THE YEAR THAT CHANGED MY LIFE - Weight Loss Part 18

I was never slim as an adult, not even as a teenager. I was never particularly good at sports, but I always loved swimming and cycling and went pretty much every on my bike. Whilst I was a student I still cycled a lot as it was a free mode of transport, but when I moved to Skye ten years ago my exercise took a dive.

Because of the distances cycling, and even walking, pretty much went out the window and I drove everywhere. The swimming pool was miles away and I felt I couldn't justify the cost of both the petrol and the entrance fee to go swimming regularly.

Paris 2016

By 2016 I was doing little to no exercise on a daily basis and was often out of breath walking up the stairs. That same year I went on a 10-day city break to Copenhagen, Berlin and Paris. It was a holiday on a budget, so involved a lot of walking. I saw lots and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I was on pain killers and anti-inflammatories daily and suffered badly from swollen feet. I knew then something had to change, but I didn't know what.

It's been a year since I first started my weight loss journey, a year since I first stepped on the scales.

The old me, 2011, 2013 & 2016

I weighed 22st 1.5lbs (140.4kg), the heaviest I had ever been. My BMI was 50, twice what it should have been. I had tried for years to lose weight but nothing ever worked.

I was extremely unhappy and hated what I saw in the mirror. I felt out of proportion with myself and with others around me. I hated seeing photographs of myself and often felt embarrassed or humiliated by my size and the hindrance it caused.

A month earlier I made possibly my first ever realistic New Year's Resolution. I made myself a promise to walk more in an attempt to get fitter. Country Walking Magazine's challenge to walk 1000 miles in a year gave me the focus to fulfil my resolution.

To get my steps in, apart from walking as much as possible at work, I started going for a walk every evening around my village, in the dark, cold January evenings.

First walk over the Skye Bridge, January 2017

I was very fond of Dark Chocolate Digestives, and there was rarely a night that went by where I didn't get the biscuits out and eat four, six or more in front of the telly.

A few weeks after I started my evening walks I realised I was no longer munching biscuits in the evenings, as I was out walking instead. This was a big wake up call for me. Not only was I exercising more, I was eating less without even realising it.

This triggered a need to try and lose weight again, but this time I had to be sensible about it. I had to make sure I didn't go hungry, and make sure it was done in such a manner that I could stick to.

I made gradual changes to my diet, eating more veg and less carbs, more protein, but the right sort of protein. I started losing weight, and quite rapidly. The results spurred me on to keep at it, and by week eight I'd lost two stone.

Overnight Oats and Pink Grapefruit Juice

A week earlier I went to the doctor on an unrelated matter and was told I could do with losing half my body weight. Basically, another 10st (63.5kg) on top of what I had already lost. This was rather overwhelming, and at the time, I had no idea if I would ever lose anywhere near that much weight. But I kept going...

Never before did I have the willpower to stick with a diet. But this time, things were different. The results gave me the willpower I previously lacked. I built up a stubbornness to keep going and not look back. I threw out clothes that were too big to stop me slipping back into old habits.

Despite the bomb shell my doctor dropped, he was extremely helpful. He arranged a couple of blood tests to rule out any conditions that might cause my weight gain and referred me to my local gym for a ten-week programme designed to aid weight loss.

Feeling Strong, December 2017

My bloods were all clear, which was a relief. So, all I had to do was keep at it, keep improving my fitness and keep making small sensible changes to my diet.

I started to investigate what a healthy weight and BMI for my height would be. Based on the current trends in my weight loss, I set myself lots of small, realistic goals with an overall target of 11st (70kg), the top end of the healthy weight for my height.

I could have picked somewhere in the middle, but we all have different bone sizes and density, and muscle mass. Like my New Year's Resolution, I didn't want to set a final target that wasn't realistic for my shape. This meant I had to lose just over 11st (70kg) all together.

Old jeans & jacket 6 sizes too big, and a belt that used to be too small, that I used to wear as shown with dresses on the first hole. February 2018

24 weeks on and I was half way there! I'd lost 5st 9lbs (35.8kg) and had gone down 3 dress sizes. I was a size 20 for the first time since my early twenties, and I felt on top of the world. For the first time, I felt like I actually had a fighting chance of achieving my goal.

By the end of the summer I started achieving some of the goals on my weight loss bucket list. Things I'd wanted to do for a long time but couldn't because of my size, weight and (lack of) fitness.

Kayaking, August 2017

In August I went Kayaking for the first time since I was twelve years old. This was a massive achievement for me and I absolutely loved it! I had sore arms for a few days though...

By the end of 2017 I'd lost 9st 7lbs (60.3kg), reduced my BMI to 28.45, gone karting and bouldering, bought my first EVER pair of knee high boots and felt confident enough to wear a skirt above the knee. Something I hadn't done since my mid-teens.

Top of Beann Tianabhaig and Snow Walk January 2018

In early January, I climbed my first proper hill and didn't once feel out of breath, tired or unable to complete the climb. Something I would not have been able to do a year earlier. I also completed my first (short) snow walk.

Rock Climbing on my 37th birthday, January 2018

On my 37th birthday, at the end of January, I went indoor rock climbing. Not only an achievement from a fitness point of view, but also from an extreme heights perspective. Despite not being keen on heights and occasionally feeling nervous because of it, I did it, and it was a great feeling! So much so I definitely want to do it again!

The new me enjoying wearing dresses!

A year since I first stepped on my scales I now weigh in at 12st 3.5lbs (77.8kg) with a BMI of 27.6. I'm a size 14, which I haven't been since my teens, and I feel fitter than I have ever been!

I've got 1st 3.5lbs to lose before I reach my target, and although I am losing weight slower than I was, I feel like nothing can stop me! In one year I have lost 9st 12lbs (62.6kg). That's 2lbs shy of 10st! I've gone down six dress sizes, have a completely new wardrobe and I feel like a brand new person!

Aeroplane seat belts no longer a tight squeeze, December 2017

Whilst my success at losing weight has been incredible, and exceeded my wildest expectations, I've haven't yet fully adjusted to the new me. Sometimes I forget that I've lost so much weight and still feel big. It's not until I catch myself in the mirror, or tie an aeroplane seatbelt with ease, that realise how far I've come.

2017 was the year that changed my life, and it all started with a walk!

DISCLAIMER: Just a wee reminder that this is what has worked for me. There's no guarantee that it will work for everyone as we are all different. I’m not a professional!