He lost 120 pounds to fight obesity. Now he wants to help others do the same.

Photo credit: Jan Fidler.

Umar Majeed was obese by the age of 24, tipping the scales at almost 300 pounds – that’s just over 130 kilos. Rather than living his life with reckless abandon like most of his peers, Umar faced debilitating health issues and crises of self-esteem.

“My doctor had prescribed medication as I was developing high blood pressure. My health had started to become a big problem, my mother would cry constantly [because of my condition],” he recalls.

I started feeling much better about myself – and eventually gave up medication too.

It was at this point that the Pakistan-based techie realized he needed to take control and inculcate some serious changes in his lifestyle.

“I’ve been a digital marketer and blogger for almost 10 years now, so I did what I knew best. I googled how to lose weight and used to stay up all night searching for best practices,” he explains.

The approach worked. Within 10 months, Umar lost roughly 120 pounds. The effect it had on his physical appearance, health, and general outlook was stark.

Nutright’s Umar Majeed before (left) and after (right).

“People I hadn’t met for months couldn’t recognize me. I started feeling much better about myself and eventually gave up medication too. Many reached out asking for help and advice to tackle their own weight issues,” Umar says.

The 10 months he spent implementing radical lifestyle changes also made him aware of the emotional pitfalls that come with such an endeavor. He explains that any journey of weight loss is “incredibly difficult,” and remaining motivated and committed is the biggest challenge.

“For an obese person, their self-confidence is very different than normal people. It’s shattered. You feel embarrassed, socially awkward, and prefer to live life as a hermit. Consulting a nutritionist isn’t easy either,” he says.

Self-belief

After going through this painful struggle, Umar wanted to help others who face similar issues. That’s why he started Nutright, a weight loss program inside an app.

“What we’ve made with Nutright is that people can just pick up their phones and talk to a nutritionist directly. There’s no need to go and meet someone for expensive consultations,” he says.