My Fitness Story... - Rachel

The post today in My Fitness Story... is by Rachel, who blogs at Tales from Lewis Lodge. Rachel has lost an astonishing 100lbs (that's just over 7 stone) since last November on the Cambridge weight plan, which is largely a meal replacement plan, although it has progressed considerably from its launch in the 1980s. Rachel's driver to lose weight was being diagnosed as suffering from sleep apnoea, a condition that often affects overweight people. The diagnosis - and the machine she was given to help her deal with her condition - made her realise that she did need to lose weight to resolve the problem. So, here's Rachel to tell her story. 

The last twenty years of my life has been about repeated attempts to lose weight. Some attempts were more successful than others but for most of the last ten years, I have been somewhere between 17 and 18.5 stone (240-260lbs). Did I want to lose weight? Every day. Could I do it? Could I heck!

My Fitness Story... - Paula

This week's guest post is Paula, who doesn't have a blog (at least one that she's told me about anyway!) but is a friend and follower on Twitter. Paula's post is quite different to the usual because she only a few weeks into a diet and fitness programme. Here she tells us what motivated her to start her new regime, the approach she's taking and her progress so far. So, without further ado, Paula takes up her story, which she has chosen to call... 

Going it alone

I blame Facebook.

I've always been big. I lived my life, I kept fairly active and felt OK about myself. But that all changed with the invention of FACEBOOK!! It's the photo thing, y'see. When I look in the mirror, I see an twenty-three-year old with a smooth, wrinkle-free face who could stand to lose a few pounds. In reality, what's staring back at me is an almost-forty, "homely" mum, with love-shelves instead of handles and an ass that turns tides instead of heads! When we used to take photos, they were lovingly stored on the PC with the exception of the vast amounts of cute pictures of the lads and the odd flattering one of me, which were printed, framed and hung for all to see. But Facebook hates me... It allows ANYONE who takes a photo of me to upload it and tag it! And, like a Magic Eye picture coming into clarity, I could see what was really there. And so I decided I needed a change.

I'm quite an extreme person, I never dip my toe in - just jump and suffer the consequences. I gave up smoking four years ago, cold turkey. No patches, no gum and not a cigarette since. So once I made the decision to lose weight and become fitter, I knew it was all or nothing. I stopped drinking, I gave up bread and vowed to exercise 5 and a half hours a week. I wasn't going to take on a faddy diet that I couldn't stick to. I needed a lifestyle change, I needed to rethink how I was living my life and make positive, healthier alternatives. However, I'm a big, middle-aged woman, not exactly at her physical peak! I think it's so much harder to take the first step when you have a bigger hill to climb. I envy people who tweet about a 5km run or 20 lengths of the pool. I'm not ready for that yet and it's going to be a while before I am. So it's baby steps till then.

And so for the last six weeks, this has been my life. Once the men are off to work and school, I do my Wii Fit workout. I try not to weigh myself every day because it gets me down when I haven't lost anything. I do a combination of Yoga, Muscle and Aerobic exercises. Three or four times a week, my other half and I will also walk in the evenings. I'm still not able to manage a jog yet, but I'm surprising myself with how quickly my body is adapting to exercise. When we started, I could just about manage two circuits of the park walking. Now I can do some short jogging bursts in between the walking strides. We're lucky enough to live close to some beautiful spots to walk, with some steep inclines to get the heart pumping! I eat so much better than I used to. Ryvita instead of bread. No butter, no sauces. Plenty of fruit and vegetables. Skimmed milk with everything. I eat little and often in an effort to stop myself feeling hungry. I did originally set out not to waiver from the plan for at least a year, but I've found that this is unrealistic and treating myself isn't the end of the world.

So no Zumba classes, no personal trainer and no Weightwatchers for me. So far, it's working - I've lost 16lb since I started. I know that seems a lot, but I have a LOT to lose and I know the weight loss will slow down. I've set myself a goal of my 40th birthday, which gives me 15 months. I need to do this for me and no-one cares more about me succeeding than I do.

Wish me luck!

Good luck indeed to Paula, and thanks go to her for telling her story so far today. Losing more than a stone in 6 weeks is a great start. I think she generally has the right approach - build up slowly and try to stick to the plan as much as possible, but be realistic and not fuss about the tweets. If I could pass on any advice to Paula, it would be this: don't get hung up on the scale. Weighing yourself is such an unreliable indicator of your progress sometimes as it's affected by so many things (drink a pint of water, and you'll gain a pound, for example) and you're unlikely to see a change from day to day. At the very most, weigh yourself no more than once a week. 


Feel free to share experiences, as always, in the comments below. My guest posters really do appreciate the messages of support they get from readers.

If you would like to share your fitness story, then please contact me on Twitter or email me on the address on the About Me page. All contributions are really appreciated so do get in touch, even if you feel yours is not a worthwhile story. If it's a personal experience, it is. I am particularly short of posts at the moment. Do please join in - or ask your friends if you know someone has a story to tell, even if they don't blog.

