On the Move

Aside from weight loss, one of the other major aspects of my life I was looking to change was my living and working arrangements. I was still living in the same house that I remembered moving into as a child and I was working in a job that while easy and enjoyable due to my colleagues, wasn't really going anywhere. So, I gave my notice, packed up my entire life and moved almost 100 miles away from home to live with some of my friends. Now, that was a massive step for me. I've never been outgoing or a risk taker (largely due to confidence issues born out of being overweight), but after getting my weight loss under control, I realised that I can push myself to achieve greater results in other areas of my life.
That said, I am the same person and I do have fears and worries that moving away from home won't work out and that I won't get a good job, that the weight will pile back on etc... however, I am determined to see this through. I have shown myself that I can lose weight, it's been hard work, but I can do it. So, I want to apply that notion to every other aspect of my life. I know how to work hard and I know that in time, the results will come. Keeping the weight off whilst living on my own and facing new challenges will be tough but after weighing myself this morning to find that I have dropped a couple of pounds this week has given me all the encouragement I need to go out there and have an amazing week!
We all want to make changes and I will be the first to admit that I was always the kind of person that took a backseat and didn't chase the things I really wanted. But it is important to remember that change is a good thing, it renews us and helps us to grown and realise unfound potential within ourselves. It's been an exciting 2013 so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.

Getting Started

Starting an exercise program is a huge step in reaching your goal and should not be overlooked (as daunting it may be) in favour of relying on food to get you to where you want to be. Yes, your diet is the most important factor in losing weight, but in order for your body to change, you need to be combining healthy eating with at least some form of regular exercise. I found that the best place to start was on Amazon and various blogs and forums to see what had worked for others. I wasn't confident enough in joining a gym so I wanted something that would work at home. One person's name kept cropping up everywhere and that was Jillian Michaels. Her workout DVDs are huge sellers and she has a great range of exercise plans available. For a newbie to the world of home fitness, the best place to start is with a Jillian DVD because aside from being challenging enough to keep you from getting bored, they are relatively short and because she often has multiple levels, you feel a sense of accomplishment after completing each one, hence you keep pushing yourself to reach the next. I started with perhaps her most popular workout - The 30 Day Shred. The internet is flooded with reviews about the program, so I won't go into much detail here, but if there is one home workout that I would recommend to a beginner it would be this one. Based around a system of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs, the shred has three levels, each of which you do for 10 days before moving onto the next. Each level is roughly 30 minutes long and that includes the warm up and cool down, so fitting it into your day is a breeze. 

By the end of the 30 days, I felt amazing and I truly believe that it helped me in preparing my body and my mind to progress onto much tougher workouts. There's a lot of advanced moves in this workout, for example the second level relies heavily on various plank exercises, so it does push you hard. That said, looking back a few months later, I'm surprised (and proud) of how much more I can push my body. I have a few other Jillian DVDs and I used these from time to time to compliment other exercises I'm doing. She always offers more advanced moves if you are in a position where you want to push yourself to achieve greater results. The three above are all amazing and target specific areas and have worked as a great set of follow on exercises after I completed the shred. I can honestly say, six months into my weight loss, that if it wasn't for Jillian's workouts, I would not be in the position that I am today. I have learned so much about fitness from her and I now know how to challenge myself and achieve results. If you are a beginner reading this, I cannot recommend her DVDs high enough. Don't get me wrong, they will kill you to start with but if you keep going and keep pushing yourself, the results will come.

Sunday Mornings

Breakfast in bed :) Muesli with dried berries, fresh blueberries and topped with zero fat natural yoghurt

A Change is Gonna Come

In January 2013, I made the long overdue decision to lose weight. 
For as long as I can remember my weight has been an issue but I had never really done anything about it. But after a particularly indulgent 2012 festive season, my weight was at its highest (or at least it felt that way as I did not weigh myself regularly). Suddenly, it was 2013 and I was still fat, still living at home and still working in a job that was going nowhere. So, I decided to change all of that starting with my weight. 
On 10th January 2013, I weighed myself for the first time in about a year, and I was saddened, surprised and ashamed to see the figure that was looking back at me - 19st 3lbs (270lbs). I was horrified that my weight was so high. And it was then that I swore to myselft that I never wanted to see that figure ever again. 
I literally went cold turkey and cut out all of the crap foods that I had been consuming. Junk food, take-aways, ready meals, you name it, if it was bad for you then it was part of my diet. I swapped the junk for fresh fruit and veg, delicious homemade smoothies and wholesome soups that were perfect for the cold lunchtimes in January. Pretty soon the weight began to fall off me because my body was so surprised at the all of the nutrients that it was receiving. Then, in February I began exercising, really for the first time ever. My weight continued to fall and I managed to get into a routine of healthy eating and exercising at least 4 times a week. 

Me in 2011 compared to me in May 2013

 Six months later and I am pleased to say that I have lost around 70lbs, and I am still going strong. Obviously as my body is now used to being spoiled rotten with delicious healthy meals and getting regular exercise, the weight is coming off a lot slower now but I am fortunate in that all of the time I have been losing I have never gained. I'm fortunate enough to be in a position where I can control the treats and occasional indulgence because I've learned so much about food and what it does to my body. I haven't dedicated myself to a crazy diet - I have simply chosen to eat the right foods, in balance of one another and allowing myself to eat the treats that I want as long as they are consumed sensibly. Weight loss for me has been about educating myself about food and once you get your diet in check, everything else really does fall into place.

As we head towards the back end of 2013, I'm aiming for another 30 or so lbs to come off by the end of the year. I am going to be using this blog as a platform to share my journey and encourage myself to keep going, to keep fighting and to keep believing that this journey is possible. I have every faith that in 12 months time, I can return to this post and be proud of what I have achieved.