HOW I LOST 50,5 KGS IN 5 MONTHS AND 5 DAYS

A HISTORY OF 1061 DAYS OF FAILURES AND A PATH TO SUCCESS

PIOTR KONOPKA

www.50kg.pl

Table of contents

Introduction

The story of my dietary failures

A little theory about weight loss

Caloric deficit

Calorie counting

Physical activity

Drinking water

What to want - motivation

Caloric deficit - my approach

Hunger mode

How many kcal do you need to survive?

Rate of weight loss

Food shopping in practice

Achieving a caloric deficit in practice is difficult.

Portion sizes and food prices for a 1-person and 4-person family

Eating disorders and substantial portions of food

XL portions in shops

Dr Kwasniewski's diet (optimal diet)

Pharmacological support - Meridia

Boxed diet

Introduction to boxes - convenient and healthy food solutions

Types of boxed diets

Calories and portions in diet boxes

Taste of food in diet boxes

Variety in diet boxes

How they take care of deliveries

How they take care of the after-sales service

Only some things are always perfect.

How about a stomach resection? About gastrectomy

Gastrectomy to lose extreme weight.

Benefits of gastrectomy

Risks of bariatric surgery

Types of gastrectomy

Pre-operative preparations

Recovery

Long-term results after treatment

Changing eating habits after sleeve gastrectomy

Prices for bariatric surgery

Surgery under the National Health Fund

The vision of losing 50 kg through surgery and a slow process resulting from life changes

Fear of surgery and fear of lack of results from a regular diet

Positive examples of bariatric surgery - Tomasz Sekielski and Mateusz Borkowski (a.k.a. Big Boy)

Concerns of patients and potential patients

Why do people give up before treatment?

My first systemic approach to losing weight - #10000steps.

The book "One Thing" by Gary Keller

Rule of 66 days

Regular walking 10,000 steps

But why?

Regularity and consistency

Lifestyle change with support from family and friends.

Boredom during a walk

Gamification is an element that brings it all together.

Endomondo and Facebook

What is the result of this approach?

A second approach to losing weight – is diet and weight loss assistance.

Victor

Grzesiek - weight loss assistant

Healthy Diet and Cheat's Days

Water

Take-off time

The end and the yo-yo effect

Depression and negative changes in daily life

How depression can lead to extremely overweight

What about clothes?

Stress scale

An important change in personal life

A psychiatrist is no shame.

Support from family and friends

Change order

Weight

Potential health problems

Tom's comment

Sex

Self-esteem

Work and business

Swine comments by fatphobes

Daily life

Enough of that!

Wrapping up in July 2022

Inspirations

Support from relatives

Farewell to depression and the start of the transformation.

Approach 3 and last

Excuses - why not eat properly or go for a walk?

Weight loss assistance vs habits

Weight loss assistant vs being alone.

Why a weight loss assistant should be a stranger.

Price of the assistant's service

Action plan

Objective

Calorie counting and dieting.

Suvibox boxed diet

Ease of diet selection and ordering

Taste

Boredom

Evaluations

Moneybox

Prices

How was it with my calories?

Hunger attacks

Cheat's Day

Cheat Day - scenario 1

Cheat Day - scenario 2 (my approach)

Alcohol

Traffic

Walking

Water

Application

Drinking water

Fake isotonic drinks and flavoured water

Own internal gamification and regularity

Book One

Taking measurements

Taking pictures

Steps

Stepler

Dietly and Suvibox

Samsung's challenges

Applications on your phone

Some hardware

Shoes

Costume

Weight

Smart band

What to do while walking

Music

Audiobooks, Audible and the English language

Health

Internist

Nutritionist

Cardiologist

Diabetologist

Mental health

What's next for high school graduates?

What has been achieved?

What else is left?

Your action plan.

Action plan

Checklist

Summary

Introduction

This is not a book written by a superhero for superheroes. I have made mistakes, strayed from the path, and could be better. And you probably aren't, either. And do you know what, that's OK? That's human. But it's also human to grow and learn from your mistakes. So, let's learn together.

I've always been fatter than other kids (I was the one who stood in goal during a football game as a kid), and as of around 2016, I weighed 140 kg (sometimes a little less - you'll read about that in this book too). I've always been in good shape - going to the pool, cycling, running. But on 18th July 2022, I reached my peak weight – 155 kg. As I write the words of this introduction, I weigh 95 kg, which means I have lost 60 kilograms evenly.

This book is a record of my story. I won't describe my life, but I will discuss almost four years. It will be about success but also the road to it. The first part concerns the period from 23rd August 2019 to 18th July 2022. That is 1061 days, which can be seen as a period of failure. Or (to paraphrase Thomas Edison), it was a period in which I discovered 1061 ways to lose weight that didn't work. The second part is the 158 days (the eponymous five months and five days), during which, using the lessons I learned, I changed my life and lost 50.5 kg.

I thought it would miss the point a little to write another guide without a light grounding in fact and theory. So here, you will find a little approach to justify my decisions and choices.

The first chapter is a story of my failures, underpinned by both theoretical knowledge and lessons learned from what didn't work in a particular case. There will be some formulae for counting calories, and I will mention caloric deficit and where weight loss comes from in general. I will describe issues related to drinking water or the rate of weight loss. You will learn something about shopping habits and sizeable portions of food. You can read descriptions of risky or miraculous ideas for losing weight using Dr Kwasniewski's diet or pharmacological support. Finally, I will introduce the topic of boxed diets.

The second chapter is devoted entirely to the radical idea of gastrectomy - if something is not working, perhaps drastic and irreversible measures are needed. I describe the pros and cons of such an idea. I show my thinking in deciding related to such a procedure.

In the third chapter, we move firmly into my real-life story. I will touch on regularity issues and how changing how we move or eat is relatively simple. It will be about physical activity. I'll also describe my thoughts on gamification, which allows me to pin this down.

The next chapter introduces diet, calorie counting and the support of those around me in my story - those closest to me and strangers supplying their expertise, whom I paid for their work and commitment.

Then, I will touch on depression or physical and mental well-being. It will be about health and doctors. I won't leave out issues related to other people's opinions or what it's like to live to be fat.

In the sixth chapter, you can move on to the element everyone is waiting for: the transformation. You will read about my inspiration and motivation. You will read about how I decided to start again. You will also find a description of how you can achieve your resolution with the support of a weight loss assistant.

And at the end, you will have a ready-made manual for the complete process. You will read an action plan with practical and ready-made hints on how to go about each step.

Because you know - I've repeatedly attempted to lose weight, BUT I've somewhat pointlessly funded myself with something I don't like. My unsuccessful approaches to weight loss can be described as this.

"Think about what you hate to eat. Maybe it will be the string beans your mum forced on you as a child. Or the rice on milk that your nursery school Sunshine used to torture you with. Or maybe jelly, which you somehow always associate with alien glutes? OK - let it be jelly. Now imagine that for some mysterious reason (maybe masochism, I don't know), you will eat it every day. For the rest of your life. No matter what. I used to do that too. I'll admit something to you - I hate running, yet on my first instinct, I decided “it will be my sport” (making me lose weight). My sport forever. To the end of my life. And - oh my goodness - I quickly decided it was possible, as my life lasted a few more weeks."

I used the box diet for the first time in 2004 or 2005. To this day, I remember the crab sticks, which were yucky because they tasted like styrofoam mixed with paper. Because work was essential to me for many years, I was always on the run, always living in a time crunch. This meant I didn't have breakfast, rarely had time for lunch during the day and had one big meal at the end of the day.

Of course, it wasn't that I ate healthily. Hunger, overeating and a weakness for pizza and other delicacies (pistachios are my Nemesis) did their job. Of alcohol, I liked beer, which was also not conducive to weight loss. Instead of water, I drank sweetened fizzy drinks (admittedly with aspartame or acesulfame) but didn’t drink itself.

I kept up my physical condition in spurts. If I went to the gym, pool or bike, I would work out to death. But as soon as I took a break, I forgot that there was such a thing as regular exercise. I had an adventure with pharmacological support - I used Meridia to lose weight.

To lose weight, I had to become depressed and severely obese. Sometimes people with depression say they woke up driving a car into a head-on collision. I feel like I woke up in the coffin with a pizza box in my hand.

The fact that I have lost and continue to lose weight results from the sum of my experiences and not a magical transformation. This is only a book for some. I am not a doctor, although doctors do appear in it. This is not a book to diagnose endocrine disorders or other illnesses (see a doctor about those!). I will not help you all. But I would be happy if at least a few people would receive help from my story. I have a circle of people supporting me, so I am lucky. Some people are not so fortunate. But it is then worth seeking help from professionals (psychotherapists, psychologists) who can help in such a situation.

But if my experiences will help at least one person - it is worth sharing such knowledge. That is why this book was written.

The story of my dietary failures

I can probably write my master's thesis at the AWF (Academy of Physical Education) on weight loss, diets, gym attendance, and regular sports. I would probably get a good grade in it. In this chapter, I would like to describe what I have gone through during my life so that you do not have to make the same mistakes and, instead of many years of trying or failing, you manage in one go.

The sum of the lessons I learned from my failures and attempts made me achieve my long-awaited success in 2022 - I lost 50.5 kg in 5 months and five days (at the time I am writing these words, it is about 60 kg, and I weigh about 95 kg).

A little theory about weight loss

I will describe some important elements from a practical point of view that are quite theoretical. I can only imagine losing weight without understanding them (or at least just noting that they exist). From a biological point of view, losing weight involves using stored fat in the body to produce energy. When the body needs energy (like thinking, breathing, and moving) and there is a calorie deficit, it turns to stored fat as an energy source. This stored fat is broken down into smaller molecules called fatty acids, which are then transported to the cells and converted into energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).¹

It is a complex process that involves many metabolic pathways and hormonal signals. Still, the basic idea is that the body uses stored fat as an energy source when calorie intake is lower than calorie expenditure (i.e. when we consume more than we eat).

Caloric deficit

Losing weight is not just about restricting food.

It is a complex process that involves understanding the science behind weight loss and making healthy choices. One of the most important concepts in weight loss is the idea of a calorie deficit.

However, many people struggle to create a calorie deficit because they don't understand how to track their calorie intake properly. So, I will briefly describe the basics of calorie counting, how to count your daily calorie requirements and add tips on making healthy choices to help you achieve a calorie deficit.

It's also worth considering not going too extreme with calorie restriction, as this can lead to nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss and a slower metabolism. Instead, I would focus on finding a sustainable calorie deficit that allows you to lose weight slowly and steadily while keeping good health.²

What I've tried all my life and what hasn't worked (in my story, you'll learn why these things don't work on their own):

Eating less often (1-2 meals a day)

Boxed diets

Kwasniewski diet (optimal)

Skipping meals

Giving up sugar and replacing them with sweeteners

Hunger strikes and fasting.

Swapping regular foods for light versions

And many other ways

All of them should have worked better. Even when losing 20 or 25 kg each, I would gain weight quickly after giving up another miracle diet. The so-called yo-yo effect on the full.... This was because I was falling back into unsuitable eating habits.

Calorie counting

Calorie counting is tracking the number of calories consumed throughout the day. The aim is to keep a balance between calories consumed and calories burned through physical activity. Everyone determines their energy needs based on age, gender, weight, height, and physical activity. A young, active man going to the gym needs more energy to live than a woman looking after her grandchildren and home who is not physically active.

You should keep track of the calories in the food and drinks you consume, usually using a food diary, mobile app, or online database. The goal of calorie counting can be to keep, lose, or gain weight, depending on your needs and goals.

Of course, I have tried many times to count the calories I absorb every day. I know perfectly well that a Piatnica country cheese has 200 grams and 194 kcal, and t an orange juice has 40 kcal in 100 ml. The average European pizza at Pizza Hut has 1707 kcal and weighs 649 grams, and a fried breaded pork loin has about 400 kcal.

This knowledge has yet to help you lose weight. Because it turns out that losing weight is not just about restricting calories 😉.

Physical activity

In addition to creating a calorie deficit through diet, physical activity is the other crucial element of successful weight loss. When you exercise, you burn extra calories, which can help create a larger calorie deficit and accelerate weight loss.

Many people who struggle with extreme obesity may struggle to undertake physical activity. That's why starting slowly and gradually increasing your training is important. I'll talk about what I've done to make this physical activity as regular as possible so that it doesn't get in the way or require too many sacrifices. ³

I will describe the process of finding an exercise routine that didn't make me uncomfortable and that I could maintain over time. Physical activity became a regular part of my transformation and not just a temporary change, which I encourage you to do to have tried it many times in the past:

run (I managed to run 15 km each and quite recently - in 2019 or 2020)

walk - my longest walk was about 64,000 steps, but on the other hand, I also had a record for the minimum number of steps, which was 23 steps in 1 day.

ride my bike - I have cycled 100 km and more times. My record is a trip from Kielce to Krzyżtopór Castle and back. The route was 125 km and took place on the 18th of July 2020.

go to the gym regularly.

go to the swimming pool.

I failed every time, even if I managed to stay physically active for a long time. I made many attempts, but they were mostly spurts - sometimes lasting 5-6 months of daily workouts. But each time, I felt that in a week or two, if I lost weight, I still wouldn't have to treat physical activity as something natural, like part of my daily schedule (like brushing my teeth, for example).

You can read recommendations to take 10,000 steps a day in many places⁴. The 10,000 steps standard as a measure of daily physical activity is relatively arbitrary and originated from a marketing campaign in Japan in the 1960s. The aim was to encourage people to be more active and was based on the average number of steps taken per day by a healthy Japanese person. It has since been widely adopted as a general guideline for healthy levels of physical activity, with the idea that achieving 10,000 steps per day can lead to increased fitness, improved health, and a reduced risk of chronic disease. However, no scientific evidence supports 10000 steps as a specific goal, and the number may vary depending on factors such as age, gender, and fitness level.

Drinking water

Whenever I was losing weight, I always had the message in my mind that I shouldn't get dehydrated. However, I should have taken a more systemic approach. Although diet and physical activity are the main drivers of weight loss, other factors such as hydration and sleep also play a vital role.

Water makes up a sizeable proportion of the human body, ranging from 45-75% of body weight, with an average of 60% in normal-weight adults. It is considered an essential nutrient because the body cannot produce it. Water requirements are calculated on body weight but depend on age, gender, physical activity, climate, diet, and health.

According to the Institute of Food and Nutrition, sufficient water intake for adults (weighing an average - importantly) is 2500 ml for men, 2000 ml for women, 2300 ml for pregnant women and 2700 ml for lactating women. But it should be remembered that an adult needs around 35 ml of water per kilogram of body weight. Medication alcohol, caffeine, protein, fibre, and sodium intake can increase water requirements.

Water is a key part of the weight loss process from a biological point of view, as it helps to regulate the body's metabolic processes, especially during fat loss and CO2 excretion. During fat metabolism, the body breaks down stored fat molecules into fatty acids and glycerol, releasing energy as ATP⁵. This process also produces waste products, including CO2, which must be eliminated from the body. Drinking enough water helps flush out these waste products, ensuring that they do not build up and damage the body's internal organs.

To burn fat while supplying the necessary energy, there needs to be plenty of water in the body. Water is essential for hydration and helps keep a healthy fluid balance. Dehydration can slow the metabolism and negatively affect the body's ability to burn fat and exhale CO2, making it difficult to lose weight. Drinking enough water also helps prevent fluid retention, which can cause bloating and affect the accuracy of weight measurements.

My parents had (since I was four years old) a soda company. Therefore, it was easier at home to drink CO2 soda, sweetened first with sugar and then with sweeteners, than water (for a child, soda was sweet and more attractive). I drank little water in general, more often in the form of tea. Later, I drank coffee and fizzy drinks instead of tea. But the water itself was still scarce.

It is crucial to supply the body with sufficient water to support the metabolic processes and ensure it is hydrated and healthy. In weight loss, fatty acids are broken down into carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, while oxygen combines with carbon to form carbon dioxide (CO2). This CO2 is exhaled through the lungs, reducing fat and weight.

Therefore, the weight loss process can be understood as converting stored fat into energy, which produces CO2 and its subsequent excretion from the body through the lungs. That is, fat is 'exhaled' with the air during exercise. This is a critical point to understand what a great mental shortcut "fat burning" is. There is no point in going into too much detail, although this book is quite 'engineering' anyway. But you can pull in a bit on the chemical law of conservation of mass. Reach out to this video from the TEDx Talks series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE

What to want - motivation

Because I have always been fat, diets, yo-yo effects, and weight loss have always been with me. However, I'm an introvert and better at independent sports or activities, so losing weight wasn’t easy. I don't know how many times I've made attempts related to losing excess weight, but it wasn't until the last effort that I succeeded.

Losing weight is a difficult journey, and it is important to be prepared for the obstacles and setbacks you will meet. I will describe my steps for staying motivated and overcoming common barriers such as boredom with diets and exercise routines, stress, and social pressure.

I'll also talk about your support system, whether through a weight loss group, friend, or coach and how having a support system can help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

Caloric deficit - my approach

As I wrote earlier - a caloric deficit is a state that occurs when the number of calories I burn through daily activities and exercise is greater than the number of calories provided through food and drink. This means the body uses stored fat as energy, leading to weight loss.

A caloric deficit⁶ is a fundamental principle of weight loss and can be achieved by reducing calorie intake (diet), increasing physical activity (exercise) or a combination of both. To keep a healthy weight, finding a balanced caloric deficit that allows for gradual weight loss while providing the body with sufficient energy and essential nutrients is important.

Here are the basic principles of calorie deficit weight loss:

Decide your daily calorie requirements based on age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. Once you know your daily calorie requirements, you can figure out the number of calories you need to consume to create a calorie deficit and promote weight loss.

Track your food intake: Keeping a food diary or using a food tracking app can help you check your calorie intake and ensure you stick to your desired deficit.

Reduce your calorie intake: To create a calorie deficit, you must reduce your calorie intake. This can be done by eating smaller portions, choosing low-calorie foods, and avoiding high-calorie snacks and drinks.

Increase physical activity: Besides reducing calorie intake, increasing physical activity can help create a calorie deficit and promote weight loss. This can be achieved through regular exercise such as brisk walking, running, cycling or weight training.

Maintain balance: While a calorie deficit is crucial for weight loss, keeping a healthy balance of nutrients is also important. Ensure you eat various nutrient-rich foods, including fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

Be consistent: Weight loss is a gradual process, so it is important to be compatible with your calorie deficit and physical activity over time. Avoid crash diets and fad weight loss methods, as they are unsustainable and can hurt your health.

A caloric deficit generally occurs when you burn more calories than you consume.⁷

To lose 1 kilogram, consume 7000 kcal more than you ate⁸. The speed of this process decides the rate of your weight loss. When your body is in a calorie deficit, it uses stored fat as energy, leading to weight loss. This is the simple but effective principle behind successful weight loss. But remember that you can also lose muscle and not just fat (especially if you are in starvation mode).

Theoretically, if you can burn 7,000 kcal in one day more than you ate, you could lose 1 kg daily. But this isn’t easy to achieve. By following these basic principles of calorie deficit weight loss, you can achieve your weight loss goals safely and sustainably.

Additionally, losing weight is easier when you weigh 155 kg than 68 kg. The basis from which we start is different. It is paradoxically easier for fatter people to lose 1 kg than slimmer people.

Hunger mode⁹

Have you ever had that situation where you were on a diet but not losing weight? Because I have. And many times. I used to have no idea why this was happening.

We believe the human body has a defence mechanism called 'starvation mode'¹⁰, which kicks in when it receives a small number of calories over an extended period. When this happens, the body slows down its metabolism to conserve energy, making it difficult for a person to lose weight (you will find a description of the complete process in the footnotes - it is not as simple as a few sentences in this book). This is why it is important not to starve yourself.

Starvation mode can lead to a plateau in weight loss and even weight gain, as the body stores fat instead of burning it.

This is why a balanced and nutritious diet and regular physical activity are essential for successful and sustainable weight loss. A professional trainer or nutritionist can help create a personalised diet plan tailored to a person's individual needs and goals, ensuring that they get the right amount of nutrients, leading to weight loss without triggering starvation mode.