Thanks for supporting My Fitness Story... and do come back for another guest post next week.

My Fitness Story... - Sarah

My guest poster today is Sarah, who blogs at The World According to Sog. Since the start of 2011, Sarah has lost an incredible 50lb, or around 3.5 stone if you think in those terms and so today, Sarah is telling her story of how she lost her baby weight and reached her goal. Sarah has chosen to call this post...

Inspired to run

Ever since I gave birth to my daughter in 2007 I've been trying to lose the "baby weight" I gained while pregnant. My motivation received a kickstart after my son (then age 3) told me very innocently that I was fat. I started going to aerobics with a friend once a week, and 6 months after that I began a weekly circuit training class. I began to tone up in my arms and my stamina increased slightly, but I never lost any weight because I wasn't dieting and I was drinking a lot of alcohol too.

Around September 2010, I got hooked on The Biggest Loser. It's a TV show from the USA where very obese individuals are given the chance to turn their lives around, with professionals overseeing intensive exercise routines and giving excellent nutritional advice. I was inspired: seeing these people who could hardly walk become lean, fit, and diet-aware individuals was amazing. I was determined to make changes to my lifestyle and finally shift my excess weight. "If they can do it, so can I!"

A friend suggested I join the local running club. I was hesitant and postponed joining for several months. I "didn't think I could run", although actually I was kidding myself (I had run years previously and loved it). I worked freelance in the evenings so didn't think I could spare the time. Then, it was "too cold"! I was just scared of failure.

So, with New Year approaching I made my resolutions: to join the local running club and go every week; and to eat healthily. (I might as well make the pain of running count by dieting properly!). I weighed myself and was ashamed that I was over 13 stone, with a BMI that put me in the obese range.

My first ever run was 2.5 miles, a mix of 5 min running and 1 min walking. I was elated! The diet kicked in too: I cut out bread, cheese, alcohol, chocolate, and unhealthy snacks. That first week I lost 7 lb!

By the end of January, I was running (with short 1 min walks every 10 min) twice a week, just a couple of miles each time. The weight loss was continuing well, giving me much needed visual reward for my hard work: I was seeing losses of 2-4 lb every week. Finally, my resolutions were working!

By March, I had lost 21 lb and was running four times a week, distances of 3-5 miles (still with a walk every now and then). I felt confident in my body and with my abilities, so I made a big decision: I entered a 10K race! It was tough, and I admit now, I was terrified. But, I completed the race in under an hour and I was so pleased (and relieved!). I'd run 6.6 miles with no walking breaks and achieved a time I could only have dreamt of in January.

Where am I now? With respect to my weight, I've lost 50 lb and reached my goal (under 10 stone with a BMI in the healthy range). I'm very aware of what I eat, I try to keep portion sizes small and avoid eating carbohydrates such as pasta or potato in the evening. I do drink alcohol, but very infrequently, and I sometimes eat bread (although not too much).

And, I'm still running four times a week; I usually run 4-5 miles with the local club and then go for one long run (7-9 miles currently) on my own at the weekend. You see, I'm in training for another race: a half marathon at the end of August! I think I might be addicted to running!

Thanks go to Sarah for contributing to My Fitness Story... this week. It's certainly an amazing tale and demonstrates what can be achieved in a relatively short time. I'm glad that she has found the thing that works for her - running is not for everyone but finding the regime - whether it is exercise or diet - that works for you and your lifestyle - seems to be the key factor in success. There seems, to me anyway, little point in enduring a diet that doesn't work for your lifestyle and that you don't enjoy - because it's not sustainable in the longer term and you're more likely to go back to old habits. 

Feel free to share experiences, as always, in the comments below. My guest posters really do appreciate the messages of support they get from readers.

If you would like to share your fitness story, then please contact me on Twitter or email me on the address on the About Me page. All contributions are really appreciated so do get in touch, even if you feel yours is not a worthwhile story. If it's a personal experience, it is. I am particularly short of posts at the moment. Do please join in - or ask your friends if you know someone has a story to tell, even if they don't blog.

Thanks for supporting My Fitness Story... and do come back for another guest post next week.

My Fitness Story... - Margie

Hello, it's Thursday so that means My Fitness Story is back! This week, I'm delighted to welcome a contribution from Margie. She is the owner of a fabulous website called Greeting Cards on Time. Margie decided to embark on a fitness programme in order to keep up with her family. Her story is a familiar one told by many mothers. I think, like Margie, that it's a myth that becoming a mother keeps you busy and fit! Over now to Margie to tell her story which she has entitled: 

Keeping up with the Kids (or not…)

Fitness is a relative word – I would say I have never been that fit. Compulsory games lessons at school were a nightmare.  I was goalie in lacrosse; in netball, we used to pretend a contact lens had fallen out to suspend play; for tennis lessons, the teacher left me and a small select handful of others hitting a ball against a wire net.  Ghastly and not a way to instil any love of fitness in me.  However, there was a suppressed fitty spark in me wanting to get out…..

