How I Lost 20% of Body Fat

Lessons from a mid-life crisis and the resulting transformation

It all started with a mid-life crisis.

On the cusp of turning 40 a couple of years ago, I was in the worst physical shape of my life two years ago. I had gained 30 pounds over three years. At 33% body fat, I was officially obese. I was also suffering from a growing range of physical ailments, from low back pain to migraines, lethargy to insomnia.

I resolved to get my body fat down to a healthy range (20%). This was achieved by addressing the two variables of my energy balance, namely to increase energy expenditure (i.e. exercise) and decrease caloric intake (i.e. diet).

ENERGY BALANCE

The key to weight loss lies in the energy balance. To lose weight and/or fat, I would need to maintain a negative energy balance.

First, I had to figure out my daily caloric intake versus energy expenditure.

Energy Expenditure. I estimated my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) by using an online calculator (https://tdeecalculator.net) in the first instance. I later bought a fitness tracker that monitored my TDEE.

Caloric Intake. This was much more challenging. Apart from not being trained in nutrition, the self-denial part of our brains leads us to underestimate the number of calories consumed. I started by using an app to track my food intake for one week. The challenge was to remember everything I ate and drank, from the sugar in my morning coffee to the bag of chips I ate while watching Netflix in the evening.

Once I had both figures, I could determine my energy balance. I was unsurprised to learn that I was in a positive energy balance, i.e. caloric intake was greater than energy expenditure. More alarming was the fact that I was consuming as much as 3,000 to 4,000 calories on a given day. This was around twice — or more of — the 1,700 calories needed to maintain my weight at the time.

Expert research suggests that a daily deficit of around 500 calories is ideal for healthy and sustainable weight loss. This usually results in a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week.

To achieve this caloric deficit, I could maintain my sedentary lifestyle and cut my caloric intake to 1,200 calories. This did not appear realistic, given professional and social commitments, not to mention the depressive effect it would have on my life more generally.

Alternatively, I could maintain my current eating habits but increase my energy expenditure to around 3,500 calories per day. This too was unrealistic. I would have to either walk for six hours (300 calories/hour), run at 5mph for 3 hours (600 calories/hour), or swim for 4 hours (420 calories/hour) every day to make up the 1,800 calorie difference in my energy balance.

The most practical approach was therefore to combine an increase in energy expenditure with a reduction in caloric intake. The balance between the two would vary according to an individual’s circumstances as well as his/her attitudes towards diet and exercise respectively. I preferred to exercise more, as my goal was not only to lose body fat but to build lean muscle as well.

My strategy was therefore to increase my TDEE to around 2,500 calories, while simultaneously reducing caloric intake to around 2,000 calories per day. This still meant reducing my caloric intake by a rather daunting 50–100%. As I anticipated difficulties meeting the latter target on weekdays, I also set a weekly target of 14,000 calories so that I would eat less on weekends to compensate for any overeating that took place earlier in the week.

INCREASING ENERGY EXPENDITURE

TDEE is made up of 3 components, namely the Basal Metabolic Rate, the thermic effect of food, and the thermic effect of physical activity. As the first two are relatively stable, I focused on increasing energy expenditure through physical activity.

First, I started exercising again. For example, I started walking a lot more. Coincidentally, my new puppy was finally big enough for long walks. We would walk twice a day, in the morning and evening, for an hour each time. On any given day, we would walk around 8,000 to 10,000 steps, burning around 300–400 calories in the process.

I also started going to the gym. It was serendipitous that I had discovered a dog-friendly gym on one of our walks. My morning exercise routine thus expanded from a walk with the dog to include a workout at the gym. An hour of resistance training would burn around 360 calories. I would perform High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) two to three times a week. I usually did sprints on the treadmill (7 or more sprints of 30 to 45 seconds, which would burn around 200–300 calories in less than 15 minutes). Between the walks and the gym workout, the planned daily exercises would add up to around 860 to 1,060 calories on a given day, putting me well on target to achieving my TDEE target.

Second, I made adjustments to increase my non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). At work, I would walk over to talk to a colleague instead of making a phone call or sending an email. For external meetings, I would arrange for meetings to be held somewhere within walking distance of the office. I would try to move at least once or twice per hour, for example, to get a glass of water. I also made it a point to stand a lot more, for example when reading.

