you..plz gimme a solution..
hi adnan,
i read ur whole success story n m really inspired by it, i m 27 n weigh 90kgs i want to reduce but i get angry when people tell me the same n feel that i dont want to n why people cant love me the way im, i don’t know if u went through the same, but please give me a word of advice, i have tried all the diets n exercises i do reduce but get back to the original weight, please guide me n help me overcome this i feel that i love the body i m in n don’t want to get rid of it because people tell me to please help me i m confused i don’t know what i must do please …..
Hi Adnan,
I am a big fan of urs and you have said mentally co-operating with our body is important. Taking ur comment as advice. My name RIYAZ SAYED I am 38 old and more than 80 kgs. please suggest some way for weight reducing…
loved reading every word what adnan has undergone and what he did to achieve where he is today. i salute you!
ITS ALL MIND OVER BODY!WE ALL HAVE IT IN US! JUST GOT TO GO FOR IT!
i am 27 and my weight is 115 and i wanna loss weighy i to think liki adnan like in happyness sad i am hungry
hi i am 21 year old and i am at 95kg.
I want to reduce my weight by 30kgs as early as possible, so please reply at the earliest. plzzzzzzzzzz
hi. this is john from kerala, irinjalakuda. i am a great fan of adnan. i wish him all the success in his future. and also congrats him for his hard work. also i need his diet chart. please if give me it will be a helpful.thanks.
hei!
i m 23 years and hv 65kg weight
i wants to loose at least 15 kg weight. kindly advise me
Came across this inspiring article
plz weight loss krne ke liya easy tarike bta do plz
hi,
i wish to thank you from the very core of my heart..the way you have poured out your experience in words and voice..its an inspiration you have become legend..
i too feel tat people need to be more aware of what they eat.. and how many calories they actually need.. besides tat a regular cardio program should be taken up..
i am a obese too.. presently at 73 kilos of weight.. and i hv already started.. i walk for an hour daily.. then i take counted calories..
i feel i need to hit the gym or do yoga to add on to my weight loss program..
i am 75 and i’ll be at 55 very soon..
thanks for sharing your experience .. i wish gud health and a beautiful life.
Regards
hi adnan
you did amazinggggggg i really appreciate it is not easy it look easy but not i want to lose weight plzzzzzz help me
am 24 yrs old my weight is 90 I want to reduce my weight so tat i may not face any problems after marriage pls pls tel me how to reduce ill do whatever u tel…
Hello Adnan,
As one of your fans, I congratulate you on your achievement of losing your body weight that required a lot of mental strength and a lot of will power. I am truly inspired by your story to lose weight. Adnan bai saab, since I am from Canada, I am eager to know when you will be presenting shows here in Canada as fans like me are waiting to see your perform for us.
Regards,
Sudha
Hi,my name is Brijesh and i live in Mau city.My weight is day per day growing and its time my weight is 98 kgs.Please help me weight loss and cuts my body fat.
Hi Mr Adnan
Great job!
Great Effort!
Great Results!
It always happen when there is a wish!
Great to see you in good health
Do you suggest any Nutritionist in Brampton ,Ontario,Canada so i can get rid of bad fat i have as it leaded me to cholesterol.
Kind Regards
Raj
Hi Adnan
It’s great to see that u have been such a great source of inspiration to so many obese peoples all accross the world.Please keep up the good work of helping them to your best.I think u should bring more awareness to people to reduce weight.May God shower blessings on you always.
Adnan i am also in the queue to seek some guidance to reduce weight as my Mom is 114kgs weight, age 50 yrs has some health probs Asthama, Arthritis etc.So will u suggest me some good dietitian in kolkata and as well share your dieting schedule.
Awaiting ur reply
Suchita
salam adnan sab i want to lose 100kg i weight 192kg and ive seen you have lost a large amount of weight may i ask how you have lost weight
P.S did you go on a diet or did you have a operation?
Dear Adnan Sami,
I have heard that u have joined a weight loss programme in Thailand.
Can u give me the name of wellness Spa in Thailand, so that i can join. I want to reduce 29 Kgs.
Please advice.
vmrais@gmail.com
hi adnan sami ji my age is 54 and my weight is too much 110 kg please tell me how can i lose my weight thx.