How does hunger mode¹¹ work in practice? Of course, I'm writing from my own experience... You don't eat breakfast before work. At work, you grab some fruit (maybe 200 kcal). You feel hungry and tired all the time. But you're on a diet - that's what the advice books tell you to do. You go home. In the evening, you eat one meal of 1200 kcal. On the following days, you repeat the process. You weigh yourself after a week - and button with a loop. You haven't lost any weight.

How many kcal do you need to survive?

What I have learned over the years of approaching diets and weight loss ideas is related to two concepts.

Let's start with Basal Metabolic Rate (PPM, or BMR - basal metabolic rate...¹² ). This is the amount of energy (measured in calories) the body needs to perform its basic functions, such as respiration, circulation, and cell production at rest. It is considered the smallest energy necessary to keep the body functioning at rest. PPM is a key factor in deciding a person's daily energy expenditure and plays a key role in weight management, as it affects the number of calories a person needs to consume to keep or lose weight. Age, gender, body size, body composition and hormones can affect a person's PPM. It is also important to remember that PPM is only a small part of a person's total daily energy expenditure, as physical activity, the thermal effect of food and other metabolic processes also contribute to the overall daily energy requirement.

How to count PPM? There are many calculators on the internet, and there are also many methods for estimating PPM. One of these is the Harris-Benedict formula¹³. This is a formula used to calculate a person's daily caloric requirements. It considers age, height, weight, and activity level to estimate the calories needed to maintain current weight. The original Harris-Benedict equation was published in 1919. This method is considered one of the earliest and simplest methods of figuring out calorie requirements and is still widely used today. To apply the Harris-Benedict method, a person's basal metabolic rate (PPM) is first calculated and then adjusted for activity levels to estimate total daily energy expenditure (TDEE / TMR / CPM). PPM is calculated based on gender, height, weight and age, and CPM is calculated by multiplying TMR by a factor based on activity level.

Although the Harris-Benedict method is simple, it may be partially exact for people with elevated physical activity levels. It may overestimate calorie requirements for some individuals. PPM is calculated based on a person's height, weight, age, and gender:

For men, the BMR formula is: BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.75 x age in years)

For women, the formula is: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.85 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age in years)

It is important to remember that the Harris-Benedict formula is only an estimate of PPM¹⁴ and may not be 100% correct for every person. Other factors such as body composition, genetics and metabolism can also play a role in figuring out PPM.

According to the calculator here https://dietetykpro.pl/kalkulatory/ppm-harris-benedict, my PPM at peak weight was 2763.40 kcal. This means that just living, circulating, breathing, and blinking my eyes required an energy input of over 2700 kcal daily.

But that's not all. After all, what about sitting, walking, washing, thinking at work and other activities during the day? The CPM (Total Metabolic Rate / Total Daily Energy Expenditure TDEE / Total Metabolic Rate TMR ) is used for this. The Harris-Benedict formula is the method used to calculate CPM. The Harris-Benedict formula calculates CPM by multiplying a person's PPM by a factor that considers their level of physical activity.

Once the PPM has been calculated, it is multiplied by a factor that stands for a person's level of physical activity. This factor can range from 1.2 (for those with a sedentary lifestyle) to 1.9 (for those with exceedingly elevated levels of physical activity). The final calculation gives an estimate of CPM, which can be used to make dietary decisions and check weight changes.

According to the calculator here, https://dietetykpro.pl/kalkulatory/cpm, my total metabolism CPM in July 2022 was 3868.76 kcal (with low physical activity). And that was the start of my thinking.

Rate of weight loss

The rate of weight loss with a daily calorie deficit of 1,000 calories¹⁵ (assumption - I eat 1,000 kcal less than I consume) can vary depending on several factors, including a person's starting weight, muscle mass and activity level. Although, on average, a daily calorie deficit of 1000 calories can result in a weight loss of between 0.5 and 1 kg per week (7 days x 1000 kcal deficit = 7000 kcal = 1 kg less fat). This is considered a safe and sustainable rate of weight loss.

By following these basic steps and creating a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories, it is possible to lose 1 kg of body fat. However, it is important to remember that individual results may vary, and it is best to consult a healthcare professional for personalised recommendations and guidance.

It is important to remember that weight loss is not a linear process¹⁶ and can vary from week to week. There may be periods of slower weight loss or even weight gain, which can be normal and should not discourage you from continuing your calorie deficit and physical activity. Women have it a little harder than men - their weight fluctuates regularly throughout the month, according to their monthly cycle. We, men - have it easier.

It is also important to consult your doctor before starting a weight loss programme, especially if you have any underlying medical conditions or a large amount of weight to lose. They can supply personalised recommendations and guidance to help you achieve your weight loss goals safely and healthily. Remember to consider your health.

Food shopping in practice

Achieving a caloric deficit in practice is difficult.

I want to compare cooking and eating habits in 1-person- and 4-person households. This will be relevant in a dozen or so pages 😊.

I form a household on my own with one person - me. A friend has four kids. Her food preparation process (shopping/cooking/eating) has completely distinct characteristics from mine. Because a 1-person household and a 4-person household have different cooking and eating habits due to the different number of inhabitants and individual preferences, here are some of how these two types of families can differ:

My household

It may have fewer meal options as it only cooks for one person. You can opt for simple meals such as grilled chicken or fish and salads, and you can opt for ready meals when you are short of time.

You can buy through pyszne.pl, but this is usually a larger portion than a portion during the weight loss process.

One is supposed to have more flexibility in terms of mealtimes.

And in addition, you need to have time to cook and a strong will not to eat while cooking.

My colleague's household:

Cooking: a 4-person household will likely have more varied meal options as they cook for a larger group with different tastes and preferences. They may cook larger, equal meals such as casseroles, stews, or pasta dishes and opt for individual meals where everyone serves themselves.

Eating habits: A 4-person household may have less flexibility regarding mealtimes, as they need to coordinate mealtimes to accommodate everyone's schedules. They may also need to consider different dietary needs or preferences, such as food allergies, vegetarianism, or picky eaters. Additionally, portion control can be more challenging in a larger household, as everyone may want to serve themselves different amounts. Also, how much willpower does it take not to snack while cooking....

Can you imagine cooking tomato soup for one person for one day? I can't - you must cook a lot more. And you can, of course, freeze it. Or you can eat it whole (if you have an eating disorder issue) - after all, my 155 kg didn’t come from anything. Alternatively, eating the example of tomato soup seven days a row takes great perseverance in meal construction. I either eat it straight away or throw it away. It isn’t easy.

Portion sizes and food prices for a 1-person and 4-person family

Have you noticed how many food boxes have XXL lettering in the shops? Here we go with a comparison of what you can buy in the shops.

My household:

Food shopping patterns: A one-person household may buy individual portions of food or packaged meals, which can be more convenient and reduce the need for leftovers. We may also be more inclined to believe in higher quality or speciality ingredients because I am not cooking for a large group.

Prices per meal: Prices per meal in a 1-person household may be higher because these people buy smaller portions of food and may choose more expensive ingredients. However, they may also reduce food waste because they are not cooking for a larger group.

My colleague's household:

Food shopping patterns: A household of four may buy larger portions of food, such as bulk items or family-sized packets, to save money. They may also cook from scratch more often and use basic ingredients as they cook for a larger group.

Prices per meal: A 4-person household may be lower because they buy larger food portions and can choose more cost-effective ingredients. However, they may also generate more food waste, as leftovers are more likely when cooking for a larger group. But this also depends on habits at home, as bits may not stay but disappear into the stomachs of family members (back to snacking).

When you cook for yourself, the unit price for such a meal is higher than for a larger family.

It can be difficult for a one-person household in Poland to buy individual portions of snacks such as crisps or sweets, as they are often only available in XL packs. This can lead to overeating and consuming more calories than intended. Packaged meals can come in larger portions, which can be challenging for one person to finish in one sitting.

To mitigate the impact of larger portions, I can buy smaller packages of food, such as individual portions of snacks or smaller pieces of packaged meals - but it is usually either impossible (not available in the shops) or much more expensive.

Eating disorders and substantial portions of food

For my household in Poland, which consists of a person struggling with an eating disorder, the increased availability and accessibility of XL-sized foods in shops is a major challenge. People with eating disorders often struggle with portion control and may be tempted to overeat larger food portions.

What came first? The egg or the chicken? Likewise - constant exposure to larger food portions in shops can trigger eating disorders, leading to overeating. This can further worsen the eating disorder and negatively affect their health and well-being.

To combat the impact of larger portions of food in Polish shops, you can choose to shop not at chain discount shops or supermarkets but at local shops that offer smaller pieces (but usually more expensive), or you can opt to cook at home, which allows you to have better control over portion sizes and calorie intake. But this is more difficult and monotonous - as I mentioned earlier.

XL portions in shops

Regular and XL size food packaging availability may vary in popular retail chains and convenience stores in Poland, such as Żabka or supermarkets or discount shops such as Carrefour, Aldi, Kaufland, Biedronka or Auchan. Some shops may offer a wider selection of standard-size packs, while others may have a larger selection of XL packs.

For example, in some shops, such as Aldi or Carrefour, you can find a wide selection of food packaging in regular sizes, including single-portion snacks, packaged meals and portions of fresh produce. These shops may also offer XL packaging of some products, such as large bags of crisps or bulk packs of sweets.

On the other hand, some shops, such as Żabka and Biedronka, may offer primarily XL-size packaging of food items, including snacks, drinks, and ready meals. These larger packs may be more convenient for families or multi-person households but may pose a challenge for those trying to control their weight or keep a healthy diet.

It's hard to even shop for snacks for one person in small portions when there are 200 grams of Lajkonik sticks (748 kcal), pistachios in a 240 g family pack (1485.6 kcal) or apple pie in Biedronka (400 grams, 968 kcal). It's all about making weight loss more enjoyable - it's good to have some culinary pleasure occasionally. But going to a café will be a much more expensive experience than buying a tiny packet of apple pie yourself (which isn't available anyway). Plus, there will be many more temptations in a café, especially in the first stages of weight loss.

Dr Kwasniewski's diet (optimal diet)

The Kwasniewski diet¹⁷, also known as the optimum diet, is a high-fat and protein diet with a restriction of carbohydrates. The main ingredients in this diet include butter, cream, lard, fatty meats, cheese, eggs, and bacon. The daily menu should include high-fat dairy products, fatty soups, and poultry like goose and duck. The diet limits the intake of vegetables and sugar while cutting carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, and potatoes.

The diet creator, Jan Kwasniewski, believes animal fats are better than vegetable fats and recommends eating dairy and eggs. The diet met with controversy in the 1990s. The Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Food and Human Nutrition in Warsaw found it harmful to health due to its high cholesterol, retinol and iron intake and low potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C. Most researchers advocate a balanced diet with more carbohydrates. Studies investigating the effects of different diets on weight loss have shown greater weight loss with carbohydrate restriction but no difference in weight loss after 12 months.

I used to try this diet. It worked well - I saw results in weight loss (I lost about 20kg this way). However, it wasn’t easy to implement and keep overall. It certainly can't be a regular way of eating.

Pharmacological support - Meridia

Meridia¹⁸, known as sibutramine, is a prescription drug once used to treat obesity. It was designed to help people lose weight by affecting certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger and fullness.

Meridia advantages:

Efficacy in weight loss: Meridia¹⁹ is effective in promoting weight loss in people who are obese or overweight. In clinical trials, Meridia participants lost an average of 5-10% of their body weight.

Convenient: Meridia is a pill that can be taken once daily, making it a convenient choice for those struggling to make lifestyle changes to promote weight loss.

Disadvantages of Meridia²⁰ :

Potential side effects: Meridia may cause side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, headache, and increased heart rate. In some cases, these side effects can be severe.

Risk of serious health problems: Meridia was withdrawn from the market in 2010 due to concerns about an increased heart attack and stroke risk.

Interactions with other medicines: Meridia may interact with certain medications, including antidepressants and other weight loss medications. So, informing your doctor of all medications you are taking is important.

I tested this medicine when it was still available in Poland. I had the impression that I was on the afterburner. The weight was coming off (probably as much as 20 kg), but the palpitations were strong. To remember to eat - I typed alarms into Outlook. But when I stopped it, I gained as quickly as I lost weight. I don't recommend this in the long term.

Currently, at the forefront of rapid weight loss are drugs prescribed to diabetic patients. Think twice before looking for this on your own.

Boxed diet

Introduction to boxes - convenient and healthy food solutions

Losing weight and keeping a healthy lifestyle can be challenging, especially with busy schedules and the temptation of unhealthy convenience foods. This is where diet catering comes to the rescue²¹. Boxes are ready-made meal plans that supply portion-controlled healthy meals for people trying to lose weight, eat healthier or save time on meal preparation.

Whether you are looking for a simple, convenient solution to healthy eating or need structured meal plans to achieve your weight loss goals, diet boxes offer an easy and effective solution.

From fresh, wholesome ingredients to ready-made meals delivered to your door, wherever you are, diet boxes have revolutionised the way people approach healthy eating.

I have used the boxes many times myself. The first time was in 2004... I've probably worked through most major brands and a few smaller suppliers. So, I have an overview of what you can find on the market.

Types of boxed diets

Diet catering²² comes in different variants, each tailored to its user’s specific needs and preferences. Here are some of the most popular types of food you can expect to find in diet boxes:

Fresh and wholesome food: These diet boxes are packed with fresh, whole-food ingredients sourced from local farms and suppliers. The meals are carefully prepared to supply balanced and nutritious meals rich in fibre, vitamins, and minerals. These diet boxes are ideal for those who want to eat clean and avoid processed foods.

Low-Carb and Keto: For those following a low-carb or ketogenic diet, these boxes supply meals high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates. Such meals are designed to support the body in burning fat for energy and are ideal for those trying to lose weight, manage diabetes or improve their overall health.

Vegetarian and vegan: For those following a plant-based diet, these diet boxes supply a range of delicious and nutritious meals free from animal products. From hearty stews and soups to fresh salads and stir-fry dishes, these meals are designed to supply the vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health.

Gluten-Free: These diet boxes supply gluten-free and safe meals for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. From gluten-free bread and pasta to gluten-free desserts and snacks, these diet boxes provide a range of options for those who need to avoid gluten.

Meal replacements: for people who are short on time and need a quick and easy meal solution, these diet boxes supply pre-packed, nutritionally balanced meals that can be eaten on the go. These meals supply the nutrients and energy you need to get through the day.

With so many options available, finding a supplier that meets your specific needs and preferences is easy. Whether you're looking for fresh, wholesome ingredients, low-carbohydrate options, or a gluten-free diet, you’ll find a diet box that's right for you.

Calories and portions in diet boxes

One of the key factors to consider when choosing diet catering is calorie count and part size. Boxes are designed to help individuals achieve their weight loss goals by supplying controlled portions and calorie counts.

Here are some things to consider when looking at calories and portions in diet boxes:

Calorie control: Boxes are typically designed to help individuals achieve the calorie deficit they need to lose weight. Meals are portioned to supply a specific number of calories per meal, and total calorie intake is calculated to help users lose weight at a healthy and sustainable rate.

Portion size: portion control is one of the most important aspects of weight loss. The boxed meals are designed to supply just the right amount of food to help individuals feel satisfied and avoid overeating. Portions are calculated to provide a balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, essential for good health.

Nutritional balance: Besides portion control, the boxes supply a balanced mix of essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Meals are designed to provide the nutrients your body needs to function optimally, and portions are calculated to ensure you get the right balance of nutrients for good health.

Calorie restriction: Although diet boxes can be an effective tool for weight loss, it is important to remember that calorie restriction is only one aspect of a healthy diet. Adopting healthy eating habits and incorporating physical activity into your daily routine is essential for sustainable weight loss.

When choosing a diet box, it is important to consider your individual needs and goals. Some diet boxes may be more suitable for people who want to lose weight quickly, while others may be more suitable for people who wish to adopt a healthy and balanced eating pattern. Whatever your goals, choosing a diet box that supplies the right balance of calories and portion sizes to help you achieve your desired results is important.

One can usually choose between 1,000 and 4,000 kcal divided into 3-5 meals daily, in the kind of nutritional release that suits us. Providers of such meals also offer the support of dieticians who help to set the diet for each client.

Taste of food in diet boxes

In addition to calories and portions, the taste of the food is another crucial factor to consider when choosing a diet box. After all, eating healthy and tasty food is one of the keys to sustainable weight loss. If you don't like something, it doesn't matter how healthy the food is - you'll never touch it.

Here are some things to consider when looking at the taste of food in boxed diets:

Style of preparation: they offer unique practice styles to cater to different tastes and preferences. Some meals are prepared using traditional cooking methods. In contrast, others use innovative techniques such as sous vide (a form of cooking food in which food sealed tightly in a plastic vacuum bag is then placed in a water or steam bath at a precisely controlled temperature lower than traditional cooking, for longer than conventional procedures. The cooking time lasts from 1 to 7 or even up to 48 hours at a precisely regulated temperature much lower than that normally used. The idea behind the cooking method is to cook the item evenly so that the inside is well cooked without overcooking the outside and undercooking the inside, keeping the liquids contained in the food). This way of cooking makes the meat taste like meat and not like paper.

Flavour profile: boxes offer a range of flavour profiles to suit different tastes. Some diet boxes focus on classic and comfortable flavours, while others offer more exotic and adventurous options. Choosing a diet box that provides a flavour profile that appeals to your tastes and preferences is important. Choose a pork loin version, or you can also choose a vegan version with fish.

Variety in meals: one of the challenges of following a diet is avoiding boredom and food fatigue. Providers offer a variety of options to keep meals interesting and enjoyable. Some diet boxes provide a rotating menu, while others offer different weekly options.

Quality of ingredients: The ingredients used in diet boxes are also important for the taste of the meals. Diet boxes should use high-quality, fresh ingredients to create delicious and satisfying meals. Some diet boxes may also use organic or locally sourced ingredients, which can add to the taste and quality of the food.

Herbs and spices: A diet box with various herbs and spices can help enhance the flavour and aroma of food. This can help make meals more interesting and enjoyable and can also help ensure that customers are satisfied with the taste of the food.

Seasonal ingredients: Using seasonal ingredients can help ensure the food in diet boxes is fresh and tasty. Components in season tend to be more flavoursome and can help make meals more enjoyable.

Preparation with fresh ingredients: Many diet boxes prepare meals fresh and deliver them to customers, which can help ensure that the food is both healthy and delicious. Fresh ingredients and preparation styles, such as sous vide, can help enhance the flavour and aroma of the food.

Customer feedback: A diet caterer who considers customer feedback and adjusts their recipes accordingly can help ensure the food is consistently good. By listening to what customers like and don't like, the caterer can adapt and improve their menu and offerings.

I have tested many different caterers. I remember the early days of this industry - some meals tasted like styrofoam mixed with paper. When choosing a box caterer, it's important to consider your taste preferences and look for one that offers a variety of preparation styles, flavour profiles, food options and quality ingredients - and which (most importantly) - taste good to you!

Variety in diet boxes

One of the challenges of sticking to a diet is avoiding food boredom and fatigue. Diet catering providers are supposed to make it easy to stick to a healthy eating plan, but some clients may find that the meals can become monotonous over time. On the other hand, others may find that having a set menu and portion sizes is exactly what they need to stay on track with their weight loss goals.

Here are a few things to look out for when looking at the variety of meals offered in boxed diets:

Meal rotation: some diet caterers offer rotating menus, which can help to keep meals interesting and varied. This will help prevent boredom and food fatigue and ensure you only eat the same thing once.

Food options: other diet boxes offer a menu with different options each week. This can help supply a good balance of flavours and textures and limit the variety of meals you can access.

Customisable options: some diet boxes offer customisable options, such as swapping out certain ingredients or choosing specific meal options. This can help ensure you get meals you like and meet your dietary needs and preferences.

Ingredients and recipes: The variety of ingredients and recipes used in diet boxes is also important. A diet box with various components and cooking techniques can help keep meals interesting and enjoyable.

