Student loses 86 kg after pandemic weight gain; home cooking helped

Zachary Johnson, who is now a third-year civil engineering student at Penn State University, US, reached about 165 kg in the fall of 2020. The excessive weight gain happened as Johnson struggled through the stress and isolation of COVID-19 lockdowns.

With a height of 5 feet and 10 inches, Johnson’s BMI was in the obese category. He felt he was declining both physically and mentally – from his weight gain as well as lack of social interactions during the lockdowns, he shared with Today.

Unhealthy eating habits led to his excessive fat and weight gain. One of the biggest unhealthy eating habits was late night snacking.

“I was a very, very, very bad night eater. I was eating normally throughout the day and then eating a lot at night. … Whatever I could find, I ate,” Johnson said.

Further, he did not attempt to strike a balance in his diet and gobbled down all sorts of junk food, drank lots of sugary sodas and coffees with too much cream and sugar.

“I was disappointed in myself for letting myself go that far and not having any discipline or willpower to keep myself from getting there. It made me feel like I had no control,” Johnson said.

“I thought to myself, I can keep going down this path of being miserable and keeping the weight, or I could try and change things to become better and healthier. So that’s what happened,” he added.

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In the fall of 2021, Johnson commenced his weight loss journey by changing his diet. He started limiting his late night snacking and reduced eating fast food from outside. Instead, he began cooking simple food at home, such as chicken and broccoli. He also started keeping a check on his portion size. Dietary changes helped him lose around 27 kg.

Next, he decided to hit the gym with a friend to lose more weight.

Using a treadmill, Johnson and his friend started doing a regular walk-plus-run routine. Eventually, he worked up to running a 5K every day.

This helped him lose weight further. Johnson is now focusing on weight training to regain his lost mass in the form of muscle. About a year after he started to make changes, Johnson now weighs around 78 kg.

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The student has incorporated multiple healthy lifestyle habits to maintain his new and healthier physique. He still cooks at home and has stopped consuming candy, ice cream or junk food. Drinks are limited to water and black coffee.

As for tips for maintaining his weight, he shares that whenever he has a craving, he tries hard to carry on a month without giving in and then the craving goes away automatically. As for workouts, whenever he feels lazy, he reminds himself of “where I’ve come from and how far I’ve been.” This motivates him to avoid slacking and risking going back to his former self.