Hi, Thanks for sharing such a wonderful, determined story of losing large quantity fat. I have a problem with making up my mind also depression has caused me to eat eat and only eat. Yeah, even when my stomach does not require it I force it down my throat. A disorder called Bulmia Nervosa.
I also suffer from a disorder called PCOS which adds on to the situation. I am 24 with a height of 5.6 and weigh a whooping 130 kg. Its like I am the giant in my place. very embarrassing for a young woman.
I just need to move on and get into shape.
Thanks for being such an inspiration.
hi……i knw u r a busy person plz tell hw to lose weight?
hi adnan, recently we heard you were coming to Bahrain for a show but did not turn which was pretty sad… we were looking forward to it… i know you pretty well through a number of people but you dont…. as a link with zeba too and azaantoo. love your voice and would love if azaan goes much higher than you… inshallah no offense… but motivate him too to lose weight….
tell me how you did so… i have to lose 20 kg too.
laila
i wanna lose my weight but without any side effects. plz guide me
hi adnan,
i AM IN URGENT NEED OF LOSING 20 KGS OF WEIGHT.PLS GUIDE ME AS I HAVE TRIED LOT OF THINGS BUT FAILED TO DO IT.
hi and salam Adnan bahi, i feel great to read your article but I always feel very happy when I see you fit. You are very beautiful and lovely person, God give you long healthy life.
Adanan Bahi I’m male 39 years old my height is 5.8″ and my weight is 100 kg, Kindly give me tips and your suggestion that i can reduce my weight up to 20 kg. i will weight for your reply,
Best regards
Zafar Iqbal Tarar
hye…am sonia here..your article is v.good..mera weight 62 hai or mein chahti hu k 10 kg or kaam karu to plz help me..
m 22 yrs old n i weight abt 100 kgs
plss give some suggestion on how to reduce weight as soon as possible
pllssss help
i am 39 yrs. old. height is 5.6 and weight 93kg. pls give some solution with some diet chart and some exercise for losing weight. i’ll be very grateful to you. thanks
my name ashraf ali i live in ireland. my weight now is 95 kg my height 5.3 but i want to lose weight please tell me about weight loss i cant work easily. Send me sum information how i lose weight. thanks.
Hi Adnan ,
Hope u will be fine and may god give u long and healthy life.
I am 27 and more than 100 kgs. please suggest some way for weight reducing
Hi, I am Kavitha from Hyderabad.I am obese since after maturation at the age of 10yrs…now I am 41yrs old… Doctors diagnosed that I have Hormonal Imbalance… gradually my wt increased to 100kgs. I got married 2yrs back… I underwent so many treatments for reducing wt. but in vain… kindly tell me how can I lose wt?
Regards,
Kavitha
Hi I am 32 year old married woman having 5’6″ height and weighs around 114 kg. I am married and having thyroid problem , ironically I want to become MOM but cz of my weight i am facing problems. I understand it’s a bad state and i have to get out of this but still have some fear, also its so embarrassing in front of people. I am really feeling very very bad and now wanna get out of this problem .CAN ANYBODY HELP ME?
IT IS VERY IMPRESSIVE. as am physiotherapist & DOING MASTER IN OBESITY MANAGEMENT IT IS VERY USEFUL FOR ME. CAN YOU PLEASE SEND ME DETAIL PROTOCOL? I WILL VERY GLAD TO TAKE INFORMATION ON UR MANAGEMENT.
hii adnan m aarti stay in dell…i waana lose weight plss help me out … u noe i lost ma luv coz of obesity … he left me…coz m fat n insulted me evn dre z a parental pressure on me … n sum tyms i feeel so lonely evn tired 2 suicide ….so pls help me out m watmg for ur reply plsss its ma humble request
my age is 27 and i have a kid. After baby i have gained 20 kg. My height is 5″4 and my weight is 75 kg. I’m doing sitting job. Pls give suggestion how I do reduce…
Hi Adnan,
Thank you very much for sharing your diet chart and your emotions. It’s really tough to get rid of extra weight.
You did it. Do manage it.
All the best.
