My Weight Loss Journal - Losing 10 kg in 4 months

Ever since my BMI went into obese level a few years back, I have been trying without success to reduce my weight.  Around September last year, my weight was at an all-time high of 74 kg. Worried that my weight is going to hit 80 kg in the near future, I decided to embark on a very committed weight loss journey. By December, my weight was down to 64 kg, a 10kg loss over 4 months!

Thinking back, this time round I have probably succeeded because the motivational factors have reached a tipping point. So what have motivated me? One of it was people who have not seen me for years commenting about how much weight I have gained. Another factor was health reasons. My bad eating habits and lack of exercise have caused my cholesterol level to remain high for years. Yet another factor was successful weight loss stories of people around me as well as from the social media.

Initially, I started with the Calories Counting Method, which aims to create as much calories "deficit" as possible by reducing calories intake from food and increasing burning of calories through exercise. As such, I needed to painstakingly track my calories "transactions" each day to make sure it is at a deficit. I ate very little for each meal and ran up to 7-8km for 5 to 6 times per week. I managed to lose 5-6kg after 2 months. However, this was not sustainable. I started to suffer ankle pain and eating too little makes me feel giddy at times. Moreover, watching and tracking everything I eat is taking quite a bit of joy out of my life.

After much reading up about nutrition, metabolism, exercise, as well as more up-to-date weight loss ideas, I gradually made adjustments and adopted a more sustainable approach to weight loss. Following are some of the key ideas I have learned and applied to this day:

• I focused on fat loss instead of weight loss. You can lose weight by losing fat, water and muscle, but it is losing fat that really matters. Losing muscle is not desirable as it will lower your metabolism and reduce your body's calorie-burning effectiveness.

• I cut down on my running frequency and distance. Running is a form of cardio exercise, and too much of it will burn away muscle with fat. Instead I did resistance training (lifting weights to build up muscles) and interval training which is more effective in cutting fat and requires less time commitment than long distance running.

• I cut down only on dinner, and mainly reduce intake of carbohydrates like rice. If I feel hungry in the night, I will eat healthier food like a vegetable salad or yogurt and fruit. I eat normally for lunch and try to opt for healthier food.

• I avoided sugared drinks, junk food like potato chips and ice cream, and also fried or processed food and opted for healthier substitutes like baked almonds, yogurt and fruit. 

• Do not expect weight loss to happen overnight. It is also not healthy to lose too much weight in a short time. For the initial 3 to 4 months, I lost about half a kg per week on average, which is within the acceptable range.

• If you are used to a sedentary lifestyle, you have to start slow for the exercise. Be aware of your health condition and make sure diet and exercise changes are all right for your body.

• Set realistic short term targets and long term targets. My initial short term target was to get below 70kg, and when my weight reached 69.8 kg, it created a huge motivation for me to carry on by setting the next short term target. Meeting the targets will also help to prevent you from going back to the old bad habits as you will now be more wary of having all the hard work going to waste.

What works for me may not work for you due to individual differences. Whatever method you adopt, make adjustments to suit your own conditions. Read up on nutrition and exercise to find something to suit you.

At this point of writing, my weight is down to 62kg, a 12kg loss from the peak. I have reached my long term target which was my weight when I got married more than 10 years ago! However, I have also started facing another problem, a good problem actually – all my pants are getting very loose. I am replenishing my wardrobe with smaller sized clothes very slowly, in case my size goes back again. Hope my sharing can help you in your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle!