TLDR: I lost 56 pounds in 5.5 months. I did it by making lifestyle changes regarding nutrition and fitness. I describe specifics about my lifestyle changes.
I have been following this sub for the last month or so, and I have seen common themes regarding many of the posts that can be sorted by “new”. One of the common themes is that people who struggle with weight loss, CICO, and fitness want specific information on what they can do to ensure that they can shed their unwanted and undesired pounds. Without getting involved with all of the theatrics and self-indulgent dramatics associated with my own success story, I want to share what I did to lose approximately 56 pounds in 5.5 months. This post contains timelines and specifics regarding nutrition and exercise, and I hope that it inspires many of you to develop a plan that works for you. With that said, prepare for a long post.
WARNING: What worked for me may not necessarily work for you. This entire post is anecdotal, but it may provide the much-needed well-rounded explanation that someone needs to inspire her/him to initiate or continue her/his own lifestyle change. I am NOT advocating to the reader of this post to follow my personal nutrition and fitness regimen. Consider this post as strictly informational in intent.
The keys to weight loss: Motivation, Dedication, Consistency, and a Desire for a Permanent Lifestyle Change with Respect to Nutrition and Fitness
I cannot teach you how to get motivated, and I cannot teach you how to remain dedicated to your cause. Anecdotally, my motivation and dedication came from walking up the stairs to get a Coca-Cola and then getting out of breath after doing so when weighing 177 pounds. I immediately looked at myself in the mirror and became disgusted with my looks. To put it simply, a light switch was turned on in my head. Once the light was on, it never turned off.
It is important that I provide context on where I came from so that you know where I currently stand.
Current Age: 31
Height: 5’5”
Starting Weight: 177 pounds
Starting date of weight loss journey: March 16, 2020 (180 days ago)
Pant size before weight loss journey: 35
Shirt size before weight loss journey: Large but bordering on extra-large.
Number of calories consumed each day before weight loss journey: 3,000 to 4,500 calories per day
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Daily eating habit: Example 1 - 120 mL of coffee creamer (302 calories) + 1000 mL coffee (pretend this is negligible) + Texas Roadhouse Ribeye Steak (810 calories) + Texas Roadhouse Loaded Baked Potato (530 calories) + Texas Roadhouse Side of rice (200 calories) + 5 Texas Roadhouse Rolls (1,100 calories) + 33% of entire Texas Roadhouse Texas Blossom (566 calories) + 4 Coca-Colas (560 calories) = 4,068 calories.
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Daily eating habit: Example 2 - 120 mL of coffee creamer (302 calories) + 1000 mL coffee (pretend this is negligible) + 3 Popeye’s Chicken Sandwiches (2070 calories) + 3 Coca-Colas (420 calories) + 2 slides of Dutch Apple Pie with Ice Cream (800 calories) = 3,592 calories.
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Daily eating habit: Example 3 - 120 mL of coffee creamer (302 calories) + 1000 mL coffee (pretend this is negligible) + Cheddar’s Artichoke Dip (500 calories ) + Cheddar’s Monte Cristo (1,122 calories) + Cheddar’s French fries (470 calories) + 4 Coca-Colas (560 calories) = 2,954 calories.
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Daily eating habit: Example 4 - 120 mL of coffee creamer (302 calories) + 1000 mL coffee (pretend this is negligible) + 3 Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizzas (1,770 calories) + 3 Coca-Colas (420 calories) + 2 slices of peanut butter pie (340 calories) = 2,832 calories.
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I would only eat one meal per day, and the meal would occur at dinner time around 7:00 P.M. or 8:00 P.M.. However, coffee (with a significant amount of Coffee Mate creamer) was a staple throughout the entire day.
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I never was someone who snacked throughout the day or at junk food. However, all meals were fast food or takeout.
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I have never and did not consume alcoholic beverages or partake in drugs of any kind other than caffeine.
Fitness lifestyle before losing weight: Less than 2,000 steps per day while working from home entirely on a computer. Exercise was nil. I could not walk one tenth of a mile before losing my breath, aching in my legs/feet, and miserable.
Stool Information (WARNING: THIS MAY BE TOO MUCH INFORMATION, but this is important to provide further context regarding my health 6 months ago): Diarrhea after every meal. Sometimes the diarrhea would begin 20 minutes while eating the meal, which would cause me to temporarily pause my meal to use the rest room. The diarrhea was usually pure liquid and yellow, dark brown, or black in color. This was a daily occurrence.
