Journalist injured in Israeli fire dies
20-year-old Wadima Mubarak has lost 39 kilograms after weight-loss surgery and wishes she had done it earlier
Yasser Murtaja is the 31st Palestinian killed by the occupation forces in one week |
Wadima Mubarak was keen to lose the excess weight she had put on. She knew she was heavier than was healthy, and was beginning to develop breathing difficulties. Added to this, Mubarak had begun to suffer from chronic back pain, an issue she did not want to face before even turning 20.
“I had tried everything I could think of. Physical activity was difficult because of the weight I had put on. But under the advice of a nutritionist, I tried a number of diets,” Mubarak, a 20-year-old Emirati university student, told Gulf News.
“For example, I tried to blood type diet, which recommends foods that are healthy for you based on your blood type. I also tried another regimen in which I was eating fewer meals than usual. In addition, I tried appetite-suppressing injections. But nothing worked,” she said.
At a subsequent physical assessment, doctors told Mubarak that she was beginning to develop some degree of heart failure.
“When I heard this, I knew I needed to do something. That’s when I approached a surgeon for other options, and bariatric surgery was recommended to me,” Mubarak said.
‘How ready am I’
Mubarak underwent a psychological assessment to determine her readiness for the procedure, and started a protein-based diet.
Then, on January 17, she underwent weight-loss surgery, and its costs were covered under the Thiqa health insurance scheme for Emiratis. Within a month, she lost 10 kilograms.
“I was on a liquid diet for the first couple of weeks after the procedure, and the weight loss was quick. As time went on, I had to adjust to smaller portion sizes, and had to give up soft drinks entirely,” Mubarak recounts.
After surgery
For her, the hardest part was ensuring that she took her vitamins daily.
“I wasn’t used to it, and that made it hard. But on hindsight, I wish I had got the surgery earlier. After the procedure, I could climb stairs easily, and while I had sometimes had to use a wheelchair earlier, I could walk great distances with ease,” Mubarak said.
She has lost 39 kilograms since the surgery, and says she would not have it any other way.
“The risks were explained to me, but I wasn’t hesitant. In fact, I can vouch for the fact that the benefits greatly outweigh the risks,” she added.