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.
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Today, my weight loss plan reached a milestone. I have lost 20 lb, in just one month!

I have been anticipating this moment for years. When I stepped on the scale after exercise this noon, the hand pointed to the exact weight I have set one month ago. I stood there, speechless. All my sweat, tiredness, and constant hunger are now paid off. My extra fat is finally gone for good.

During the past month, except for two Saturdays, I ran every day, first 2 miles for 30 minutes, and now 3 miles for 30 minutes, from 12min/mile to 8.30min/mile. Occasionally I did some moderate activities such as playing badminton to rest my knee and feet. I strove to maintain my daily exercise schedule manically.

I have gradually adjusted my diet to 1000-1200 calorie per day. I reduced my fat intake by eliminating whole eggs and most of meat products. I ate no more than 80% of my satiation during dinners, and no snacks during the night except for occasional fruits. In early days I took anti-acid drugs to relieve the stomach ache, but I never took any specialized diets or foods to suppress my appetite. Now I have adapted to the low calorie diet and don’t feel constantly hungry any more.

Vigorous exercise and low energy intake every day did sometimes make me feel a little bit tired. This physical feeling, however, did not affect my mental capability. In fact, I am feeling more focused and more self-confident. I believe I can stick on my plan, and now I did it.

My weight loss program is just one of self-experiments. Happily, it is a great success. I plan to do another experiment, that is, how to overcome procrastination. I will figure out a simple and scientific based treatment this week. Meanwhile, let me keep on running. I am confident that I can lose 5-10 more pounds before Christmas. Till then, I will be a brand new man.

There is a heated debate in my forum about free radicals. The discussion itself is certainly very interesting. Because I am engaging vigorous physical exercise these days to lose my weight, one question comes to my mind: will exercise generate too much free radicals that will damage my muscles?

During exercise, muscle cells work very hard. Contracting actins and myosins needs a lot of ATP, which in turn requires a heavy load of respiration in cell mitochondria. Naturally, free radicals (mainly reactive oxidative species such H2O2, O-) will be generated in the respiration process (oxidative phosphorylation). Animal studies and in vitro experiments have sorted out these mechanisms, and human studies have shown that lipid perioxidation increases during exhaustive exercise. My personal experience is that even after exercise, my body is still hot. Thermogenesis is the by product of cell respiration. A higher body temperature means higher oxidation in cell mitochondria.

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This morning, I ran 5.3 miles in 50 minutes. It was a tiring but exciting exercise.

After warming up, I started out at 12 min/mile and quickly moved up to 10min/mile, and then to 9 min/mile. It was a relatively high speed which is my goal for this week. However, I felt very relaxed at this high speed and decided to run a little bit faster. I speeded up to 8.30 min/mile. Except for occasional bouts, I never ran continuously at this speed. My legs was striding mechanically, my breath was fast and shallow, and my heart was pounding in my chest. But I still felt quite comfortable. I kept running, minute by minute, till I finished 0.80 miles when I thought I should slow down. For the rest one mile, I ran at a speed of 9.30 to 10 min/miles. Within only 30 minutes including warming up and cooling down, I have already run 3.2 miles.

But I didn’t feel enough. I restarted the running program and ran additional 2 miles for 20 more minutes. What a great achievement!
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This evening, my wife asked me if I was still interested in practicing Qigong. A new XX Qigong group led by her friend will start in two weeks. This would be a good opportunity to calm myself down and maybe start a new life, as claimed in almost any Qigong advertisement.

I always have some fancies about mysterious Chinese Qigong although I never attended any Qigong group. I arrogantly believe that most Qigong masters don’t have a thorough understanding of Qigong as I do. Qigong is a way of meditation and to recollect oneself in both physical and spiritual ways. Mythical components of Qigong should be taken out.

Anyway, I decided to let the opportunity slip away again, but for another reason. I have, in fact, already been practicing a modern Qigong—running.
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This evening, I watched Rachael Ray’s 30 minutes meal again. I am a Rachael fan. Her cooking style is casual and her presentation is always entertaining. I like her show.

During the show, Rachael was cooking a French sandwich– croque Madame for a late night supper. Basically it is a toasted bread with ham, cheese and one big fried egg. She also made some salad using some exotic dressing. The foods are very easy to make and look delicious.

However, since I am dieting now, I can’t help counting calories for every food I see. It seems to me that Rachael’s croque Madame has a very high energy density.

My calculation is based on the recipe from the Foodnetwork and nutrition values from the USDA database.
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Some people are born lean, while some unlucky people are deemed to be fat. This is a simple truth. Your genes determine your fate. In this case, the life long struggle of shedding extra body weight is your unfortunate reality.

But there is no need to feel depressed. Think about it, more than two thirds of the whole population are suffering the same fate as you do. In fact, evolutionally, it is us who have the advantage of surviving the frequent famine just 200 hundred years ago. During the period of starvation, our stored fat saved us. It is lucky that those evolutionally disadvantageous thin people can ever survive. Sadly, the wheel has turned. It is now those lean people are evolutionally advantageous in this affluent society, while we heavy people slide down to a hellish state.
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As in the previous post, BMR accounts for 70% of total energy expenditure. Thus, changes in BMR can significantly affect the amount of weight we will get or lose during weight management programs.

Many factors influence the basal metabolic rate (BMR). BMR increases with the increase of weight (mainly due to more fat free mass in heavy people), decrease with age (2% drop per decade), and higher in male, lower in female. Body temperature, activity level, and drugs can also change BMR. But most important, the genetic makeup probably accounts for the most difference of BMR between persons.

From the weight change point of view, the most important factors are fat free mass, the dietary factors, and physical activity. They are modifiable and often the weapons of weight loss programs.
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Losing weight doesn’t need magic—just keeping the energy balance equation in mind: energy intake=energy expenditure. When energy intake is less than energy expenditure, you will gradually lose weight by principle of physics.

Estimating energy intake is straightforward. As I have demonstrated in the Oct. 2 post, you carefully record what you eat during the day and you will know exactly how much your energy intake is. However, estimating energy expenditure is tricky. It takes common sense and some physiology knowledge.

Total energy expenditure has three components: basal metabolic rate (BMR), thermic effect of feeding, and physical activity. Briefly, BMR is the energy expenditure when you lie in the bed doing nothing; thermic effect of feeding is the mysterious energy expenditure when you eat foods; and for physical activity, we all know what it is.
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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.
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