About Nebil Abdillahi

Growing up in Ethiopia, nutrition was not a big part of my life. I grew up with the notion that everything that tastes good is good for the body, and the concept of good nutrition was still vague to me. As a result, I became overweight, and was indulging in eating for pleasure or in order to relieve anxiety. This lifestyle not only caused a serious weight gain, it also made me feel physically unpleasant, not to mention putting my health at serious risk. This happened when I was 10 years old and I remember it as if it were yesterday. We always remember the event that happens in our lives that changes our lives forever. In my case, at a young age I was diagnosed with asthma. I remember jumping from hospital to hospital with my parents pleading for drugs that would help alleviate my pain. Even though I despised drugs, they offered a temporary solution for my horrible nightmare.

When I was young, I lost both of my parents and another close member of my family to diabetes, a disease that afflicts millions worldwide. Consequently I felt prompted to review my lifestyle, and decided to become better informed in the area of health of nutrition. Over the years I became a health conscious and research oriented person. I started to study nutrition seriously in order to balance my diet precisely. Consequently, my eating habits have changed. I became very conscious about my daily intake.

Now I use a systematic approach to plan meals instead of allowing my intuition to dictate when and what to eat. I can say for sure that planning my meals has been the best way to prevent overeating caused by hunger or emotion. This lifestyle has helped me manage my weight and has given me health and energy to accomplish stressful tasks. Because of these crucial changes in my diet, my energy level has skyrocketed.

In recent years, my passion for nutrition and fitness has led me to become a health and fitness instructor. I graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s degree in nutrition and I am a licensed as a Sports Nutritionist. I am also in the process of finishing my first book, titled “ Food and Nutrition For Life.” Because of my increasing knowledge of nutrition and fitness, my family, friends and coworkers started asking for advice regarding their diet and fitness plans. This circumstance led me to start my own business called Mind & Body Fitness. This service consists of personal training that takes people through a fitness and nutrition program day by day at a reasonable cost.
I get great pleasure working with various clients, educating them on how to incorporate fitness into their daily lives. I continue to study in the fields of fitness and nutrition as well as spending many hours learning and practicing my skills in order to serve my clients better. In addition, I read about three to four nutrition books a month.

As a nutritionist, my goal is to improve my knowledge and awareness of good eating habits. At the same time I want to use my experience as a vehicle to share with people the important of eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle without depriving yourself of the food you enjoyed. One of my greatest pleasures in life is to watch as someone discovers the tremendous benefits that can come from following a healthy lifestyle. Balanced nutrition and exercise are the greatest gifts you can give to yourself. Being overweight is a choice, but so is being fit. Everything in this world worth having, takes discipline, sacrifice and a great amount of hard work to achieve it. Getting fit, and eating healthy require just that, but the ultimate result is remarkable.

--Nebil Abdillahi