Sunset over the sea with windfarm in the background

Some time this summer, I came to the conclusion I was a fat git, and needed to lose some weight. Don’t get me wrong, I carry weight well, and being 16 stone something at 6’4” suited me. But it’s not healthy, and will shorten my life.

Having decided this, I immediately made some changes. The first was to weigh myself every morning, so I could monitor my progress.

The second change was to only eat dinner. No breakfast, lunch or snacks. I’d try to have dinner as early as possible, then half an hour later each day - essentially having a series of 24 hour fasts. Obviously, weekends are weekends and don’t count.

Weight can fluctuate each day so after a while, I only recorded my weight when it hit a new low. Here’s the progress after a few months:

Weight before ~ 103kg / 16 st 3 lb

14/07/23 - 98.9 kg / 15 st 8 lb

15/07/23 - 99.3 kg / 15 st 9 lb

16/07/23 -98.7 / 15 st 7.6 lb

17/07/23 - 98.4 / 15 st 6.9 lb (just under 15 1/2)

18/07/23 - 98.6 / 15 st 7.6 lb

21/07/23 - 98.0 / 15 stone 6.1 lb

23/07/23 - 97.6 / 15 stone 5.2 lb

24/0723 -98.1 /15 stone 6.2 lb

31/07/23 - 97.3 / 15 stone and 4.51 lb

03/08/23 - 97.0 / 15 stone and 3.85 lb

08/08/23 - 96.5 / 15 stone and 2.75 lb

14/08/23 - 95.6 / 15 stone, 0 lb and 12.19 oz

04/09/23 - 95.5 / 15 stone, 0 lb and 8.66 oz #health

10/09/23 - 95.2 / 14 stone, 13 lb and 14.08 oz

25/09/23 - 94.6 / 14 stone, 12 lb and 8.92 oz

30/09/23 - 94.3 / 14 stone, 11 lb and 14.33 oz

01/10/23 - 93.6 / 14 stone, 10 lb and 5.64 oz

22/10/23 - 93.4 / 14 stone, 9 lb and 14.59 oz

Not bad, eh.

I was further encouraged when Kev Quirk - a Fediverse acquaintance, and former Wirralian, came to the same conclusion (fat lad), and set up a mailing list for people wanting to shed a few stones. It’s encouraging, and it’s good to share stories, tips, and inspiration. It’s definitely helped.

The last thing is that I’ve started running. This will be the third time, I’ve attempted to do the couch to 5K challenge. I run with my daughter three times every week, and we’ve just started week three.

Since losing ~ 20lb, I’m faster; I have more energy; I don’t hurt in a way that indicates damage. It is fucking great.

Best of all, we get to enjoy views like the one above as we run the Wirral coastline.