I began to seriously consider losing weight when I hit 120 kilograms.

I was obsessed with my weight; when I went up or down stairs my ankles hurt, and I didn't dare go to clothing stores because it was almost impossible to find clothes to fit me.

I had tried to lose weight a few times before, relying on methods I heard about from friends or through online searches, such as not eating at all in the evening.

Sometimes I lost a little weight at the beginning, but it didn't last long and the kilos kept coming back.

This time round, I sought the help of E-Jane, a healthcare services provider in Beijing, which helped me contact a doctor at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. He gave me a checkup and then made a couple of suggestions. The doctor also provided a diet plan and advised me to exercise for at least 40 minutes every day.

Following the plan, I only had a cup of water with protein power in the morning. For lunch, I usually had a dish of tofu with eggs, a dish of shredded beef with celery and some plain rice. In the evening, I usually had some vegetables and a little meat. I ate less than 10 grams of oil a day.

I stopped eating out, because restaurant food usually contains a lot of oil, and I made my own lunch and took it to the office. If I had to go to restaurants with friends or colleagues, I tried to only eat the vegetables, which are almost free of oil, but sometimes when I had dinner with friends I could hardly resist the delicious dishes in front of me.

I also exercised a lot. I ran on a treadmill at home for more than an hour a day, which was longer than the doctor suggested. Sometimes I exercised every day.

One of the things that kept me going was a trainer at E-Jane who contacted me every day to provide guidance and information. Without the trainer, I don't think I would have persisted with the process. By March, my weight had fallen to 90 kg, and it's been pretty steady since. Although it's still a little heavy for me, I feel much better than I did before and I'm much more energetic.

I think losing weight only requires two things - taking action to start the process and keeping at it.

Hunger was the worst challenge. Sometimes I was so hungry at night that I was unable to sleep and had to get up and drink water. During the four months I struggled to lose weight, I had to go through Christmas, Western New Year and the Chinese New Year, which all involve lots of eating and drinking. That was the most difficult part of the four months, but I'm glad I persisted.

Some friends and colleagues who are obese have tried to lose weight many times, but only a few succeeded. The others couldn't stick to the diet and exercise plan.

I feel much better now - I am more confident and more efficient at work. I think the biggest reward is that I have a better lifestyle than before.

I eat fewer snacks now, and when I have to eat packaged food I read the labels to ensure they do not contain too much fat. I monitor my weight every two days, and if the scales reach the 90-kg mark I immediately take steps to lose a few kilograms.

Bao Xin spoke with Wang Xiaodong

(China Daily 05/16/2016 page6)