How I lost 20kg in 6 months
Just 6 months ago I was 20kg (around 3 stone) heavier, classified as obese according to the BMI, wearing 36” jeans and large t shirts, now I’m down to a 32” and small shirts; I feel great and am fitter than ever. The key to losing weight is simply creating a calorie deficit, if you burn more calories than you consume - you lose weight. I figured I could do that without an expensive gym membership or complex diet plan. I calculated my Basal Metabolic Rate (calories burned at rest each day) and approximated my body’s calorie requirements based on my activity level; from then I prepared my own meals as much as possible, ensuring that their content accumulated to less than my daily calorie requirement. This is what worked for me
- Avoided eating out - its harder to approximate the calorie content of food you didn’t make yourself
- Weighed myself everyday - I found this to be motivating
- Eating whole foods - these are very filling for few calories. Dorset Cereal muesli, Eat Natural bars and peanut butter on rye bread have become stables.
- Workout every day - I have a simple short routine of floor and weight exercises that I do everyday
- Varied additional exercise - I supplement this workout with additional hour or more of exercise atleast 3 times a week, this can be running, a walk, a bike ride.
- Saying no to beer - a pint contains upwards of 250 calories, way to undo 25mins of biking or an hour walking! I’ve switched to rum & Coke whenever possible.
- Snacks are OK! - but make sure they are healthy, I stick to things like wasabi peas, rice crackers and dried fruit.
- Didn’t deny myself treats - I occasionally went out for burgers, had take out kebabs, got a slice of cake at lunch or ice cream at the cinema, just made sure to make up for it by doing some extra exercise that week.
- Encouragement from friends and colleagues - thanks guys!