Of course - each of these options affects the price of the solution. And ultimately, the variety offered in the box will depend on personal preferences and weight loss goals.

How they take care of deliveries

Regarding diet boxes, delivery and convenience are two principal factors. After all, you want to ensure your food is delivered on time and that changing your delivery address is easy if necessary. There are some things to consider when looking at delivery and convenience in diet boxes:

Delivery times: good diet catering should offer flexible delivery times that work for you. You should be able to choose a delivery time that fits into your schedule, and you should be able to make changes to your delivery if necessary.

Frequency of delivery: Depending on your needs, you may want to receive your boxes daily, every other day or once a week. Ensure your chosen diet catering offers a delivery frequency that works best for you.

Delivery location: Ensure your chosen company delivers to your site. Some companies only deliver to certain areas, so checking that the delivery location is serviced is important.

Easy change of delivery address: Sometimes you need to change your delivery address, whether because you have moved house or changed your schedule. Ensure your chosen supplier allows you to change your delivery address (if necessary) easily.

Business trips or trips to another location often disrupt the eating rhythm. The flexibility mentioned above allows meals to be redirected to another site on selected days. It would be great if you could do this via the website or mobile app.

How they take care of the after-sales service

When buying boxes, customers want a seamless and convenient experience. This includes an easy-to-use online platform where they can select meals, schedule delivery, and manage their account. Payment options should be secure and flexible, with automatic billing options and the ability to change payment methods.

Customer service is also a crucial factor, with a team available to help with any questions or problems that may arise. Some boxed diet companies also offer reward points or a loyalty programme, where customers can collect points for their purchases and redeem them for discounts or special benefits. This encourages repeat purchases and customer loyalty, adding another level of satisfaction to the overall customer experience.

Only some things are always perfect.

Once customers have bought a boxed diet, they want to be sure they will receive quality meals that meet their expectations. This means the company should have a full after-sales service dealing with complaints or alerts.

For example, if a customer receives a meal that does not taste as expected, the company should have a mechanism in place to assess the problem and make improvements.

In addition, clients may wish to receive regular updates on their weight loss progress, meal preferences and other factors that affect their experience. A good, boxed diet company should be responsive to customer feedback and make changes as needed to improve its service and meet customer needs. In summary, customers expect a responsive, efficient, and effective after-sales service, ensuring they receive quality meals that meet their expectations.

You can make a complaint if there is no food. You can make a complaint if something is damaged. Such a process should be smooth and almost imperceptible. It very much builds customer loyalty.

How about a stomach resection? About gastrectomy

Gastrectomy to lose extreme weight.

For people struggling with extreme obesity, weight loss can be a challenging journey. Several methods are available to help people achieve their weight loss goals, including diet and exercise, prescription drugs and bariatric surgery²³. I've thought about this too. At my peak, I weighed 155kg—87 kg, more than the ideal weight from the calculators available on the internet. If I were to slim down using the standard method, at the recommended rate of 0.5 kg per week, then by keeping a proper regime, I would have reached that goal after just three years and four months - massacre. I'm not including any deviations (holidays, holidays, birthdays...). I knew it would be impossible.

However, I have decided not to go for it. Below are the pros and cons – your decision may differ from mine.

One of the most effective surgical procedures for weight loss is gastrectomy, also known as gastric reduction surgery²⁴. This procedure involves removing part of the stomach to reduce its size and limit the amount of food eaten.

Benefits of gastrectomy

Significant weight loss: Gastrectomy is considered one of the most effective methods for people with extreme obesity. Patients can expect to lose 50-70% of their excess weight within the first two years after surgery.

Health improvement: Weight loss achieved through gastrectomy can significantly improve related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and joint pain.

Increased energy and mobility: Weight loss can increase energy levels and improve mobility, making daily activities easier and more enjoyable.

Improved quality of life: Gastrectomy can positively impact a person's mental health and self-esteem, leading to improved quality of life.

Lasting results: The results of gastrectomy are generally long-lasting. However, there is a BUT - supplied patients follow the recommended diet and lifestyle changes.

Reduced food cravings: By reducing the stomach size, gastrectomy can help control food cravings and overeating.

Minimally invasive procedure: Gastrectomy can be performed using minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopic surgery, resulting in fewer incisions, less pain and faster recovery.

Gastrectomy is a highly effective weight loss method in people with morbid obesity²⁵. Although it is a major surgical procedure, the benefits can far outweigh the risks for many patients. Before deciding to have a gastrectomy, it is important to consult a bariatric specialist and carefully weigh up the benefits and risks of this procedure.

Risks of bariatric surgery

Although the surgery offers many benefits, it is important to understand the potential risks associated with the procedure. Some of the most common risks associated with gastrectomy include²⁶ :

Infection: Any surgical procedure carries the risk of infection, and gastrectomy is no exception. It is important to keep the incision site clean and check it for signs of infection, such as redness, swelling and discharge.

Bleeding: There is always a risk of bleeding during surgery, especially in the delicate abdominal area. This can lead to complications and an increased risk of infection.

Adhesions: adhesions are scar tissue that forms between organs after surgery. This can cause abdominal pain and may require other surgery to correct.

Nutritional deficiencies: After a gastrectomy, the amount of food that can be eaten is limited, leading to nutritional deficiencies. It is important to receive regular check-ups and have a balanced diet with essential vitamins and minerals.

Weight regain: Although gastrectomy can be effective in helping people lose weight, there is always a risk of weight recovery if healthy eating habits are not kept.

Pumping syndrome: This condition in which food moves too quickly from the stomach into the small intestine, causing symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and weakness.

Stoma stenosis: Stenosis is a narrowing of the opening in the stomach that can occur after a gastrectomy. It can lead to difficulties with eating and swallowing.

Intestinal obstruction: Intestinal obstruction can occur after gastrectomy, causing abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Understanding the potential risks of gastrectomy and weighing the benefits against the potential drawbacks is important before deciding to undergo this procedure. It is also important to thoroughly discuss with your doctor and receive regular check-ups and follow-up care to ensure the best possible outcome.

This is an irreversible operation! Also, after such an operation, everything runs smoothly.... The weight loss process can look quite different if you do not follow the rules.

Types of gastrectomy

Several types of gastrectomy procedures are performed, each with benefits and risks.

Some of the common types of gastrectomy include:

Sleeve gastrectomy²⁷ : This is the most common type of gastrectomy performed today. In this procedure, the surgeon removes a large part of the stomach, leaving behind a narrow, tube-like structure. This reduces the amount of food eaten and helps control hunger.

Gastric exclusion with Roux-en-Y loop anastomosis²⁸ : This procedure involves creating a small pouch in the stomach and connecting it to the small intestine. This allows food to bypass part of the stomach and small intestine, reducing the absorption of calories.

Duodenal switch without going with gastric bypass: This is a more complicated procedure involving removing the stomach and connecting the remaining amount to the lower part of the small intestine. This results in a reduction in calorie absorption and a reduction in the feeling of hunger.

It is important to remember that while gastrectomy procedures can effectively induce weight loss, they also come with their risks and side effects, such as malnutrition, hernias and even death in some cases. As such, it is important to carefully weigh up the benefits and risks of these procedures before deciding. Of course - it is up to your doctor to determine what is right for you.

I signed up for the sleeve gastrectomy procedure (and even twice). And - as I mentioned - I opted out of it twice.

Pre-operative preparations

There are several important pre-operative preparations which need to be made before undergoing a gastrectomy. These preparations help to ensure that the patient is in good health, physically and mentally ready for the procedure, and has a clear understanding of what to expect before, during and after the procedure.

The first step is to undergo a thorough medical assessment by a doctor of the right speciality (or even several). This includes reviewing the patient's medical history, a physical examination, and necessary diagnostic tests, such as blood tests or imaging studies.

It is also important for the patient to discuss their lifestyle habits and weight loss goals with their doctor. This will help the provider decide the best type of gastrectomy procedure for the individual and what dietary restrictions must be placed after surgery.

Additionally, the patient should work with a dietitian to develop a healthy eating plan that they can follow after surgery. This plan should include a balanced mix of proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and adequate hydration.

In the weeks leading up to the procedure, the patient is recommended to stop smoking and take certain medications, such as aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs, which could interfere with the healing process.

It is also important that the patient has a support system in place, such as family and friends, who can help with recovery after surgery. This may include help with activities of daily living, transport to and from appointments and help with meal preparation.

I went through such preparation for the procedure, including a visit to a psychiatrist who must give consent for such a procedure.

Recovery

Recovery from gastrectomy takes time and patience, and it is important to follow the recommended steps to ensure a successful and smooth recovery process:

Pain management: After surgery, you may experience pain, discomfort and swelling around the surgical site. Your surgeon will supply painkillers to help control the pain.

Dietary restrictions: after surgery, you must follow a strict diet consisting of liquids and blended foods for a few weeks. Gradually, you can switch to more solid foods as your body adapts to the changes.

Physical activity: you must avoid strenuous physical activity for some time, but your surgeon will guide you on when to start exercising. Light walking can help promote healing and reduce the risk of complications.

Monitoring for complications: It is important to watch for signs of infection or other complications such as nausea, vomiting, fever or pain that does not respond to medication. If any of these symptoms occur, seeking medical help at once is important.

Follow-up visits: Regular appointments with your surgeon are important to check your progress and ensure proper healing. At these appointments, you can also ask questions and address any concerns.

Long-term care: Once fully recovered from surgery, it is important to maintain healthy lifestyle choices, including a balanced diet and regular physical activity, to keep weight loss results.

Long-term results after treatment

Regarding long-term results, gastrectomy can lead to significant weight loss and improvements in associated health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnoea. However, it is important to remember that weight loss achieved through gastrectomy is not permanent and requires lifestyle changes and maintenance of results.

In addition, gastrectomy²⁹ can cause nutrient deficiencies and vitamin imbalances due to reduced food intake and altered digestion. Regular monitoring by a healthcare professional and proper supplementation can help prevent these deficiencies.

In addition, weight regain is a potential outcome if the patient does not follow the recommended dietary recommendations and exercise regularly. Patients must have a reliable support system and follow the recommended lifestyle changes for the best results.

In general, gastrectomy should be considered a last resort after this, as all other weight loss methods have failed, and patients should carefully weigh the benefits and risks before deciding. It is important to have an open and frank discussion with a healthcare professional about individual goals and expectations for the procedure.

Changing eating habits after sleeve gastrectomy

Following sleeve gastrectomy surgery, individuals must adopt new eating habits to ensure successful weight loss and prevent complications. Some of the key changes in eating habits include³⁰:

Smaller portion sizes: after surgery, the size of the stomach is significantly reduced, meaning that individuals can no longer eat large meals. Eating smaller, frequent meals throughout the day can help ease hunger and prevent overeating. We are talking here about a size of 100-150 grams.

Slow eating: Patients after sleeve gastrectomy are advised to eat slowly and chew their food thoroughly to avoid discomfort and allow proper digestion. Here, we are talking about a meal that is supposed to last 20 minutes (during which we eat these 150 grams of food).

Avoidance of certain foods: Patients should avoid foods high in sugar and fat, fizzy drinks and solid foods that can cause stomach congestion. This now holds:

Cut dry and mung beans, peas and green peas, lentils, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and sharp, processed, and ripened cheeses.

We give up coffee, cocoa, chocolate, and alcohol.

Eat meals cooked in water or steam and baked in foil. Refrain from eating food fried or baked traditionally.

Do not use hot spices, e.g., pepper, paprika, or chilli.

Hydration: Individuals must drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and aid digestion (also 100 ml at a time).

Protein intake: patients are encouraged to focus on protein-rich foods to help them lose weight and rebuild muscle mass.

Prices for bariatric surgery

In Poland, the price of a gastrectomy procedure can vary depending on several factors, such as the type of operation, the experience of the hospital and surgeon, and insurance coverage. On average, the cost of a sleeve gastrectomy in Poland can range from PLN 20,000 to PLN 35,000. However, this price may be higher for patients who require other procedures or if the hospital has a more prestigious reputation.

It is also worth considering the cost of pre-and post-operative care, including hospital stays, follow-up appointments and rehabilitation. In addition, consider the cost of any necessary dietary changes, supplements and other medications that may be recommended after surgery.

Surgery under the National Health Fund

The rules for access to bariatric surgery under insurance in the public healthcare system in Poland vary depending on the individual case and the decision of the National Health Fund. However, some general eligibility criteria must be met, such as having a body mass index (BMI) above 40 or above 35 with comorbidities. In some cases, a referral from a specialist, such as a gastroenterologist or endocrinologist, is also needed.

It is important to remember that waiting times for surgery can be long, and the process can be complicated. On the other hand, private health insurance may supply faster access to gastrectomy procedures. However, the cost of the operation can be high and may not be covered by insurance.

The vision of losing 50 kg through surgery and a slow process resulting from life changes

Comparing weight loss results between gastrectomy and a simple diet can be difficult due to the different success rates of the two methods. However, it is generally accepted that gastrectomy can result in faster and more significant weight loss than a simple diet.

Gastrectomy procedures, such as sleeve gastrectomy, can lead to a weight loss of up to 50kg or more, especially in patients with extreme obesity. The procedure works by reducing the size of the stomach, limiting the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and reducing feelings of hunger. As a result, patients usually lose weight quickly and effectively within a few months after the procedure.

On the other hand, a regular diet alone, without additional interventions or surgery, may not result in such rapid weight loss. It requires discipline, commitment and a structured approach to diet and exercise to lose weight successfully. Regular dieting also often requires a slow and gradual weight loss process, which can be challenging for those looking for quick results.

If we don't do this and make changes in our lives, our surgery will be for nothing. On top of that - in addition to regaining weight - we may harm ourselves physically, which means, of course, that we lose weight faster. But we must change our habits because otherwise, we have PLN35,000 spent, we don't have a stomach, we won't eat pizza, we won't season with garlic, we might put the weight back on and on top of that, that stomach might burst....

Fear of surgery and fear of lack of results from a regular diet

For those who are extremely overweight, there is often a sense of discouragement and overwhelm when trying to lose weight through diet and exercise. In some cases, even with a strict diet and regular exercise, significant weight loss can be difficult to achieve - remember? Three years and four months if I don't break even sooner....

For those who have tried everything and still feel they cannot achieve their weight loss goals, gastrectomy may be a solution.

This procedure is a serious commitment and should not be taken lightly³¹. Before deciding to undergo a gastrectomy, you should consult a qualified doctor to determine if it is the right choice. You must discuss all possible risks, benefits, alternatives to the procedure, and your expectations and goals.

Implementing the changes in lifestyle and eating habits required following a gastrectomy is also important. The procedure limits the amount of food a person can consume (100 ml for one time), and they will need to make significant changes to their diet to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need. They may also need to change their exercise routine and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

In conclusion, gastrectomy is a major decision that should not be taken lightly. It is important that individuals fully understand the risks and benefits of the procedure and the changes they will need to make to their lifestyle and eating habits before making a final decision.

Positive examples of bariatric surgery - Tomasz Sekielski and Mateusz Borkowski (a.k.a. Big Boy)

Tomasz Sekielski and Mateusz Borkowski are two examples of people who have undergone gastrectomy surgery and have seen positive results in their weight loss journey.

Tomasz Sekielski is a well-known Polish journalist who underwent gastrectomy surgery in 2016 and has since lost more than 70 kg. He shared his journey with the public and has become an advocate for gastrectomy, speaking about his experience and its positive impact on his life.

Mateusz Borkowski, or Big Boy, is a well-known Polish influencer and internet personality. He underwent gastrectomy surgery in 2018 and has since lost over 160 kg. He openly discusses his journey and shares his story with the public, inspiring others to make positive changes.

Thomas and Matthew are positive examples of a gastrectomy’s impact on a person's life. By sharing their experiences, they have helped to raise awareness of the procedure and its potential benefits.

Concerns of patients and potential patients

It is normal for people to feel fear or anxiety before undergoing a major procedure such as gastrectomy, especially when it involves changing their anatomy³². Some common fears among potential gastrectomy patients are fear of the course itself, complications or side effects, losing control over eating habits, and being unable to achieve the desired weight loss results.

To help alleviate these concerns, it is important to thoroughly educate potential patients about the procedure, its benefits, risks, and what they can expect during recovery. Patients should also have open and honest conversations with their doctor to address questions or concerns.

In addition, it can be helpful for patients to seek support from others who have undergone the procedure, such as in support groups or online forums. Hearing positive experiences from others can help ease anxiety and supply a sense of comfort and hope.

It is important to remember that gastrectomy is a serious procedure, not a quick fix for weight loss. Patients must also be willing to make lifestyle changes and follow a healthy diet and exercise plan to ensure the best possible results. It is also important to have realistic expectations and understand that weight loss can take time and that there may be ups and downs.

After careful consideration and consultation with a healthcare professional, the decision to undergo a gastrectomy should be made. The best way to decide whether a gastrectomy is the right choice is to discuss your needs, goals, and concerns with a specialist.

Why do people give up before treatment?

People may give up before undergoing gastrectomy for a variety of reasons³³. One common fear is the fear of the unknown and the fear of experiencing a major operation. People may worry about the potential risks, side effects and complications associated with the procedure. Another reason is the fear of drastically changing their eating habits, including being unable to eat the foods they love or experiencing digestive or other physical problems.

Additionally, the procedure cost can be a factor for some people. A gastrectomy can be expensive and not covered by National Health Insurance, making it an unaffordable possibility for many. In addition, people may be concerned about the recovery process, including the time it will take to recover, the pain and discomfort they will experience during the recovery period, and the need for ongoing support from friends and family.

Sometimes, people may need to be better informed about gastrectomy surgery and understand the procedure's benefits and potential outcomes. This lack of information can lead to fear and uncertainty, making it difficult for some people to make an informed decision.

It is important to remember that each person's experience is unique and that a gastrectomy is unsuitable for everyone. It is recommended that people considering gastrectomy seek advice from their doctor and gather information and support from trusted sources to make an informed decision.

I gave up. Despite being signed up for the procedure twice, I cancelled it each time. There were many reasons for this decision, but the biggest was fear of change.

My first systemic approach to losing weight - #10000steps.

The first step in losing weight is to change your lifestyle habits. This involves making small but significant changes to your diet, exercise routine and overall daily routine. Many people succeed in their weight loss journey with this approach, allowing them to make lasting changes without drastic measures.

I will describe here the elements of my story that contributed first to losing 50.5 kg in 5 months and five days.

Note that this is a record of a story spanning almost four years - from 23.08.2019 to 23.12.2022.

The book "One Thing" by Gary Keller

"One Thing" is a book by Gary Keller that focuses on focusing on one thing at a time to achieve greater success. The book argues that multitasking and trying to do many things simultaneously could be more effective and lead to burnout. Instead, the author suggests that by focusing on just one thing, a person can achieve higher levels of success and satisfaction. Throughout the book, the author supplies tips and techniques for prioritising tasks, setting goals, and overcoming obstacles to succeed in one area of life. The book emphasises the importance of dedication, hard work and perseverance and encourages readers to pick one thing and stick with it until the desired results are achieved.

My friend, Rafal, recommended this book during my first approach to losing weight. This was in the summer holidays of 2019 when I started another challenge of walking regularly for 10,000 steps a day.

Rule of 66 days

In his book 'One Thing', Gary Keller emphasises the importance of focusing on one thing at a time to achieve success and meet your goals. He also introduces the concept of the '66-day rule', which says that it takes about 66 days to form a new habit³⁴. Focusing on one lifestyle change for 66 days makes it easier to make more lasting changes and progress towards weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. By making small, achievable changes each day and focusing on that one thing, the reader can gradually build momentum and make lasting changes to their habits and lifestyle. The 66-Day Rule is a powerful tool for those who want to make a change and live a healthier, more fulfilling life.

