I was not obese when I started my weight loss program 40 days ago, though I did look chubby. My weight is 178 lb and the body mass index (BMI) is 28.5. Losing 20 lb is desirable and is highly recommended by my wife. So after many years of being curbsome and clumsy, I finally made up my mind to do something about my weight.

There are a lot of fancy weight loss programs over the Internet. None of them, however, appears scientific enough. The only research based recommendations are those guidelines from agencies such as American Heart Association (AHA) or National Institute Health (NIH). In the Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults from NIH, it recommends to adopt a low calorie intake and exercise 30-40 minutes every day to lose weight. It also suggests that gradually losing 10% weight in 6 months or losing 1-2 lb per week is safe and achievable. Therefore, to lose 20 lb, I have to work hard for about 10-12 weeks.

My plan is simple and straightforward. I will gradually decrease my energy intake from 2,000 kcal per day to 1,200 kcal per day and increase my energy expenditure through physical activity from zero to 300-400 kcal per day. Thus, overall I can create an energy deficiency of 1,000 kcal per day. Because every pound of fat loss requires spending 3,500 kcal calories, I am expecting to lose at least 2 lb every week.

Weight loss is very hard. There is no doubt about it. But it is not as hard as many people falsely believed. For the past 40 days, I ran on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes almost every day, and I have successfully controlled my energy intake. I have lost about 22 lb by now. In a sense, I have proved that the clinical guideline from NIH is feasible and in fact somewhat conservative.

Furthermore, I have obtained the first hand experience on how one may feel if he/she indeed follows the clinical guidelines rigorously. I can assure you that it is not easy. I am not surprised to find that a lot of study participants failed to adhere to the study protocols, thus unable to achieve their weight loss goals.

I have learned several lessons from my weight loss treatment. The first one is that I can do something very demanding. Before I started running, I was at a loss in my life. My self-esteem is low. After the weight loss program, I realize that I can and should do more than I was doing before. The second lesson is that the best solution to any problem is often the simplest one. There is no need to find fancy methods such as Atkins diet and South Beach diet to lose weight. Exercise and dietary restriction is enough. I haven’t seen any report showing that the fancy methods or commercial programs can achieve weight loss faster and more satisfactory than my home-made program. The final lesson is that only perseverance can lead to success. During the weight loss treatment, I felt hungry constantly, my feet and legs hurt, and sometimes I was tired after exercise. However, I stuck to my program and pressed on. Success never comes easily, and I finally got it.

There are some other observations during my weight loss treatment. I found that losing 1 lb of weight does not need to spend 3,500 kcal. Because in addition to water, we lose both fat and lean mass during weight loss, losing 1 lb of weight requires spending about 2,700-3,000 kcal. With the energy deficiency of 1,000-1,200 kcal per day, I was able to lose on average 3-4 lb every week.

Another observation is that switching to a low calorie diet may cause diarrhea. It was by no means severe, but it did worry me. Fortunately, the diarrhea stopped after two weeks. Furthermore, eating too little may hurt your stomach. In the first few days, I felt the gastric acid flowing in my empty stomach. I took anti-acid drugs to reduce heart burn and the potential damage to my stomach. I also drink a lot of water to flush my stomach and keep my bowl moving.

In addition, you may injure yourself during exercise. I always pay attention to my feet, legs, and knees when I am on the treadmill. For example, since I started running at 8.30 min/mile, I found uncomfortable in the inner side around my right knee (not inside my knee). I decided to take a two day break. It is never a bad idea to be cautious.

40 days after, I have achieved my weight loss goal. What should I do next? One thing is clear. I will keep on running, improve my cardiopulmonary functions, and restrict fat intake. I have set an additional goal to lose 10 more pounds before Christmas. By then, my BMI will be safely below 25 (currently my BMI is 25.3). My weight will return to the ideal weight when I was in the college (how many years ago? I forgot).

In addition, I have set up another goal —to overcome procrastination. But till now, I am still struggling to find a simple and feasible plan to do it. We will see.