Medical information: Resting heart rate = 89 beats per minute. Blood sugar fluctuations were extreme (absurd lows and ridiculous highs) throughout the day. My father has diabetes (currently takes insulin shots), and I knew that I was in the pre-diabetes stage or already had diabetes. Also, my face and back acne were out of control (even at age 31); I had massive boils on my back that were incredibly painful and filled with what seemed to be unlimited puss. Blood pressure and cholesterol were perfect. I was not taking medicine at the time.
Number of hours of sleep per night: 8 to 9 hours
Stress level: No stress, no anxiety, and a clean mental, emotional, and spiritual state. However, I was disgusted with myself when I looked into the mirror. I was disgusted with myself.
Current Weight: 121 pounds
Current pant size (U.S.): 30, but bordering on a size 29.
Current shirt size: Small
Number of calories consumed each day: 1,500 to 1,800
Disclaimer: I knew nothing about CICO, was aware that diets are not usually the best strategy for losing weight while changing an entire lifestyle, and I did not follow /r/loseit, /r/CICO, or /r/fitness. I honestly used “common sense” to shed most of the weight that I had acquired. So, I was not tracking every single calorie that I consumed, but I did remain mindful of an overall sense of calories that I was consuming during the day. First and foremost, I eliminated all calories that I drank. I made it a mission to myself to never “drink my calories”. So, like a light switch, no more Coca-Colas. No more McDonald’s/Starbucks frozen coffee drinks. However, as you will soon learn, I did hold on to my personal coffee creamer in reduced amounts for a short period of time.
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Daily eating habit: Example 1 - Oatmeal with water and brown sugar (200 calories) for breakfast + 500 mL black coffee throughout the morning + fruit salad for lunch (between 120 and 170 calories) + Plain hamburger on a bun (700 calories) + bowl of green beans (100 calories) + water all day = 1,200 calories
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Daily eating habit: Example 2 - Oatmeal with whole milk (300 calories) for breakfast + 500 mL black coffee throughout the morning + fruit salad for lunch (between 120 and 250 calories) + Shrimp Alfredo (800 calories) + water all day = 1,350 calories
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Daily eating habit: Example 3 - Oatmeal with whole milk (300 calories) for breakfast + 500 mL black coffee throughout the morning + fruit salad for lunch (between 120 and 250 calories) + Roast Beef (500 calories) + Baked potato (250 calories) + Gravy (150 calories) + water all day = 1,450 calories
Disclaimer: I originally reduced the amount of coffee + creamer than I drank each day. Rather than two “Yeti” cups per day, I began to drink two normal sized coffee mugs per day. After two weeks or so of that amount, I reduced my intake to one normal sized mug per day while consuming as much water as possible. After 1 month of this process, I began drinking my coffee completely black. I upped by black coffee in take to three to four regular coffee sized mugs per day, but I enhanced the flavor on occasion with cinnamon. As of now, I prefer to drink my coffee black (I LOVE LOVE LOVE the flavor of “Chock Full of Nuts” regular coffee).
Nutritional observation: I did not experience the “fast food crash” that occurs when you try to decrease fast food intake. However, within approximately one month of eating healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables, I began noticing that my body CRAVED new types of foods that I never would have considered eating: Green beans, sweet potatoes, pinto beans, greens, and tomatoes. I wanted those flavors and that satisfactory feeling of being full after eating those foods even if they are low in calories (other than pinto beans). I no longer craved carbohydrates, sweet desserts, or fried foods. To this day, I am disappointed when my dinner meals do not include some kind of high-volume low-calorie vegetable such as green beans. Since April, I have not even THOUGHT about eating a pizza or a Popeye’s chicken sandwich.
Other daily diet information: Again, I do not necessarily measure out the calories associated with everything that I eat. However, I ensure that the portions I eat are not absurdly large, and that I eat enough to get “full” without being miserable. I eat until I am comfortable. I rarely go back for “seconds” when I finish my plate unless my “seconds” are an additional tomato or bowl of green beans. I also do not eat when I am bored or when I am not hungry. I have yet to have what is known as a “cheat day”. However, I have been known to eat SMALL portions of a dessert or a couple of M&M’s when I want to treat myself. I currently have no cravings for sweet food other than fruits. I still do not drink alcohol, I do not snack throughout the day, and I do not eat when I am bored. Now that I am in maintain mode, I may be eating an extra 200 calories or so per day, but I have not really changed my nutritional intake my a significant amount. I have adopted this new lifestyle without any issues at all.
