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Essa Al Ansari: From obese boy to champion of healthy eating

"Being an overweight child in school was very tough. I used to get bullied a lot by my friends and even students I didn't know just because I was overweight," he told Khaleej Times.

For Emirati Essa Al Ansari, being the fat kid at school was no fun at all.
After spending most of his life as an obese child and teen, 25-year-old Ansari decided to take his health into his own hands three years ago. After reaching a staggering 135kg, he has lost a total of 70kg by simply changing his lifestyle and diet.
Interesting: How school canteens are fighting child obesity
Today, he makes it his mission to tour schools in the UAE to talk about the importance of healthy eating to students.
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"Being an overweight child in school was very tough. I used to get bullied a lot by my friends and even students I didn't know just because I was overweight," he told Khaleej Times.
Often teased during class, he said the only way to ease the pain of the bullying was by eating. "It was a vicious circle."
At that time Ansari said the school cafeteria was serving "crisps, pizza, sausage rolls, soft drinks, all the unhealthy stuff you can imagine". "The school canteen impacted my weight hugely."
Eating unhealthy food at school led to him continuing the bad eating habits into his teens and twenties. And for many it can influence "a lifetime of unhealthy eating", he said.
But things are different now. "Going from eating unhealthy food to eating healthy small meals every two hours on a daily basis has seen me lose nearly 70kg in a few years."
But it was a tough battle, which saw him "give up" many times.
"Living healthy is all about the mindset. I think it is great to see how schools nowadays are coming up with new rules to make sure suppliers provide the cafeterias with healthy food.
"A government committee has also been set up to ensure schools are abiding by the rules to provide good quality meals and snacks to kids, and I think that is fantastic.
"I think this will drastically reduce the obesity and diabetic rates in the UAE over time."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com