My 2020 Diet

My 2020 diet was my second major weight-loss diet and began on May 10, 2020, at a measured weight of 87.5 kg (192.9 lb). It followed an important lesson from my first diet: successfully losing weight and maintaining that lower weight were two different challenges.

I had completed my 2019 diet on August 30 at 70.5 kg (155.4 lb). At the time, I largely viewed dieting as a one-time process—once I had lost the weight, I assumed that the lower weight would remain without requiring a deliberate maintenance strategy. Over the following approximately 8.5 months, however, my weight increased by 17.0 kg (37.5 lb), bringing me to 87.5 kg by the beginning of my 2020 diet.

That experience changed the way I thought about weight management. The challenge was no longer simply whether I could lose a substantial amount of weight—I had already demonstrated that in 2019. I also needed to recognize that reaching a target weight did not automatically mean that the result would maintain itself afterward.

I therefore began another weight-loss period in May 2020, again recording my weight and daily activity throughout the process. The sections below document the results of the diet, what I learned about weight maintenance, my daily activity, weight progression, and complete recorded data.

Diet Summary

Over the 117 days of my 2020 diet, my measured weight decreased by 11.9 kg (26.2 lb), from 87.5 kg (192.9 lb) to 75.6 kg (166.7 lb). This corresponds to an average weight loss of approximately 102 g (0.22 lb) per day, or 0.712 kg (1.57 lb) per week.

BeginningEnd
DateMay 10, 2020September 3, 2020
Weight (kg)87.5 kg75.6 kg
Weight (lb)192.9 lb166.7 lb
BMI28.5724.69

Overall Result

Duration117 days
Total Weight Loss11.9 kg (26.2 lb)
Average Daily Weight Loss102 g/day (0.22 lb/day)
Average Weekly Weight Loss0.712 kg/week (1.57 lb/week)

Learning About Weight Maintenance

Completing my first diet in 2019 taught me that I could successfully lose a substantial amount of weight. What I had not yet learned was how important the period after a diet could be.

When my 2019 diet ended, I did not have a deliberate strategy for maintaining my lower weight. I had largely thought of dieting as a temporary process: lose the excess weight, finish the diet, and then return to normal life. Over the following approximately 8.5 months, my weight increased from 70.5 kg (155.4 lb) to 87.5 kg (192.9 lb), a gain of 17.0 kg (37.5 lb).

That experience showed me an important distinction between weight loss and weight maintenance. Reaching a lower weight did not mean that the new weight would automatically remain stable. Losing weight was one challenge; maintaining the result afterward was another.

My 2020 diet therefore began with a different understanding from my first diet. I was once again trying to reduce my weight, but I now knew that completing a successful diet was not, by itself, the end of weight management. The experience between my 2019 and 2020 diets made long-term maintenance an important part of how I would think about weight management going forward.

Daily Activity

Physical activity was an important part of my 2020 diet, and I recorded my total number of steps each day. Unlike my 2019 diet, when my activity consisted primarily of walking, in 2020 I was also training for running. My daily step totals therefore included both walking and running. As a result, the lower number of daily steps compared with 2019 should not necessarily be interpreted as a lower overall level of physical activity, since some of those steps were completed while running rather than walking.

Across the 117-day period, I averaged approximately 13,636 steps per day. My monthly averages were: Month 1 — 13,763 steps/day; Month 2 — 14,012 steps/day; Month 3 — 13,777 steps/day; and Month 4 — 12,923 steps/day.

The graph below shows my daily steps together with the average for each period. My activity remained relatively consistent across the first three months, with monthly averages close to 14,000 steps per day, before decreasing somewhat during Month 4.

Weight Progression

My measured weight decreased substantially throughout the 2020 diet, although the daily measurements naturally fluctuated along the way. The following graphs show my complete weight progression over the 117-day period in kilograms, pounds, and BMI.

Weight in Kilograms

The graph below shows my recorded weight in kilograms throughout the diet, from 87.5 kg at the beginning to 75.6 kg at the end.

Weight in Pounds

The same weight progression is shown below in pounds, from 192.9 lb at the beginning to 166.7 lb at the end.

BMI

My BMI decreased from 28.57 at the beginning of the diet to 24.69 by the end. The graph below shows how my BMI changed throughout the 117-day period.

Results

Over the 117 days of my 2020 diet, my measured weight decreased from 87.5 kg (192.9 lb) to 75.6 kg (166.7 lb), a total loss of 11.9 kg (26.2 lb). My BMI decreased from 28.57 to 24.69, while my average rate of weight loss across the entire period was approximately 0.712 kg (1.57 lb) per week.

Throughout the diet, I averaged approximately 13,636 steps per day. Unlike my 2019 diet, however, my activity in 2020 included running training as well as walking. The lower average number of daily steps compared with 2019 therefore should not necessarily be interpreted as a lower overall level of physical activity.

The 2020 diet successfully reversed much of the weight I had gained after completing my first diet in 2019. More importantly, the experience leading into this diet changed my understanding of weight management. Losing weight and maintaining a lower weight were not the same challenge, and successfully reaching a target weight did not mean that the result would automatically remain without continued attention to weight maintenance.

By the end of the diet, I had returned to a BMI below 25 while continuing my running training. The 2020 diet therefore represented both another substantial period of weight loss and an important step in developing a longer-term understanding of how I needed to manage my weight.

Complete Daily Data

The table below contains the complete daily dataset from my 2020 diet. It includes my recorded weight in kilograms and pounds, BMI, and daily steps throughout the 117-day period.

The graphs and results presented above were generated from this dataset. Expand the table below to view the complete daily record.