Stool Information (WARNING: THIS MAY BE TOO MUCH INFORMATION): Bowel movement every three to five days. Dark brown in color. Solid. Incredibly healthy based on what I have read online. These solid logs can be quite long, however, and have been known to stop up the toilet on multiple occasions. I am still adjusting to make this process a bit more akin to what typical humans experience on a daily basis.
Medical information: Resting heart rate = 43 beats per minute. Blood sugar is stable at all times at normal levels. Face acne is gone. Boils on my back are gone. All acne is dried up and no longer active. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels are perfect. I am still not taking any kinds of medicines. Furthermore, I am not taking any vitamin supplements. Miscellaneous health information: I never experienced the headaches or fatigue associated with weight loss and nutritional lifestyle changes until approximately 4 months into the weight loss process. I did notice that my body was tired throughout the working day, but I REALLY experience fatigue at approximately day 140. I am not sure what the issue was, but I felt like a zombie the entire week. I had already established a daily routine with food intake and the types of food that I eat, but it was almost like my body was trying to tell me that I had lost enough weight and it was time to enter maintenance mode. At this point, I went from 177 pounds to approximately 120 pounds.
Fitness lifestyle after losing weight: AT LEAST 15,000 steps per day (at one time) while losing weight, but I tried to hit 25,000 steps per day (at one time) if at all possible. While maintaining weight, I still strive for a minimum of 12,000 steps per day (at one time). All other steps do not count in my head.
Did I experience the dreaded “plateau”?: Of course! I assume that we all do. However, my plateaus would only last for approximately 1 to 1.5 weeks. The first plateau occurred when I wanted to go from 140 pounds to 139 pounds, and this seemed like it took forever to happen. The second plateau occurred when I wanted to go from 130 pounds to 129 pounds. This was a shorter plateau. To ensure accurate tracking of the plateau, I weight myself each morning at 6:20 A.M. after peeing (or defecation) while completely naked. I only weight myself once per day.
Number of hours of sleep per night: 8 to 9 hours
Stress level: No stress, no anxiety, and a clean mental, emotional, and spiritual state. I am “over the moon” with myself now that I have entered maintenance mode.
How did I do it? More specifics!
Nutrition: This is the major component of weight loss. Exercising is excellent for many health reasons, but nutrition is the key to truly lose weight and shed unwanted pounds. Trust me. I cannot emphasize enough that I echo the sentiment that you cannot “outrun a bad diet”. Are you serious about dropping weight and shedding the pounds? Change your nutritional lifestyle and do it immediately. When you initiate the change, you HAVE to remain consistent, stubborn, and dedicated. Do cheat meals work with other people? Yes. Are my strategies the only strategies for weight loss? No. However, you have to be dead-set and serious about nutrition before weight loss can occur. There are no ifs, ands, buts about it. You can try to blame your emotional state. You can blame your mental status. You can blame your financial situation (I eat less food now AND what I eat is cheaper than eating out). You can blame any underlying health issues. You can blame anything that you want to blame. I am not judging you, and I am not making any kind of statements about how you need to live your own life. I want YOU to be HAPPY. However, if you are still reading this post, you are most likely not happy or were at a place where you were not happy. Do something about it. I promise that it is worth it.
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March 16: I decided that fast food was no longer an option. I also decided to cut out all fast food and large portions of food from my nutritional intake. Exercise: Cardio only. I realize that strength training and weightlifting would be beneficial to me, but I was more concerned at becoming heart healthy and able to run without getting out of breath. Furthermore, I began my weight loss journey the day that my state enacted coronavirus lockdown protocols. Thankfully, exercising is free. Gyms are not a requirement. I always told myself that I could never be able to get active simply because my legs and feet were “messed up” due to them hurting all of the time. I always used my pain after walking up the stairs to justify why I was never active. However, I decided that I needed to become more active in my life. I walked 1 mile around the block on this night. This took approximately 38 minutes. My legs, calves, and feet hurt so bad that I felt like I was going to die. I could barely walk up an incline. Also, one lap around the block is approximately 0.333 mile. This totaled 4,413 steps at one time.
