This week was the 1-year anniversary of beginning my weight-loss journey. I’ve lost 75 pounds, going from 240 to 165, and I’ve been at the top end of my maintenance range since April.
Although I’m still learning how to eat sustainably and fluctuating up and down a little, I’ve been holding fairly steady near 165 for 2 months.
I’ve evolved my approach over time but it’s built upon CICO (r/CICO), a Mediterranean-style whole-foods diet, and exercise (cardio and strength).
My blood pressure dropped out of pre-hypertension, my cholesterol improved into healthy levels, I’m off my prescription medications, and I’m in better shape than I’ve been in my entire life. I’m sleeping better, not snoring constantly, and waking up much more easily. My knees used to hurt all the time, and now that’s entirely gone.
Originally, I just estimated calories and aimed for 1500-1800 per day. I initially skipped breakfast and had a couple of afternoon snacks (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese). Since then, I’ve re-introduced breakfast and cut out non-mealtime snacks entirely.
After a few months, I introduced cardio (walking) and strength training (r/bodyweightfitness minimal routine). I’m now walking 3x/day, about a mile after each meal. And I use the 8x3 app for strength training at home, which is easy and convenient. My only two pieces of equipment are a doorway pull-up bar and a Nordstick.
As I lost more weight, I started using an app and a scale to track more precisely, targeting 1500/day for a 1000-calorie deficit. I consistently lost 2 lbs/wk throughout my journey as I re-adjusted both exercise and my calorie targets to maintain my rate of weight loss.
I also focused much more on increasing my protein and fiber intake, as well as eating high-volume foods (r/volumeeating), vs just hitting a calorie target however I could. I don’t use like to use “tricks” though, so no protein powder/shakes, no konjac noodles, etc. I eat primarily whole foods that can be found at any grocery store.
All along, I’ve saved some calories for some of my favorites, beer and chocolate. I made room for beer once or twice a week, and a little chocolate almost every day.
I also kept eating at restaurants / getting takeout throughout. A focus on ordering a salad/veggie to start, eating half-portions of everything, primarily getting lean protein + veggies without fatty sauces/cheeses or deep-frying, only allowing 1/4 of my meal to be starchy carbs, and skipping the bread & caloric drinks has worked very well.
In the past few months, I’ve been reading a lot about sugar and ultra-processed food. I’m now trying to cut out both UPF (r/ultraprocessedfood) and overly sweet foods (added sugar and all sweeteners). I’ve definitely seen the impact of sugar & sweeteners on my own ability to control my eating, and I’m much happier that I have less of it in my life.
What’s next? I’m aiming to lose just a bit more so I’m safely within my maintenance range (160-165), re-comp to build muscle over the next couple of years, and keep improving how I eat in a healthy, sustainable way. Maybe then I’ll decide to do some lean bulks and cuts as I continue my fitness journey, but that chapter has yet to be written.
Thanks for reading this far!
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