Post school and before children, I did get into aerobics for a while – good fun halcyon days when I wore size 10 (which is now probably size 0).  But aerobics and size 10 went with the arrival of husband, dog and children in that order. 

Children, oh how I love them, but they did little for my fitness levels – once they were mobile, walks were impossibly slow.  Then, for several years, we walked the same pace.  However, I realised last year there was a problem when I had to tell not one but two of the girls to slow down so I could keep up.  There wasn’t a train to catch, nor a bus (only one a week round here), but they were off, across that field like the dogs getting back for feed-time.  With me puffing along behind.  I really had to do something.

Time to take action – but what? I am FULL of excuses - Hate running (it makes my knees hurt); hate tennis (my racquet is designed not to hit the ball, anyway it’s out of the ark); not sure of horse riding (where are the brakes?); love skiing (didn’t go this year).  Then KERCHING! The sun came out when a new gym opened without membership fees .  It gave the first session free, then pay as you go, soooo if it was not my thing, I could go and get fit someplace else – a chance to take that longed for action with no financial risk.

I began to go once a week.  I thought Pilates might be a gentle start – huh, well I found muscles where I didn’t know I had any from Pil-a-tes.  Gentle movements? – phah – small, yes; gentle, no.  But it really made me feel good, so I timetabled it into my week.

Then along came 2011.  New Year = resolutions.  Mine this year was to go exercising at least twice per week.  So far so good….. And I’m absolutely loving it.  Yep, it’s hard sometimes to muster the energy to go, but I have done it all year so far and, to me, it’s much easier to keep that record than to break it and then attempt to return to the original resolution.

My middle daughter (20 – just ran a marathon, saints preserve me!) came to a session with me last week. Beforehand, she was smirking about going to Pilates with a whole bunch of middle aged ladies.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not really competitive, just very competitive.  And I do not want to get left behind by my gorgeous girls on things I think I should be able to do.  OK I was a bit economical with the truth, but we went to ‘Bootcamp Circuits’ – the only other participant was a 22 year old.  Ahah, Jo was puffing like a billy goat!  And a newfound respect for the aged parent, I feel!

The result of this fitness?  I definitely feel better for it, though my weight has stayed largely the same.  My muscles are much stronger, meaning fewer aches and pains, and I sit better.  I can slip back into a rather special pair of trousers.  I have more energy and focus (that’s also partly because I am now doing a job I really enjoy – my greetings card business). I have abandoned my osteopath because, lovely as she is, I don’t need her, despite still sitting in front of a computer most days. So I’m saving so much money I feel a pair of shoes would be a good reward.  Yep, my trainers need replacing!!!

Thanks to Margie for telling her story so engagingly today. Again, the changes to Margie's life have not been huge and yet, for some small lifestyle changes, she feels so much better and is even finding that staying fit is saving her money!

Feel free to share experiences, as always, in the comments below. My guest posters really do appreciate the messages of support they get from readers.

If you would like to share your fitness story, then please contact me on Twitter or email me on the address on the About Me page. Posts can be partly or fully anonymous, or if you are happy to be named, I will link back to your blog. All contributions are really appreciated so do get in touch, even if you feel yours is not a worthwhile story. If it's a personal experience, it is. And I mean that even if you have failed at something, because it is still YOUR fitness story and you learned from it. If you want to read previous posts in this series, click on the My Fitness Story... tab above and they are all linked on that page.

Thanks for supporting My Fitness Story... and do come back for another guest post next week.

My Fitness Story... - Nigel

My contributor this week is Nigel, who is one of my Twitter followers. Quite coincidentally, he lives in the village in Buckinghamshire that I lived in before I moved to Lancashire, but we didn't live there at the same time. Nigel is a photographer and runs not one but two photography businesses. He's written today about his experience of his fitness programme that he started after Christmas and the benefits to his health. 


Since Christmas 2010, I have been going to my local gym; now, at age 54 years, that is quite an effort. Even though I play badminton regularly, I am not an active soul. My profession of commercial and social photography means spending a lot of time in front of this computer (or a different one if I am at home). My enrolment meant that if I attended the gym three times a week for eight weeks, I would get my sign-on fee returned.

Eight weeks on and I achieved my goal; not so much losing weight but improving my stamina and increasing my appetite. It also prompted me to buy my own provisions for lunch, instead of going to the sandwich shop in the week. I did seek some advice from a very good friend of mine, Lynne Garton, who as a professional nutritionist, advised me on what not to eat.

My weakness is still the odd beer or three about once a fortnight and I do try to consume more water instead of tea or coffee.

In the summer, I find exercise much easier with gardening and generally getting out there and enjoying the weather. I found that, over the Christmas period whilst attending the gym, it was the first year for some time that I did not come down with a cold or flu, but with a break over the Easter period of not attending, I now have a cough that I can't seem to shift. I am down to one visit a week to the gym and one evening of badminton. But I do plan on increasing the gym again.

