My 5-Year Weight Loss Journey: Diet + Exercise

These days, there are so many amazing products like Wegovy or Saxenda that help people see huge results quickly, so I wondered if sharing my diet records that took a whopping 5 years would even be worth it. Still, I’ve consistently managed my body, and while the compliments about looking better feel great, I’ve also noticed tons of personal health benefits, so I thought I’d share my experience.

The time was January 1, 2021, when I first decided to diet. This graph is my 5-year record. After hitting 65kg my freshman year of college, I steadily gained weight every year like I was saving money, finally achieving the great feat of hitting 87kg around the end of 2020. I’m an *ajeossi* in his 40s, so I wasn't obsessed with my looks, but as I got older, I developed this weird habit—binge eating (식탐)—trying to supplement my poor stamina with food. Being 87kg at 173cm tall looked bad, sure, but I also felt like if I kept going, it would spin completely out of control. So, when the New Year rolled around in 2021, I decided: Diet time!

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When it comes to dieting, starving yourself is the best way! Since it was just a New Year’s resolution and I hadn’t really studied dieting, I started by skipping dinner or just eating a tiny amount. But doing that made me so hungry I couldn’t sleep at night, haha. So, after a few days, I went to E-Mart, bought salad, and compromised by eating that instead of dinner. That’s when the weight started dropping. For about 6 months, I consistently lost about 1–1.5kg every month. As you can see in the graph, by July 2021, I was down to about 78kg.

But just starving myself hit a wall. Eating slightly less for dinner didn't make me lose any more weight. So, for about six months until the end of 2021, I stayed on a plateau. Even during this time, I hadn't given up the diet; every evening, while my family ate delicious food, I only had a salad... TT Despite that, I wasn't losing weight, and the thought of food kept me awake every night. If I tried to restrict food further, I knew I wouldn't be able to work, so I couldn't cut back any more.

Okay, let's starve hard! But then came the yo-yo... When January 2022 rolled around, I decided to change things up. Even my wife, who scoffed at me a year prior, started to give me some credit since I had lost almost 10kg and maintained it. So, greedy for more, I boasted that I’d lose even more weight... S T A Y... Anyway, it was tough, but I cut back more on lunch and pushed hard. The weight, which had been stuck, started dropping again. However, at a certain point, life felt meaningless, and everything felt futile. People jokingly call this hitting *hyeon-ta* (hitting reality/burnout), but honestly, I was scarily exhausted. It was a terrifying experience to realize that fundamentally, humans are animals; just eating less completely sucked the joy out of life, haha. So I was like, "What's really important here?" (*Mwo-shi jung-heon-di?*), ate something delicious, and the weight immediately piled back on. If you look at the graph, there are lots of missing data points after mid-2022—that’s because I didn't want to weigh myself, lol. I quickly shot past 80kg and started trending upwards again. I intentionally didn't weigh myself often, so the graph actually *underestimates* my weight during this period.

Dieting requires study, too... Before I started dieting, I simply thought, "Doesn't the input just need to be less than the output?" I always severely underestimated people who were making a huge fuss about dieting. I realized I was only thinking that way because I lacked experience, and I regretted it. From mid-2022 to the end of 2023 (a year and a half), I didn't actively diet, but I didn't want to go back to how I was, so I tried my best to moderate my eating and studied dieting basics. Then, on January 1, 2024, I decided to start exercising as part of my New Year’s resolution. My reasons for starting were: first, I learned that restricting food has limits, and building muscle through exercise creates a physique that helps with weight loss and maintenance; and second, even though I’d lost a good bit of weight, I hated my protruding belly, so I had the shallow thought that maybe I could build up my chest muscles to cover it up, lol. I considered two main types of exercise: simple bodyweight training (pull-ups, push-ups, dips) and running, covering both muscle building and cardio. When I started, I could only do 1 pull-up (...), 10 push-ups, and 3 dips, and my running was barely 2km, alternating between running and walking—it was embarrassing to even call it exercise, haha. Still, I thought, "Better than nothing," and tried to be consistent every day. Since I have a "glass body" and never exercised in my life, I prioritized not getting injured and never pushed myself too hard. (Maybe that's just an excuse...)