In his book One Thing, the author stresses the importance of developing habits and routines to succeed in different areas of life. I assumed that this habit could be walking 10,000 steps or running (which, as I mentioned, I hate). It was to be an activity done every day. My first attempt was in August 2019, and I persevered with this resolution for quite a long time 😊

Regular walking 10,000 steps

Walking is an exercise that almost anyone can do, regardless of fitness level. It is also a convenient and inexpensive way to stay active, as it does not require special equipment or a gym membership. By setting aside a specific time each day to walk, a person can develop a habit of regular physical activity, which can help them achieve and keep their weight loss goals.

In addition, walking has many other health benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, strengthening bones and muscles, improving mental health, and reducing stress levels. By incorporating regular walking into their daily routine, people can lose weight and improve their health and well-being. I used to walk every day. I even started walking (or then running) sometimes at 10 pm. I would upload my progress on social media and screenshots from Endomondo (yes, it still existed back then).

In conclusion, incorporating long walks into a weight loss plan can be a simple but effective way to achieve weight loss goals. By developing this habit and sticking to it for at least 66 days, a person can significantly improve their weight and overall health.

But why?

But why was I doing it? I wanted to lose weight again. At the time (mid-2019), I weighed around 135 kg.

Combining the knowledge from the book 'One Thing' with my weight loss concept, I concluded that I would start moving, implement the habit of 10,000 steps (or running for an hour) and then deal with the diet issue. This is because I have calculated that while walking 10,000 steps a day at an average speed of 4.8 km/h at this weight, I will burn about 500-600 kcal at a time. That is, without changing my diet, I will lose weight. A complete success 😊

500 kcal is a substantial number of calories that can help you lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. However, it is important to remember that this is only an estimate, as calorie burn can vary significantly depending on individual metabolism and other factors. Additionally, it is important to remember that weight loss includes a healthy diet and regular exercise, and walking should be combined with other activities to get the best results.

Because I'm a gadgeteer - at the time, I also decided that in addition to the activity itself ticked off on the calendar; I would count the calories consumed during the training. There are many ways of calculating kcal consumption during individual physical activities. This can be done using hardware (smart bands, smartwatches, chest bands, etc.), but online tools will give an overall picture of how many calories you burn during one of many activities.

One calculator you can use is https://lionfitness.pl/kalorie,kalkulator.html. According to it, in July 2022, at my weight, walking at 4.8 km/h, my body consumed 512 kcal per hour.

10,000 steps, in my case, are about 8.5 km. If I walk 4.8 km in 1 hour, I should walk for 1h 45 minutes. My calorie consumption from physical activity will come to around 900 kcal daily.

Regularity and consistency

Consistency and regularity are key elements of a successful lifestyle change. Making healthy habits part of your daily routine is important to see long-term results. Making slight changes and sticking to them over time can significantly improve overall health and well-being. For example, a daily walk of 10,000 steps at 4.8 km/h may seem like a minor change, but it can enormously impact your health and weight loss goals if done consistently. Remember - in the beginning, this is consumed as much as an extra 900 kcal 😊

It is also important to remember that progress takes time, and there will be ups and downs. The most important thing is to stay committed to your goals and push forward, even if it seems difficult. Celebrate small victories and recognise any setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. You can achieve the desired results with a positive attitude and consistent effort.

Lifestyle change with support from family and friends.

The support of family and friends can be a key success factor when making a lifestyle change. Having people to encourage you, motivate you, hold you accountable and celebrate your victories can make all the difference to keeping a new, healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, a lack of support can lead to frustration and discouragement.

It is important to surround yourself with positive and supportive people who encourage your efforts and are there for you through highs and lows. Consider finding an exercise or weight loss partner to join you on your journey, which can supply accountability and social support.

It can also be helpful to communicate openly with your loved ones about your goals and why this change is important to you. This can help them understand your motivations and support your efforts meaningfully.

Overall, support from family and friends can be a key element in making lasting lifestyle changes. People who believe in you and support your goals can enormously impact your success and overall well-being.

I implemented the habit of calling family and friends during my first walks. Whether it was 6 am or 10 pm. I then had time to talk to those close to me. On the one hand, I had the support of these people. On the other hand, it was also the idea of being bored during that time. And it's been a long time since I had as much as an hour a day to talk to those close to me.

Boredom during a walk

Incorporating exercise into your daily routine can be a challenge, especially if you don't have a natural inclination towards physical activity. Long walks can become monotonous, making it difficult to be consistent and regular. However, there are numerous ways to make these walks more entertaining. One way is to listen to music or audiobooks. Another way is to walk with a friend or join a walking group, which can supply social interaction and accountability. Additionally, you can explore new paths or surroundings, such as parks, hiking trails or scenic routes. Setting achievable goals, such as increasing speed or distance, can provide fulfilment and motivation. Finally, taking a camera and taking photos along the way can provide a fun and creative outlet while walking. Finding ways to make walks more enjoyable and engaging can increase the chances of keeping consistency and regularity in your physical activity routine.

Incorporating music and audiobooks into your daily walks can make them more enjoyable. Listening to music can help to pick up the pace and create a rhythm that makes walking easier while supplying a pleasant distraction from physical exertion. On the other hand, audiobooks can be a fantastic way to keep your mind motivated and engaged while walking. They can help you learn something new, escape to another world or immerse yourself in a delightful story while exercising. Additionally, they can supply an opportunity to break up the monotony of your walk and make it more enjoyable. With the wide range of music and audiobooks now available, there's no reason why walking can't be an enjoyable and engaging experience. Remember to know your surroundings and ensure you hear any potential hazards.

Until recently, I only listened to music while running – somehow; I couldn't convince myself to listen to audiobooks. Sometimes I listened to podcasts. I often talked on the phone.

Gamification is an element that brings it all together.

Gamification (gamification)³⁵ adds game elements, such as points, badges, and leaderboards, to non-game activities to increase motivation and engagement. Regarding lifestyle change, gamification can be useful to motivate people and follow through with their goals. There are many ways in which gamification can be used to make lifestyle change more enjoyable and motivating.

One current way to gamify lifestyle changes is to create a challenge or competition with friends or family members. For example, you could challenge your friends to see who can take the most steps in a week or month. You can also create a leaderboard to track everyone's progress and see who is doing the best.

Another way to gamify lifestyle changes is to use apps and websites that allow you to track your progress and earn rewards. For example, many fitness apps will enable you to track steps, distance travelled, and calories burned. Some apps also have reward systems where you can earn badges or other rewards for reaching certain milestones or completing certain challenges.

Finally, gamification can also make lifestyle changes more fun. For example, you can play games or do other fun activities while walking or exercising. You can also listen to music, audiobooks, or podcasts to make the time go faster.

Overall, gamification can be a fantastic way to make lifestyle changes more motivating and enjoyable. Adding gamification elements to your daily routine lets you stay on track and achieve your goals more easily.

Endomondo and Facebook

Endomondo was a popular fitness-tracking app that used gamification to encourage users to be more active. Users could set goals, track their progress, and compete against friends and other users. They could also take part in challenges and earn rewards for reaching milestones.

Another way to gamify lifestyle change is by using social media platforms like Facebook. Many fitness communities on Facebook offer challenges and support to their members. For example, you can join a group where members are challenged to walk 10,000 steps each day. There have been challenges like this! You can log your progress, share tips and encouragement, and motivate others to join you. This can be a fun and engaging way to stay motivated and focused on your goals while building a supportive community around you.

What is the result of this approach?

The trial started on 23rd August 2019. Regular walking (200 days in a row) continued until March 2020, when the pandemic began, and many things changed in many people's lives.

By June 2020, when the pandemic was already underway, I had lost 10 kg and could run up to 15 km in a reasonable time. I didn't have a diet implemented, but I was in pretty good shape instead. But all it took was a brief return to my old habits, and in February 2021, I weighed 130 kg again…

A second approach to losing weight – is diet and weight loss assistance.

We are already close to describing this moment, which shows how I lost 50 kg. However, I had to find another piece of the puzzle. It happened at the beginning of 2021.

Victor

In January 2021, I found a story on FB of a friend who boasted that he had lost 37kg in 1.5 years. WOW.

Let's give the floor to Victor: "(...) In 2019, I signed up for Grzesiek's 'remote nutritional care' service. - that is, I send him Messenger pictures of everything I eat, and he feeds it back to me regarding calories, healthiness, etc. (...)".

What I understood from the whole story was that I wouldn't be able to lose weight on my own³⁶ just by doing regular physical activity. I spoke to Victor, and after this conversation, I concluded that I needed help and support from a stranger.

Having a professional coach³⁷ during extreme weight loss can be crucial to success. A coach can supply guidance, motivation, and a structured plan to achieve weight loss goals. A coach can also help overcome obstacles and track progress, making the process less overwhelming and more manageable. With the help of a coach, a person can set realistic goals, learn healthy habits, and receive one-to-one support throughout the journey.

It is important to choose a coach with the knowledge, experience, and passion for helping others achieve their weight loss goals. The coach should be able to listen, understand and supply the right kind of support and encouragement. The right coach can make all the difference in achieving success and keeping the desired weight loss over time. Whether through personalised meal plans, exercise routines or accountability, a coach can be invaluable in transforming your life and reaching your full potential.

Grzesiek - weight loss assistant

Of course, the next step was to arrange an interview with Gregory. This was the end of the first year of the pandemic. So, the whole thing was only possible remotely. Grzesiek in Pomerania, me in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. But I saw pictures of Wiktor before and after the transformation. So, I thought it could work.

Grzesiek quizzed me on what I could and couldn't do, my approaches to weight loss, etc. He presented his recipe for success:

Sending pictures of everything I eat – messenger/email (any form, but everything, no cheating)

He will count my calories and tell me how much I have eaten and how much I should eat.

I will try to eat as much as we agreed to

Even if there are sometimes too many, we are not discouraged by the

We set up a physical activity plan together (which I was not familiar with)

Weigh ourselves regularly.

During the conversation, one more thing was said - such a service costs money. And it costs not 80 or 100 PLN a month, like a gym pass in Kielce. The service costs several hundred PLN per month. Grzegorz mentioned that if it had cost 100 PLN, I might not have felt such a change in my wallet.

It's like the gym – nothing happens if you don’t go once. And that's how gyms full of new members every January³⁸ ('new year, new me') empty slowly as the weeks pass. Because first, people stop coming, even if the pass is paid for, because they don't care about the small amount. And then they stop paying - why pay for something you don't use anyway.

If, on the other hand, we pay a stranger a few hundred zloty a month, this amount will usually be felt in our budget. This person (I call them a weight-loss assistant, but there is also the English-language term coach) must be a stranger. Family, friends - we can stand up to them, and they will often not have the right argument about pushing you in the right direction.

During the conversation, we also discussed box diets. We concluded that we would test the different diets available in my town, as it would be easy to count calories (on each box, each diet has the macronutrient composition and calorie count of the whole meal). I won't overeat while cooking or cheat myself when it comes to portion sizes.

Healthy Diet and Cheat's Days

Of course, the concept of a calorie deficit alone does not make you lose weight. It is still worth keeping in the back of one's mind the issue of food itself. For a 1-person household like mine, it isn’t easy to cook balanced and varied meals yourself. I found that boxed diets were cheaper for me and meant that I wasn't tempted to keep such treats in the fridge that didn't fit the 'healthy meals' standard.

Boxed diets also help to keep regularity³⁹. This is because eating regularly throughout the day is recommended, as this helps regulate the metabolism and keeps blood sugar levels stable. When we starve ourselves during the day (because we believe we will eat fewer calories) and eat masses of food at the end of the day, this situation often leads to overeating and consuming more calories than the body can burn, leading to weight gain.

Eating smaller, frequent meals helps to control appetite, prevent overeating, and maintain a healthy weight⁴⁰. Additionally, when we eat late at night, the body is less active and has less opportunity to burn excess calories, increasing body fat. Therefore, eating regularly during the day is a more effective way to keep a healthy weight and prevent overeating.

It is also worth rethinking what I call Cheat Day⁴¹ (cheat day⁴² / refeed day). Gregory has confirmed this. It is a planned break in a weight loss diet⁴³, where you eat more calories than normal. A refeed day aims to help you stick to your diet by supplying a psychological break and a sense of flexibility. It is also believed to help reset the metabolism, increase energy levels, and help regulate hormones that can become unbalanced due to a strict diet.

From a biological point of view, Kid's Day can also help regulate body hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism, such as leptin and ghrelin. By consuming more calories and carbohydrates, the body can release more leptin, which can help suppress appetite and boost metabolism.

However, it is important to remember that Cheat Days should be used in moderation and should not become a regular occurrence. Consuming too many calories and high-carbohydrate foods can lead to weight gain and undo the progress made during a weight-loss diet.

Water

Drinking water is important for overall health and well-being⁴⁴. It helps keep body fluid balance, regulates body temperature, aids digestion and nutrient absorption and prevents dehydration. Drinking enough water can also help increase physical performance, support weight loss efforts, improve skin condition and promote healthy kidney function. In addition, drinking water can help flush waste and toxins from the body and reduce the risk of various health problems such as headaches, constipation, and urinary tract infections⁴⁵. Drinking at least eight glasses of water daily is recommended to stay hydrated.

Using the calculator on https://www.maczfit.pl/kalkulator/zapotrzebowanie-na-plyny, I should drink 5425 ml of water daily. 5.5 litres of water! Every day! I had never consumed that amount of water before. But I noticed that when I drank much water in one of my earlier approaches to losing weight, I found it easier to lose weight when I drank a lot of it. So, there must have been something in that.

Take-off time

So, I started another approach. I already had regular physical activity experience, so walking, running, or cycling (at least an hour a day) was relatively easy to restart.

I was familiar with 66 days of implementing a new habit stemming from 'The One Thing'. I focused on diet/water this time and sent regular summaries to Grzesiek. What I did like:

I paid a few hundred zloty for the first month. It was strange - I'll be watched, for the money, what I eat and how I exercise. But on the other hand - if I can't do it myself, why not enlist the help of a professional? After all, in the same way, I won’t learn how to drive a car on my own and go on a driving course. And this thought was enlightening.

I ordered a diet from one catering, then another, then a third. I tested the flavours and the quality of the delivery of the meals until I found one that appealed to me regarding food quality, taste, and ease of use on the customer side. The diets were five meals.

Breakfast at 8.30 a.m.

Second breakfast at 10.30

Lunch at 14.00

Afternoon snack at 16.30

Dinner at 19.00

Each meal appeared in my Outlook calendar, along with a reminder. In this way, I developed the habit of eating regularly. Gregory and I set a daily dietary requirement of 2,500 kcal, which we systematically reduced.

I drank water with each meal, about 1 litre - half a litre of water before the meal and a large cup of tea after the meal. This way, I was drinking the right amount of water. Regular alerts from the Water Drink Reminder app also accompanied drinking water.

I posted my physical activity (from 4th of February 2021) on social media under the #666challenge. This was a reference to an earlier #666challenge I had before. This is because I calculated that in 666 days, by 2 December 2022, I would have lost just the weight I wanted.

Every activity was documented in the relevant apps (weight, steps, eating, etc.). This helped me report to Gregory on progress, activities, or omissions.

After each meal, I would take a picture of the packaging from the box diet and send it to Gregory. This gave me constant monitoring of what I was eating. If I had Cheat Days, I would send pictures of what I ate. I wasn't cheating. If I didn't send a message with photos to Gregory on a given day, he would immediately remind me that I hadn't eaten something or make sure I hadn't overeaten... Surprisingly it worked 😊.

At the same time, I incorporated daily physical activity. This was the easiest thing to do, as the earlier regular walking and running had been remembered. The physical activity results also went (as screenshots) to Grzesiek.

The results were visible almost at once. From 135 kg, I dropped in ~6 months to 120 kg. 3 kg per month was comparable to what Victor mentioned. I was regularly cycling 20-40 km a day. I was starting to resemble myself 😊.

The end and the yo-yo effect

But I thought I already knew everything. I was under the impression that the habit was working and that I would continue to lose weight by sheer power or awareness of the habit. And I gave up Gregory's services after a few months. I let go of the #666challenge after 67 days, on the 11th of April 2021, at which point I weighed 119.7kg (having dropped 13.6kg).

Regular healthy eating habits went by the wayside (Baby Days were becoming more frequent), and I gave up on the box diet. Workouts became less frequent (how many excuses can a person come up with for not going to a training, which is a chore and not a pleasure). On the 18th of July 2021, I cycled my longest distance of 125 km and concluded that I didn't need to do anything more, that the weight would start to fall off on its own; after all, I had done a titanic amount of work. I stopped using the app. And that's how I got to the next yoyo effect, when my weight reached 130 kg again in January 2022.

Depression and negative changes in daily life

Depression is a common mental health disorder that affects millions of people worldwide⁴⁶. It can manifest in many ways, including sadness, hopelessness, fatigue, and loss of interest in life. When combined with other negative life changes, depression can lead to a vicious cycle of overeating and weight gain, ultimately resulting in extreme obesity.

In my case, depression caused me to weigh 155kg in July 2022, so in six months from December 2021, I gained 25kg, and on an annual basis from mid-2021, it was 35kg.

How did this happen?

How depression can lead to extremely overweight

Depression can lead⁴⁷ to severe overweight in several ways:

People who are depressed may turn to food as a form of comfort, leading to overeating and weight gain.

In addition, depression can cause a decrease in motivation and energy levels, making physical activity less appealing and leading to a sedentary lifestyle.

Furthermore, depression can affect sleep patterns, leading to weight gain, as poor sleep has been linked to increased appetite and decreased metabolism.

Finally, depression can also cause changes in hormone levels, contributing to weight gain.

It is important to note that although depression can contribute to weight gain⁴⁸, it is not the only cause, and weight management often needs a multifaceted approach that addresses the condition's emotional and physical aspects.

This is a tricky enemy. It's not like you wake up and say - ooo, my depression has started.

What about clothes?

A theme often faced by people struggling with morbid obesity is the limited availability of clothes which fit them comfortably. Many shops have limited sizes, and even when larger sizes are available, they often do not work well or are not fashionable. This can lead to shame and embarrassment, leading to depression and low self-esteem. Additionally, constantly buying new clothes as your weight changes can be costly and time-consuming. The emotional and financial toll of adjusting one's wardrobe due to weight change can further contribute to negative changes in a person's life⁴⁹.

Stress scale

The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale⁵⁰ (or simply the Stress Scale) is a tool used to measure stress levels in individuals. It was developed in 1967 by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, physicians at the University of Washington. The scale assigns a point value to 43 life events based on the situations that will likely cause stress in a person's life. The events are organised into work, health, relationships, and finances.

Scale scores can be used to find a person's stress burden and events contributing to that stress. High scores on the Stress Scale are associated with an increased risk of developing stress-related health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, depression, and anxiety. The scale is used in psychology and is considered a simple and reliable method of assessing stress levels.

Each event is assigned a point value based on its perceived stress level. Some of the events⁵¹ on the scale include:

Death of a spouse - 100 points.

Divorce - 73 points

Marital separation - 65 points

Stay in prison - 63 points.

Death of a close family member - 63 points

Injury or illness - 53 points

Wedding - 50 points

Redundancy - 47 points

Marital reconciliation - 45 points

Retirement - 45 points

Change in the health of a family member - 44 points.

Pregnancy - 40 points

Problems with sex - 39 points.

The arrival of a new family member - 39 points

Business renewal - 39 points.

Change in financial position - 38 points.

Death of a loved one - 37 points

Change to another profession - 36 points.

Change in the number of quarrels with spouse - 35 points.

Mortgage or loan over $10,000 - 31 points

The total score is used to show the level of stress a person is experiencing. A score of 300 or higher is considered a high-stress level and may indicate the need for stress management techniques.

When a person reaches certain levels on the stress scale, this can show an increased risk of physical and mental health problems, such as illness, anxiety, or depression. However, it is important to remember that the stress scale is not a definitive measure of stress, and the impact of stress on a person can vary significantly depending on several factors such as personal resilience, support system and coping mechanisms.

According to Holmes and Rahe:

A score in 12 months between 150 and 199 means a 37% chance of getting the disease in the next two years.

A score between 200 and 299 means a 51% chance of having the disease within the next two years.

A score above 300 indicates a 79% chance of developing the disease over the next two years.

