One Stop Along the Weight Management Journey

 


What did I do to lose almost 13 lbs in two months?

Introduction

About two months ago, in early February, I decided that I was carrying too much weight.

I'm 5'9 and 49 years old, and I prefer to walk around at approximately 150 lbs, or 68 kg. That's within 2 kg of the 66 kg (145 lbs) weight class for many BJJ and judo events. I don't compete, but I like to think that if I were to compete, that would be a good division for me.

On February 8 I recorded a weight of 166.8 lbs, or 75.6 kg. That was still 20 lbs under my all-time highest weight of 186 lbs, but over 16 lbs heavier than my preferred weight. I decided it was time to take action.

The Plan

I took the following three steps to get my weight gain under control.

1. Food choices: I took a close look at my calorie intake. I eat a fairly narrow diet anyway, but I made sure those choices would not add weight.

2. Eating times: I restricted my eating times from 7 am to 7 pm, and when possible, 7 am to 6 pm. This was a sort of "intermittent fast" that I hoped would enable weight loss.

3. Exercise daily: Due to Covid I have not been training jiu-jitsu, so my main exercise was a daily 35 minute walk. I had walked nearly every day for the last year anyway, but I made sure I stayed with this commitment.

The Results

Over the course of the last two months, my weight dropped from 166.8 lbs to 153.9 lbs. As shown in the figure at the top of the post, I did not enjoy a straight downward progression. There were some bumps along the way, and I still have to lose about 4 lbs. I hope to hit my 150 lbs goal by the end of April.

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