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March 17: I had a lot of pain, but I walked another mile around the block. This totaled 4,871 steps at one time.
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March 18: Another mile around the block. This totaled 4,813 steps at one time. The pain was getting to me.
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March 19: My muscles REALLY hurt on this date. I was also noticing that my legs and feet were stiff each morning, and they would hurt throughout the day. However, I walked for around 55 minutes on this night. This totaled 9,861 steps at one time.
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March 20: My muscles started to feel better from healing throughout the day. I felt good enough to walk for on hour around the block with approximately 10,237 steps. I did this for several more days. To help get me through the walks, I called my friends and we discussed work life, politics, science, history, and personal life.
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March 23: I walked 18,982 steps at once on this day all while talking on the phone.
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March 24 – 30: I started walking 15,000 steps per day (at one time). This took about two hours to complete. Therefore, this was a MAJOR time sink. I started doing this ever single day. NO REST days for the walks. None. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
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March, April, May, and half of June: I averaged around 16,000 steps per day (no rest days) at one time during my daily walks. My legs were stiff each morning, my feet were stiff, and this never changed.
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June 16: I started to add jogging/running to my two hour cardio exercise regimen. On the first day of “running”, I could only run for about 30 seconds without getting tired. I would then walk for five minutes. I would run for another 30 seconds. I could only run for about 4 spurts.
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June 17 – August 17: I kept trying to increase the amount I ran each day. However, I alternated days in which I incorporated running. I would run one day and then entirely walk the next day so that I could give my muscles a break. However, I could tell that my heart was becoming healthier, I had more energy throughout the day, and I was not “out of breath” as often after running. My running distance naturally increased each time I had a run day, and my stamina increased. I did not necessarily have any specific goals (I was not aware of /r/C25K) other than becoming more “fit” in the cardio department. Near the middle of July, I was able to incorporate running at least five days per week. However, regardless of my exercise regimen, I did my “cardio” (is walking considered cardio at this point?) for two hours per day. NO REST DAYS.
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August 17 until today: I reduced my daily cardio down to 1 hour and 15 minutes each day. Since doing this, I can now run almost every single day for long periods of time such that I can run for almost the entirety of the exercise session. I incorporate a “brisk walk day” (walking at least 3.5 miles per hour) every three or four days of running. I am still not taking any rest days. As of today, my legs are no longer stiff throughout the day. My feet are not as stiff. To put it simply, I was “over doing it” with my exercise routine each day. Although I made it work, I overdid it. Please make sure not to overdo it when you begin your exercise regimen.
I have been at 121 pounds for the last two weeks. Overall, I shed approximately 56 pounds in approximately 5.5 months.
Will I eat fast food anymore? I mean, sure. I would, but I have not done so. My body does not crave it anymore. If I am out and about and have to eat it, I will eat it. However, I will not order 2 Sausage McGriddles, 1 hash brown, and 1 large Coca-Cola from McDonald’s for breakfast (1,298 calories) which is something that I used to do when traveling. Will I order the grande Starbucks dessert drinks? Absolutely not. I still refuse to drink my calories on a consistent basis. Would I ever order a Coca-Cola at a sit-down restaurant today? Sure, but I would limit myself to one glass during the meal (not before or after the meal).
How often do I eat out now? Eh, about once every two weeks or so. This is usually from a local Mexican restaurant where I can get some street tacos or a lunch portion of chicken teriyaki and rice and vegetables. I keep it simple. Nothing insane. The pandemic has really helped keep me on the “straight and narrow” in terms of eating out.
Do I turn down desserts when they are offered to me? It depends. My body does not crave them anymore. So, I never go out of my way to seek them. However, I did eat a decent sized piece of cake during my nephew’s and niece’s last birthdays. However, in both instanced, I stopped at one piece. I will most likely get a small or medium sized ice cream cone while on vacation (if that ever happens). I will gladly eat a slice of Dutch Apple Pie (with ice cream) if I have not done so in several weeks. Absolutely. I am not going to restrict myself from the pleasures of life.
Friends, that is honestly all that I have to share with you regarding my journey. Although this post was long, my lifestyle is quite simple. There are not tricks, gimmicks, or magical solutions to the weight loss struggle. It is just a simple process that takes time.
I will monitor this post if you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns. I am not suggesting that my approach is perfect or will work for you, but I really wanted to contribute to this amazing sub by providing specifics regarding my own weight loss journey.