Breaking the plateau with light exercise. It's now the end of 2025, so I’ve been exercising for about two years, and it definitely caused a huge shift in my diet, which had been stuck. My weight, which had been hanging around 80kg, recently dropped to around 73kg, and my body fat is now about 23%. Most importantly, people’s reactions have drastically changed. I don't have a six-pack, but my gut has shrunk significantly, to the point where I'm considered thin for my age. Some people even say I look like a bachelor! Yep, my friends are very kind... haha. I haven’t done weights, so I’m not bulky, but when I lie down now, the highest point on my body is no longer my belly button. Overall, my body fat has decreased, and I can start seeing some faint muscle definition. It’s definitely getting fun to work out when you see tangible results. I used to run about 2km non-stop, but now I’m closer to 8km. I run slowly, taking about 40 minutes. For now, my goal is to increase the distance to 10km rather than focusing on speed. I used to alternate running and walking for 2km, but now 8km non-stop doesn't feel like a huge burden. The VO2 Max recorded on my Apple Watch seems to reflect this improved fitness well. I can do 8–10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 10 pike push-ups, and 14 dips in a single set. I think I need to increase my strength training, but I don't have the time to buy equipment or go anywhere, so I plan to increase the intensity of my bodyweight workouts (maybe slowing down the reps). Food-wise, I eat breakfast and lunch as usual, and have about half a bowl of rice for dinner. (Realistically, just half a bowl of rice removed from my original diet.) This is enough that I don't crave rice at night, is sustainable, and I even feel like I could cut back a little more. I was personally surprised that I continued to lose weight through exercise alone. I stick to this diet during the week, but on Fridays and weekends, I fully enjoy drinks and meat with friends and acquaintances. It’s amazing how exercise seems to create a certain homeostasis; I don't gain weight just because I ate a bit on the weekend, which always happened when I was only doing diet restriction. Running also seems to help my diet. I feel like my appetite drops after a run? It’s like my body is giving me a side-eye, telling me to eat less or I’ll struggle when running.

But the best improvement is health. First off, my wife, who always maintained a cynical/pessimistic attitude toward my diet, definitely acknowledges me now. “He's serious... he really does what he sets his mind to...” Though she seems slightly worried that I might have other thoughts in mind... haha. Kidding aside, there’s an effect I didn't expect when I started dieting: many symptoms I thought were just signs of aging have greatly improved or disappeared. For example, my snoring was severe, but when I hit 78kg during the first phase of dieting, it decreased significantly, and when I broke 74kg, it completely disappeared. My wife is my witness. I learned that obesity greatly affects snoring. Similarly, my rhinitis (allergies) and skin itchiness, which I’d had for a while, are gone too. I think the rhinitis was related to the snoring. The constant clearing of my throat and hoarseness before I could speak has also mostly disappeared. I suspect this was due to reflux esophagitis when I ate too much dinner before bed. My skin has also improved a lot. Skin troubles are almost nonexistent, and everyone who sees me says I look much younger. Yes, the people around me are very kind. My bowel issues are also gone. No more sudden emergency dashes to the bathroom, so the quality of life has skyrocketed. Also, I’m not sure if this is due to the exercise or the weight loss, but my back pain has greatly improved. My lower back used to hurt so badly I couldn't sit down, but now it's almost gone. Generally, fatigue has vanished, and I sleep well at night and wake up easily in the morning. I think the daily running has a huge effect here. Oh, and my wife and daughter used to complain about bad breath and body odor, but they say that stopped at some point too, haha. Reading this back, I sound like a snake oil salesman...

I want to be more ambitious. I feel healthy enough now, and the diet results are good enough that I have no regrets about how I look. And I definitely never want to see my gut again, haha. But when the New Year comes, I’m thinking of dropping a bombshell on my wife and daughter again. That’s partly why I’m writing this post. This time, I’m going for a ‘six-pack.’ My current body fat is 23%, and they say you need to be at least 15–18% to see abs. I don’t know if that’s even possible, or how many years it will take, but even if my wife laughs at me, I think I'll just go for it again, haha. I’m going to throw this goal out here on Clien and try to come back in about 5 years with another weight loss log. I guess I’ll have to include a six-pack verification photo then, too, haha.

It’s so good, but there’s no way to express it more! I’m not at the age where I need to pose on the summer beach, and I reached my 40s without feeling the need to diet. But after actually doing it, I realized acutely that dieting isn’t just about looks. I had resigned myself to thinking that symptoms that drastically lower the quality of life—like sleep disorders, rhinitis, skin issues, bowel problems, and back pain—were simply due to old age, but experiencing dramatic improvements just by losing a little weight means I can never go back. (Though I suspect the back pain improvement is mostly due to exercise.) I really wanted to share this with you all, so I wrote this weight loss log. I wish everyone success in finding a diet and exercise routine that they can maintain for life without overdoing it.

참 좋은데 어떻게 더 표현할 방법이 없네~ 여름 해변에 가서 폼잡을 나이도 아니고 다이어트 필요성을 별로 못 느끼고 40대가 되었습니다. 그런데 막상 해보고 나니 단지 외모 때문만으로 다이어트가 필요한게 아니란걸 절실하게 느꼈어요. 수면장애, 비염, 피부 트러블, 장 트러블, 요통 등 하나만으로도 삶의 질이 수직하락하는 증세들을 단순히 나이가 들어서 그런가보다 하고 지레짐작하고 포기하고 살았는데 살 좀 뺐다고 드라마틱하게 좋아지는걸 경험하니 다시는 돌아갈 수가 없습니다. (요통은 운동 효과가 더 큰것 같기도 해요) 여러분들에게도 꼭 알려주고 싶어져서 이렇게 감량기를 써봅니다. 무리하지 않고 평생할 수 있는 다이어트와 운동을 모두 성공하길 바래봅니다.