View Complete Daily Data

DayDateWeight (kg)Weight (lb)BMIDaily Steps
Thursday09/03/202075.6166.724.722766
Wednesday09/02/202075.7166.924.719598
Tuesday09/01/202075.9167.324.814884
Monday08/31/202076.5168.725.06248
Sunday08/30/202076.1167.824.811885
Saturday08/29/202076.2168.024.919812
Friday08/28/202076.5168.725.013605
Thursday08/27/202077.6171.125.320476
Wednesday08/26/202076.1167.824.811561
Tuesday08/25/202076.2168.024.911654
Monday08/24/202076.7169.125.014455
Sunday08/23/202076.5168.725.015601
Saturday08/22/202076.6168.925.020250
Friday08/21/202077.1170.025.29161
Thursday08/20/202077.1170.025.210478
Wednesday08/19/202077.8171.525.410244
Tuesday08/18/202076.6168.925.00
Monday08/17/202077.3170.425.24774
Sunday08/16/202077.4170.625.319376
Saturday08/15/202077169.825.16270
Friday08/14/202077.3170.425.220698
Thursday08/13/202077.4170.625.315929
Wednesday08/12/202078.1172.225.55109
Tuesday08/11/202077.1170.025.217146
Monday08/10/202077.8171.525.420677
Sunday08/09/202077.8171.525.40
Saturday08/08/202077.4170.625.36261
Friday08/07/202077.1170.025.217623
Thursday08/06/202078.2172.425.519310
Wednesday08/05/202078.4172.825.65449
Tuesday08/04/202078172.025.522964
Monday08/03/202078.4172.825.67002
Sunday08/02/202078.7173.525.721053
Saturday08/01/202078.4172.825.60
Friday07/31/202078.9173.925.818039
Thursday07/30/202079.1174.425.818619
Wednesday07/29/202078.5173.125.65659
Tuesday07/28/202078.5173.125.615278
Monday07/27/202079.3174.825.916045
Sunday07/26/202079.4175.025.919187
Saturday07/25/202078.9173.925.817116
Friday07/24/202079.3174.825.915742
Thursday07/23/202079.7175.726.010143
Wednesday07/22/202079.8175.926.118742
Tuesday07/21/202079.8175.926.116120
Monday07/20/202079.4175.025.99198
Sunday07/19/202079174.225.819318
Saturday07/18/202079.8175.926.110098
Friday07/17/202079.1174.425.810241
Thursday07/16/202080176.426.10
Wednesday07/15/202079.8175.926.19399
Tuesday07/14/202080176.426.16748
Monday07/13/202080.5177.526.315434
Sunday07/12/202079.2174.625.915,575
Saturday07/11/202079.7175.726.021,310
Friday07/10/202080.3177.026.216,090
Thursday07/09/202080.4177.326.315,808
Wednesday07/08/202080.3177.026.216,717
Tuesday07/07/202080.3177.026.216,285
Monday07/06/202081.1178.826.516,254
Sunday07/05/202080.9178.426.40
Saturday07/04/202081.2179.026.50
Friday07/03/202080.5177.526.316,125
Thursday07/02/202080.3177.026.216,298
Wednesday07/01/202079.6175.526.07,974
Tuesday06/30/202079.6175.526.014,976
Monday06/29/202080.8178.126.416,150
Sunday06/28/202080.8178.126.416,966
Saturday06/27/202081.3179.226.516,459
Friday06/26/202081.1178.826.516,500
Thursday06/25/202080.4177.326.35,400
Wednesday06/24/202081.7180.126.715,756
Tuesday06/23/202080.9178.426.416,406
Monday06/22/202081.5179.726.612,271
Sunday06/21/202082.3181.426.921,517
Saturday06/20/202082.3181.426.916,572
Friday06/19/202081.8180.326.710,523
Thursday06/18/202082.3181.426.916,059
Wednesday06/17/202082.7182.327.015,763
Tuesday06/16/202081.8180.326.77,397
Monday06/15/202082.2181.226.816,263
Sunday06/14/202083.2183.427.217,110
Saturday06/13/202084185.227.418,479
Friday06/12/202083.9185.027.416,195
Thursday06/11/202082.3181.426.910,715
Wednesday06/10/202083.5184.127.316,997
Tuesday06/09/202083.2183.427.216,232
Monday06/08/202083.8184.727.45,650
Sunday06/07/202083.6184.327.312,879
Saturday06/06/202083.8184.727.416,147
Friday06/05/202083.6184.327.315,718
Thursday06/04/202083.2183.427.20
Wednesday06/03/202084.3185.827.514,254
Tuesday06/02/202083.3183.627.210,605
Monday06/01/202083.8184.727.410,615
Sunday05/31/202084.4186.127.618,345
Saturday05/30/202084.4186.127.614,933
Friday05/29/202084.1185.427.510,402
Thursday05/28/202084.4186.127.618,243
Wednesday05/27/202085.2187.827.818,351
Tuesday05/26/202085.4188.327.915,270
Monday05/25/202085.4188.327.916,762
Sunday05/24/202085.4188.327.916,165
Saturday05/23/202085.9189.428.09,527
Friday05/22/202085.9189.428.019,638
Thursday05/21/202086.8191.428.39,109
Wednesday05/20/202086.1189.828.115,173
Tuesday05/19/202085.9189.428.015,157
Monday05/18/202085.9189.428.015,345
Sunday05/17/202086.3190.328.215,463
Saturday05/16/202087.1192.028.415,460
Friday05/15/202086.9191.628.416,331
Thursday05/14/202087.6193.128.615,758
Wednesday05/13/202087.6193.128.614,897
Tuesday05/12/202088.1194.228.813,857
Monday05/11/202087.5192.928.611,457
Sunday05/10/202087.5192.928.611,368