TLDR:
I started in a safe calorie deficit. Once I got to my goal weight, I implemented a structured reverse diet. I stepped up 100 calories to my average daily consumption once every two weeks. This systematic ramp-up maintained metabolic health and physical recovery while scaling active expenditure.
The Turning Point:
One morning, I woke up after another night of chronic acid reflux and fragmented sleep. Looking in the mirror, I realized my current life was unsustainable. I decided to apply my full systems engineering focus to my own solving this problem. With that motivation I d e cided to build a multi-step framework to transform into a state I could be proud of.
Macro Floor Framework:
I set macro targets and energy inputs based on sports science meta-analyses targeting desired lean body mass parameters.
I set a protein floor first. This was set using the established 1.0g of complete protein per pound of desired body weight. I do not count incomplete protein sources.
I established a fat window to satisfy essential endocrine requirements: specifically no less than 0.3g of fat but no more than 0.5g of fat per pound of desired body weight. I prioritize healthy fat sources where possible.
This establishes the safe absolute minimum for a calorie deficit that you can add carbohydrates on top of. This protein floor and fat window are critical to keep muscle mass and maintain endocrine health.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calculators are a strong start to estimate your maintenance calories. As an example, cutting 500 or so calories from the calculated estimate is a good guideline for establishing a safe energy deficit. I cut an amount that fit my goals.
Recomp Phase:
I maintained a steady, high-volume recomp at 170 lbs since December 2025, transitioning from 19% body fat to 11% body fat.
With structural protein and essential fat floors established, any remaining energy increases were routed to carbohydrates to maximize glycogen stores, which support my full-body lifting splits.
This progressive ramping cleanly grew my daily caloric capacity to 3,300 calories without gaining body fat through the recomp.
High Volume Nutrition Architecture:
For me, managing food noise relies on feeling full using volume eating. I love engineering high-volume, low-caloric-density meals that taste great!
An example I eat every day is a 3 lb "Chocolate pie filling" I make from Calabaza Pumpkin. It's 1,100 grams of food volume for 382 calories (calabaza base, dark/Dutch cocoa, and decaf espresso).
Being able to eat big delicious meals made of healthy whole foods makes the plan easy to stick to and keeps the lifestyle sustainable.
Progressive Overload & Activity Scaling:
(Disclaimer: The following describes my personal journey and long-term progression, not a prescriptive routine for beginners)
To build cardiovascular health, I started with just a few thousand steps per day at 330 lbs to manage joint loading. Over the transformation, I scaled daily walking up alongside systemic conditioning to build my endurance baseline.
To build strength and prevent muscle loss, I started with just 3 foundational compound movements, the bench press, the squat, and the straight-leg deadlift to cover the full body. Through progressive overload, volume additions, and managed recovery, I eventually expanded this into my current 17-movement full-body split, 6 days per week.
Every set, step, and gram of nutrition has been logged and tracked. Happy to answer questions on the data, macro allocations, or volume eating mechanics below
