Here begins my weight loss journey

Day 3: 21.03.2023

This is the third day of my weight loss journey. I started it on 19.03.2023. The day was not much special but I just got to remember that I need to lose weight and I can do it. I weigh approximately 90kg and given my height of 175 cm, it means a BMI of ~30. A BMI of over 30 is classified as obese and this is not acceptable to me. I have weighed myself several times in the past few months and every time it has been just short of 90, the psychological mark, and a few days back it was almost 90. I don’t look fat, but I’ve started hating my belly, especially when my shirt is forming wrinkles around.

I joined the gym several times in the last year but couldn’t maintain discipline. No doubt, I keep myself sufficiently active but probably that’s not enough given my love for food. But, now I’m ready for a compromise for the sake of avoiding obese classification and the fat belly going back. And so, I’ve decided, (decided again) to give up my love for food for the next four months.

It’s not the first time that I’m doing this. In 2019 July, I had made a similar decision and lost 14 Kg in 4 months, from 88 to 74. The journey hadn’t been easy, but I had made it and achieved the goal of under 75. Well, ~75 represents a BMI of 25 for me, thus I had entered the Normal Zone. I have a similar goal again. A BMI of under 25, i.e., weight of 75kgs. But this time, I plan to go from the current 90 to 72 leaving some margin for gains after going off from the diet.

So, this is Day 3. And here is my plan:

A normal man’s body needs around 2500 calories per day with nominal exercise and anything below 2200 causes weight loss. The weight loss is more or less in line with the calorie deficit and approximately 7500 calories of deficit lead to a loss of 1 kg. Dieticians suggest a minimum of 1200 calories if exercise level is medium to low to lose ~1 kg per week.

It may be unhealthy but I’m choosing to go beyond. I’m limiting my calories to 900, and plan to keep it something between 700 and 900. I’m starting my day with a lemon squeezed in warm water and 100-200 gm of fruits (~150 calories). At office I will take a cup of green tea in the morning and another in the afternoon. My lunch is comprising of one roti, half katori dal, half katori sabzi, and salads (~250 calories). In the evening I feel hungry, so I need fillers. Cucumbers, papaya, watermelon, and sometimes grapes are going to serve the purpose (~100 calories). At dinner, I’m having one roti, half katori sabzi, and 250 ml toned milk (250 calories). On alternate days, I plan to take two egg whites to enhance my protein intake. And thus, I’ll limit the overall intake between 700-900.

Breakfast	1 lemon squeezed in warm water + 100 -200 gm of fruits	150 cals
Lunch	1 roti, ½ katori dal, ½ katori sabzi, salads	250 cals
Evening snacks	Fruits	100 cals
Dinner	1 roti, ½ katori sabzi, 250 ml milk	250 cals
Green Tea	Twice a day	-
Others	Egg whites – once in a couple of days	50 cals avg
Water	4 litres per day	-
Total per day		Approx. 800 cals
Requirement per day		2500 cals
Weight loss mark		2200 cals
Deficit		1400 cals

 

It means a calorie deficit of ~1400 leading to a weight loss of ~1.25 kg per week. In the beginning, it’s expected to be a bit faster as a fat body needs more calories. But I hope it averages 1.25 kgs per week. Thus the journey from 90 to 72 is expected to take ~15 weeks or a bit less than 4 months. Though ideally it should be done in a bit more than 3 months, I’m assuming a couple of cheat days can’t be avoided which I’m factoring with a probability of 10% and additional calories of ~1500 per cheat day.

So here are the assumptions which I think are supported by some research:

• Calories lower than 2200 lead to weight loss
• 7500 calories deficit leads to 1kg weight loss
• The chosen diet plan is healthy enough to sustain me

Is the plan a resolution? I don’t know, but I’m going to do it. For the last two days, I’ve stuck to sub-800 levels. Let’s see where it goes.

Disclaimer: The data points in the post don’t involve extensive scientific research and may be wrong. If using anywhere else, do it with caution. Further, my diet plan may not be healthy.