Let each of you answer how many points you have scored in the last 12 months. Being overweight/obese/depressed is also a disease.

An important change in personal life

At the beginning of 2022, an important change occurred in my personal life. This triggered a spiral of negative life changes and may have profoundly affected my emotional and mental state.

When someone feels unwell or depressed, they often take up problems with food, which is a way of coping with their emotions. This can lead to significant weight gain, negatively affecting their self-esteem and overall well-being. The vicious cycle of depression and obesity can be difficult to break without outside help and support.

In addition, the social stigma surrounding obesity can also play a significant role in worsening the negative effects of depression. People who struggle with excess weight often feel isolated and alone, contributing to a downward spiral of depression and weight gain. This is why it is so important for people struggling with their weight and mental health to reach out for support and seek help. Whether through therapy, support groups or other forms of treatment, breaking the cycle of depression and obesity is key to achieving a better quality of life.

However, it is possible to hide depression quite well. Several of my friends who also struggle with depression said that they didn't see it in me. I heard that I was only showing the strengths of my psyche in a way that even my friends could not see about my situation, and yet they felt that I was supporting them in their fight against their depression.

A psychiatrist is no shame.

Reaching out to a mental health professional is a key step in managing the depression associated with obesity⁵². A psychiatrist can provide a person with a comprehensive assessment of their mental and emotional well-being and any underlying physical health conditions contributing to depression and obesity. With the help of a psychiatrist, a person can develop an individualised treatment plan that addresses their specific needs and concerns. This may include a combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle modifications. By working with a mental health professional, a person can learn effective coping strategies, improve their self-esteem and confidence, and reduce symptoms of depression and obesity. It is important to remember that seeking help is a courageous and positive step towards improving mental and physical health and should not be seen as a sign of weakness.

Depression is a mental illness affecting millions worldwide and is often associated with negative beliefs and misconceptions⁵³. Here are some common myths about coping with depression:

"Depression is only the result of a lack of willpower or laziness. - Depression is a complex illness caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors, and it cannot simply be overcome by willpower or motivation.

"Talking about depression makes it worse. - Keeping feelings and thoughts bottled up can make depression worse while talking to someone and getting support can help alleviate symptoms.

"Medication is the only solution. - Medication can be helpful but should be combined with psychotherapy, self-care, and lifestyle changes for optimal results.

"Depression only affects older people. - Depression can occur at any age and can be seen in men and women and people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

"Exercise is not a helpful solution to depression. - Regular exercise has been shown to improve mood, reduce anxiety and depression and increase overall mental well-being.

It is important to understand that depression is treatable, and seeking help from a mental health professional is a key step in managing and overcoming depression.

But - if you have a broken leg, you go to a surgeon or orthopaedist. If you have depression (a broken head), go to a psychiatrist. This is not a dreadful thing. I went to such a doctor. But I will not describe the full treatment here. Depression does not affect the weak. It affects those who have been super strong for too long!

Support from family and friends

Reaching out for support from family and friends can be an effective way to cope with the negative life changes caused by obesity. This support can take many forms, such as simply being there to listen, offering encouragement and positive reinforcement or helping with practical tasks such as shopping and exercise. A supportive network of people can provide comfort and security and help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation.

It is important to remember that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness and that many people struggle with similar issues. Talking openly and honestly with loved ones can be therapeutic and help build stronger relationships.

It can also be helpful to seek out support groups, both in-person and online, where people can connect with others who are dealing with similar experiences. These groups can supply a safe space to share thoughts and feelings and offer advice and guidance on weight management and mental health.

Ultimately, the key to overcoming the negative life changes caused by obesity is to reach out for help and support and not be afraid to ask for it. Whether from family and friends, a mental health professional, or a support group, the support and guidance of others can be invaluable in the journey towards a happier, healthier life.

I am glad that I have family and friends whose support (sometimes even unconsciously) was one of the elements that helped me overcome my depression.

Change order

If you feel overwhelmed by the negative changes in your life caused by obesity and want to turn things around, it is important to act. Here are some steps that can help you start to transform your life and become healthy:

Plan: Plan how you want to change your life. This may include setting realistic weight loss goals, changing your diet and exercise routine, and finding ways to manage stress and depression.

Reach out for help: Be bold and reach out for help, whether from a doctor, therapist, or support group. These people can offer guidance, support, and resources as you work to change your life.

Surround yourself with positivity: Surround yourself with people who support you and believe in your ability to change. This could be friends, family members or a supportive community.

Celebrate the small victories: As you progress, celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may seem. This will help you stay motivated and continue to move towards your goals.

Stay positive: Finally, keep a positive outlook and focus on the positive changes you are making in your life. Remember that the journey to becoming healthy is long, but you can get there with hard work and determination.

Deciding to change your life and become healthy after experiencing the negative changes caused by obesity can be difficult but rewarding⁵⁴. One way to start is to make small, achievable changes. For example, you can begin by introducing healthy eating habits, such as reducing portions and cutting processed foods. Additionally, increasing your physical activity, such as taking a daily walk or going to the gym, can help you get on the right track.

Another way to start the journey towards a healthier life is to go on holiday. A change of scenery and a break from your normal routine can be a fantastic way to reset your mind and body. Try new activities like yoga or hiking and experiment with new healthy foods. Not only will this help you feel fresh, but it can also give you the motivation and inspiration to continue making positive changes when you return home.

For me, such a turning point was when I and my nearest and dearest went on a two-week holiday.

Remember that looking after your mental and physical health is a journey, not a destination. It takes time and effort, but with dedication and the support of loved ones, you can achieve your goal of becoming healthier and happier.

Weight

Did you know that the scales that are most commonly on sale weigh people up to 120kg? And the more upscale ones - up to 150kg? After that, you run out of scale (no matter if they are mechanical or electronic).

Buying a scale and realising that your weight is too high to measure can be a wake-up call and a catalyst for change. It is important to remember that this is just the beginning and that small steps are the key to success. Thinking about losing a significant amount of weight can be overwhelming, but focusing on making slight changes and progressing towards a healthier lifestyle is important. This can include making dietary changes, increasing physical activity, and seeking support from friends and family. Setting realistic goals and tracking your progress can help you stay motivated and on track. Holidays can also be a wonderful way to start a new life and break from daily stressors. Having a positive attitude and surrounding yourself with positive influences can make a huge difference on the road to a healthier and happier life.

Potential health problems

In addition to depression and negative life changes, being overweight can lead to various health problems⁵⁵, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, joint pain, and cancer. Being overweight strains the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Diabetes is another concern, as obesity can cause insulin resistance, a major factor in developing type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnoea, a condition in which breathing stops briefly during sleep, can also develop due to excess weight on the airways.

Being overweight can also lead to joint pain, especially in the hips, knees, and ankles. The extra strain on the joints can cause inflammation and pain, making physical activity difficult. In addition, obesity has been linked to certain types of cancer, such as colon, endometrial and breast cancer.

It is important to understand that obesity is not just a cosmetic problem but a serious health issue which requires attention and action. Taking steps to lose weight and keep a healthy lifestyle can significantly improve overall health and well-being.

Tom's comment

Like Peter, I have also struggled with obesity for a long time. I approached weight loss three times. After the first two times, there was a yo-yo effect and a return to my previous weight. I lost from 103 to 64 kg on the third weight loss process, or 39 kilograms. Unlike Peter, the process was spread over a longer period.

Here are a few things to recommend to people approaching weight loss.

Over a year, losing a great deal by normal means is possible. A huge calorie deficit, rapid pace, or strong dietary sacrifices increase the risk of returning to your earlier weight. Think how much you can achieve in 1 year.

Approach to exercise - I relied heavily on training for my first two attempts at weight loss. It was time-consuming and tiring, but it brought results. By the third time, due to a total lack of time, I let the subject go completely. It did not prove necessary for me to achieve my goal. But I set myself firmly on a calorie deficit.

catering - like Peter, I highly recommend catering. The most convenient method takes no time; if one can afford it, it strongly eases the approach to weight reduction.

Dietician/monitoring - a first consultation with a dietician is highly recommended. In my case, we had short talks with the nutritionist every week, then every two weeks. I weighed and measured myself every week (then every 2) and compared in Excel exactly if there was progress, what we could change, etc., like mood, if we increased calories / decreased/stayed at the same level.

I recommend regular dietary education during the process as to what has how many calories. Occasionally it's a good idea to get away from the catering and force yourself to count to have the most popular foods in your head, how many calories they have and what has a lot / what has little. This makes it quite easy to lose weight when travelling, for example, as you cannot always have the catering. It's worth at least knowing intuitively what foods many calories must try to avoid, especially concerning pasta, pizza, etc.

Sleep is essential. In my case, I have many responsibilities, and I was saving on sleep. It would be easier if I slept an entire eight hours.

abstinence from alcohol helps to speed up the weight loss process, not only because of the non-absorption of calories from alcohol but also because alcohol is a gateway drug through which we are more likely to reach for high-calorie items.

Accept that weight loss will take up much of your attention anyway. Plan your life so you don’t do too many things during this time. Similarly, being even on a slight calorie deficit will make you more anxious or nervous. I recommend regularly, consciously planning time for yourself to relax and unwind.

in the long term, the catering dishes will become boring. It is worth switching often to several other options and trying different diets/flavours.

Sex

Obesity can lead to many physical and emotional changes, including difficulties in sexual life. Being overweight can strain the body, causing fatigue, low energy levels and discomfort during sexual activity. In addition, obesity can also lead to reduced confidence, self-esteem, and body image issues, all of which can affect sexual desire and performance.

Furthermore, obesity can lead to several physical conditions, such as erectile dysfunction in men and reduced lube and sexual satisfaction in women. These difficulties can harm the relationship and cause a further decline in self-esteem, leading to a vicious circle of depression and inactivity.

It is important to address obesity and work towards a healthier lifestyle to improve physical health and sexual satisfaction. Seeking help from a therapist or counsellor can also be beneficial in addressing any emotional and psychological factors contributing to the problem.

Self-esteem

Self-esteem can be greatly affected by obesity. People who are overweight or obese may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or unattractive. This can lead to reduced self-esteem and a negative body image. Obese people may also face discrimination and social stigma, further affecting their self-esteem. They may feel embarrassed to participate in activities or events that require physical activity or are social and may avoid these experiences altogether.

This can result in fewer social interactions, leading to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and low self-esteem. People struggling with obesity must seek support and turn to friends, family, or mental health professionals to help them raise their self-esteem and increase their self-worth.

Work and business

Extreme obesity can significantly negatively impact a person's working life.⁵⁶ For a start, it can limit physical mobility and make it more difficult to perform everyday tasks. It can make it difficult to attend meetings, serve customers and perform other essential functions that are needed in many businesses. Additionally, the negative stigma associated with obesity can lead to workplace discrimination. Overweight people are often the target of negative comments and attitudes, leading to lower self-esteem, decreased motivation and reduced overall productivity. This, in turn, can lead to difficulties in career development and earning sufficient income.

It is important for people struggling with obesity to understand how their weight can affect their working life. Taking steps to lose weight and keep a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the negative impact of obesity on work and business. This, in turn, can lead to increased self-confidence, motivation, and overall job satisfaction and financial stability.

Swine comments by fatphobes

It is not uncommon for people struggling with obesity to face hurtful comments from others, including strangers and even close friends and family. These comments, known as 'fatphobia'⁵⁷, can further damage someone's already fragile self-esteem and mental health. Fatphobia⁵⁸ can range from passive-aggressive remarks about someone's weight, to name-calling, to outright discrimination in the workplace or social situations.

It is important to remember that these comments reflect the person making them, not the person struggling with obesity. Ignoring the words and focusing on self-care and positivity is key to keeping a healthy mindset. Surrounding yourself with supportive friends and family can also help create a positive environment. Seeking help from a mental health professional or support group can also be beneficial in dealing with the effects of fatphobia and improving self-esteem.

Daily life

Did you know it's difficult to get into an Uber at this weight because you can't fit through the door of a Toyota Aygo? Do you know you can't buy clothes outside of 2 shops in Warsaw? Or that it's difficult to maintain mental hygiene? Or are those thoughts that psychiatrists call resignation thoughts becoming more frequent?

Enough of that!

As they say - been there, done that. I have experienced each one of these elements. But I picked myself up. All I needed was the help of a doctor to reset my head, a plan that considered the lessons learned from earlier failures and the support of loved ones. I will now describe how I did it.

Wrapping up in July 2022

During my leave of absence in July 2022, I concluded that this was my last chance to make a change. I had people around me who wished me well. I knew what the course of action had to be. I had the support of the right doctor. And there were suddenly inspirations around me for which I am grateful. And that was the element that caused me to accelerate my actions.

Inspirations

Of course, the whole thing started with Victor's post on FB in 2021 about how he lost weight. This was the first inspiration I saw in my surroundings. This change showed that it was worthwhile to use the support of specialists in the complicated process of losing extreme weight. In this case, the specialist was Grzesiek, who monitored eating patterns and motivated regular activity.

More inspiration followed.

My colleague Ela showed in early 2022 on Instagram how she had lost 35 kg in a few months. It was an impressive change. She managed this through diet and exercise.

Another colleague, Nina, had health problems resulting from her thyroid. She had also been complaining about her weight for some time. In 2022, she boasted on social media that she was under a doctor's care and her weight was dropping. She looked sensational after losing 30kg.

One of the influencers on the internet, PigOut, set up a support group on FB in mid-2022 related to so-called cutting out - i.e., losing weight. Pig shows his life on Insta and FB (probably still on Tik Tok), is a copywriter, has a strong community of several hundred thousand, and does a lot of interesting social actions. In this case, he wanted to show that weighing too much (in his case, around 115 kg) can be approached systematically, with the support of others, and be successful. This group even had a challenge related to how much someone would lose. I didn't join the challenge because I was embarrassed that I would have to show a picture of my weight. Pig is all the time on the cut 😊. At the time of writing this, he has reported that clipping - clipping, but today is International Pizza Day again this year. And a holy day should be celebrated.

My friend Olga showed how she lost 40 kg in about nine months. When I inquired, it concerned changes in her professional life, plus the support of a psychiatrist and an endocrinologist. Of course, the topic of diet and physical activity came up, and suddenly she was successful! I saw it in the pictures.

Support from relatives

During my holiday in July 2022, I spent much time with my family and friend Rafal. Everyone close to me spoke individually, as they all noticed something was wrong with me. They saw that I weighed way too much. They noticed that I didn't have the energy I used to have. I thought to myself that this might be the moment to change. That in a little while, it might be too late. And I decided to make the most of my last days off. That I would enjoy life and that upon my return, I would put together a plan to change my habits using all the lessons and failures I had previously.

Farewell to depression and the start of the transformation.

The holiday is over. I started to put together a change plan. For this, I needed a few gadgets - a scale at home. I didn't have a smartwatch or a smart band. I wanted to have ticked off a list of the trivial things that had been important in the past to make something work and something not. A boxed diet had to be ordered... It must have taken a few days to prepare.

Internally, I also needed to say goodbye to the old Peter. I decided the perfect moment for this would be the Rammstein concert on the 16th of July 2022 in Warsaw. Before the show, I went with Rafał and Olga for ribs at one of the restaurants. I didn't say anything to them, that going out was more symbolic for me than just meeting friends.

I've set myself that the start of my transformation will be on 18th July 2022. I'll have a farewell party with the old Peter; I’ll have goodies and a diet... Now (writing these words), I noticed I had my record bike ride - 125 km two years earlier. This will have to be repeated, weighing in at around 90kg 😊

During this meeting before the concert, I saw Olga live (I last saw her live a long time ago, apart from pictures on FB or Insta) - how she went from 110 kg to 70 kg. It was impressive! I thought I would look the same and that my transformation would be so noticeable.

The event was successful, and the concert was sensational!

Approach 3 and last

Embarking on an extreme weight loss process can be a daunting task. It requires motivation, determination, and a willingness to face the challenges ahead. For many people struggling with obesity, losing significant weight can seem impossible. However, with the right approach and support, it can be achieved.

I will describe here what I did and how I did it, in what order I managed to lose 50.5 kg in 5 months and five days. Whether you've been struggling with your weight for years or are just starting, it's important to remember that change is possible. With a positive attitude and an unwavering commitment to your goals, you can begin the journey towards a healthier and happier you. However, it is also worth mentioning excuses plus professional support.

Excuses - why not eat properly or go for a walk?

In the extreme process of losing weight, people often come up with excuses for not eating properly or going for a walk. Some of the most common reasons include:

lack of time,

being too tired

feeling too depressed

lack of motivation

However, it is important to understand that these excuses are just excuses. To achieve your extreme weight loss goal, you need to push through these excuses and make changes in your life.

A professional coach - a stranger you pay to be there is important. This can help you with the support and guidance you need to overcome those obstacles and reach your goal. Your coach can help you develop a plan tailored to your individual needs and help you track your progress. They can also give you the encouragement and motivation to move forward. It is important to remember that weight loss is a journey, and it takes time and effort to see results.

Weight loss assistance vs habits

Even with weight loss knowledge, it is difficult to watch yourself. It took me 30 years (let's assume I was always fat). I read the book One Thing in 2019. I met Grześko in 2021. And it wasn't until 2022 that I fulfilled what I had been thinking about for a long time.

One strategy for building a new habit is to start with small activities and gradually increase the difficulty level over time. For example, if the goal is to increase daily physical activity, beginning with a 10-minute walk and gradually increasing the length and intensity of the walk can help build the habit and fitness.

Another key factor in building a new habit is clearly understanding why the change is being made and what the benefits will be. An obvious reason for the change can supply motivation and help overcome possible obstacles.

Finally, having a support system, such as a coach, family, or friends, can provide extra encouragement and accountability, helping to keep a person on track. With the right support, it is possible to break through the excuses and build a new, healthy habit that leads to successful weight loss.

Weight loss assistant vs being alone.

Of course - you can try it on your own. However, building new habits with the support of a professional coach – or, as I call such a person - a weight loss assistant - can be a key factor in achieving success in extreme weight loss. They will check progress. They also supply accountability, motivation, and encouragement along the way.

I'm not talking about a nutritionist, personal trainer, or other medical professional. We are talking about a weight loss assistant who will:

He asked you five times a day - what did you eat?

He will ask you why you did not eat or why you had a Cheat’s Day.

You will be asked if you have walked.

Have you weighed in?

Have you been drinking the right amount of water?

Have you been to the doctor?

Someone, it's like a Project Manager in a corporation, who will be with you throughout the project.

Daily routines⁵⁹ supply more consistent and immediate feedback and support. With daily contact and progress reports, you can stay motivated and stick to your weight loss goals. In addition, daily routines allow you to receive immediate feedback from an assistant on any problems or obstacles that arise, allowing you to address and overcome them quickly.

In comparison, going it alone can be challenging and require a lot of self-discipline and motivation. Without the support of a weight loss assistant, it is easy to get sidetracked or lose sight of your goals, especially when faced with obstacles and temptations.

Overall, working with such a person can supply the structure and accountability often needed to achieve success in extreme weight loss. While there is no guarantee that an assistant will be the person holding the magic wand for weight loss, such an investment in professional support is needed.

Why a weight loss assistant should be a stranger.

There are many benefits to paying for the services of a stranger when embarking on an extreme weight loss journey. One of the main benefits is that such a person is an expert in the field and can supply personalised advice and support tailored to your individual needs and goals. They have the knowledge and experience to help you navigate the challenges and obstacles that can arise during weight loss.

Friends and family members may have different knowledge or understanding about weight loss. While their support can be invaluable, it is no different from having a coach who has dedicated their lives to helping people lose weight. Additionally, friends and family members may not be available to supply support 24/7 or may only sometimes help you at a particularly challenging time.

Paying for a trainer also shows commitment to your weight loss goals. Investing in a trainer makes you consciously prioritise your health and well-being. This investment can help you stay motivated and focused on your goals and supply the accountability you need to keep on track.

Ultimately, the decision to work with an assistant is personal; it is up to you to determine whether the benefits of paying for professional support are worth it. However, working with a coach can greatly improve your health and well-being if you are serious about losing weight and changing your life.

