FIRST PERSON 32

Bullied and laughed at as a child, Tamara Youssef set off on a weightloss journey that saw her lose 38kg – and stick to the plan.

Fed up of being a fat kid, Dubai-based Tamara Youssef set off on a journey to shed the extra kilos naturally over two years. Sangeetha Sagar finds out about the challenges, big wins and diet modifications that helped the 24-year-old PR executive transform herself

‘Growing up in Dubai, I remember I was always on a mission to lose weight. At age 10 I was about 68kg; at 14 I was 82 kilos. I constantly struggled with weight problems, as I had hormonal issues and was an emotional eater to boot – quite the combo. I come from two cultures that love food – Greek and Lebanese. So family gatherings and outings revolved around food. At the table, the first thing I’d reach for was the bread basket, and I could finish it on my own if I my parents would let me (which they didn’t). My family was and is moderately health conscious. They watch what they put in their bodies and lean towards more organic produce, but aren’t extremely diligent.

My daily diet ran something like this: I’d start with toast and two eggs for breakfast, or some form of hefty breakfast loaded with carbs, and juice. Then I’d have two or three Diet Cokes as a mid-morning snack, along with some chips or chocolate. For lunch I’d have Arabic or Greek food, and then it was more snacks – everything from ice cream sandwiches to cotton candy, sour candy, then another Diet Coke. Dinner would be like lunch, after which I’d have another Coke and more snacks, maybe some popcorn. Basically I’d be snacking through the day.

I was pretty active; I was into ballet, hip-hop, baseball, softball and also on the swim team, but gave them all up at some point as I was too busy, or as they weren’t girly enough – I was getting to that age where girls were wearing make-up, and here I was playing softball.

Being overweight in school is tough, and I often got bullied. I’d get negatively judged on my eating habits, both by adults and children, and got called rude names. It’s a rough time; you have the pressure of figuring out who you are, battling social norms – trying to find that balance of truly being yourself yet also being accepted by your peers. Then to have the added pressure of being assessed by your looks is harsh. I remember one of my nicknames

was Shamu, after the SeaWorld celebrity killer whale. Kids can be so mean sometimes. Being an adolescent is such a crucial time in your life, and when you’re figuring out who you want to be, sometimes all it takes is a bully with a nasty comment to knock your confidence off.

There were times when I’d be reaching for some food at parties and adults – be it parents’ friends, friends’ parents - would frown. I’d go for a second serving and someone would say “are you sure you really want another serving? Why not have some fruit instead?” At that age such remarks are especially hard to hear, because you watch your other friends without weight problems eat whatever their hearts desire, with no side serving of judgmental comments.

The comments made me feel disgusted with myself. I’d go home from school crying because some kid had said something mean to me. My mum would try getting me to go on a diet, and I’d follow the plan for two days, but then get back to a ‘normal’ eating pattern.

Besides the mental trauma, there were of course the physical aspects to contend with – like the fact I couldn’t go on certain rides at theme parks due to weight restrictions. My sister, who was four years older to me but weighed less, was able to, and that would really upset me.

The one coping strategy I developed was humour and I hid behind that. I was the funny, large girl to all of my friends. I found that if I was goofy and made jokes and was able to make people laugh, they wouldn’t notice the way I looked – it was my protection mechanism.

But one day when I was 16, at 96kg, I’d had enough. There was no particular trigger, but I realised I wasn’t happy with the way I looked, my clothes that were a size 18... I felt bloated all the time, I’d sleep for 14 hours straight, was lethargic, bullied, and was just unhappy and disappointed with myself.

Another loud wakeup call was when I began developing minor health issues related to my weight – it terrified me.

So I decided to take control of my life. I set an ultimate goal, and also set smaller goals to achieve that big goal. I was 96kg and set my first goal to reach 80kg. The second was to reach 70. My final goal was 64kg.

Initially, I contemplated the easier route surgery. But at age 16 I was too young, and I felt it wasn’t right. I preferred to change my lifestyle and eating habits and turn weightloss into a habit rather than go under the knife.

My mum and I did a lot of research on doctors who could help with natural weight loss, and zeroed in on a nutritionist in LA who believed in a holistic approach. He put me on the elimination diet, where you cut out certain foods to see what affects you negatively. Through it, I found I was intolerant to gluten and dairy. I stopped eating both immediately. Only once I cut them out did I realise just how addicted I was to gluten. I used to eat it at pretty much every meal – bread, stuff coated with flour or breadcrumbs, sauces... To just wake up

Yes, I contemplated surgery. But at 16, I was too young, and I felt it wasn’t right. I preferred to change my lifestyle and turn weightloss into a habit

one day and not be able to have it was a huge adjustment needing a lot of patience.

But it worked. The cravings disappeared over time, and the urge to have gluten at every meal diminished. The dairy was easier to stop, as I wasn’t that addicted.

Next on my list was fitness. To introduce exercise back into my life, I started off with yoga and kickboxing. I did yoga with a trainer and my mum for eight months, which really helped.

I started eating salads with protein predominantly (chicken or steak), seafood (fish and shellfish), carbs such as quinoa, rice, and sweet potato, fruits, and veg. I rarely ate