Best Regards,
Nutan
Has anybody heard about LIPObind? It seems to work, at least that’s what my friends think. I am still on the fence. Anybody has ideas?
ssa veer ji .ki haal hain ji.hun ta bade smart ho gaye ho ji.veer ji ik request hain mera weight 70 kg hain or height 5.0 hain plz wait kam karne ke baare mein kuch guideliness de do
Hi Adnan,
I am a big fan of urs and you have said mentally co-operating with our body is important taking ur comment as advice
Regards,
Rakesh
hi
i like ur artical. my weight is 67kg i want to reduce 10 kg. bt i have found it difficult. sometimes i cant prepare my mind. pls help me
Hi Manoj,
A lovely article. I landed up here while I was searching for something on the internet. Kudos to you and your team for this wonderful article. CW has come a long way. All the best!
hi adnan bhai asalam walekum
bhai mera wazan 82 kg hai aur meri height 162cms hai. aur meri age 27 hai . mujhe wazan kam karne ke liye please help karo .im badly needed you
Hi,
My name is Farzana,your testomony is inspiring for many of us that are going through most of your past emotions.
You look great and your absoulutely correct. Its mind over matter. Its good to know that you didnt cheat by going for any surgery to loose weight, which was my option for next month before i read this.
I believe that we can all do it and we do need moral support and yes the fridge does need to have sign posts to remind us not to indulge.
I plan to set a date to start my life change and not a crash diet that goes and comes with the tide.
You have truley inspired lots of people and like you said if you can do it anyone can do it. Inshallah i will get there soon.
I see dieting as a goal that has smart objectives that needs to be planned well in order to furfill it properly and not to loose control over it.
Thanks for your advice and for sharing your journey its helped me to make a start on my plans.
hi.i m from chandigarh.i read this text,i m very happy to see sir adnan in a single fit look.i think its the best inspiring thing for all the things regarding fats and obesity.i want to ask, that how i can lose my weight?becoz my weight is 70 kg.i want to reduce atleast 20 kg.becoz i m just 26 years old i much more worried about it.plz giv me some instructions about reducing fats and my weight.
A nice case study..
Inspired me to minus the extra weight..
Great sharing..
Thanks
hi.i m from italy.i read this text,i m very happy to see sir adnan in a single fit look.i think its the best inspiring thing for all the things regarding fats and obesity.i want to ask, that how i can lose my weight?becoz my weight is 120 kg.i want to reduce atleast 40 kg.becoz i m just 24 years old and look like 35 years old.i much more worried about it.plz giv me some instructions about reducing fats and my weight.
Hi,
i am 30years of age I am living in Bangalore
my body weight is 97kgs, I tried herbal life but I didn’t get good result.
Now I want to reduce my weight by 20kgs as early as possible, so please reply at the earliest
Hi Adnan,
Thank you very much for sharing your diet chart and your emotions. It’s really tough to get rid of extra weight.
You did it. Do manage it.
All the best.
Best Regards,
Asha.
Hi, my name is Alisha, and I live in Bangalore. I am an HR Professional, and have recently moved out of my job as Head of HR in a MNC. I am now at home, and in the middle of writing a book. It is my dream to be a published Author, and I know I will be able to fulfill this dream.
If there is one thing in my life I’ve always wanted to achieve, have tried numerous times, and have failed, is reaching the goal of my ideal weight. When I was 18, I was diagonised with Hypo Thyroid, and as years went by, I developed polycystic ovaries, and what not. With that, my weight began to shoot up at well. From a regular 55 Kgs, I went to 70 in less than a year, and I didn’t even know how it happened.
When I finally reached 78, I knew I had to do something, so I took a sabbatical from whatever I was doing, and went to a Naturopathy Farm in Pune. In less than a month, I lost close to 10 kgs, and began to feel and look great. However, to my chagrin, once I got back to my old routine, working life, a desk job with erratic and long working hours, I started to gain weight again. I then joined a gym, and started losing weight again, but soon had to give it up because of building pressure at work.
After six years now, I am at 100 kgs. I have tried everything, from going to the gym, to Naturopathy, to VLCC and BodyCare, to crash diets, to having a threadmill and an AB KING PRO at home, but for some reason, I haven’t been able to achieve my goal of my perfect size again.
Reading Adnan Sami’s interview was truly inspiring, and has renewed my hope in a lot of ways. I now feel I am ready to start my weight loss programme all over again, and I am also hopeful that when my mind is made up, I will definitely reach there!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I could relate to a lot of them, and I now know, come what may, I do not want to be carrying that extra one person with me wherever I go. I want to just me minus the extra mass.
Regards,
Alisha