How I Lost 70lbs in 12 Months

I weighed about 17 stone (238 pounds) for most of my life. And now that I’m 43 years old, you can add me to many people trying to lose weight.

There are many weight loss solutions, but they are usually temporary and only a small percentage of people insist on using them. It only takes a few bad days to get back to my previous eating habits.

So, how can I lose 70 pounds a year?

First of all, let me say that I am not a weight loss expert, nor do I think the method that I use is better than any other method. I’m just a regular person, he wants to try an experiment, and to this day the experiment is still effective for me, and I hope it can inspire others.

There is usually a tipping point about what will ultimately motivate you to make a change. In my case, this is just to boost my confidence and get a few dates that year! That is my motivation.

That’s the motivation part, and then I have to change my relationship with food. I know I need to change my lifestyle and eating habits.

Strictly following my diet, calorie count, following an accurate diet plan, certain diet days, and other ideas are just a road to failure for me. This is the path I’ve traveled and it hasn’t worked for a long time. I have to make changes gradually but consistently. I’ve done an experiment and here’s the result, luckily I’ve been pushing for this for the past 13 years.

At the start of the experiment, I didn’t have an accurate record of the month after month because I wasn’t sure if it was effective, so I’ll give you an overview. Everything is a continuation of the work I did last month.

First month

Cut the bread. Yes, that is it. Start with simple things and watch it turn out. 

Second month

From the first month, I reduced the takeout activities from 3 times a week to 1 time. I like my takeout activities in part because I’m always lazy to do something. I keep reminding myself why I did this instead of giving up.

Third month

Since my weight has changed, I also want to stop eating cookies, chips, and snacks, except on weekends. I work on the weekends.

Fourth month

Stop eating snacks altogether and eat less red meat, but still eat white meat. I have also included fish in my diet. I really noticed the weight loss. Besides seeing the weight loss on my scale, my clothes were clearly loose.

Fifth month

So far I have enjoyed the journey and I kept moving forward! My weight gradually decreased and I had to replace the grooves on the belt. That’s enough. This time I decided to do incredible things by cutting fried and processed foods completely! I have some simple recipe books that allowed me to make food with as little cooking as possible. Then I discovered the world of slow cooking.

Sixth month

When the weather improves, I try to increase my daily activities. My taste buds are back discovering more flavors, not just fried foods and anything wrapped in oil! I also found that removing junk food also helps to reduce swelling and overall fatigue.

Seventh month

I am still losing weight and enjoying the changes physically, my confidence is sky-high! The rate of weight loss slows down, so I tracked my weekly weight so I could see the progress of the chart fluctuations. It was very helpful so when I was feeling a bit lazy I didn’t regress.

I admit to some cheating and strange help along the way. This includes eating foods that suppress appetite, but this is more in the early stages, and it helps me adjust to new ways of thinking about food, rather than stuffing myself unconsciously.

If you notice, I didn’t eat the foods I like. This is intentional. After all, I personally know that I cannot track other people’s eating habits because I will stick to them. I just mix and match the foods suggested in the weight loss book or the natural foods I like. If I find something I like and make it work I’ll add it to my personal favorite food list!

The trick to my method is not to give in to rigidity, be it calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc. Just experiment, the important thing is to follow it and never forget why you should lose weight at all. Tracking is the most useful factor in achieving goals. I do have days where I ate all the junk food I craved but reduced it to once a week, but once the taste buds are restored I can appreciate more flavors. While I love meat, I found that I didn’t miss it as much as I thought.