Health is MORE IMPORTANT Than Wealth!

Aizat Amdan may be only 22 years old, but this talented singer-songwriter is fast becoming one of Malaysia’s most successful young solo artistes. Before he rose to fame, Aizat had to overcome a few bumpy roads along the way, as he struggled with his weight and health. Aizat shares his story with Nur Akmar Yusoff, who reports.

[img_assist|nid=56624|title=Before|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=333|height=533]“If there is one thing that my family and I are passionate about, it’s music! Both my parents used to play the guitar, and my mother introduced it to my siblings and I when we were younger. Ever since then, I’ve always loved to sing. I was like a singing mascot in high school – I always sang the national anthem and school song during the morning assemblies. When I was 15 years old, I was the main singer for a fundraising event at school. Needless to say, I had found my true calling.

As much as my family and I love music, we also love our food – maybe a little too much! As a boy surrounded by my family and relatives from Pahang, I was frequently served copious amounts of scrumptious kampung dishes that included salted dried fish, tempoyak and belacan. I didn’t know how to stop eating with all that aromatic, drool-worthy food in front of me!

I only started to notice my weight when I was nine years old. I realised I was a little chubbier than the other kids around me. Like any plump young boy, I was an easy target for the other kids to pick on. They called me lots of names, one of which was ‘Muk’ (short for gemuk, meaning fat). In retaliation, I started to bully them too! My close friends and family never knew about this because I was pretty good at disguising myself. I’d be this naughty boy at school but when I was at home, I was an angel! Fortunately, that was the only ‘bad-boy’ period in my life.

My parents weren’t truly concerned about my size until I turned 13. That was when I really ‘let go’ – I just couldn’t stop eating and the worst part was, I never exercised. I loved playing football but my low metabolism and bad eating habits pulled me back from being a healthy young lad. I used to eat five to six meals a day, which mostly consisted of rice and fried food – fried chicken, fried egg, you name it!

Initially, I didn’t really care about how I looked but things started to spiral downwards. My weight never went down and although I was a confident boy, that affected my self-esteem sometimes. As a teen, I never had luck with girls – they saw me as their best friend, never more than that! On top of that, there were a number of activities that I really wanted to do but I couldn’t because of the weight limit, like skydiving. Of course, there was the occasional embarrassing situation – when I got on airplanes, I found the seats to be too small for my liking! However, the toughest part for me during this whole period was that I couldn’t find clothes that would fit me. I was distressed about that because I love fashion! When I was in high school, I loved looking at other artistes and observed their clothes and wished I could wear what they did. I’ve always wanted to wear skinny jeans! I attempted to lose weight by going on jogs but that didn’t work because I never changed my eating habits; and so I stayed the same.

After completing my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (O-Level equivalent) exams, I thought about pursuing accounting but at the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to do something in music. One day I decided to accompany my cousin to the Akademi Fantasia (AF) season five auditions in 2007. I never intended to join AF, but since I was there I gave the audition a try anyway. I was shocked when I got it and my cousin, who’s a great singer, didn’t! But once it sunk in that I was joining one of Malaysia’s most popular singing competitions, I was ready to roll! My main target was to learn as much as I could about music from all the amazing teachers at AF and I never thought about promoting myself to get the most votes. All I thought about was to give my best performance every week and showcase my talent. I wanted to show the country that I could play music and write songs too but I guess people didn’t get that at the time and I was eliminated towards the end of the show.

[img_assist|nid=56623|title=After|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=251|height=499]I stood out from the other contestants because of my size but I don’t think my weight played a part in my elimination. The judges advised me that if I already have the talent, I don’t have to force myself to look good, I only need to be healthy so I perform well. So during the show, I exercised and did a bit of jogging to improve my breathing because it was important for my performance. It turned out that jogging would be the turning point in my life.

One lazy evening, I went jogging on a track near my house but I felt different that day – I felt refreshed and detoxified. I felt like I needed to do this more often, so I went jogging again the next day and the next. Within a week, I lost around three to five kilograms and I continued until I lost about 10 kilograms in a month.

My family was pleasantly surprised and encouraged me. I realised I needed to take this seriously – I could really do it! I signed up with a gym and hired a trainer to help me out. That was when my transition started, from devouring junk to consuming organic, healthy food. I was eating wholemeal bread and cereal for breakfast and started eating salads and grilled dishes. I found it hard because I wasn’t used to that kind of food, I thought, “I don’t want to eat this everyday!” But as time went on, it grew on me and I’ve stuck to these healthy eating habits till today. I also ensure that I jog at least three times a week for about 20 to 30 minutes or I go on the treadmill for around 40 minutes. Now I can perform better and sustain my energy longer.

I’ve gone from 113 kilograms to 75 kilograms now and part of that success is due to my family’s ongoing support and encouragement. They still continue to eat their normal meals but I stick to my new diet. I either cook my own food or buy something from outside. I don’t pass up on a delicious Pahang meal when we have family gatherings once a month, but I try to balance it out. The most challenging part, however, is being consistent and being aware of what I’m doing to my body. I treat food like it’s fuel – what kind of petrol should I use so my ‘car’ will run smoother?

I must admit that some people treat me differently now that I’ve slimmed down but I don’t blame them. Looking back at all the teasing and hurtful comments that were hurled my way when I was overweight, there was nothing much I could do about it. For me, the only way is forward; don’t blame others, just focus on yourself and do your thing!

For those who are trying to lose weight, my advice is to discover your inner willpower. If you want to do something, don’t just think about it, take action! Once you find it, try being consistent. It may not be easy, but living a healthy lifestyle is worth it. For me, health is more important than wealth. If you don’t have health, then wealth means nothing!

PHOTOGRAPHY: Kenneth @ Pashe Studio
MAKE-UP: Elaine Chey for Skin Food
HAIR: Bryant Wong & Evien Tan for Peek-A-Boo Hair Saloon
TEXT & CO-ORDINATION: Nur Akmar Yusoff & Nick Foong