I lost 13kg in weight and 10cm off each of my waist and hips in 3 months, without any exercise. Below is a step by step guide on how I achieved these results.

1. Which method did I use to lose weight fast?

I used the calorie deficit method of weight loss. By creating a calorie deficit, I consumed less calories in a day than the number of calories my body burnt.

2. How did I reach my goal weight by creating a calorie deficit?

My starting weight was 73kg, and my waist and hips measured at 70cm and 105cm respectively. To track my calorie intake, I followed the below steps.

Step 1. I downloaded MyFitnessPal application on my mobile and used the free version. In the ‘Goals’ section I populated my current weight and body measurements and set my goal weight. My activity level was set to ‘Not very Active’. I selected my weekly goal to ‘Lose 1kg per week’.

Step 2. In the ‘Diary’ section every day I was shown the calorie allowance I had for that day. For me it was automatically calculated based on the data I provided in Step 1 at 1,200 calories per day. Every day I inserted the food I consumed within the sections named ‘Breakfast’, ‘Lunch’, ‘Dinner’ and ‘Snacks’. When I inserted the type of food I ate, MyFitnessPal automatically calculated for that day how many calories I had left within the daily allowance.

Step 3. When logging food I was planning to eat, I inserted the data before eating the food. This way I could control how big of a portion and which type of food I could eat, to not go over my daily allowance. I would normally eat a smaller breakfast and a larger lunch and dinner. I also tracked all beverages I drunk because they normally have calories as well. I used a kitchen food scales to weigh my food, when MyFitnessPal required this data as part of calculating portion sizes. I used the Russell Hobbs food scales from Amazon click here.

Step 4. Once I reached my calorie allowance in any given day, I submitted the diary page for that day. MyFitnessPal displayed how many weeks I had left to reach my goal weight.

I scanned the bar code in MyFitnessPal of food and beverages I was about to consume, and it automatically calculated calories. Also, I used the search option to search for food and beverages. When I needed to insert home cooked meals, I typed in the search bar ‘homemade’. I tracked my calories anywhere I went, which sometimes meant I had to bring my food scales with me.

3. How did I track my progress? 

Since I started my weight loss, I tracked my progress on weekly basis. I followed the following steps.

Step 1. In the ‘Progress’ section of MyFitnessPal I inserted my weekly weight. To weigh myself I used the Salter bathroom scales from Amazon click here.

Step 2. In the same section I also inserted my weekly hips and waist measurements. To measure myself I used a fabric tape measure from Amazon click here. 

I was then able to see my progress via the graph in MyFitnessPal. Even during the maintenance stage as described in section 5 below, I used this function to track my ongoing progress.

4. How did I maintain my weight once I reached my goal weight? 

Once I reached my goal weight it was time to maintain it. My weight at this stage was 60kg and my waist measured at 60cm and hips at 95cm. Key factor during this stage is to start increasing daily calorie allowance slowly. I followed the following steps.

Step 1. In the ‘Goals’ section of MyFitnessPal, I set my ‘Weekly Goal’ to ‘Lose 0.2kg per week’. This increased my daily calorie allowance by 240 calories from 1,200, which I have been consuming to date. I followed this calorie allowance for 2 weeks. I was eating 1,440 calories per day. Reason I picked to lose 0.2kg is because other options available in between would have retained my daily calorie allowance at 1,200.

Step 2. Then, I set my ‘Weekly Goal’ to ‘Maintain weight’. This increased my daily calorie allowance by another 280 calories. I continued to track my calorie intake on MyFitnessPal for 1 month. I was eating 1,720 calories per day.

Step 3. It was time to stop tracking calories on MyFitnessPal. By this stage I could roughly tell how big my portions should be and how much of certain foods I could consume each day to avoid going over my daily calorie allowance.

During the maintenance stage, I did not weigh or measure myself. I weighed and measured myself 2 months after Step 3. By this time my body adjusted to eating the number of calories required to maintain weight. Thereafter, I continued to weigh and measure myself on monthly basis to ensure I have not gained weight.

Disclaimer. I am not a health professional, and the aim of this post is to only set out my personal experience losing weight.