Price of the assistant's service

When it comes to losing weight, many people choose the most budget-friendly choice. However, when it comes to paying for a professional assistant, it is important to consider the value of their services. While it may seem like a huge cost to pay a fee of over €100 per month, it may be more beneficial overall.

A professional assistant will not only provide you with the guidance and support you need to achieve your weight loss goals but they will also be equipped with the knowledge and experience to help you overcome any challenges that may arise. They can offer you insights and advice you may need help finding elsewhere.

In contrast, relying on unpaid support from friends or family members may be less effective. While their support and encouragement are valuable, they may have a different level of training and knowledge than a professional assistant. What's more, they may only sometimes be available to support you or may not be able to give you the level of accountability you need to lose weight successfully.

Action plan

Well, then we come to what was the key to my success. My plan included the following:

Objective

Boxed diet

Regular exercise

Drinking water

Phone apps and gadgets

Own internal gamification and regularity

Doctors

I will first describe the individual items.

Objective

On the 18th of July 2022, I weighed 155 kg. Unfortunately, I couldn't weigh myself on my scale because its limit was 150 kg - besides, it was supposed to arrive the next day. I ordered it at the weekend. So, I weighed myself elsewhere. I know that this weight included the weight of the liquids and meals I had eaten earlier. But the scale showed 155 kg.

My ideal and expected target was 85kg, as my fitness could have been better, and I had some muscle. Going down to the ideal weight suggested by the calculators in the apps for my height, i.e., 68 kg, seemed unrealistic and unnecessary. But anyway, I had 70 kilograms to drop in front of me....

I assumed that I would lose 1.5 kg a week. Three times faster than Wiktor. But I knew this was achievable because, with the approach with Gregory's support, I was achieving results of ~6 kg per month. At the same time, this would mean I had a prospect of ~330 days ahead of me, just under a year. That is, from holiday to holiday, with holidays on the way. Even if I stumbled, implementing the change was achievable and discernible.

I thought that if I were to have Victor's pace, I would give up along the way. I couldn’t keep my goal in sight for more than three years. Some people say that more than 4kg a month should be recovered. That it's dangerous.

Is it more dangerous than being 70kg overweight?

I chose something achievable for me, possible to visualise at the time⁶⁰.

First, there will be a descriptive section, and then I will show you tables and graphs showing the progress of this activity.

Calorie counting and dieting.

Do you remember PPM? Basal metabolic rate? My PPM was at 2763 kcal. CPM (total metabolism calculated for low physical activity) was 3868 kcal. If I ate 2500 kcal a day (reducing this later proportionally as I wouldn't need as many meals), I would still be around a 1300 kcal calorie deficit daily. If there are obstacles, I should still have 1000 kcal daily or a 7000-kcal deficit from eating, translating into 1kg of weight loss per week from diet alone. And on top of that, there should also be movement.

Suvibox boxed diet

Why a box diet? The box diet allows me to control exactly what I eat. Let me remind you that I form a one-person household myself, so I don't have other people around me to consider when planning meals. I know that not all of you have this. Buying ingredients for food and cooking myself could involve me overeating again. Likewise, if I were to purchase ready-made dinner kits through, for example, pyszne.pl (too big portions). I also have the freedom that, in addition to the boxed diet, there will still be mustard and penguin in the fridge (someone must turn the light on and off in the refrigerator, after all). I know what a hunger attack means.

And if you compare the price of cooking yourself plus the occasional outing (because I don't want to cook now and I can't starve myself), diet catering comes out comparably priced. And I have 100% certainty that I am not skipping meals, that I am not overeating and that I am eating as much as I should.

I chose Suvibox as my diet catering provider. I met them during my 2021 weight loss approach. Why them? First, they were available in my city. They serve nearly 60 cities and their surrounding areas (which makes it easy to change delivery locations during workation, holidays, and trips). They also have over a dozen diets, one of which allows you to compose your meals.

I am currently on an insulin-resistant diet with five meals a day of 1500 kcal, but I am changing to a high protein 1800 kcal diet any day.

Ease of diet selection and ordering

You order online, by phone or via the app. In the same way, you can divert meals to another city, swap diets from one to another, change calories or change delivery dates. A 6 am delivery hangs on the fence. Equally, you can complain that something needs to be fixed with both the food quality and the delivery. Customer service is rapid - they respond to calls.

Each diet has its calorie range—between 1000 and 4000 kcal. You can choose according to your preference. You can use the calculator prompts in the app or talk to a dietician about it.

There are several options related to the distribution of meals during the day itself. You can choose from 5 meals (breakfast / second breakfast/lunch/afternoon snack/dinner). You can buy extras (such as sandwiches for your child to take to school).

Of course, you can set the length of the order. The longer it is, the bigger the discount, i.e., the price for one day is lower. The fewer calories, the cheaper it is too.

Taste

This is the first diet I enjoy 90% of the time (some meals don’t suit me, but these are the exceptions anyway). Why is this the case?

Almost all vegetables and meats are prepared using the sous vide method, which guarantees the freshness and high quality of the products used. It is also certain that most of the dish's nutrients are preserved. What does this mean in practice? The technique they use - sous vide is one of the healthiest options for preparing food.

Boredom

I have now been on this diet for over eight months. And I'm not bored with it. Yes - the meals are repetitive. But they are not boring. A popular theme of box catering is that people say they get bored. But it's then worth switching caterers and trying other providers or diets with the same provider.

Evaluations

What appealed to me - I can rate both individual meals and the whole diet. It gives me a sense of control over what the menu looks like in the future.

Moneybox

There is also a loyalty programme in place called Moneybox. For every rating of each meal - I get points. For every evaluation of an entire order, I get points. There are also points for loyalty and if I bring in another customer. This means I interact at least five times daily with a particular diet. However, this ties a person to a specific solution – a small gamification element is important to me.

Prices

Prices are in the range of PLN50-80 per day for meals. However, if you consider the possibility of discounts resulting from:

Order lengths

Points from meal evaluations

Points from programme evaluations after each order

Recommending the programme to other people (several people receive help from these recommendations)

Promotions regularly published by the company on social media.

You can usually get between 55-60 PLN per meal day. However, you can find offers ranging from PLN 80-90 per day to (for premium variants) PLN 150-170 per day for the box diet. You can google the names of the companies yourself.

How was it with my calories?

At the very beginning, back in 2021, I started the process with Gregory with a 2500 kcal diet. It was a vegetarian diet. I am not a vegetarian - I love meat. But there was a reason behind this decision. It was due to the following train of thought - if I am to eat regularly in the first 66 days (I remind you of the book One Thing, which you must read), then I should not be hungry. I should always be full. I eat one meal every few hours. I should first learn to eat regularly and only what I have in my boxes.

My Outlook and Google calendar to this day includes alerts at the following times:

Breakfast - 8.30 a.m.

Second breakfast - 10.30 a.m.

Lunch - 14.00

Afternoon snack - 16.30

Dinner - 19.00

As you can guess, the stomach of a person who weighs a lot is larger than that of the average Smith. A vegetarian diet, which does not have meat, must supply the right number of calories to the body. This is done by increasing the grammage of meals. Determining how much a 2500 kcal vegetarian diet weighs would be best. To convert - if I were to eat 2500 kcal using tomatoes, I should eat more than 13 kg of them 😊. Of course, no such diet exists. A vege diet is varied. And on top of that, it's tasty. But the amount of food is enormous. And it certainly gives a feeling of satiety. It was a trial diet from the first supplier.

After 2 or 3 weeks, I switched to a low glycaemic index DASH diet from another diet catering provider. It, too, was 2500 kcal. Not because I wanted to cause a change in health. I noticed that I was starting to have meals from the vegetarian diet left in my fridge. I was full. I concluded that I wouldn't bother with a vege diet and would switch to an easy-to-digest diet, with less meat than usual. I also wanted to test another diet catering service. Here I was, about two weeks in. The provider needed to follow the normal logistical processes, payments etc. Again, I started looking for another company. And that's how I ended up at Suvibox.

With them, I switched to a 2,000 kcal Fit diet. I wanted to change the type of diet at the same time as changing suppliers. Changing the diet was not a clever idea. The Fit diet has less volume than the DASH diet. I felt hungry on it.

I quickly switched back to the DASH 2000 kcal diet. And after a brief time, I reduced the calorie content of my meals to 1800 kcal myself—something needed to change when regularly excess food was left in the fridge.

And that was the moment I gave up (in mid-2021).

The change in my life that started my depression came in early 2022. Then, I wanted to start another weight loss process too quickly and hastily to get back into familiar patterns. I bought a diet for a dozen days - a 1500 kcal weight loss diet. But I cheated myself and didn't stick to that diet. I became an expert at finding excuses to order something on delicious.co.uk.

When I started my weight loss process on 19th July 2022, I returned to the 2000 kcal Dash diet. I believed 2000 kcal was the right calorie intake. I knew its size; I knew its taste. I liked it.

Getting into a set rhythm was relatively easy. An empty fridge alerts in Google and Outlook, and I type everything I eat into an app on my phone. Eating regularly became part of me. For the first time in an exceptionally long time, I started to feel hungry, like I hadn't eaten at a particular food time. My body was demanding calories, filling my stomach. I was re-learning my body.

I then reduced the calorie content of my meals twice more. The first time, 1700 kcal was combined with a change to an insulin-resistant diet. And this diet, I still have today, but at a level of 1500 kcal. The change in diet type was dictated by the fact that the Dash diet didn't quite taste right to me. I changed it for another one - coincidence caused me to choose the insulin-resistant variant. But it was shot in 10 - it tastes exactly right. The meals don't get boring.

Reducing calorie requirements is also linked to PPM and CPM levels. The body itself lets you know when you have too much food. Currently, my PPM reaches 1979 kcal and my CPM 3959 kcal (for a highly active person).

Hunger attacks

I still need to sort out everything in my head and body. Sometimes I have a hunger attack. Then I try to trick my body somehow. An excellent choice for me is, for example, 200 grams of country cheese which has less than 200 kcal.

I sometimes cope by reaching for fruit and vegetables. One hundred grams of apple or grapes is 70 kcal. But the unbeaten leader is tomatoes (I can't stand sauteed cucumbers). The 19 kcal in 100 grams of tomatoes means that if you eat even 400 grams of tomatoes, you provide 80 kcal.

Cheat's Day

For me, Cheat's Day is something I take for granted, and sometimes there is room for a pizza from the chain, sipped with a few bottles of non-alcoholic beer. The fact that an extra 2,500 kcal appears during such a Cheat's Day is of no consequence. I have Cheat's Days regularly - every 2-3 weeks. Not just on weekends. Sometimes it's linked to some social gathering. Sometimes I go for a steak because I feel like it. Sometimes it's because I have three meals in my diet that I don't like - then I reach for substitutes (but ones that I love and sometimes miss - scrambled eggs, apple pie).

I don't treat it as a failure - it's simply part of the process to keep myself mentally balanced. When you have a Cheat's Day (not too often), you have it. You don't starve yourself for the next day, and you don't punish yourself for deviating. You stay on the designated diet path the next day, and that's it. You feel better (because there was a fun event the day before). You feel overeaten (because you ate more, though). You have loads of energy because you have supplied many calories. Please, don’t be bad about it. It wasn't a stumble - it was part of the process. But of course - if your Cheat’s Day is every day - then surely changing your habits and losing weight won't be what you expect it to be.

Can you find the Cheat's Days on the chart above?

However, you must remember that if you want to have a child's day often enough or big enough, you must take care of the calorie deficit well in advance. I will describe two scenarios to you to illustrate my thinking.

Cheat Day - scenario 1

Cheat Day - scenario 2 (my approach)

You work with a nutritionist. You have a calculated CPM. You have your meals planned. Your physical activity is three times a week for 30 minutes each. You are set on a slow reduction because your goal is to lose 10 kg, for example, and you know it may take 12 months. It would be best to have a deficit of around 1,400 kcal per week. Where does this value come from?

Plan to lose 10 kg * 7000 kcal = 70,000 kcal in a year

70,000 / 52 = 1346 kcal expected deficit per week

Cheat's Day involves eating a medium pepperoni pizza on the thick dough from Pizza Hut or a 200-gram burger with fries. We pack the whole thing with 2 pints of beer. We go to the max and the brim!

Average pizza = 2632 kcal, 900 grams⁶¹

Cheeseburger = 619 kcal, 305 grams⁶² plus fries 260 kcal⁶³, making a total of 879 kcal

Beer, 2 pints = 430 kcal⁶⁴

So, in the medium pizza and beer version, we have over 3,000 kcal. The burger version gives us over 1300 kcal. Therefore, Cheat's Day in this variant nullifies us for a week or two of dieting. So, if we count calories scrupulously, approach weight loss systematically, adhering to the principle of a slow weight loss process, then the Cheat's Day version with pizza every two weeks means that no matter how much we slim down, our weight will not budge in the long term.

I generate a 1000-kcal caloric deficit daily from less caloric food. I yield an additional 1000 kcal per day from physical activity. A little less, maybe a little more. In 2 weeks, I caught 28,000 kcal of caloric deficit (14 days of about 2,000 kcal each). I'm going for a Pizza Hut version of Cheat's Day. Admittedly, I don't drink beer with alcohol but buy a non-alcoholic IPA beer (also 2 pints, 230 kcal⁶⁵ ). So, my Cheat's Day generates 2632+230 = 2862 kcal of extra calories.

But this Cheat's Day is 10% of the deficit I generated in the previous two weeks. So instead of a 28,000-kcal deficit, I have "only" 25,000 kcal. Instead of 4 kg, I lose 3.6 kg in 2 weeks. Indeed, a 200 kcal daily planned deficit, with 90 minutes of physical activity per week, requires meticulousness.

For my approach to work in Scenario 1 (10% deficit every two weeks goes to Cheat's Day), then I could afford an extra 269.2 kcal meal every two weeks (1346 kcal deficit per week * 2 weeks * 10% for Cheat's Day). What does this mean? Every two weeks, you can eat or drink:

two scoops of ice cream ⁶⁶

one mug of beer with an alcohol⁶⁷

Handful of pistachios⁶⁸

Alternatively, every month you can go to the cinema and eat nachos with sauces, and you'll exceed the limit... I think my version is more friendly 😊

Alcohol

I have not drunk alcohol for many years. One hundred grams of vodka has 231 kcal. A half-litre pint of beer has between 250 kcal (light) and 370 kcal (dark). Wine has about 90 kcal per 100 ml. Calculate how many calories you take in during a party weekend.

The non-alcoholic beer I reach for has around 100 kcal per 0.5 litre. This is a value that, without any remorse, can be had on Cheat's Day or going out with friends in the party hard version. This is comparable to the calorific value of tomatoes.

Traffic

When setting my movement goals in mid-2022, I returned to counting steps. I also thought it should be the simplest activity:

I wouldn’t say I like running - I think there should be a separate place in hell for those who invented running.

Swimming requires planning (getting to the pool, changing clothes, etc.) and fitting into a schedule (swimming hours).

Cycling requires dressing up and checking technical issues (it's hard to have a working bike when you weigh more than 150 kg), and the weather should be suitable (he has winter outfits, but it's not a huge pleasure to ride fast in rain or snow).

Gym - like swimming.

I thought about walking. I just put on my shoes, shorts, and T-shirt and walk. Of course, I should have, for example, a phone / smart band/smartwatch with me to count my steps, measure my heart rate and burn kcal, plus some earphones in my ears and something to listen to. But I'll talk about the gadgets later. For now - walking.

Walking

The first day was a massacre - I walked 8208 steps over 7.4km all day, covering 6.07km in 70 minutes, taking 7719 steps in one go. That was all I had the strength for - not an impressive result. But I burned 700 kcal during this walk and consumed about 600 kcal / hour. In total, I moved for 94 minutes that day.

I set myself a goal of 10,000 steps a day or one hour of movement daily. That first day was tough, but I managed. As I am 100% comfortable working remotely, I decided to split (at least initially) my walks. I wanted to walk for about 30 minutes during the day, at lunchtime, and about an hour at the end of the day. This would give me the achievement of my goal. This is because I calculated for myself that by taking 10,000 steps a day in 90 minutes (walking is much faster than walking around the house), I would have about 900 kcal of extra daily calorie deficit (in addition to that from eating a box diet - I was eating 2,000 kcal and had a requirement of 3,868 kcal).

Of course, I accept that there are particular conditions related to the rate of weight loss and calorie burning, the diet needs to be ideally calculated, and the devices may not measure the exact number of steps taken. Calculators in apps make mistakes. But that doesn't change the fact that:

Eating 2000 kcal instead of 3900 kcal, I should have a little over 1000 kcal daily deficit.

By moving an extra 90 minutes a day, I should be generating a slightly under 1,000 kcal daily deficit.

This would give me 14,000 missing calories per week, which would translate into a 2kg weight loss. Despite a failed first day in terms of movement, I believed in success. Beginnings are always easy 😉 - optimism, enthusiasm. I was right after my holiday, so I had strength. The weather was beautiful - sunshine, little clouds, 22 degrees. It was going to get better with each passing day.

And it was.

On the second day, I walked 13300 steps. On the third day, 12600... Each day I walked further and further or faster and faster. Every morning fasting, the first thing done after waking up was to step on the scale. But my scale displayed an Error - I still weighed over 150kg.

Within the first three days:

I have walked 34,000 steps.

the total distance covered was 25.7 km.

walking took me 227 minutes.

total traffic lasted 351 minutes.

I put the car down completely and walked everywhere I could.

I only ate 6000 kcal.

And on the morning of the 22nd of July 2022, I stood on the scales. After those four days, the scale showed the result—149.8 kg. Something began to change. This gave me wings. Of course, I realise this was not due to losing 5 kg of fat. But the tunnel had a light, and I hoped it wasn't a train.

During the first month, until 18 August:

I walked 305 km (almost 10 km a day)

I have taken 408,000 steps (13,200 steps per day)

intensive training (walking) lasted 2506 minutes or 81 minutes per day.

In total, I moved 4509 minutes, or 145 minutes a day.

The routine was noticeable. I would take 1-2 short walks daily (going to the post office or coffee). I would go for one long walk in the afternoon/evening (already after work). It was easier for me to walk. I could feel the change. I didn't let go of walking even for one day. As much as I happened to have Child Days related to eating (there were 2 in the first month), walking was a priority.

Additionally, on 13 August, at the end of the first month, I discovered the Stepler app. It is a gamification app in which we earn points for walking. These points can be exchanged for rewards as you accumulate a lot of them (I will write a few paragraphs more about this app, but they will be later). Since then, I have started walking more - hungry for points 😊.

The result of that first month was amazing - my weight dropped to 142.5kg. I lost 12.5 kilograms in one month. Yes - I know. The first 5kg was what was lingering in my body. But still. It worked. I noticed a change in my clothes. I realised that this path was right for me.

Another month it brought new records. It was still the summer holidays, so time was relatively plentiful. Some weekend outings fell into place. Stepler was also doing its thing.

walked 438 km (more than 14 km per day)

I have taken 608,000 steps (19,600 per day)

intensive training (walking) lasted 3890 minutes, or 125 minutes daily.

In total, I moved 7146 minutes, or 230 minutes a day.

In the second month, I swapped walking for walking with sticks. As my colleague Darek says - I'm like a skier whose skis have been stolen. This was because I felt that my walking pace was increasing. And I would either start running (which I hate) or get bored with slow walking (because my legs couldn't cope at walking pace) or change something. I picked up Nordic walking sticks. I borrowed them for a while to try them out. The stakes were telescopic, but I thought I could do it. After a week, I broke them and bought another one, which has been with me ever since. They are carbon solid; I purchased them on OLX (I believe in giving things a second chance). I have accelerated thanks to them. Currently, my average speed is about 6.6 km/h. I max out at 9.5-10 km/h when the ideal conditions are met - it's supposed to be warm, with no snow or rain, on the level and flat stretches with a slight downward slope and rough pavement.

