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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