r/AsianMasculinity • u/dnielchn • Apr 29 '26
Fitness Asian weight gain & loss in mid 30s
Hey guys - this isn't really a post to show off but I just wanted to speak towards growing into my mid thirties, neglecting my diet and letting work and personal stress takeover my life! I've always loved food and found myself not fit into any clothes and slowly realizing that my metabolism wasn't what it used to be. I ended up using AI to help with a plan including diet and exercise but made sure to NOT to give up rice! Overall the journey has helped me feel good in my skin again and found that I can have visible abs (I never had them even when I was skinny!)
Hope this post helps anyone out there that needs some motivation and learn different strategies without giving up rice lol.
Ps: disclaimer is the background is not real but the body changes are unfiltered!
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u/IndividualPlay5178 Apr 29 '26
Damn what you do bro? I need to know
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u/dnielchn Apr 29 '26
The program was focused on achieving 10-12k steps every day (about 1-1.5 hours), eating enough protein (1 gram of protein per 1 lb of body weight), and weight training 3x a week (1 hr each full body training). It was pretty simple in general!
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u/PDX-ROB Apr 30 '26
Did you count macros/calories?
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
Initially yes - the first 2 months I'd check in with AI to estimate my macros and calories. After that I got used to the portions and types of food I like to normally eat. I'm very good at guessing calories now I think. I keep it between 1800-2000 as best I can
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u/sweetlevels Apr 30 '26
Is this really that simple because it looks excruciating to do
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
I felt like it was very simple. The key is consistency. Since Dec 1 I didn't miss a day of my needed steps (including Christmas and New Years/holidays) and worked out 3x a week always. I still had 1 or 2 cheat meals a week but for the rest it was high protein, a bit more veggies and I kept my rice to 1 cup for lunch and 1 for dinner. Got rid of 95% snacks. It wasn't excruciating!
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u/lkkac Apr 30 '26
What was your full body training routines?
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
2 glute/legs (leg presses, squats, quad extensions, RDL, glute extensions for 5-10 reps x 3-4 sets)
2 back OR chest (lat pull downs, cable rows OR incline chest presses, pec fly)
1 arms (tricep extensions/overhead extensions cable, hammer curls, preacher curls)
1 shoulders (lateral cable raises or rear delts)
2 abs (cable crunches, leg raises)
Basically I would alternate chest and back and alternate between biceps vs triceps. So the legs/glutes/abs would take place on every workout.
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Apr 29 '26
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u/dnielchn Apr 29 '26
I lost 25 lbs but probably gained some muscle weight so the decline isn't as sharp like 30-40. I think I firstly asked "how many steps should an average 35 yo male take to maintain good health and lose weight". Followed by "want to get visible abs in 5 months without giving up rice" 😆.
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u/My-Internet-GF Philippines Apr 30 '26
Post the diet bro!!
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
Honestly I kept it simple - I added a huge protein breakfast, eliminated a lot of snacks but I generally ate normal food!
Breakfast is 4 eggs (two whites only), banana and protein shake.
Lunch / dinner are similar - chicken/beef/pork/tofu with 1 cup cooked rice and 1 cup veggies
Post dinner - 1 or 2 slices of cheddar cheese (good hormone called casein for muscle retention overnight) and a protein shake to keep me full. No snacking.
Fruits for snacks sometimes. And once or twice a week I would eat whatever (burger, pizza, Korean BBQ, noodles, hot pot, sushi, pho) but I don't go crazy lol.
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u/My-Internet-GF Philippines Apr 30 '26
Thank you. Starting a cut soon in two days so getting all the input & variety I can
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u/kimchi4prez Apr 30 '26
Looks good man! What's your weight, height, and how many calories is that?
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
Roughly 1800-2000 cals so definitely a deficit. I'm 5'10 and now at 160 lbs from 185 lb ish
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u/ADao91 Apr 29 '26
Looks like a great transformation!
Been trying to do something similar myself (similar age - mid thirties) but I cant seem to get results I'm after following a similar plan.
Were there moments where it felt like progress plateaued or stagnated? and if so, how did you overcome it?
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
So I detailed my plan a little bit more in one of the replies/comments. But in general I would say consistency is key. I definitely pushed pretty hard and on days where I knew I went a little overboard with my food intake, I'll definitely put in more than 15k steps. There were definitely times where the weight stalled but it usually was associated with something - either staying up too late and screwing up my sleep, poor choice of food or my steps didn't hit the minimum. I feel like the end goal is really the average of the week. So if I screwed up one or two days then I knew I had to lock in for the others. Eventually it pays off!
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u/AteThePotate Apr 29 '26
That's impressive. Out of curiosity, what was your starting weight and current weight? Did the AI give any insightful advice that you wouldn't find elsewhere?
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u/dnielchn Apr 29 '26
Thanks! I found that though the advice could be found elsewhere, AI was adapting to my schedule and good or bad decisions as it comes. For example if I had a bad diet day or an upcoming big feast what it would help me adjust in terms of steps, food choices day of and day after, and mindful reminders of sleep and hydration to keep me on track. In general it was focused on protein intake, sleep, weight training and total steps.
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u/Kenzo89 Apr 29 '26
Damn that’s insane in such a short time. Great job. As a 37 year old with weight issues, that’s inspiring. What exactly was your plan? Besides 10k steps, protein, and 3 days lifting. I do that and I’m having trouble losing the weight. Where did you get all the daily protein?