And what is this Nordic walking⁶⁹ ? Nordic walking is a form of physical activity that uses specially designed walking sticks. It originated in Finland in the 1930s as a summer training method for cross-country skiers. Nordic walking consists in walking with a natural stride, with the sticks angled backwards and the hands gripping the sticks at an angle to allow a full range of movement. The sticks help propel the walker forward and engage the upper body muscles, supplying a full-body workout. Nordic walking can be practised on any terrain and is a low-demand, low-stress exercise that people of all ages and fitness levels can enjoy. It has been shown to have many health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength and endurance and improved balance and coordination.

I only walk on asphalt. It gives me the right concentration for walking, and I don't have to watch out for protruding roots in the woods. I walk in the city and familiar surroundings, which gives me a sense of security (I won't get hit in the head at night - "A pocketknife carries a scythe in its pocket" is not just a catchphrase from a Liroy song). I have virtually constant routes, giving me a proper walking pace because I don't have to think about where to go around the next corner. I walk in circles - I currently have a route of about 13 km, which I cover in 2 hours (the record is 1:55). This has its advantages and justification (mainly mental):

if I had to go back and forth along the same route, such a route is boring, and one can quickly become discouraged (been there, done that).

When I walk 3 km from home, I must walk another 3 km back. If I want to extend the route, I don't increase the number of laps but open the path that way 😉. However, it would be best if you got home on your power.

I don't commute to the forest for a walk - I leave the house and return. I wouldn’t want to make that extra organisational effort if I commuted.

After two months of transformation, the weight in mid-September had dropped to 131.8kg, which was over 23kg loss! Clothes were starting to get too big. Friends noticed the difference, especially when they saw me in person. By September, I believed that what I wanted to do was achievable.

I weigh myself every day. Weight loss guides tell you to weigh yourself simultaneously every week. But they assume a weight loss process of 500 grams per week. On the other hand, I lost an average of about 300 grams a day in the first month. Sometimes it was 100 grams and sometimes 400. I also had a rule - I didn't step on the scale after Cheat's Day. This way, I never once had an increase in my weight. Over the entire period of 158 days, I weighed myself 87 times. This change motivated me to keep up with the process.

I was lengthening the walks. First, I increased the number of steps from 10 to 13,000 to 15, 20 or 22,000 steps a day. I wanted to celebrate losing 50 kilos in December 2022. I should achieve the result of losing 50 kilos evenly in 5 months. However, it didn't work out. Instead, I lost 47.2 kg evenly after five months. I decided to reach 50 kg by Christmas. On the evening of 23 December, the day before Christmas dinner (which was a challenge), I stepped on the scale. It showed 104.5 kg! I had made it. And after five months and five days, I lost 50.5 kg!

I lost 50.5 kg in 158 days. My BMI⁷⁰ dropped from 51.2 (grade 3 obesity, extreme obesity⁷¹ ) to 34.5 (grade I obesity). I covered almost 2,100 km during this period, taking nearly 30,000 minutes.

As you can see - I wasn't in the gym; I wasn't catapulting myself into a diet. But it did require me to dedicate 3 hours a day to walking, not to mention the time spent on meals or other things to support this transformation, such as gamification.

But I have managed to overcome decades of health neglect and depression. As I write these words, I weigh about 95 kg. And this is certainly not the end of it.

Water

Application

As mentioned, I have used many apps and gadgets to check my parameters in changing my habits, lifestyle, and transformation. One such app is Water Drink Reminder. It is a mobile app available on the Google Play shop. It is designed to help users track their water intake. The app sets daily water intake goals based on gender, weight, and activity level. It then sends daily reminders to encourage users to drink water and achieve their daily goals.

The app has a customisable water intake tracker that allows users to record the water they drink throughout the day. It also includes a water history log that allows users to see their water intake over time and track progress.

Drinking water

As you remember, you should drink 35 ml per kilogram of your body. Apart from the medical and physiological reasons, this has a psychological significance - at least for me. I have noticed (using my 2021 example) that if I drink water according to the app's prompts, the weight loss process is easier in the right amount. Previously, I only paid attention to health, which didn't necessarily make it to my top priority list. This time, I decided that water would be part of a lifestyle change for me.

Initially, I had to drink 5425 ml of water every day. How did I approach this? I found a 450 ml cup. I decided that I would drink 1 cup of water before each meal. I thought that if I drank water, my stomach would be filled, and I wouldn't feel as hungry. The second cup during the meal was tea (I don't usually drink coffee). This meant that I drank 900ml of water with each meal. So having five meals daily, I drank 4.5 litres of water.

I added an extra 900 million before bedtime. In this way, I could meet my targets virtually every day. You can see how this worked out in practice on the graph. Higher values were associated with, for example, Cheat's Days, where non-alcoholic beer appeared. Lower values were associated with those days when I forgot to log water.

What was important to me? I knew that weight loss was not related to water loss in the body, which further motivated me.

Fake isotonic drinks and flavoured water

Notice how many 'isotonic' drinks you find in the shops or how many types of flavoured water there are on the shelves. I will quote here one post on FB⁷² from Dr Ania⁷³.

"Nothing annoys me more than deliberately making people (who are incapable of knowing everything!) into idiots and deliberately pushing crappy ingredients to kids in packaging with cartoon characters or from the internet. A few years ago, there was a trend called Flavoured Water. You may remember that I fought against this harmful formulation on every possible front. Luckily, today the topic is less in vogue in the shops, but it has left a damaging conviction about colourless drinks in some people's minds. Some people still think that if something is transparent, it has no calories, and if it is liquid, it just "runs" through the body. Many people still don't give their kids water to drink because how is water like animals? We still assume that if we don't like the taste of something, the child won't like it, so it's better not to give it to them. Many people still think that a bottle of sweetened drink is always present in the shopping basket, on the table, or in the fridge, and the hand of the parent or carer cannot harm the child. Meanwhile, flavoured water does not exist. Mindlessly consuming sweetened drinks daily can contribute to illness. Just because something has a carrot on the label does NOT mean it is healthy. Bio and organic are NOT synonymous with the word 'better'. You CAN get sick every day from one small bottle of sweetened drink a day because obesity and type 2 diabetes are diseases that can be uploaded personally to Cheat's health schedules. And I know that oh there, oh there, and under the carpet is easier. But reading a short book about what NOT to BUY and why is just as easy. (...)"

"Sports drinks" and other bottled beverages with added sugar can threaten the weight loss process. While these drinks may be advertised as supplying hydration and energy during exercise, they often have extreme amounts of sugar, calories and artificial ingredients that can sabotage weight loss efforts.

Drinking sugary drinks⁷⁴ can increase calorie intake, lead to weight gain, and contribute to other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay. In addition, many sports drinks hold electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which are important for high-intensity or endurance exercise athletes. However, for the average person who performs moderate exercise, water is often sufficient to keep hydration and electrolyte balance.

It is, therefore, important to read labels carefully and choose drinks low in sugar and calories. Water is often the best choice for hydration during exercise or throughout the day and is free of calories and sugar. If electrolyte replacement is necessary, drinks like coconut water or a homemade isotonic drink made from natural ingredients may be healthier.

Own internal gamification and regularity

I decided to package all these activities into my rituals to make this process appealing⁷⁵.

Book One

As you have noticed, I often mention the book 'One Thing'. The advice in this book, plus two approaches to implementing changes in my life (in 2019 / 2020 and 2021), made me successful this time.

Of course, I still need to succeed. I had yet to learn what was important. I understood that 66 days is important. But I also understood that changing my eating habits was important. On top of that came regular, daily physical activity, which increased the calorie deficit. I started drinking standard amounts of water proper to my body weight. All this was causing me to lose weight. And this weight loss was simply the result of a job well done in implementing healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle.

And it's different from any or all of you who will manage to lose 50.5kg in 5 months and five days. For me, this process took many years (counting from 23 August 2019). However, the advice in this book will mean that you may avoid making the same mistakes I did, and the process will go correspondingly faster.

Taking measurements

As I mentioned - I weighed myself almost every day. I always weighed myself on an empty stomach before I drank my first serving of water and ate breakfast. This allowed me to keep my measurements stable. I use a smart scale connected to my phone via Bluetooth, and I have in this scale at once the measurement of other parameters such as:

BMI

adipose tissue

body water content

protein

PPM

visceral fat

muscles

Bones.

Measuring these parameters daily and recording them in the app is thus made simpler. This allows you to keep track of changes in your body and catch those elements that worry you and are worth consulting your doctors (there is a separate section on doctors).

You can add to this by measuring the circumferences of individual body parts:

neck

arms

biceps

forearm

chest

bust

belt

hips

thigh

calf

If you don't - you will notice that more and more clothes are too loose.

Out of curiosity - I recently wore a signet ring on my ring finger, which I last wore last year. It's too big in at least two sizes!

Taking pictures

I encourage you to take photos of your figure. Make a morning ritual of taking pictures. You will be able to see at once how your body is changing. Take a picture of yourself in front of you, plus a profile picture. Stand up so that your whole body is visible. You don't have to share these photos with anyone. It is enough for you to see that your body is changing due to changes in habits.

Steps

Of course, I measure my physical activity daily. This is easy with smart bands, smartphones, or smart watches. Whether it's walking or circuit training, cycling, or swimming. It measures itself. I don't chart daily, but I know how many calories I burn through such activity.

You can perfectly see the excursion to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains for an all-day march from Nowa Słupia via Święty Krzyż, Łysica to Święta Katarzyna. You can also clearly see that carrying much weight results in greater calorie consumption - that is, in the beginning, you increase your calorie deficit faster. And then, over time, with growing training and weight loss, the number of kcal burned each day decreases (despite extending training - I currently walk with sticks about two hours a day, not counting normal walking).

Stepler

The Stepler app, which was recommended to me by one of my colleagues, hit my internal gamification perfectly. For July 2022, I intended to walk to exceed 10,000 steps a day or move very actively for 90 minutes.

The Stepler app (https://www.steplerapp.com/pl) is a free app that counts your steps and converts them into points, and you can exchange the points you earn for exclusive rewards from the company's partners. You get points for walking and seeing adverts about exceeding the number of steps daily. At the time I signed up, you could win a prize of an Apple iPhone 14. All you had to do had accumulated 58,000 points to get an iPhone for free 😊. With my level of commitment, I calculated that I would go for three years every day, watch the adverts and then collect the iPhone. Today I have accumulated over 10,000 points, but the iPhone is gone. But there are other rewards 😊

If this can help you - download the app using this link.

https://steplerapp.page.link/5qg7yfoW1b4Ym5vi6

The moment this app came out, my goals changed. I wanted to walk 20,000 steps daily because I would get extra points in this loyalty programme. I may not collect for an iPhone now, but I have changed my lifestyle, and my weight is constantly dropping.

Every day I continue to tick off more adverts linked to the steps:

in the morning, 10 points to greet you - with a morning ritual of drinking water and assessing your diet.

every 2500 steps (if I remember) - 2 points.

after 5, 10 and 15 thousand steps - 5 points (mostly around meals)

after 20,000 / 30,000 / 40,000 steps - at the end of the day

Dietly and Suvibox

I have also made daily eating a ritual of measurement or a habit of regularity. I use the diet catering service Suvibox. But I use the Dietly app, which allows me to manage different diet caterers in one place.

After delivering the food daily, I review the menu and rate the individual products. This allows me to collect points in the Moneybox loyalty programme (50 points per day). At the end of each diet, I give a review - this also allows me to collect more points (100 points). I also get points for ordering the diet for the following weeks. This approach enables me to pay around 50 PLN per day for meals. Without this, I would have a price of over 60 PLN per day.

I eat my meals at specific times. Before I start a meal, I enter the calories and macronutrients (protein/fat/carbs) into the app to have an effortless way to check how I did that day.

If I have a Cheat's Day, I also enter what I ate - even though it's hard to admit to myself at first that I threw in a Hawaiian pizza on the thick crust from Pizza Hut :P

Samsung's challenges

I am a Samsung fan. Samsung supplies a Samsung Health app on its phones where you can join Samsung Challenges related to the number of steps taken on a given day (other activities don't count, and steps can be from walking, running, etc.).

This tool also motivates me to race with others⁷⁶. You can see your friends using it and race against it. You can see other people from all over the world - who is walking and how much. Of course, there are also bots (someone who always exceeds 3 million steps after a few days each month, for example). But the fun is ahead. You get promoted, you collect points, and you reach new levels. You can compare yourself with the entire world:

Month

Top %

Location

Number of participants

August 2022

11%

55.757

997.607

September 2022

3%

17.781

1.014.117

October 2022

4%

24.520

1.012.816

November 2022

4%

19.900

943.816

December 2022

8%

34.214

898.378

Applications on your phone

In a few words, I will summarise the applications I use:

Google Fit - to integrate data from all sensors to display the number of steps and minutes of physical activity on a given day on a great widget.

Zepp Life - for weight measurements from Bluetooth scales and for recording data from a smart band / smart watch

Water Drink Reminder - as the name suggests, an app to record how much water I have drunk.

Stepler - for earning loyalty points in a gamification programme.

Dietly - for diet catering, including collecting points in the loyalty programme.

MyFitnessPal - for monitoring calories eaten, especially when I eat out (it has a huge, constantly updated database of meals). The widget related to calories consumed and calories burned comes from this app.

Samsung Health - collects all the data plus gives me gamification. I collect here (some data appears from other apps; others must be entered manually):

Steps

Exercise (kcal burn, maps, routes, pace, and other data)

Food

Dream

Body composition

Water

Pulse

Blood oxygen saturation

Blood pressure

ECG

Challenges

Jefit - progress photos and circumference measurements of different body parts.

As you can see, there is a bit of that. But - if there is no app for something, it doesn't exist, and you quickly forget about it. I'm saying something other than that you can learn to use it efficiently and quickly and unnoticeably during the day, but it's worth it.

Some hardware

As I mentioned, I chose walking because it is quite a simple sport. All you need are shoes (any shoes), and you can get started. One of my friends started losing weight by walking in Crocs. After a year, she managed to run a marathon (already in normal shoes).

Shoes

When embarking on long walks, it is important to wear the right shoes to prevent injury and ensure comfort. The right shoes can help cushion your feet, supply support, reduce pressure and minimise the risk of developing blisters, calluses, or other foot problems.

Here are some features to look out for when choosing shoes:

Comfort: The shoes should fit well, and you must feel comfortable from the moment you put them on. The sole should supply cushioning and absorb shock when walking. This is veeeeeery important if you are very overweight.

Breathability: shoes with good breathability can help prevent feet from sweating and overheating, which can lead to blisters.

Pronation/supination: Pronation is the opposite of internal rotation. The opposite of pronation is supination or external rotation. You may need shoes with specific arch support to prevent pain and discomfort during long walks.

Flexibility: shoes should be flexible and allow the foot’s natural movement to reduce the risk of injury.

Durability: Durable shoes made from high-quality materials can last long and supply reliable support during long walks.

Traction: shoes with good traction can help prevent slips and falls, especially when walking on wet or slippery surfaces.

Weight: Lighter shoes can reduce fatigue and make walking longer distances easier.

So much theory. In practice - you must start walking. In the shoes you have. As soon as you decide to do so. After 1-2 weeks, you will conclude that you need better shoes. The Kiprun KD500 shoes from Decathlon cost less than PLN 100, and they have particularly good cushioning and should last for about 1000 km (after that, the foam in the sole compacts and is no longer so comfortable). With more weight (remember that the shoe tests are carried out by people weighing around 70-90 kg), this wear is faster.

The first shoes lasted less than a month with me. Then I had two more pairs of KD500s. Then I chose the Mizuno Wave Ultima 12 - I didn't notice a difference. They gave up quickly. When winter started, I chose the Quechua MH500 trekking shoes - leather and waterproof. For winter, exactly right.

There are already more shoes waiting for me in the spring.

Costume

Cotton shirts - a definite NO. Each one of us has tried weight loss and going to the gym. We have technical clothing - t-shirts or other sweatshirts that wick away water. You don't need to buy anything. All you must do is use it. In summer - you know, a T-shirt. I wear 3 or 4 layers of these sweatshirts in winter, which I have always had. When it rains - additionally a thin waterproof windbreaker I have used for cycling.

Trousers - cheapest short/long sweatpants. No need to buy anything extra. We have everything in stock at home.

Beanie and wind chimney - as desired.

Gloves - My hands freeze when walking briskly, especially with Nordic walking sticks. I didn't even notice it before. In autumn - thin gloves. During a brisk walk, I recommend mittens or even ski gloves in late autumn and winter. However, thin gloves very quickly cease to serve their purpose. And walking is supposed to be a pleasure, not a chore. Besides, as the ancient mountaineers say - there is no harsh weather, only people who need to be properly dressed.

Lighting - as it gets dark quickly in our country and you will be walking most often at night, it is worth getting a headlamp and LED bands to put on your hands so you do not get hurt. Kodak manufactures LED armbands. For example - the cost is about 20 PLN. I use the Ledlenser MH5 headlamp with a brightness of 400 lm for about 170 PLN. It's worth scouring OLX or other auction/sales portals. You may be able to get second-hand stuff cheaply (because others have given up before we have).

Sticks - in the beginning, I had the simplest Nordic walking sticks. Telescopic. But during one of the few walks in the forest, I tripped and broke one. The next sticks are already sized for my height and are made of glass fibre/carbon fibre and composite resin. I bought them via OLX for under PLN100, including postage. In the description, they had the sentence - "used one time", 😊 so they looked like this. Rubber stick pads are needed - but their durability is low. Mine wear out every ten days, which means they last about 150 km on the tarmac. I do not recommend buying from Decathlon or other sports shops (I tested). With this wear and tear, PLN10-15 per pair is a misunderstanding. You can buy the same ones on Allegro for 10-11 PLN for ten pieces.

Weight

Of course, you can use an analogue scale. Even initially, I had to use it because the electronic scale didn't weigh me. But what fun would it have been to use an ordinary scale when I wanted to measure everything, weigh everything - to check even the smallest changes in my body?

I use the Xiaomi Mi Body Composition Scale 2; why? It doesn't cost a wagonload of gold, plus it gives me everything I expect. The Xiaomi Mi Body Composition Scale 2 is a smart scale measuring various body metrics. It has advanced Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) technology to supply correct body composition data.

Some of the key features of the Xiaomi Mi Body Composition Scale 2 include:

13 precise measurements: The scale measures 13 different measurements, including body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, basal metabolism, visceral fat, water content, body score, body type, ideal weight and more.

Bluetooth connectivity: the scale connects to the Xiaomi Mi Fit / Zepp Life app on your smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing you to track your progress over time and see changes in body composition.

User-friendly design: the scale has a sleek, minimalist design with a large, easy-to-read LED display showing weight and other metrics.

High accuracy: Advanced BIA technology supplies high accuracy and precision when measuring body composition, making it the ideal tool for tracking health and fitness goals.

Multi-user support: The scale supports up to 16 user profiles, allowing multiple family members to use it and track their progress.

Easy to use: the scale is easy to use and requires no special set-up or calibration. Step onto the scale, and it will automatically measure and display your body composition data.

Battery life: The scale is powered by four AAA batteries and has a long battery life of up to 8 months, making it easy to keep and use for longer periods.

Smart band

It is well known that counting steps and measuring physical activity is at the heart of my transformation. The smartphone counts steps, but it is only with me sometimes. You won't count your effort with a smartphone because it doesn't measure your heart rate when you walk. But I didn't opt for a fancy smartwatch to avoid going overboard in buying gadgets. In the beginning, there was the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 (now there is a version 7 on the market, and soon there will be a version 8).

The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is a wristband designed to help users check their daily physical activity and health. It has a large AMOLED display with a resolution of 152x486 pixels that can display time, fitness data, notifications and more. It also has a heart rate monitor, a blood oxygen sensor and a sleep tracker that can supply detailed information on the quality of your sleep.

The armband can track steps, distance and calories burned throughout the day and monitor workouts such as running, cycling, and swimming. It has a water resistance rating of 5ATM, which can be used in the pool or shower.

