How to attain and maintain the weight you want
- Bob
- Aug 20, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 17
In college, and for a few years after college, I was trying to put on weight to hit my target goal. After a lot of effort, I finally reached that goal. Shortly after that, my goal was exceeded. And over some years, you can say I overachieved. All in all, I was 25% over my ideal weight. Bringing this percentage down was more challenging than I thought it would be. I believe a large population of us have encountered the same problem.
Hitting the gym more frequently and spending extra time doing cardio did have some positive effects in bringing my weight back down but the progress hit a plateau at some point. It seemed like my weight would fluctuate around this new normal weight and my workouts were having little impact. My metabolism must have slowed down as I've heard people talk about as we age, and this might be the weight I should get accustomed to now. I didn't think my weight would significantly drop until I did the following:
I returned to my "normal" diet after that and slowly gained some weight back. After a few weeks, I thought I would try again. This second time around, I added an eating window to about 8 hours. When you limit your eating window, you are essentially doing a mini-fast each day which is also known as intermittent fasting. My weight was shedding pretty dramatically. It seemed like it might have been a couple pounds each day after day 3-4. At some point, I was reaching a weight that was lower than what I desired. I was getting close to my high school weight which is much lower than my ideal.
I now have a weekly diet that I adhere to that works for me. I do eat carbs on a weekly basis now and that is for two reasons: 1) to swear off carbs and sugar completely is just not fun; and if something is too strict or limiting to a person, the person may not stick to it. 2) to maintain some weight so that I'm at my ideal target weight without being too heavy or too light. This is what I do now:
Then I'll start the week over again. And depending on how my body is doing, I may adjust and add an additional vegetarian day or something else beyond that Friday. Every person and every type of body is different; and each may have a different target goal. Even the same body at a different age or a different season may have different needs. I keep it flexible, and I also believe the best diet plan is one that a person can be consistent with and stick to. With this flexibility, I've been able to keep my weight at an ideal targeted range for over a few years.
Lastly, I'll add that the keto diet & the paleo diet commonly contains a lot of red meat. A lot of research studies suggest the "blue zone" areas, where they have the most people that are able to age beyond 100, often minimize their intake of red meat. So, the protein I try to take in between Tuesday and Friday are often fish, some chicken, and other plant-based protein.
Disclaimer: Educational content only, based on my personal experience. Not medical or nutritional advice. Individual results vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary or lifestyle changes—especially if you have a medical condition, a history of disordered eating, or are taking medication.