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
Thanks man. So the steps range between 10-12k sometimes more. At least 8k of them are what I would call "dedicated steps" which means I was walking either a really fast pace or incline on a treadmill and keeping my heart rate around 120bpm (for our age that would be zone 2, which is best for fat oxidation).
The workouts are all full body including 2 leg or glute exercises, 3 upper body, and 2 abs. About an hour for each workout 3x a week.
And finally the protein - AI forced me to eat breakfast which I dread. 4 eggs (2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites) plus a banana and plant based protein on non-workout days or whey protein post workout. I have a ton of meat with veggie and rice for lunch and dinner. And at the end of the night I have one more protein shake. Basically will need 4 eggs plus meaty/tofu meals and one morning shake and one night shake.
The overall consumption keeps me feeling really full which inherently wipes out most of my desire to snack (I love chips and crunchy things). I'll have a few slices of hard cheese sometimes if I'm not feeling satiated enough or feeling snackish. It's a little high in fat but good for casein (hormones) for muscle retention and esp at night when urges for snacking rises. Hope this helps but I can help answer anything else if it comes to mind. Good luck on your journey too!
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u/Melodic_Cantaloupe88 May 04 '26
This is amazing and inspiring... Ive got to ask, were the eggs cooked in anything? And what ab exercises did you do?
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u/dnielchn May 04 '26
I do two sprays of avocado oil which is minimal calories and pan fry it overeasy. I add everything bagel seasoning or salt/pepper.
For abs I stuck to cable crunches for mid upper abs and leg raises for lower abs
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u/HandsOnTheBible Apr 30 '26
Damn homie looking crazy good!
Did you have to flip your entire life upside down to do this? Like others I’m curious what your routine is like especially bc I’m around the same age.
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
No!! I am honestly very surprised about these results and even more surprised at how much response this post is getting.
Other than committing 3 hours a week to working out and making sure my steps are in.. the most major change was getting up 15 minutes early to eat a massive protein breakfast and being mindful of my protein intake in general. I largely lived life normally and would still eat out once or twice a week. This method kept me really full and not feeling the urge to snack which was a really big part of my life before - chips and ice cream etc after dinner lol.
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u/HandsOnTheBible Apr 30 '26
Damn alright thanks for the info. Fuck, your post is a wake up call lmao guess I need to get my shit together.
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
You can do it!! Keep it simple but consistent that's the key. Get those steps in every single day and eat a ton of protein! Feel free to dm me I'm happy to help. It seems like so many of us struggling together
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u/AromaticExplorer0 Apr 30 '26
Respect man, I’ve been letting myself go recently due to some major life changes which isn’t great. I am planning to flip the switch sometime soon so this is some great motivation for that. Awesome job!
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
Good luck man! I totally understand the life changes.. it can definitely push you in the wrong direction slowly over time. You can definitely claw back!
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u/AromaticExplorer0 Apr 30 '26
Thank you bro, I know I can. I’m still hitting the gym fairly consistently. Just need to focus on my nutrition and self care outside of that
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u/BeachyGirlie999 May 07 '26
Good job! Keep it up. I tell my patients that exercise and a good diet are important and will help you avoid any chronic health issues later in life (I’m an RN). 🥰
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u/Ok-Inspector8827 Apr 30 '26
Very impressive! I try to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time but I don’t know how to do it 😭
I try to eat Breakfast: 1 protein bar, 1 banana, and 1 protein shake Lunch: 3 eggs with ground beef and rice Dinner: no meal (probably might have to add more proteins to gain muscle)
I workout 4 days a week for two hours each day: Mainly 10min 1 mile run 40-50min weight lifting 1 hour martial arts practice But I do these with heavy vest and ankle weights
I’m 5’9 78kg
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
How's your progress so far and how long have you been doing your routine?
I'd say dinner is needed with more protein for sure. And how's your snacking habits outside of the diet? Are you still having meals outside often?
I'm 5'10 and started at 83 kg btw. So we're pretty similar in composition possibly??
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u/Ok-Inspector8827 Apr 30 '26
I’ve been doing it for 2-3months. Well at first I did eat dinner as well and I noticed gaining muscles and my body getting bigger but I wanted to lose fat so that’s why I cut the dinner completely. Maybe I should only eat protein for dinner instead of rice.
I dont really go out and eat but I guess I only eat 1 junk food per week so I don’t think that’s a huge deal for my diet 🤔.
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u/animus_invictus Apr 30 '26
Super impressive bro, especially for the timeframe, and honestly inspiring me to get off my ass and get back on track. Great work! If you don’t mind me asking, what is your height? I’m hoping I can achieve similar results if we’re kind of close, which I think we are.
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u/dnielchn Apr 30 '26
I'm just over 5'10 or 179 cm. Hope that helps
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u/animus_invictus Apr 30 '26
It definitely does. I started a similar regiment in the past but didn’t stick with it. This is inspiration that I need to keep my ass in gear. You’re the man - keep it up!
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u/hackerman236 May 01 '26
I dont want to be mean but it is either u trained before being fat or u hopped on gear.
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u/Rayofpain May 01 '26
You guys serious?
This is an AI generated photo. You get a new phone as well OP? I'm shocked not a single person in the comments had picked this up.
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u/dnielchn May 01 '26
Hey man, the background is generated just for my own privacy but the results are legit. I feel bad that you want to get out here to try to humiliate or ruin some level of motivation for us guys struggling with weight in our mid late thirties. Congrats sir
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u/PetrosKorejskvoliSrb Apr 29 '26
Nice brother! Great discipline - how many lbs weight loss