Three weeks ago, I decided to lose weight. There is no obvious reason, as I am always thinking about reshaping my hefty body. I purchased the membership at the U recreation center and did some light exercise that day. I felt good.

I skipped the rest of week, a common phenomenon when initiating a grand plan. Nevertheless, on the next Monday, I got out of my comfy chair and walked into the gym. I walked and ran on the treadmill for half an hour, totaling 2.2 miles.

At the same day, I started counting my calories (see Oct, 2 post). I discovered that my regular energy intake was actually much lower than the reference predicted by all sorts of formula. Those predictions are just nonsense. If I am gaining weight, my energy intake must be greater than my energy expenditure. That is a simple truth.

I set a plan to gradually lower my energy intake. The first week, I decided to cut 200-300 kcal from my regular 2000 kcal diet. I also started exercising, hoping to shed additional 300 calories everyday. Thus, overall, I should be able to get rid of 400-500 kcal everyday, a moderate negative energy balance.

The effect was significant. For the first week, I lost about 4-5 lb. I know that the first 3 pounds may not mean anything, as they are mostly water. However, the result was promising.

During the second week, I gradually lowered my dietary intake for additional 100-200 kcal, resulting an average of 1400-1500 kcal energy intake per day. My goal is to establish a low calories diet in the third week which is around 1000-1200 kcal per day. It is very hard. I feel constant hungry and have to drink water to suppress my hunger feelings. Maybe, as Seth Roberts suggested in his Shangri-La diet, I should drink sugar water to cheat my brain.

The best thing is that my physical fitness improved tremendously. The first week, I ran 2 miles everyday and on Sunday, I ran a 5K. The second week, I started to ran 3 miles every day, and last Sunday, I did a 6.5 miles run, during which I continuously ran for 5 miles without break, an achievement I never dreamed of.

By today, I have lost 10 lb. I didn’t feel any discomfort in my body, except for occasional twisting in my stomach. Yes, I will take care of it—maybe one cimetidine tablet at night to reduce the gastric acid. In addition, my legs are a little bit sore, but the most worrisome part is the knee. When running for 10k, I felt my knees getting a little bit uncomfortable which forced me to stop at 5 mile to walk for 2 minutes. I think I should stick at the lower speed to avoid knee injury.

I am not aware of any other program that can have this significant weight loss effect. Most dietary plans claimed that they can help you lose 2-3 lb weight. But my plan, combining a low calories diet and moderate physical activity, strictly follows the guideline set by the American Heart Association and is supported by mainstream research. It seems, at least in my case, the plan works unexceptionally well, if one can stick to the protocol.

What’s the next? I don’t know. This third week is critical because the ten pounds is a turning point. If I can keep losing my weight, I may achieve my goal in a month. If not, I may stuch in this 10 lb and become a miserable failure (again).

In addition, this week is the week I am formally at the low calories diet. I am not sure whether this additional reduction will help, and there is little room for physical activity either. life is tough. We will see.