For Zulekha Haywood, life has been nothing but a learning curve. Born to celebrity parents, Zulekha would often beat herself due to her weight. Things were made worse by her celebrity status, after all, Zulekha was the only daughter of the supermodel Iman and NBA player Spencer Haywood. But while Zulekha struggled with so many different things, she found forgiveness within herself and has since squared her problems with her weight.
Early Life
Zulekha Haywood was born on the 5th of July 1978 to supermodel, Iman, and NBA player, Spencer Haywood. Born and raised in Michigan, Zulekha attended the Mercy High School at Farmington Hills Michigan. After graduating from high school, Zulekha attended Michigan State University.
Professional Career
After graduating from Michigan State, Zulekha began working at the Iman Cosmetics. She stayed there for three years and was later promoted to the position of revenue and demand planning manager. In 2014, Zulekha left Iman and started working at Jay Manuel Beauty as a senior businessman analyst and brand manager. She stayed there for two years and moved to Portu Sunberg. After working as an Inventory Analyst at Portu Sunberg for two years, Zulekha started working at Taymark Inc. as a buyer and strategic sourcing analyst.
Problems with weight
Zulekha struggled with her weight from a young age. She began dieting when she was 8-years of age. In an article on Glamor, Zulekha revealed that her first diet was the “Basta” diet. The name ‘Basta’ was an Italian word for enough. Zulekha revealed that while the choice was always hers, her mother would whisper Basta when she was in danger of over-eating. While her mother tried her best to make Zulekha aware, unhealthy eating habits took hold and she never stopped.
When things got worse, her father, NBA superstar Spencer Haywood, jumped into the action. He taught Zulekha the “Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse” diet. The diet was based on an exercise-based approach to weight loss. To make the workout easier, Spencer tried to groom Zulekha into a power forward. But after a few failed attempts, Zulekha moved to tennis and practiced for almost four hours. While she did lose 30 pounds one summer, she gained it back during Christmas.
Struggling with her mother’s image
Since her early diet, Zulekha had always struggled with her mother’s shadow looming over her. Considering how her mother was a supermodel, things couldn’t have been easier for Zulekha.
“As a child I knew that my mother was lovely and people liked to photograph her, but when I was old enough to understand that she was a legendary beauty, I was left questioning my own self-worth because I didn’t look like her. I wasn’t physically lean and powerful like my father, so I didn’t fit in that world either. I was an outlier.”
Health problems
While Zulekha learned to accept her body for what it was, her health didn’t. During her early 20s, Zulekha’s BMI was 46 and she was warned that her life expectancy would be cut in half if she didn’t do something about her weight. She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and high blood pressure early on and was at risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Surgery and Moving On
When Zulekha turned 28, she knew that she had to change things. She made an appointment with a gastric bypass doctor and had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. The doctors encountered complications with her surgery and Zuelkha needed to be checked into ICU and also needed a second surgery. Even though Zulekha lost most of her weight and is leading a happy life, she has found a new meaning of beauty.
“Looking back, the lesson that a woman’s worth can never be found on a scale is one that I have known all along. I’m proud of the fact that at 330 pounds, I didn’t hide from life, and I didn’t let my weight define me. At 165 pounds, I won’t do that either.”
Personal Life:
Zuelkha is a single mother who gave birth to her daughter, Lavinia, in July 2017. While she dated a guy named Eric back in the day, it is unclear if he is the father. The pair have since broken up.
Wiki/Bio Facts:
| Name | Zulekha Haywood |
| Birthdate | July 5, 1978 |
| Birthplace | Michigan, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Iman, Spencer Haywood |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Weight Loss | 165 lbs (From 330lbs-165lbs) |
| Education | Michigan State University |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Husband | N/A |
| Children | Lavinia |
| Zodiac | Cancer |
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