On Motivation and Determination with Ahmed Bakran

I’ve lived on this earth for a few decades, almost reaching that magic 40 number. I’d like to start to share some thoughts of mine on things I’ve learned over the years. I was always a self motivated and passionate person on areas which I became interested in, from sports, exercise, business, real estate, to travel.

Today’s theme is a story when I was around 26, I was several years into my “working career”, and I unfortunately gained several pounds more than I wanted. My mother had a little family get together for my 26th birthday, and after seeing the pictures from the party, I was not happy with what I was seeing. My face and body looked bloated and puffy. I wasn’t “obese” by any means, but probably about 174 lbs, but with a short stature, I didn’t look all that good.

That day sparked a desire to slim down and be in the best shape of my life. End goal being shredded and having a 6 pack. I did a ton of research online on cardio and eating healthy. I started doing cardio every single day without break, I consumed multiple meals in a day, I did not miss a beat. I actually ended up overtraining on week 6 and had to reduce the every day cardio (mistake #1), and my knees became shot. (I guess I am not the 12 year old kid anymore). I took weekly pictures, and logged my journey on bodybuilding.com. I learned a lot, but made a lot of mistakes. In 90 days, I ended up coming down to 6% body fat and losing about 25 pounds. I was shredded, almost freakishly shredded. Clothes fit great, I felt great.

But I was happy I accomplished the goal I set forth, and did not let anyone get in the way of achieving what I set my mind to.

Fast forward alomst 15 years and I am still going strong, I use the tools I learned during that time and do a “cut” every year in the beginning of the year, to get to a baseline weight that I like to be at.

Eating right is definitely the key ingredient, and once you learn what works for you and your body, it’s very easy to follow. I didn’t do any fad diet at the time, just clean food with moderate portions, that’s all I needed.

Take care of yourself and your body, that is your greatest asset in this world. Eat well and exercise. In today’s pandemic world, it’s so much more critical we eat well and ensure proper activity for our own well being and mental health. It’s never too late to start on your journey to wellness. Start today, not tomorrow.