…Mark Amin chronicles his journey and outlines tips in new book

By Rehana Ahamad
FOR as long as I can remember, I have had a constant battle with my weight; from intermittent fasting, to haphazard diets and admittedly, irregular workouts that have made me even heavier, instead. Suffice it to say, I have repeatedly failed at mission weight-loss.
January, as most of us can imagine, is widely regarded as the month of resolutions and research shows that weight loss or getting in shape continues to top the list of New Year resolutions, globally, and as we cautiously continue along the path of 2021, I too am joining the “resolution makers” to be fitter.
I have made peace with the fact that I won’t be able to do it myself, so in addition to securing a ‘gym buddy,’ I will also be soliciting the advice of Mark Amin, an Information Technology expert who has successfully lost 120 pounds in just one year. I recently heard of Amin’s transformation from his wife Ashme Singh, who was the subject of an article I did a few weeks ago. When she showed me before-and-after pictures, I was astonished; it was an image out of TV’s ‘Biggest Loser.’ I instantly thought of the great advice I could get from Amin, and as it turned out, he has lots to give.

Consequently, Amin has embarked on writing a book, which not only chronicles his weight-loss journey, but also provides tips for persons such as myself, who have failed to bring happiness to our scales. Amin, a 37-year-old resident of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, weighed 300 pounds in 2016, and after a year of adopting a new lifestyle, he weighed 180 pounds – a number that he has managed to maintain over the years.
“I was not always obese. As far as I can remember, I was average weight throughout my tertiary education; however, I gradually started gaining weight in 2013 which escalated to me gaining 300 pounds in 2016,” Amin told the Guyana Chronicle during an interview. He attributes his weight gain to the gradual development of an unhealthy lifestyle.

THE WAKE-UP CALL
Amin got a wake-up call in 2016 when he underwent a medical check-up. “I was astonished,” he said. The results showed that an obese Amin was suffering from both high cholesterol and high glucose levels.
“This was alarming and extremely worrying for me and my wife. After this, I did my research to further comprehend what these results meant and how unhealthy my lifestyle was,” Amin said.
These results inspired Amin to make “an immediate and conscious decision” to switch to a completely vegan diet. “Also, I abruptly stopped consuming alcohol and started walking every day. For 134 days, I did this every day and lost 30 pounds,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.
Amin was ecstatic, and perhaps a little too cocky of his weight-loss success; he unfortunately suffered a relapse, which caused him to regain all the weight.
“So I went back to my normal eating and I gained back my 30 pounds. I was at my heaviest in 2017,” he recalled.

Turning point number two for Amin, was in 2018 when his wife returned from her vacation in Florida where she purchased three very handsome-looking shirts for him, but none could fit.
“Right there and then I made another promise out loud to myself and this time, my wife, that I will wear these three shirts and in a few months,” Amin related.
“My wife took me to the gym and signed me up for a month’s membership and within a month, I was able to fit into one of the shirts, and two months after, I was able to wear all three,” a smiling Amin reminisced.
This was the breakthrough that the IT expert needed. “Thereafter, it was simply a continuous process of self-improvement where I religiously went to the gym every day and did a rigorous workout,” Amin said.

CULTURAL EATING AND A DIET
In Guyana, we have been somewhat conditioned to see rice, roti or chowmein as major components of any “good meal”; this cultural eating habit makes it even more difficult for many of us to embrace substitutes and adopt healthier lifestyles.
“I completely stopped consuming rice and sugar and had absolutely no alcohol. I consistently did this for two years to date,” a now fit Amin posited.
He advised persons to research alternatives for the every-day rice and rotis, which can be substituted with quinoa, beans, channa, and certain soups. Although he is reaping the benefits and trimness now, Amin said it was no easy task. He particularly struggled with “cutting away bad habits, whether that was eating too often, snacking in between meals or drinking.”
Amin particularly struggled with the pressure from friends to indulge in drinks and those unhealthy ‘cutters.’

“Sometimes I would respond by saying I was either on antibiotics or other medications to evade any pressure to consume or indulge in alcohol,” Amin recalled. This, coupled with his own silent temptations and cravings, were difficult to manoeuvre and required much dedication.
“I would sometimes have sudden impulses or desire to have rice or sweets, whether that be chocolate, cake or ice-cream,” he noted.
“I am elated to say though that since August 2018 when I joined the gym, I did not succumb to any unhealthy temptations or suffer any relapses. I managed to set a realistic routine surrounding food, sleep and exercise and constantly practised same, day in and day out,” a content Amin told this newspaper.

TRANSFORMATION AND ACCUSATIONS OF INFIDELITY
Amin’s journey not only resulted in him shedding 120 pounds and adopting a healthier lifestyle, but it also transformed him into a more dashing, more fit, and younger looking man. For those who had not seen him during the year of his intense workout and diet, he was unrecognizable; so much so, that his wife was often accused of infidelity and being openly promiscuous with another man.
“Some people even thought that we had separated and that I had gotten remarried to another man,” Amin’s wife candidly related to this publication.
Amin sees his transformation as being a testament to the fact that humans can achieve a great magnitude of things, as long as “you put your body, heart and soul into something you fervently desire to have.”

TIPS TO ACCELERATE THOSE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

Asked about his basic advice to persons wanting to lose weight, Amin stressed the need for persons to make peace with the fact that weight loss is a process and not an event.
“It wouldn’t happen overnight; changes become recognisable over a period of time,” he asserted.
Amin also emphasised the need for persons to inculcate “a slow, transitional process to weight loss, not a big-bang approach. A big-bang approach to weight loss may prove to be incredibly unrealistic, overwhelming and more than likely to lead to a relapse.”
As victim of the dreaded relapse, Amin recommends gradual approaches and the importance of establishing a healthy routine surrounding sleeping, eating and exercising.
“Approach exercise as a fun activity, not as a burden,” he said, advising persons to organise a playlist that would provide motivation for even more time on the treadmill.
“Take time to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. For example, I am a morning person, so I would wake up early in the morning to exercise, while my wife, Ashme, is not necessarily a morning person because of her tendency to stay up late at nights and do work; she would therefore work out in the evenings,” Amin explained.

THE BOOK
Amin’s book, ‘Five Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle’, contains five chapters, all of which contain an insight to his journey, as well as tips and advice for those wanting to follow in his footsteps.
“Chapter One deals with ‘Understanding your body and body-type’; Chapter Two is ‘Learning to love yourself’; Chapter Three is ‘Rewiring your brain’; Chapter Four pertains to ‘Changing your thought process’; and Chapter Five is ‘Accepting and maintaining the new version of yourself’.”
Amin insists that the publication is not a theoretical conceptualisation of an idea, but rather, a full documentation containing step-by-step approaches to techniques that were meticulously studied and implemented in a strategic manner. He is hoping that once the book is released in May, it will serve both as a practical guide and a source of inspiration for persons suffering from obesity and chronic weight problems.
“What I am today and what people see is the finished product of a routine,” Amin maintained.
As many of us embark on our individual journeys to be healthier, I hope that we all will be as successful as Mark Amin.