A New Chapter: Biohacking My Way to a Healthier Me

As the year ends, I’m excited to share the beginning of my weight loss journey—a journey I’m biohacking my way through with a blend of technology and lifestyle changes. This will be my only blog post for 2024, but I plan to write more in 2025 to document my progress and insights. Weight loss is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor, and I’m determined to make this journey a transformative experience, both physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Why Biohacking?

Biohacking, at its core, is about optimizing your body and mind through science, technology, and habits. It’s not about quick fixes but sustainable and informed changes. This means leveraging data and tools to track, adjust, and improve every aspect of my health. By embracing biohacking, I’m setting myself up for long-term success in reaching my goal weight of 185 lbs from my current weight of 242 lbs.

What sets biohacking apart is the empowerment it offers. By understanding how my body responds to various inputs—food, sleep, exercise, and stress management—I can create a personalized blueprint for health. This journey is as much about curiosity and experimentation as it is about discipline. Each day is an opportunity to learn, refine, and build better habits.

The Tools That Help Me Succeed

Technology plays a pivotal role in my strategy. These apps are my allies, each serving a specific purpose in my journey:

• Opal: It helps me reduce doomscrolling and stay focused. Social media can be a major time sink, and Opal keeps me mindful of how I spend my time online, ensuring that I prioritize activities that align with my goals.
• MyFitnessPal: My go-to app for logging calories and maintaining a calorie deficit. This app makes it easy to track meals, understand portion sizes, and identify patterns in my eating habits.
• Sleep Cycle: It tracks my sleep quality, a crucial component of overall health. Better sleep translates to improved energy levels, mood, and metabolism, all of which support weight loss.
• Awesome Habits: A habit tracker to reinforce small daily changes. This app keeps me accountable and helps me build the consistency needed for long-term success.
• Bend: Guides me through stretching routines for better flexibility. Flexibility might seem secondary to weight loss, but it’s vital for mobility and preventing injuries.
• Headspace: Supports mindfulness with meditation exercises. Managing stress is as important as diet and exercise, and Headspace helps me stay grounded and focused.
• Headway: Makes learning accessible with bite-sized lessons. Personal growth and intellectual stimulation are key to staying motivated and engaged.
• Withings: My Withings scale tracks my overall health metrics, including weight. Data is power, and Withings gives me insights into trends and progress beyond just the number on the scale.
• Happy Scale: Visualizes my weight loss progress and keeps me motivated. By breaking my goal into smaller milestones, Happy Scale makes the journey feel more achievable.

Each tool serves as a piece of the puzzle, working together to create a holistic approach to health and wellness.

My Current Routine

Consistency is key, and my daily routine reflects this. Having a structure helps me stay focused and ensures that I’m making progress, even on days when motivation wanes.

Working Days:

• Nutrition: Stick to 1,900 kcal per day. I’ve learned that managing my calorie intake doesn’t mean deprivation; it’s about making smarter choices and prioritizing nutrient-dense foods.
• Hydration: Drink 2 liters of water throughout the day. Staying hydrated supports overall health and helps manage hunger and cravings.
• Morning: 15 minutes of meditation (Headspace). Starting the day with mindfulness sets a positive tone and helps me approach challenges.
• Late Afternoon: A 20-30 minute walk, aiming for 8,000-10,000 steps. Walking is a simple yet effective way to stay active, clear my mind, and boost my energy levels.
• Early Evening: 10 minutes of stretching (Bend app), followed by 15-20 minutes of meditation and 20 minutes of learning (Headway app). This combination of physical, mental, and intellectual activity helps me wind down and prepare for a restful night.

Weekends: I’m more flexible but aim to increase my walking distance and stay active. Weekends are also a time to experiment with new recipes, reflect on the week’s progress, and plan for the days ahead.

The Bigger Picture

This journey is about more than just hitting a number on the scale. It’s about reclaiming control over my health, building resilience, and creating a life aligned with my values. Weight loss is a byproduct of the effort I’m putting into improving every aspect of my life—from physical fitness to mental clarity and emotional well-being.

What’s Next?

I plan to dive deeper into the data for the coming month and share graphs and insights about my journey. These updates will highlight the ups and downs, what’s working, and areas for improvement. By sharing my experiences, I hope to inspire others on a similar path.

This is just the beginning, and I’m excited to see how these changes shape my weight and overall well-being. Here’s to a healthier, happier 2025—and beyond! With each small step, I’m getting closer to a future where I feel confident, energized, and ready to take on any challenge.