Biggest Loser Profile
I could possibly be the poster-boy for almost any diet that has ever been,” says Shakeel, who obviously has a well-developed left-off-centre sense of humour.
“I have tried a host of diets, among them the Atkins, the fruit only diet, the low-fat diet, the slimming tea remedy diet, the slimming shake diet. You name it, and I have probably tried it in some shape or form.
“But the most depressing diet I have tried, is the starvation diet,” he says. His all time favourite food is mouth-watering sushi and succulent roast leg of lamb.
“I love a platter of mixed sushi with a side order of saganaki, which is grilled calamari tubes stuffed with feta cheese.” His eyes glaze over when he mentions this.
However, he also remembers the consequences of being overweight. He once sat on a chair at a posh wedding, when the whole chair exploded under him.
“Everybody, but everybody turned around in horror. You have never seen a fat man become so small so quickly,” he says.
He loathes people who are conceited and boastful and prefers authentic people. “I also abhor violence, but once a gang attacked my brother and I hit one of the assailants, who then sped off into the night.”
Shakeel, who is married with a six-year-old baby daughter, lives in Cape Town. He enjoys (occasionally) a game of sport such as squash, tennis, golf, or going for a run or to the gym.
If he loses weight, he would love to go into a store to buy off the normal clothes rack, not looking for the “Big Man” size. He would like to walk on the beach without being self-conscious.
“The hardest thing about being overweight is walking up stairs, tying your shoelaces and generally just getting tired easily.”