I created this website back in 2018 (link to original plan for first 21 days is here: 2018 1200 CALORIE PLAN, originally targeting a 1200 calorie per day diet. As I have been unable to stick to this level of restriction, but I have also been unsuccessful at losing weight by trying to intuitively "eat right" without calorie-count based meal-planning, I am renewing my use of the site but increasing the calories to 1300, based on professional recommendation.

My high weight in 2018 was around 216 pounds, though previously I had gotten as high as a number in the 220s, and I have started over many times after settling into a long plateau around 190, but resolve to only add new weeks and add notes every day on my latest approach starting in early 2026. Even when I fail, the record will remain.

I am targeting to achieve a sub 180 weight by my next round of blood tests (in fact I will probably delay the testing until I can achieve this barring some major health symptoms) and hope mainly to see an improvement in my blood sugar, which I already have reduced through my 20 pound loss between November 2024 and October 2025, most of which was achieved in the first few months followed by a plateau lasting most of the year.

My overall approach extends beyond restricting calories and also represents my best guess at adequate nutrition based on my personal research, with daily whole grain portains (though I used to try a no carb keto type approach, I decided to hedge my bets on whole grains being potentially beneficial for heart health, etc. by just having a bit of them daily), full fat Greek yogurt incorporated once or twice a week for potential gut health benefits, fruit in small portions daily for Vitamin C and other nutrients, specifically at least one orange and one banana each week with other fruits rotated, a large amount and variety of vegetables daily and in many servings for key nutrients, nuts and seeds incorporated two or three times a week for extra mineral nutrition such as zinc and selenium, and various sources of protein including a weekly tofu dinner, a weekly fish dinner, and one red meat dinner a week, and finally with a cold salad featuring beans or legumes that I prepare in bulk each week, analyze calorie content per gram, and repeatedly eat to fill up calorie allotments. I am also incorporating a rule that three dinners a week must be entirely vegetarian, so I am learning vegetarian alternatives to just tofu which so far have included portobello mushroom burgers, eggplant parmesan, and burritos made with plant based crumbles instead of beef.

Though whether this diet is an optimal nutritional blend is uncertain, and I have also considered vegetarianism and veganism for both health reasons and due to my disapproval of most industrial treatment of animals, its initial state represents my best guess and my initial attempt of "everything in moderation" with my own personal spin of "some things need more moderation than others." For example, some might say a totally non dairy and gluten free diet is ideal, some might argue the soy in tofu is actually harmful, some would say I should consume low-fat or non-fat dairy products instead of the full fat I prefer for both taste and nutritional profile, and some would say I should cut "red meat" out of my diet entirely instead of having it once a week as a good source of iron and B12, but no more due to alleged carcinogenic impacts. Future weeks will show my attempts at further experimentation and my evolution in nutritional views. Completely eliminating alcohol is also a goal due to recent study results suggesting it actually has no health benefit whatsoever. Also I'd like to eventually reduce to two cups of coffee a day instead of three, but I adore my morning coffee ritual so I don't like to cut it short.

Overweight ladies and gentleman unite! As MLK said, "We Shall Overcome." Disclaimer: My meal plans, at a modest 1300 calories per day, are designed for a very short female of only moderate activity level. I would recommend a taller female or male, or someone more active, incorporate more calories into their weight loss plan. Extremely low calorie diets, so far as I have seen, are not presently recommended by the medical community even for very obese individuals, as they can lead to nutritional deficiencies and other problems.

Observations over a decade of battling obesity:

• If choosing to add exercise, which I recommend since it can counteract at least 500 unintended calories a week, add it extremely incrementally, until it becomes a habit. Then add more. I started at a mere 15 minutes of walking a day in November of 2024 and now average over 40 minutes a day plus have increased my weight lifting routine from 5 pound weights to 8 pound weights in that time, and just started adding in a small number of situps. I hope to increase my lifting more rapidly this year and be lifting over 12 pounds per arm before the end of 2026.
• Trying to lose weight rapidly works for some, but I have had 0 success at dramatically reducing my weight long term by hard core starvation diets/fasting. Even 1200 was too low for me to be sustainable. At 1300, I do not feel hungry and only battle mental cravings, as I am an off and on binge eater due to purely taste cravings as opposed to physical hunger. At 1300, well spaced, I don't feel hungry at all during the day.
• You will likely improve problematic numbers at doctor's checkups with weight loss; even a mere 20 pound loss dropped my fasting glucose and A1C a satisfying amount. Luckily I have yet to have problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, or triglycerides despite my weight.
• I take medication that commonly causes or worsens weight gain, diabetes, and other metabolic problems. Briefly in 2019 while not on these medications my weight reduced to below 130 pounds without any effort on my part, but due to troublesome side effects I had to return to my old regimen and regained over 70 pounds inside of a year. I also developed hypothyroidism when I was 21 years old, well before I became overweight, further exacerbating the difficulty of weight loss for me. Be kind to yourself, especially if you have health and medication-related obstacles such as these, or perhaps already have mobility problems due to weight, injury, or age that keep you from exercising. Remember it's not just a battle of will power against food, there may be more stacked against you so appreciate every success. Try not to hate your own body in the interim.
• Do not ever give up. As long as you are medically obese or significantly overweight, you have work to do to change your lifestyle so that you can maximize your chances of a longer life, and also have a greater quality of life for whatever span of time you are allotted on this planet.