Other features of the Mi Band 6 include the ability to control music playback, take photos remotely and find the phone if it is lost. Depending on usage, it has a battery life of up to 14 days and can be charged using a magnetic charging cable.

Mi Band 6 can be synchronised with the same apps as the scale, allowing you to track your progress, set goals and check your health over time. It is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

What to do while walking

Music

Until recently, the only thing I did while doing sports was listen to music. It was a grateful time-filler during the 60-90 minutes. I listened to Spotify, which prompts what recent music has come out based on my experiences. This allowed me to know whether it was new artists or new songs popping in. However, after a while, I noticed I was spending much time on regular physical activities. At the same time, Spotify's algorithms could be better, and sometimes the prompts don't hit my taste. Switching between tracks, especially when your hands are busy with your Nordic walking sticks (strapped to your wrists), is severely hampered and inconvenient. I thought I had to find another way to fill that time.

Audiobooks, Audible and the English language

Somehow, in my whole life, I have never convinced myself whether to listen to podcasts or books. I didn't listen in the car - because listening to a book requires concentration, and driving doesn't allow distraction. So, why not start listening to books while I'm walking? The environment of the whole activity should be conducive to listening. I don't have to concentrate. But what should I be listening to?

I only have a little contact with English daily. I don't use it every day at work. I don't talk to friends from other countries. But to maintain contact with the language, I try to read a lot and - whenever I watch films, series, or YT - I choose the original English language track with the possible help of subtitles also in English. So, I decided to listen to books in English.

The choice fell on Audible from Amazon. I'd had a dozen business and popular science books on this service for a while, lying in wait for some time in the future and probably have yet to have the chance to be listened to by me. I was afraid (internally) that I wouldn't understand some of the words - even though my knowledge could be described as fluent. But I took up the challenge. I started with Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time', and then there was 'The Brain Is Not for Thinking. Seven And a Half Stories About The Brain' by Lisa Feldman Barrett or 'Disciplined Entrepreneurship. From Startup to Success in 24 Steps by Bill Aulet. In total, I spent 40-50 hours listening to such books. But I've concluded that I don't have to worry about not understanding what I'm listening to. I could move on to more difficult literature, with more difficult vocabulary - to The Lord of the Rings. I've decided to start listening in English, in the original of my favourite book (or anything that came out of JRR Tolkien's pen). I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy in Polish every year. I've read it in English a few times. But I have never read or listened to, for example, The Silmarillion in the original.

And this time, I decided that I would take up the challenge. That I will listen to the books that give me the most fun. If it's warm, I'm walking; then I should supplement this ritual with something that is also a pleasure and not that I find difficult. That's why I started with Lord of the Rings. It turned out that the English version is read by Andy Serkis (famous for his role as Gollum). It was an amazing adventure. Listening to the books gave me genuine joy. Going out for a walk was no longer because you must go to meet a target on the steps, but because I wanted to find out what there interesting, Tom Bombadil was up to. My walking went to a completely different level.

However, you should have paid attention to how you walk. Because listening attentively to a book that fascinates you and reading in a foreign language makes you pay no attention to your surroundings. That is, it is useful to have a mastered route (which is why I walk in a familiar city and familiar surroundings, on pavements and not in the forest). However, simultaneous overthinking causes a person's attention to escape, losing the book thread. That is why I am focused on the story rather than on walking. Walking is a supplementary activity.

The entire Lord of the Rings universe covers what Andy Serkis has read and the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and many other items. Children of Hurin was read by the irreverent Christopher Lee, for example.

I then seamlessly jumped into the world of Harry Potter, which Stephen Fry reads. I recently started Volume 6. I don't go on walks for my health - I go to find out if Dolores Umbridge is still annoying and Snape unpleasant. I have a few dozen minutes with my favourite characters. Every day. Every day. Then there's Game of Thrones. So, I plan to go every day for the rest of the year. For sure 😊 Over those almost 160 days, I listened to books for about 200 hours (hard to gather stats from Audible).

I'm showing my method and a way to boredom, but there are other platforms, including Polish ones (Storytel, Empik, etc.). You can listen to music, podcasts, YT... there are many options. You will find something.

Health

The moment I started moving, I decided to visit some doctors. In the past, despite being overweight, I had satisfactory test results. However, this time I decided to go to the doctor regularly. Since everyone can see what the health service in Poland is like - I knew I would need private medical care. Thanks to Małgorzata Cegiełkowska from Allianz (then still Aviva), my company has a nice group insurance package, which I took advantage of. I pay a monthly subscription and can access pretty much anything I fancy. Over the last year (apart from the monthly insurance costing less than PLN150 a month), I think I paid PLN6 for a glucose test. The rest of the dozens of appointments and probably hundreds of trials were included in the package, handled by Luxmed. Write to Gosia at cegielkowska.malgorzata@allianz.com.pl - maybe she can find such a package for you too.

Overall, the doctors were key members of the informal weight loss team, helping to ensure that the process was safe and effective for me.

Internist

At the very beginning, I went to an internist. He examined me and referred me to cardiologists and diabetologists for blood tests, holters and other inventions. After that, I didn't go to the internist anymore.

Nutritionist

Here I may not be showing off my prudence, but I have found that through my many approaches to weight loss and the knowledge I have gained in this area, I do not need the support of a dietician. The diets prescribed by Suvibox are balanced. During any correspondence or conversation with the company's consultants, I also can ask questions about the diet. Therefore, my level of knowledge plus what is offered in the catering package was enough for me to start with.

However, if someone has yet to gain experience constructing diets, visiting a nutritionist is worth visiting.

Cardiologist

A cardiologist is a medical doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease. Regarding weight loss, the cardiologist can play a key role in assessing and managing the cardiovascular risks associated with obesity.

Excess body weight is a major risk factor for heart disease, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. A cardiologist can help assess a person's risk of heart disease based on their medical history, family history and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and exercise habits. They can also perform electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, or stress tests to assess heart function and determine if any existing heart disease is present.

Regarding weight loss, the cardiologist can work with the patient to develop a personalised plan considering their cardiovascular risk and medical history. They can also help check the patient's progress and adjust the treatment plan if necessary. Sometimes, the cardiologist may work with the patient's primary care physician, dietician, or other healthcare professionals to develop a comprehensive weight loss plan considering medical and lifestyle factors.

Here it was a bit worse. Of course, the hypertension plus it was clear that it was already the last call. But thanks to Dr Michał Bączek's care, everything was controlled. I had Holter tests; heart echo several times, x-rays, an ultrasound, and multiple blood tests. I showed up at his office probably 6 or 7 times.

Current diagnosis - all OK, take pills for hypertension (which I've had since childhood), no more changes, everything is back to normal, show up for check-up in a year.

Diabetologist

A diabetologist is a medical professional who focuses on diagnosing, managing, and treating diabetes, a condition characterised by high blood sugar levels. Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for developing diabetes, so losing weight can help prevent the disease and improve blood sugar control in people with diabetes.

A diabetologist can work with patients to develop a personalised weight loss plan that considers their unique medical history, diabetes medication regimen and any other health conditions they may have. They can also help check blood sugar levels during weight loss, adjust medication dosages as needed and offer guidance on lifestyle changes, such as dietary modifications and increased physical activity, which can support weight loss and better diabetes management. In addition, the diabetologist can provide education and support for patients struggling with the emotional and psychological challenges of losing weight and living with a chronic illness such as diabetes.

Visits to the diabetologist were less frequent than to the cardiologist. I went to the diabetologist probably four times. But while at the beginning, the doctor mentioned the risk of diabetes or potential insulin resistance (I didn't quite agree with her because the results were borderline normal), the last visit was a confirmation that I was fine and that my change in health parameters showed that there was no risk of these diseases (provided, of course, that I kept the new lifestyle in practice). Follow-up visits every year are recommended.

Mental health

I am led to believe that it is worthwhile to use whatever medical support is needed and available. In Poland, until recently, there was a widespread belief that only 'crazies' go to psychologists and psychiatrists. The pandemic and mental health problems have caused me to see a change in this attitude. There is no odium weighing down on people seeking help from such doctors. More people are talking openly about their mental health.

After all, if you have a broken leg, you don't wait for it to heal; you go to a surgeon or an orthopaedist. If you have asthma, you take your medication and don't listen to silly opinions that there is so much air around, so why do you think you can't breathe? That's why it's worth looking at a psychiatrist or a psychologist if you're struggling with much excess weight. What is the difference between the two?

Psychologists and psychiatrists are mental health professionals, but some key differences exist in their competencies and treatment approaches.

A psychologist is a specialist in mental health. In Poland, to become a practising psychologist, one must obtain a master's degree in psychology or a related field and then complete other postgraduate studies in psychology. Postgraduate studies must be accredited by the Polish Psychological Society (PTP) and include a supervised internship. Upon completing doctoral studies, the individual must pass a state examination and register with the District Chamber of Psychologists.

In addition, psychologists practising in Poland must follow the code of ethics set up by the Polish Psychological Association, which includes principles of confidentiality, respect for clients and professional conduct. They must also regularly participate in continuing education programmes to keep their knowledge and skills. They are, therefore, individuals who specialise in studying human behaviour and mental processes. They assess and treat mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and behavioural disorders through psychotherapy and counselling. Psychologists often focus on a patient’s psychological and emotional aspects and help individuals develop skills to manage their symptoms.

On the other hand, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating mental illness. They are qualified to prescribe medication, and their treatment plans often include a combination of medication and therapy. Psychiatrists often focus on the biological aspects of mental illness, including the role of brain chemistry, and use medication to help manage symptoms.

To become a psychiatrist in Poland, the following legal requirements must be met:

Higher education: Completing a 6-year medical programme at a medical school.

Medical licence: After completing the medical programme, candidates must pass a state exam to obtain a medical licence.

Specialisation: Candidates must undergo at least a 5-year psychiatric specialisation programme, which includes theoretical and practical training.

Certification: Upon completing the specialisation programme, candidates must pass the state certification examination in psychiatry to obtain the title 'Specialist in Psychiatry'.

Continuing education: To keep their licence and certification, psychiatrists must participate in ongoing professional development and education programmes.

Both psychologists and psychiatrists are trained in treating mental illness, but the key differences lie in their training, competence, and approach to treatment. Psychologists tend to have more extensive training in psychotherapy and counselling, while psychiatrists focus more on the biological aspects of mental illness and medication use.

What's next for high school graduates?

What has been achieved?

What I have achieved is certainly shedding years of neglect. On the 18th of July 2022, I weighed 155kg. On 23 December 2022, I weighed 104.5kg. As I write these words, in April 2023, I am at 95kg on the scale. I have no heart problems. I have no issues with diabetes. The condition is perfect. People notice my transformation.

I have managed to learn a new lifestyle:

I eat out regularly. I recently heard Chris Pratt, who plays the lead role of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy from the MCU universe, mention in an interview (he, too, was previously rounded) that he has changed the way he eats (of course, this was compounded by physical exercise to prepare him for the role). And while previously he felt happy a few times a day while eating, today he feels happy all the time, except for those moments when he eats. And these moments of eating are not the happiest moments of the day for him because food is “Eww, yuck”. I have a remarkably similar feeling. The entire day is better and not just those moments when I eat. I don't feel the “Eww, yuck” moment when eating, but I understand Chris's thinking.

I do sports regularly. The other interview I watched recently was with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The interviewer asked Arnold if he had been to the gym today. 'Of course,' Arnold replied. 'And why would you? After all, you're Mister Universe, an established actor; you don't need to prove anything to anyone... And Arnold replied, ‘It’s like asking the question - why did you sleep today? Why did you wash today? Why did you eat today. After all, you slept yesterday, ate yesterday, and washed yesterday. Physical exercise is part of my schedule. It is part of me." This is also where I have someone to look up to 😉.

Of course, my English skills are incalculable, but I understand better and more than I did six months ago. I feel more at ease listening to my favourite books. I feel excellent mentally. The old depression doesn't seem to reach me anymore, but I greatly care for my well-being.

Yet, on the other hand, it's very trivial if someone asks me what has changed in my life. After all, I was in pretty good shape, even though I weighed 120 or 130 kg (cycling 125 km doesn't work out for everyone). My health wasn't too bad either - my test results were within or rather on the borderline of normal (maybe in the long run, this would have resulted in a shorter life, but there were no dangerous symptoms).

But the biggest problem was buying clothes. Bespoke suits or to be purchased in 1 or 2 shops in Warsaw. Other garments are also only in selected shops. And today - I go into any shop and buy clothes in size M or L (in February 2023, it's more often M) rather than hunting for size XXXXL (yes, 4XL). And that's the biggest, noticeable change!

What else is left?

I stopped losing weight for the sake of losing weight. I'm eating healthy and moving because it's my new way of life. But I still need to shed some excess skin. Or fill it with muscle. Weight isn't the most important thing; what’s important now is the girth of the different body parts, the figure, etc. There was mass; now there is sculpting. I work with a specialist, Michal Kalbarczyk, who arranges my exercises and looks after my fitness. At the beginning of 2023, I went to the gym with Michal for the first time in a long time.

Obese and thin people significantly differ in posture, muscles, and joints. These differences are due to the excess weight carried by the obese body, which puts more strain on the joints and muscles.

In terms of posture, an obese person often has a more stooped stance due to the weight of the abdomen pulling the body forward. This can lead to increased kyphosis, roundness of the upper back, lordosis, or excessive lower back curvature.

An obese person's muscles also tend to weaken due to excess weight, making it difficult to move around or carry out daily activities. Muscles are also more prone to atrophy if a person leads a sedentary lifestyle.

The joints of an obese person are more stressed than a slim person’s due to their weight. This can lead to joint pain, inflammation, and damage, especially in weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips, and ankles. The extra pressure can also accelerate the development of conditions such as osteoarthritis.

So, I exercise the parts of my muscles that need strengthening - I walk differently than I did six months ago (I don't carry my stomach in front of me). I work my spine, knees, and many other body parts differently.

After extreme weight loss, much excess skin can remain. These years of neglect cannot be got rid of in 1 day. Some people may opt for surgical procedures such as body contouring to remove excess skin, while others may opt for exercise to tighten the skin and build muscle.

Surgical procedures involve removing excess skin and tightening the remaining skin to create a more toned and fit appearance. Several body contouring procedures include tummy tuck, arm lift, thigh lift and buttock lift. These procedures are generally considered safe but carry some risks, such as infection, bleeding, and scarring. Recovery time can vary depending on the procedure, but patients should expect to take a break from work and limit physical activity for a few weeks.

On the other hand, exercise can help tighten the skin and build muscle but cannot remove excess skin. Resistance training and weightlifting can help build muscle, which can help fill in loose skin and give a more toned appearance. Cardiovascular exercise can help burn fat and improve overall health, enhancing the appearance of loose skin. However, it is important to remember that exercise alone may not be enough to completely remove excess skin, especially in the case of extreme weight loss.

Ultimately, the decision to undergo surgery or focus on exercise to remove excess skin after weight loss is a personal one that should be made in consultation with a specialist.

I add another financial aspect to this - spending a few hundred zlotys on a trainer and gym each month is better than spending several tens of thousands at a time to remove excess skin, especially at a time when the body is still changing. You can always opt for such a procedure when there is too much skin.

Your action plan.

Action plan

For your transformation to happen, you need to set up what is a priority. You can only implement some things at a time. For me, it took four years and a lifetime. Let's take it one step at a time, which means to start with, read the book One Thing and start your transformation according to its philosophy:

First, 66 days of walking - don't let any day go by. Don't have Baby Days linked to walking. Match the number of steps to your fitness (but if I could walk for over an hour a day at 155kg, you can do it too). Keep a record of your achievements.

Once you've gone 66 days of regular walking, add a second element. Count your PPM and CPM and match this with a calorie-appropriate diet. Whether it's a boxed diet or self-prepared meals - it doesn't matter. The important thing is that the data recorded by analogue in your paper notebook or smartphone is correct and that you don't cheat yourself. Maintain the diet for 66 days (after that, more than four months will have passed, and the results on your weight should be visible)

After these four months, complete the process by drinking water regularly.

And so on. If there's something you won't or can't do yourself, consider the professional support of a weight loss assistant. Email asystent@50kg.pl, and I'll check in with you daily about calories, walking and water.

In the meantime, go to the doctors (internist, cardiologist, diabetologist, psychiatrist). They will help you in other areas.

Checklist

No

Task

Deadline

Done (YES/NO)

1

I have read the book One Thing.

2

I have set up walking routes.

3

I have set up an hour a day of dedicated walking.

4

I took/did 10,000 steps a day.

5

I have walking shoes.

6

I have a T-shirt/shorts.

7

I have headphones

8

I know what to listen to when walking.

9

I can measure/count steps, heart rate, and kcal while walking.

10

I walk every day; I don't have Cheat's Walking Days

11

I have counted/calculated the PPM / CPM.

12

I had/have had a consultation with a nutritionist and calorie determined.

13

I eat five regular meals a day at the same time.

14

Breakfast 8:30

15

Second breakfast 10:30

16

lunch 14:00

17

afternoon tea 16:30

18

dinner 19:00

19

Do I cook myself or choose diet catering?

20

I have Cheat's Days planned every two weeks.

21

My Baby Days are a maximum of 10% of the calorie deficit from the previous two weeks.

22

I drink 35 ml of water per 1 kg of body.

23

I drink 1 cup of 450 ml water before each meal.

24

I drink 1 450 ml mug of tea with each meal.

25

I don't have Cheat's Water Drinking Days

26

I have a medical subscription.

27

I have been to an internist.

28

I have been to a cardiologist.

29

I have been to a diabetologist.

30

I have been to a psychiatrist/psychologist.

31

I keep a daily record of my achievements.

32

I weighed myself

33

I have the steps written down.

34

I have the calorie content of 5 meals written down.

35

I have a record of drinking water.

36

I use a gamification tool.

37

I don't have the right motivation; I will use a weight loss assistant.

Need help with how to do it yourself? Do you need support? Write asystent@50kg.pl, and I'll update you daily on calories, walking and water.

Summary

Over the past few months, I have undergone a remarkable transformation, losing 50.5kg in 5 months and five days. In this book, I share my experiences and the knowledge that helped me achieve this success. I want to thank everyone who supported me and gave me the strength to pursue this unique goal. Now I want to share this experience with you so that you can improve your life.

The process of losing weight is not rectilinear but rather sinusoidal. There will be moments of success, but also moments when it may seem that nothing is changing. It is important to understand yourself, not give up and, above all, to be consistent in your goal.

I want to send you words of encouragement and comfort: each of you can achieve your goal. Keep going even if the road to your destination is long and challenging. Remember that small steps also matter and that every achievement contributes to success.

I am here to help and support you at every stage of this journey. If you have questions or concerns or want to share your achievements, please get in touch with me at asystent@50kg.pl. Together we can make your dreams of a healthy and happy life a reality.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you and look forward to hearing your success stories. Together we will achieve important things!

Notes

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[←7]

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[←9]

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[←10]

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[←12]

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[←13]

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[←14]

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[←15]

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[←16]

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[←17]

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[←18]

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[←19]

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[←21]

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[←22]

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[←23]

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[←24]

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[←25]

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[←26]

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[←27]

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[←28]

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[←29]

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[←30]

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[←31]

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[←32]

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[←33]

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[←34]

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[←35]

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[←37]

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[←39]

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[←40]

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[←41]

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[←42]

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[←43]

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[←44]

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[←45]

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[←46]

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[←50]

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[←51]

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[←52]

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[←53]

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[←55]

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[←56]

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[←57]

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[←68]

https://wszystkoojedzeniu.pl/pistacje-kalorie-kcal/

[←69]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749379712007106

[←70]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4890841/

[←71]

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.me.32.020181.001253?journalCode=med

[←72]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=550305463791067&set=a.409545867867028

[←73]

https://www.facebook.com/doktorania

[←74]

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/nutrition-research-reviews/article/sugarsweetened-soft-drinks-and-obesity-a-systematic-review-of-the-evidence-from-observational-studies-and-interventions/B7E8200C382871509DA6D47B0A3B09BF

[←75]

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-6992-x

[←76]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551714422003366