Regular exercise can strengthen your heart, build muscle, improve balance and flexibility, and promote blood circulation. But when it comes to weight loss, consuming a healthy, well-balanced diet is often the more effective of the two. Noah Harned shed 150 pounds over the course of 18 months without ever hitting the gym or track. Instead, the 29-year-old from Waukesha, Wisconsin, counted calories, followed intermittent fasting, and engaged in “mild” physical activity (walking 10,000 steps daily). But most importantly, he reframed his mindset about dieting.
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Harned first shared his story on Reddit, later revealing more details in an interview with Newsweek. Speaking with the outlet, Harned opened up about his relationship with food and dieting as a young adult.
"It took me years to come to terms with starting a diet. I was using food as a dopamine hit to hide from my dissatisfaction with my life and body…I knew what I had to do for years, but I didn't have the strength to do it. I had eventually convinced myself that I'd rather enjoy my binge eating than 'suffer' a diet,” he explained.
Harned said that “knowing the problem and coming to terms with it are very different.” Once the puzzle pieces fell into place, Harned’s health took precedence.
Despite previous failed attempts at intermittent fasting, Harned decided to give it another shot. Now knowing what he knows about calorie consumption, Harned said he felt equipped to give this dieting method another try, and it’s proven successful. In the span of 18 months, Harned went from 340 pounds to 190 pounds.
Coupled with intermittent fasting, counting calories also aided Harned in his tremendous weight loss journey. The weight-loss formula was kind of happenstance, explained Harned, who “unintentionally”’ lost 40 pounds at the start of 2023, all because of a major shift in his calorie intake.
"In January 2023, inflation was in full swing and in a weird twist of fate it helped me as I would primarily eat fast food, and that was getting too expensive for me to keep up with," Harned told Newsweek.
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After budgeting his finances, Harned began cooking his own meals at home to help save money—little did Harned know that this would also have a lasting impact on his health.
His favorite home-cooked meal became chick or beef stir-fry with white rice and vegetable medley. Popcorn replaced salty potato chips, which were once considered his favorite snack food. He stopped buying sugary coffee beverages and opted for pre-workout drinks instead, with sugar-free soda as a treat.
"As the weight started to fall, people began to notice, which was motivating and inspiring. The most significant moments were when I started to fit back in my older clothes," said Harned, who has since gone down four sizes.
And while Harned didn’t join a gym or engage in any fitness class activities, he did make an effort to meet or exceed his daily step count goal. According to Mayo Clinic, walking is a great way to lose body fat and maintain a healthy weight among many other health benefits including boosting energy levels, improving heart health, and strengthening immunity.
Earlier this year, Harned met his goal weight of 190 pounds and has since dabbled in new forms of exercise as a result, including running.
"I have more energy. I can run again!" he told Newsweek. "My high blood pressure has evened out to normal, and I don't get out of breath so easily anymore."
The weight loss has positively affected his mental health as well.
"It's been a new feeling to look in the mirror and like what I see. How I view myself is much more positive. My mental state is much better than before. I now feel more positive about the future,” he said.
