My life in Saudi Arabia I
In today's article you will find pictures from my stint in Saudi Arabia around 2012.
I was running a half marathon on the beach.
I weighed somewhere between 88-91 kg at a height of 1.85 m. (Same as now)
I had already lost weight in 2010; I was already in my 2nd year of maintaining my weight.
I was a Risk Management Consultant at 30 on a 14 blilion dollar project.
I was living the dream.
✅ BACK IN 2010
It was March 1st 2010 and, just like every year, I started losing weight again.
I was 115 kg, I was bloated. I called a friend to take pictures of me.
After the first week, I had reached 114 kg. My stomach was emptying, some water was released from the tissues.
At that time, I didn’t know that this was going to be my LAST time losing over 30 kg.
I think I lost 20-35 kg many times from high school to 28 years old (2010). Dozens of times.
✅ ROMANIAN PSYCHO
I started my most "violent" weight loss process in January of the 12th grade. I was thinking: why would I learn an extra subject for my final exams?
“I’ll just take an exam in physical education”
I weighed 125 kg in January; I was just like a goose, a walking foie gras.
2 months before that, I had screws removed from my knee (some torn ligaments) and some wires removed from my broken collarbone.
Mentally, these "minor" aspects were never an impediment.
I had the appropriate mindset, the correct education I had received from my parents.
I knew that if I really wanted something, I was willing to work every day, to do everything and anything to achieve my goal.
I knew from then on that I could move mountains with my mind if I (really) wanted it.
✅ FAT FREAK
So this is how it started. I weighed 125 kg, I was coming after 2 recent surgeries.
I did it all, including the nerves and the frustration of doing a classic “diet”: I had salads, meat and soup.
I started losing weight in January by running every day so I could be in shape for my final exam.
I started by walking. Then I started with 5 minutes of running, then I started doing 10 minutes and so on.
Everything hurt, but I knew the pain was only temporary.
✅ WIN
In July, for the baccalaureate exam trial, I recorded the best endurance time.
I as in the 11th place in the entire high school with a nice 9.87 exam average (out of 10).
Dare to believe: I scored a maximum of 10 in 4 exams (math, 2x in Romanian, physical education) and a 9.25 in physics.
You know what they say:
"Pain is temporary but glory is eternal."
That’s how I lost 40 kilograms within 7 months for the baccalaureate exam.
✅ PRO TIP
When you have an important event in a couple of months (like a wedding, for example) and you start losing weight, it seems like things go better when you have a DEADLINE that keeps you motivated.
Look for a good deadline when you decide to start doing the work.
Without a clearly defined goal and a deadline, you will easily drift away.
✅ NO MOTIVATION?
I never lacked motivation. The flame of motivation burns intensely and constantly.
I have been obsessed with losing weight since I was very young. All I wanted was to look good.
I have never been content with being fat. Extra pounds have always seemed like a handicap to me.
(Come on, chill - This is my personal opinion about myself.)
Do you know what I have been missing for decades? The correct information.
It is the information that I have been delivering to you on a platter for 10 years.
FOR FREE.
✅ I AM GRATEFUL
I have never expected anything in return, but I admit that I feel extremely privileged for your support here on Substack (5 Euros per month).
Your support helps me stay away from any sort of "affiliations".
This way I can write freely, be honest and GENUINE.
But let's get back to the subject at hand.
✅ THE FIRST MARATHON
In the fall of 2018, I ran my first marathon. I thought I had found THE WAY.
One year later, I weighed 78 kg.
In 2 years, I had lost 47 kg.
I weighed 78 kilograms at a height of 1.85 m, but my surprise was that I didn't have a "sixpack". Yes, not even then.
Surprise: losing weight by running melts the fat away, but it also melts muscle mass away.
Of course, just take a look at how marathon runners look like. But I learned this way too late in my life…
✅ BACK IN 2012
Expat life was simple. What else would I do in the desert?
Work was work from 07:00 to 18:00, then the fun was starting.
For some, fun meant buying electronics and stuffing themselves with food at the all-inclusive restaurant on campus.
For me, fun was using the pool, gym, tennis or volleyball courts on campus.
✅ I LIKE DISCIPLINE
I liked it and I could actually keep being disciplined. I had everything at my fingertips.
The exception was restaurant food, so for 2 years I focused on canned fish that I used to buy in the city.
My colleagues used to call me Flipper.
You won’t believe it, but for 2 years while I worked in Saudi Arabia, I also had a bicycle.
How else could I participate in triathlons?
✅ STUDYING FOR MY HOBBY
After 12 hours of work, I used to study every evening from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Yes, managed to find 3-4 hours of study for something I never thought I would do.
I never thought I would ever give up my career as an engineer and risk management specialist working on billion-dollar projects for such an insignificant role...
✅ NIGHTMARE
That year the terrible back pain started. It was after 10 years of marathons and triathlons with a lot of extra pounds.
I made a wrong move in the gym and then I received the diagnosis of a herniated disc.
And that's how my marathon running career ended.
It took me 6 years to find solutions for managing my herniated disc before I could enter the gym again.
✅ NUTRITION
It wasn't until I could no longer do physical exercise that I had to really start studying.
It was then that I truly began to appreciate the importance of nutrition and give it the respect it deserved.
That's how I learned how to lose weight without exercising as if I was training for the Olympics.
It took me 10 years to perfect the Body Engineering method.
The cycle was complete: I had a system for nutrition, sleep, walking and exercising that I can now recommend to you as well.
Most likely, if I hadn't received the herniated disc diagnosis back in 2012, Body Engineering wouldn't have existed.
So, here are some never - before - seen images of Valentin running in the desert. 😅
Thank you for your attention.