In this blog post I’ll talk about how I lost 16 lbs1 going from 186lbs (84kg) (26.7 BMI) to 170lb (77kg) (24.4 BMI). My intentions of losing weight was to be healthier and to look better.
Firstly, I started counting calories using a free app called Cronometer (iOS). I read somewhere that:
What gets measured, gets managed
Peter Drucker [1]
By counting calories, I better managed my caloric input so that I could target e.g. 1500 calories a day which would be a calorie deficit of ~500-700 which is sustainable for weight loss. If you have too large a caloric deficit then it might backfire on you. [2]
It was also nice to see my progress over time on the chart provided by the app.
Secondly, I started eating lower calorie options. Typically I work from home so I get to be more specific about what foods I eat. Although I’m not the biggest fan of frozen meals, one benefit is that there are some low calorie brands like Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choices. The calories per meal are around 200-400.
Thirdly, I started running. I ran around 10-20 minutes a day, usually around 4-5 times a week. For some reason running seems to be more effective for weight loss for me than e.g. cycling or swimming.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed learning about my weight loss journey. I definitely feel healthier and have more energy through the day with less fat.
Feel free to share tips and tricks that you’ve found in the comments below 😉
- August 2024 update: Updated from 176lbs to 170lbs. Surprisingly, living in Singapore 🇸🇬 for a month helped me lose weight. I think this is due to the walking + public transport culture (Asia) vs. car 🚗 culture (USA) ↩︎
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