I also tried to move more when at home. I filled small bottles with drinking water so that I would have to get up at least every hour to get a refill. I would make more trips to the supermarket, walking there even if it was to buy one or two items. This past year, as I was working from home due to COVID-19, I would take a break every hour to play with the dog.

REDUCING CALORIC INTAKE

Does reducing caloric intake require the counting of calories? I will be honest — I enjoy counting calories. It combines my love of technology (trying out different apps) with my newfound interest in nutrition.

It can be a challenge at times, especially when it comes to estimating portion sizes. However, I found that learning to count calories helped me understand nutrition a lot better. For example, it still boggles my mind that a can of coke has 12 grams of sugar, or that a slice of pepperoni pizza has 12 grams of fat (much of it saturated), etc.

My suggestion is therefore to use a calorie tracker, at least for the initial phase of the nutrition plan. First, this helped me avoid situations where I thought I was in a caloric deficit but was actually in a caloric surplus due to foods and drinks that were not accounted for. For example, I realized that I had the tendency to forget to log alcohol intake, which often made the difference in my energy balance being positive rather than negative.

Second, it helped me develop a sense of the caloric content of the foods I ate. In the longer run, it equipped me with the ability to eat in a manner that would intuitively meet my broad caloric goals.

More important than counting calories, however, is improving the nutritional content of one’s diet. In my case, I focused first and foremost on eliminating added sugar and processed foods from my diet. Adapting Marie Kondo’s advice, I declared that these foods did not “spark joy” for me and had to be disposed of. I removed them from my home and made it a point not to buy such items at the supermarket. Soda thus disappeared from my life.

To counteract any withdrawal symptoms, I replaced unhealthy foods with healthier options. I substituted water for sodas, fruit for sugary snacks, and beans and nuts for processed foods. I found that eating healthy foods made it almost difficult to be in a caloric surplus, given the satiating nature of these high fiber foods.

I started cooking at home a lot more. Another advantage of using a calorie tracking app meant that I had an idea of the macronutrients and micronutrients that I needed to consume more or less of. I invariably needed more fiber, vitamins, and minerals (i.e. more vegetables, fruits, beans, and legumes), a little more protein, and almost no more fat. I soon figured out that it was easy to cook with very little oil and fat, even when it came to staples like curry, stir-fries, and pasta.

For me, the main challenge was the frequency with which I had work-related meal engagements. The first step was to switch most of my meal meetings to lunches instead of dinner. Not only do lunches tend to be lighter, but they also enabled me to reduce my alcohol intake. Eliminating work dinners also meant that I could cook at home more regularly and control what I was eating.

Next, I reviewed the restaurants that I had been using and discarded those whose food had too much saturated fat, added sugar, sodium, refined grains, red meat, etc. I also requested that the restaurants substitute their sugary desserts with something healthier for me, like fresh fruit or sorbet.

There are of course occasions when I would indulge in junk food, whether of the sugary or processed varieties. I still love chocolate, fried stuff, and pizza. However, I have generally limited my consumption of such items, typically to special occasions with friends and family.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My health and fitness goals have evolved along the way. After meeting my fat-loss goal of 20% within the first year, I set a new goal to further reduce my body fat to 15% in the second year. I am currently at around 12% and working towards 10%. My health indicators, such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure, have improved significantly and are in the optimal/desirable range. The journey has been so rewarding that I am embarking on a mid-life career change to work on fitness.

Here are 7 takeaways from my fat loss experience:

1. Reflect on your motivations for wanting to lose weight/fat.
2. Calculate your current energy balance. Have an idea of the size of the gap between your caloric intake and energy expenditure.
3. Fat loss will inevitably entail more exercise and better nutrition. The balance between the two depends on your circumstances and preferences.
4. For fat loss to be successful and sustainable, good habits will be essential.
5. Set yourself up for success. Identify your triggers; remove negative ones and introduce positive ones. Develop routines to support adherence. Reinforce your social support structures.
6. Habit-forming is a process of trial and error.
7. Maintain balance. Be encouraged by early gains but do not go overboard, especially with exercise. Conversely, do not be discouraged if progress is slow. Fat-loss is a process, not a destination.