| Wani Roslan |
ZULKARMI Wati binti Haji Hassan, 41, who lost weight after giving birth to her fourth child has some advice to those planning to lose weight.
“If you want to lose weight, take a safe way by practising a healthy lifestyle through balance diet and sport activities. Avoid medicines and pills, as they can pose a threat to our health,” she said.
Zulkarni Wati was diagnosed with diabetes since 18 years and it affected her left eye’s vision and also caused blurry vision on her right eye.
She shared that she also had high blood pressure, uncontrolled cholesterol and kidney disease, and underwent eye surgery in July 2016. Now, only the right eye is functional and she has to rely on magnifiers to read, especially while using mobile phones.
“What happened to me is heartbreaking but I am grateful for the support of my children and husband. I have to be strong and continue living my life for the sake of my family and my children who really need me (mother’s affection). They are the source of my strength,” she said with a smile on her face.
For years, struggling with obesity and diabetes, she tried almost every weight loss products in the market resulting in low self-esteem and ended up with kidney damage and high blood pressure.
After months of being depressed about her health, she was determined to restore her health by joining a health programme known as ‘Kurus Fit Online Coaching’ (KFOC).
She joined the programme last year and learnt about a balanced diet and applied them in her daily life such as avoiding oily food, rice and others by limiting the caloric intake.
“With ongoing effort till now, I am thankful to Allah the Almighty that I was able to lose my weight (77kg now from 158kg) and continue my mission towards being healthy both, physically and mentally,” she said.
The KFOC health programme is an online health programme aiming to change food consumption by controlling calorie intake in food and beverages and prioritising nutritious meals through a meal plan.
As a coach of the programme, she pointed out the importance of having breakfast because it determines our ‘mood’ such as sticking to the diet. Drinking water is also important to expel unwanted toxins in the body.
She emphasised a balanced approach with 80 per cent on nutritious food intake and 20 per cent on being actively involved in sport activities such as running, hiking and Zumba.
“It is important to change our food intake (from bad to good). We need to train ourselves to control the intake of food and be a knowledgeable person,” she said.
She added, “The struggle to get back to being healthy is not easy but with motivation and support, I achieved my goal. I don’t want to be slim, I just want to be healthy. I urge the public to change their habits towards clean eating before it is too late,”
Zukarmi Wati is now getting her health back after losing her weight from 158kg to 77kg in a few months and her body is not showing any signs of diabetes.
Obesity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation which can present a risk to health. Being obese increases the chances of developing common type of disease – diabetes.
In Brunei Darussalam, obesity rates among adults are the highest in the region, according to the 2016 Brunei National Survey on Risk Factors on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The trend is increasing one per cent annually for children below 13 years – based on findings from health screenings conducted in schools across the country.
Obesity can be prevented through several treatment and programmes such as Obesity Clinic and Healthy Lifestyle Programme. A healthy environment and public supports in engaging healthy activities can also control obesity.