Real Life Weight Loss: How this man dropped 230lbs (and got ripped) in two years

When he weighed 440lbs, Omar Thaher felt like he had hit rock bottom. The 21-year-old from Toronto, Canada, had grown up overweight and as the number on the scales crept up, he struggled just walking between classes at school. However, with the help of resistance exercises using the best kettlebell and adjustable dumbbells, along with heavier lifts and a strict diet, Omar lost a staggering amount of weight to achieve his dream body.

Omar told his story to YouTube channel Truly, who are documenting weight loss transformations as part of a series called Brand New Me. Omar said: “I feel like once I got past like the 400lbs mark...it got to a point where I really just stopped. Like I became numb to the number where I would just look at the number and I'd be like, okay, like at this point, I'm just like kind of free falling and I kept gaining weight.” 

However, at the age of 19, Omar decided his weight was getting out of hand and was determined to fight for the life he really wanted. Omar has shared his weight loss journey with advice and tips on his YouTube channel and social media to help others on their own transformation journeys. Omar has transformed his life and said: “I was able to lose as much as 230lbs in under two years, and today, I'm happy, healthy, feeling strong.”

Watch Omar's incredible transformation journey here:

As well as changing his eating habits, Omar joined the gym and managed to lose an amazing 230lbs in under two years. Omar has made incredible progress with his workouts. 

The gym was once a ‘foreign language’ to him however, now he smashes out squats and deadlifts with precision. Omar said: “I'm able to be very comfortable and confident with a lot of the moves I do, and know that I'm doing them right.”

Our takeaway? Before, Omar said he was "numb to his weight", regarding it as just a number. However, once he started paying close attention, his weight loss really kicked in.  

One study, published by the Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research, also found the more records people kept, the more weight they lost. Participants who kept a food diary actually doubled their weight loss progress.

In addition, you don't have to just rely on cardiovascular exercise to lose weight: Omar's routine is heavy on weightlifting, using moves like the barbell squat and deadlift with dumbbells to induce a metabolic effect to help you lose weight. This is because these are dynamic compound moves, working lots of different muscle groups to make you sweat. 

Liked this?