I can’t believe this day has come.

And I can’t believe I’m saying this: I no longer feel I need to lose any more weight. This is the first time I have ever said that, even though my doctors have been telling me that for months now.

This morning, after the scale had been toying with me for several weeks in the 70 kg range: one day 70.4, then 70.2, then 70.8, then 70.6, then 70.4, then 70.2 – back and forth for several weeks now – for the first time in my adult life I weighed myself this morning and the scale read ... 69.6 kg!

I ran and got my iPhone to take a picture. I weighed myself multiple times. I know it will still oscillate going forward, but as of today I officially broke through the 70 kg barrier for the first time and am in the 60s!

I’m going to repost my before-and-after photo from last week here. Forgive me, it’s a special day. I know I need a haircut. And I obviously need smaller clothes. But I like the photo.

In this blog post from last week you can read all my healthy blood test and other stats, and details of what I eat, which I won’t repeat here. I’ll just mention that I eat WFPB (Whole Food Plant Based), I don’t do intermittent fasting, I log calories with MyFitnessPal, and today is MFP streak day 3,243. I’ve had ups and downs over the years, but kept logging which kept me from full rebounds. Most of my weight loss was after recommitting to WFPB some 910 days ago, after being inspired by Dr. Michael Greger’s “How to Not Die” which is a health book rather than a weight loss book. Others in the WFPB community like Chef AJ, Potato Strong, and Plant Based Gabriel have also been inspiring and supportive. (I feel like I’m thanking people after accepting an Academy Award.)

Some exciting numbers and milestones (I love milestones):

• I broke through the 70 kg barrier and now weigh 69.6 kg = 153.4 lb.
• I have now lost 59.4 kg = 131 lb. So that’s another milestone – losing more than 130 lb.
• My BMI is down to 23.0.
• I’ve lost 46% of my original weight.

I’m absolutely certain at this point that any remaining issues I have with things like my stomach slightly protruding need to be dealt with by exercise, like resistance training. I’ve put it off forever, but as of today, in addition to my long dog walks, I actually took out my long-neglected Bullworker and used it, at least some. I really need to get some upper body muscles back.

But as for losing weight, I am done. There are possible other milestones I see not so far ahead, like getting below 150 lb. Or getting down to exactly 69.0 kg so I can say I lost exactly 60 kg. But if you think like that there is no stopping. So at least as far as intentional weight loss goes I’m declaring that my job is done.

I’m not necessarily changing what I’m eating, or the amounts. My weight loss already slowed to a crawl as it is. Or I may change my daily net calories limit from 1500 to 1600 or a bit more for added flexibility. I’ll see how it goes.

In case you’re wondering, the only change I’ve made lately is trying to being more accurate in how many calories I’m consuming. I think I had been underestimating in some areas, like the calories in my salads with homemade dressing. I’ve just been more conscientious about getting calories right. As I always say, “calories count, whether you count them or not.”

Eating WFPB helps. Sticking to lower calorie density foods (e.g. potatoes instead of pasta) helps. Sequencing (eating non-starchy veggies first, finishing up with satisfying starches) helps. Avoiding trigger foods (I can’t stop at one banana) helps. Just common sense stuff. In the end, weight loss does come down to controlling calories though. And WFPB eating is the best way I found to do that, and also become healthier overall.

Anyway, I made it. I’m here. I never thought this day would come and it did.