With Summer approaching, I find there are good reasons to have a fit body, apart from which it does make me sharper in the mind and less sluggish. Gym is not for everyone, and I think from my experience, gym-goers mostly consist of two stereotypes: the wallflowers who stand in front of the mirrors, and the pros who keep their headphones on and focus with no eye contact or conversation. It can be quite a sad place.

All this is part of my programme to live a healthier life. Although my diet has not changed massively, I still keep a wise head on what I am eating and try and be as healthy as possible. I go to a network breakfast once a week and we do avoid heavy fry-ups. We are also growing vegetables in the garden which hopefully will improve our diet and our bank balance. So watch this space!

My thanks go to Nigel for writing this post today. I think that this shows that small(ish) changes to lifestyle can have a wider impact than just losing weight. The health benefits of regular exercise and watching what you eat are far-reaching. Again, this shows that it's what works for you that is best. Not everyone likes the gym (I don't do it, I tend to prefer classes) but if we all liked the same thing, it would be a boring old world, wouldn't it? And it also demonstrates that you can start a fitness programme at virtually any age - you don't have to be young to get fit, the health benefits can be achieved at any age. 

Feel free to share experiences, as always, in the comments below. My guest posters really do appreciate the messages of support they get from readers.

If you would like to share your fitness story, then please contact me on Twitter or email me on the address on the About Me page. Posts can be partly or fully anonymous, or if you are happy to be named, I will link back to your blog. All contributions are really appreciated so do get in touch, even if you feel yours is not a worthwhile story. If it's a personal experience, it is. And I mean that even if you have failed at something, because it is still YOUR fitness story and you learned from it. If you want to read previous posts in this series, click on the My Fitness Story... tab above and they are all linked on that page.

Thanks for supporting My Fitness Story... and do come back for another guest post next week.

My Fitness Story... - Maria

Today, on My Fitness Story..., I'm pleased to welcome Maria, who blogs at Mummy's Busy World. Maria has just run the London marathon so I asked her if she would like to write a post about her experience of training and running it. She agreed to write a post for the series, but she decided to take a slightly different angle to the one you might expect, which is quite brilliant. I loved it when I first read it and I'm sure you will too. If you're a mum (or a dad), I'm sure you will be able to empathise with it! Time now to hand over to Maria.

Comparing a marathon to giving birth? More similar than you think!

Pain

On Sunday the 17th of April, I crossed the London Marathon finish line in 5 hours and 51 minutes. I had battled the heat and fatigue, but crossed the 26.2 mile mark with all limbs in place, no blisters and in pretty good spirits.

Now as strange as it sounds, I began to think of the journey we women go through when becoming mums. From conception to the birth, it has its similarities to a marathon. I know, call me crazy, but hear me out.

You first decide “I am going to do a marathon”. You may discuss it with your husband/partner. You decide that you will need support and that it won’t be easy, but that you have always wanted to do one. Then you sign up and getting training. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get going, but once you do you can’t stop! You buy the right running kit, shoes, clothing and buy a few books and get reading. You tell everyone you meet “I’m doing the marathon” and thrive on the praises and excitement for you and cringe at the useless advice and ridiculous questions such as “how are you feeling?”, “Is it your first?”, “A friend of mine did one and she couldn’t walk for days afterwards”.

You begin your training. You meet up with other runners who are doing the marathon and discuss the big day. You compare your injuries and your running secrets. You join a running group and talk about your past races or if it is your first, you are reassured that it will be amazing, but hard. You mentally prepare for the challenge that lays ahead. You know it’s going to be painful, but the reward is huge.

You spend months of preparation and taking care of your body and legs. You watch what you eat, you take care of your feet and ankles, you are extra cautious when it comes to drinking and staying up late. You are conscious of your weight and all you do is focus on yourself and avoid being injured or sick. Your body is a temple. You just want to be the best you can be for the big day. You notice your body change shape.

Joy and pride

You are constantly in and out of the toilet. People know that you are training and it’s no surprise you have to pop to the loo every hour on the hour because of all the water you are drinking.

You prepare your race day kit a few days before. Clean socks. Shoes, water bottles, gels, race number, extra shirt, body glide, watch. You want to be prepared and must not leave anything to chance.

The big day arrives, you get up early. You start out in good spirits, and think “it’s not so bad”. People cheer you along the way, you enjoy in conversation with your running partner, then suddenly, BOOM, the pain kicks in. You push through it, and then the pain worsens. And it’s not a pretty sight. It’s hot, there is sweat, tears, you've peed on yourself, had to go poo, snot on your hands and blood. Around the 24 mile mark, you scream out loud, you want to drop out, stop, but your mind is telling you to keep going, to push through the pain. Mile 25 you think “God, I can’t do this! Why did I think I could do this?”.

You continue to push through the pain because there is nowhere to go but forward and then you see the finish line up ahead. You hear the cheers; suddenly, the noise is muffled by your determination, you quickly focus, straighten up, steady your breathing, wipe the sweat away and just kick into gear. You cruise along the last few hundred meters ignoring the indescribable pain shooting through your body, and then you cross under the FINISH sign and cry. Tears of joy, tears of pain and a huge smile on your face. You forget the last 26.2 miles and firmly grip your medal and your pride. You have done it. YES! I AM A MARATHONER!

"Would you do it again?", everyone asks, "What was your time?"

I will probably take a break for some time, but YES, ABSOLUTELY!

Huge thanks to Maria for telling the story of her first marathon in such an interesting and different way. I loved the parallels - people often refer to marathon labours. If you would like to read the story of Maria's marathon as told by Little M, then please visit her blog here - there are also a few videos of her marathon experience. Please leave a comment if you can - all my guest posters really appreciate the support of you, the readers. 

If you would like to share your fitness story, then please contact me on Twitter or email me on the address on the About Me page. Posts can be partly or fully anonymous, or if you are happy to be named, I will link back to your blog. All contributions are really appreciated so do get in touch, even if you feel yours is not a worthwhile story. If it's a personal experience, it is. And I mean that even if you have failed at something, because it is still YOUR fitness story and you learned from it. If you want to read previous posts in this series, click on the My Fitness Story... tab above and they are all linked on that page.

Thanks for supporting My Fitness Story... and do come back for another guest post next week.

My Fitness Story... - Lauren

It's Thursday again so it's time for another guest post from someone taking part in the My Fitness Story... series. Today's guest poster is Lauren, who blogs at You Big Eejit. Lauren suffers from a condition that affects many women, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This has recently affected her health and fitness. She decided to share her story to raise awareness of the condition, which may affect as many as 10% of women of reproductive age. Time for Lauren to take up the tale...

I have always been fortunate with my weight, hovering somewhere between 10 and 10 and a half stone, size 10-12, 14 on a bad day. I have never been a fan of dieting, and was always quite laid back about my weight. While I could never just eat what I wanted, I was fortunate in being able to regulate it quite well.

I wanted to share my fitness story because I have just come out of a difficult weight and health experience where all of that changed. Everything I knew about my body was flipped upside down, and while everyone is different, I wanted to encourage any of you who are, or suspect you may be, going through the same thing.

In October 2009, I decided that after 8 years of being on the Pill for acne, at the age of 29 I should be over it by now and came off it. It also coincided with a decline in my running regime, so I assumed that the weight that had begun to creep on was down to that. By April, my spots were back, worse than before, and my weight wasn’t shifting, if anything it was going up even more, but I still just put it down to eating too much and exercising too little. It was at this time that my periods – which had been normal since coming off the Pill – stopped entirely. Again, I made excuses and put it down to travelling, work stress, and the excitement of a new relationship but after 3 months, I decided to see my GP. He was brilliant – he took blood tests, arranged scans… in short he took me seriously, which is what I so desperately needed.

By this stage, I had put on a stone and a half in the space of 6 months and mentally was at rock bottom. I had just got engaged and should have been at my happiest – instead I was so low and unhappy. I joined a Rosemary Conley class and began a strict exercise and weight loss regime, but still the weight stayed on. My tummy was big and swollen and I could no longer fit in my clothes. I think what troubled me most was the lack of control I seemed to have over my body. If I was just putting on weight because I was eating too much, then there was something I could do about it. But I felt like my body had a mind of its own, putting on weight no matter what I did, and that scared me.

I went back to my GP, who told me that scans and blood tests showed nothing sinister, but booked a gynaecologist appointment for my own peace of mind. Also, because my acne was bad again, he put me back on the Pill. He also said this may kick start my cycle again. The subsequent change in my body, and my mentality, from that moment was unbelievable. I must emphasise that the Pill did not make me lose weight, but because my hormones were back to normal and I was having regular “periods”, the exercise and dieting I was doing was finally making a difference. The weight began to fall off – slowly but surely, and my confidence began to soar. The swelling in my hips and stomach went down, and my clothes began to fit again. 

Although my periods came back and things were back to “normal”, I still went to my gynaecologist appointment, and it was there that I was finally diagnosed with having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. I must stress here that I was told I have an atypical version of it. I do not have excess hair, and my scans did not show cysts on my ovaries. However, my LH and FSH hormone levels were consistent with women who have PCOS and the gynae suggested that being on the Pill for so many years had probably masked it. It was such a relief to be given this diagnosis, albeit an unconfirmed one. It just all made sense, especially since I had seen such a difference in my weight and body shape since I started the Pill again.

I remain on the Pill, and I am still continuing with my diet and weight loss programme. To date, I have lost 1 stone 2lb, with only 4lb left to lose before I am back to where I was. There is no further treatment for PCOS, only that I am now more aware of my body than before. I realise that this is something I will have to battle with, and it is difficult. I’m afraid I can’t sit here and say that everything is ok now because even with a positive ending to the experience, it has still left me with worries, paranoia and fears. I worry that because I associate being on the Pill with being able to regulate my weight, I am scared to come off it. With the joys of losing a huge amount of weight comes the paranoia that I’ll put it all back on. Any time my stomach feels bloated, I panic that the PCOS is flaring up. I do not like the idea of being out of control of my body again. 

The support I am receiving is helping me battle these feelings. My fiancé has been an incredible strength to me, loving me on my fat and skinny days; encouraging me, sometimes infuriating me, with his desire for me to stick to my regime and feel good about myself. In addition to this, my Rosemary Conley instructor, who is now running her own weight loss and exercise classes called “Healthy Visions”, has encouraged me on every step of my journey. Whether the scales go up or down, she is full of praise and support for my efforts, and leads us through challenging and fun aerobics sessions every week.

It has been a long, difficult journey for me, but I would encourage anyone for whom my story has rung a bell to take action now. Listen to your body and see your GP. There are ways to deal with PCOS and you can live a normal, happy, healthy and fit life!

I'm really grateful to Lauren for telling her story. I'm pleased that she has managed to overcome the problems that she has had and I wish her the very best in losing those last few pounds. PCOS is often difficult to diagnose and women may not even know they have it. If you do recognise any of the symptoms, a visit to your GP cannot hurt. If you want more information about PCOS, have a look at the Verity website.

If you suffer from PCOS, please share your experience in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous.

There'll be another fitness story here next week. Please don't forget that you can find all the posts from the My Fitness Story... series easily by visiting this page. 

My Fitness Story... - Ben

Welcome back to my weekly My Fitness Story... series. Today's guest poster is Ben, who blogs at Mutterings of a Fool. I'm really pleased that this is now the third male guest poster who has written for this series, because the male perspective on fitness and weight loss is often quite different, but men struggle with their weight too. Ben's story will be familiar to many people who have sedentary jobs, but his approach to solving his weight problem was quite different, proving once again that finding a way to work fitness into your lifestyle works best. So, now it's over to Ben to take up the story. 

I have a long history of being fit and active, I started playing rugby at the age of 6 and by the time I was 18, I was playing 6 or 7 times a week for school, club and country. I’ve run 3 half marathons and, as one of 5 children, spent most my childhood running around. In addition, throughout my childhood I was always incredibly skinny; rake like might describe it best. So much so that by the time I went to university, I weighed 2-3 stone less than all the other players in my position at rugby.

Fast forward to the present and the last 6 years have been full of significant change; I went from being a full time student at university to a married office worker within 2 months of graduating. Not only that, I also started commuting 80 miles a day on the M4 and working for a multinational company often means having meetings outside of normal office hours.

Since graduating, I’ve tried to keep active by going to the gym at lunchtime. I’m lucky in that my employer provides free membership to a hotel gym next to the office. However, trying to consistently free up time during the week to do this can be hard, and the pressures of the job mean that I often work through lunch. The alternative was to try and run in the evenings once home, but getting home at 7pm tired from a day’s work means that the motivation to go back out of the house is pretty low.

So the volume of exercise decreased, and at the same time visits to the coffee shop in the office increased often including a pastry of some sort. The warning signs are clearly there; less exercise, more eating of fatty foods, sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day and 2 hours in a car commuting. I didn’t suddenly put on 3 stone and change body shape, but slowly and surely I developed a tummy and the muscle from being a rugby player gradually turned to fat. I became less fit, more likely to get ill, and generally less happy with my body.

The lightbulb moment came in May last year when I was offered a free health assessment through work. I went along and had my weight, diet, spine, fitness and general health assessed. I was then informed that with a BMI of 25.3, I was classed as overweight and had a body fat of 24%.  Call it what you want, this was the moment where something clicked. If I carried on with this lifestyle, then by the age of 40, I would no doubt be sporting a nice beer belly, probably have back problems from sitting all day and potentially have stress problems. This kick up the back side was exactly what was needed.

My daily routine needed to change and include more exercise, but avoiding the commute wasn’t an option. So I started taking the train to work, and running to and from the station each end. Yes, that’s right, I run EVERY day. Not only that I run with a rucksack containing my laptop, clothes and lunch. But the great thing about this is that I now incorporate exercise as part of my commute and don’t have to try to build it into the day's schedule somehow. What’s more, I get into work (and home) feeling refreshed and full of endorphins, plus I’m able to work on the train which reduces the need for working in the evenings etc.

Body wise, I feel good; I’ve lost the tummy and feel very comfortable in my body. I managed to keep going all through the winter, even in the snow which was interesting, although I did question what I was doing in the pouring rain when I could be in a nice warm car. It does take some planning to make sure you have shoes in the office, the right clothes and enough food (I now have a drawer in my office well stocked).

For me, this fitness routine has been successful, because it doesn’t take up any of my free time, I don’t have a chance to opt out because it’s cold etc (I’d just miss my train), and it doesn’t cost me any money.

The interesting thing will be to go back for another health assessment in a couple of months and see how my results have changed. In the meantime, I’m trying to find a few races or challenges to take up and make use of my new fitness levels. Now that I’m almost a year in, I feel I need a new target to aim towards. Nothing too crazy this year with a baby due in April but next year, I definitely want to do a marathon and I have also been eyeing up a 40 mile off road race from the Lizard in Cornwall to Lands End.

I'd like to thank Ben for taking the time to write his story for my blog and I hope everything goes well with the baby that is due any time. As I said in the introduction, Ben found a way to work exercise into his daily routine and he has made it work for him. It may not work for you, but maybe it will inspire you to find something that you can fit into your lifestyle, whatever that might be. I admire Ben's fortitude in running every single day in all weathers, especially as running is not my favourite pastime!

Please share any experiences you have in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous.

There'll be another fitness story here next Thursday. Do come back for the next one if fitness is your interest. Why not visit the rest of my blog too?! 

My Fitness Story… - Desperate Measures

When I was first contacted by this week’s guest poster, I didn't appreciate the scale of the tale that she had to tell. She outlined her story and admitted she was nervous about telling it. Having reassured her that she could remain completely anonymous, she said she’d write the post when she felt ready. Imagine my surprise when the post arrived in my inbox the following morning.

And then I read her story. I was totally blown away. I understood then why she had been so nervous about reliving this part of her life. She has been, and is, incredibly brave. For this poster took drugs to help her lose weight. Not just "slimming aids", illegal drugs. 

This post is longer than usual, but I urge you to read it and give the poster your full support in the comments. I know she is nervous about the publication of this post and has told me she is unlikely to read the comments, but you're generally very supportive and I'm sure lots of helpful comments will encourage her to read them. (Abuse will just get removed by me anyway). This post is not written to justify her actions because she is ashamed of them. It's written to explain how she came to take drugs to help her lose weight and the effects it had on her and her life. It is a cautionary tale, it is shocking, it is powerful but it's also uplifting.

So, now, I hand you over to my anonymous contributor, who will tell you her fitness story about the desperate measures she took to lose weight. 

Ah. I’d had a bottle of wine when I offered to do this guest post, and I’m already unsure as to whether or not I can pull it off, but I’ll give it a try. I can’t possibly fit the entire story of my battle here, so I’ll try to cut it down to the weight-based bits for the purpose of the post...

Freshly single and working in the pub industry, I suddenly became acutely aware of my weight. Well, not so much my weight but my size. I was 22, 5’2” tall and weighed around 13 stone. My dress size was 16 and I’d never been as big as I was then. Working in the pub wasn’t my only job, so I was tired too and had little time to make new friends. I was lonely.

One day, I was moaning to my flatmate about how knackered/fat/fed up I was when he suggested I do what he did and take a bit of speed at weekends.

I was horrified! It’d never crossed my mind to take such drastic action. He explained to me how if I just took a small amount on a Saturday morning, I’d feel much more energetic and the weight would surely start disappearing. I had no boyfriend, no kids and no real responsibilities back then, so I decided to give it a try and had some the next morning.

It was great! I felt so full of energy and my housework was done in no time! Now what? Oooohh yes, we should go for a walk. We walked for hours, my flatmate and I, until I had finished the 1.5ltr bottle of water I’d taken with me and desperately needed a wee, so we went back. Being this full of energy, I thought, I’d lose weight in no time at all!

And lose weight I did. I didn’t want to wait for months to look great though, so rather than having speed at weekends, I immediately started having some EVERY morning. Even the ones where I went to work at the office. That wasn’t a total disaster either – I was completing the workload of two people every day. The weight just ‘fell off’ (I hate it when people say that now) and within the first week, I’d lost a full stone. I was thrilled! I very quickly became less about the energy and so, so much more about the weight for me. I was taking this stuff every day because it was really helping me.

Four months later, I was a size 10, I had a very busy social life, worked both jobs comfortably and was happy - sort of. I was paranoid, I avoided my family and I was obsessed with not eating. I could live with that though, because I was slowly but surely creeping towards that never-worn-before size 8. Once I got into a size 8 dress, I would definitely stop taking it. Or at least cut down – because I did have some days where I didn’t have any speed and ate like a horse all day (so it wasn’t like I was starving myself, right?) Food became my nemesis – I so desperately craved it but looking at it made me feel fat, I felt like a failure if I ate it. I didn’t do much shopping – most of the meals I did have were from a take-away because they were almost always an impromptu and knee-jerk reaction to a sudden, overwhelming urge for food. Disgusted by what I’d eaten, I’d then eat nothing for at least two days to balance things out.

By the time I met the man who would be my husband, I had reached my goal – I went on my first date with him in a size 8 denim dress from Topshop. I’ll never forget that dress. He wanted to take me out for meals, call at KFC and eat it in the car overlooking a beautiful view, and have McDonalds’ hangover breakfasts. It was brilliant. I didn’t take any drugs for the first few weeks with him and although I missed the feeling of being in control of my hunger, I was having such a great time getting to know him I didn’t really care. At least I didn’t really care until THAT dress stopped fitting me. I only took about 3 weeks to happen, and I didn’t like it. I had eaten too much – what a fat, greedy pig. He would never want me if I was fat so I had to go back to taking speed. I figured I had no choice. It was no real problem though because I’d just have it in the week and see him on the weekends – problem solved! Whatever I did, I couldn’t risk getting fat again because then I would be unhappy.

I couldn’t keep it up. I missed him when he wasn’t there, but couldn’t phone him because I’d talk forever or become furious for no reason and I didn’t want him to think I was a cow. I really wanted this relationship to work, and so one day I made what was a huge decision for me. I told my boyfriend all about it, warts and all.

It sounds like such a cliché, but he saved my life. By the time I started to see things properly, I realised just how much of a mess my life had become. I didn’t have friends at all – only people who used my house to chill out in. (Don’t picture some kind of crack den when you read that – I didn’t have a large group of ‘drug friends’.) I might’ve been thin but I was desperately unhappy – I’d started and dropped out of a degree course because I couldn’t do the work required. I’d had other, more pressing matters to attend to. One evening for example, before an assignment was due, I spent 6 hours rearranging my CD collection.

I asked my flat mate to move out (after he’d stolen my car and I scolded the policeman who pulled him over) and began to get my life in order. It was incredibly hard going for both of us. Panic attacks, paranoia, sleep paralysis and totally unforgivably irrational behaviour towards my boyfriend were just the tip of the iceberg. I was so very depressed, too. I’m not sure I will ever truly get over the depression really. If anyone was going to help me through this though, it was this man. He has been so, so patient with me over this whole thing and for that I will never, ever be able to tell him just how grateful I am.

Now I look back, and I feel lots of things. Shame, sadness, disgust. Worry that my children will one day inevitably be offered drugs. Hope that they will be a stronger person than me and say no.

Most of all though, I look back at those old photos and feel so very lucky to have been ‘found’. I honestly have no idea where I would be now without my husband, although I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a great place. I may have been thin, I may have worn designer clothes and looked great (in my eyes) but now, 6 years on and back to my original size 16, I realise that I was never, ever, happy. Yes, I complain regularly about my thunder thighs, my baby belly and my bingo wings, but if I’m truly honest I don’t do much about it because I can’t be bothered. It’s been 6 years and the thought of writing this post still woke me at 4am, filled with dread.

I made some terrible decisions when I was younger, with some consequences that will be with me forever. The most important one though was the best one I ever made, and so as I finish this post to go and eat left over Chinese food for breakfast, all I can really tell you is that I would far rather be fat and happy than thin and ... lonely? Homeless? Unemployed? Unloved? Paranoid?

Dead?

The first reaction I had when I read this was "Wow". I've read it several times since and I say "Wow" every time. Thank you so much for writing this post and for telling your story so powerfully. I really hope writing this helped you in some way, but I also hope that this post helps others who might consider such a course of action, as it shows that what might seem like a simple solution is actually nothing of the sort. There were huge repercussions, which impact on your life to this day. What I think this shows is there is no such thing as a magic bullet, no easy way. Losing weight is a lifestyle change and it can't just be solved by taking drugs.

Do you have any similar experiences that you'd like to share? If so, please leave a comment below. Even if you don't, leave some supportive comments for my guest poster. She has been so very brave in coming forward.

If you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous. Don't forget you can read all the previous posts in the series by clicking on the My Fitness Story... tab above. 

My Fitness Story... - Garry

Welcome to the My Fitness Story... series, which has now become a regular Thursday feature on this blog. Today's contribution is by Garry AKA Him Up North, who is a good Twitter friend and blogs at The Blog Up North, which is always a fantastic read. Garry also designed the badge for this series as he has the ability I lack in design! I knew he had a fitness story to tell, so I asked him if he would write a post for this series. He took a bit of persuading that his story was worth telling but, as I have said before, this series encompasses the full range of experiences that people have with diet and fitness. The fact that he has a personal experience means he has a story to tell, so he wrote it, and as always, it's a great read. Garry had to lose weight for medical reasons, having never been on a diet in his life so he had to work out how to lose the weight. Here is his story. 

Two years ago, a doctor told me to lose weight. I had a health problem which was being exacerbated by carrying a bit too much timber. “A stone or a stone and a half,” he said.

Okay, I thought. Which limb do I cut off...? Seriously, I was at a complete loss.

I’d never tried to lose weight. I wasn’t a gym type. My story, like many men, was one of gradual middle-age spread (ie my age was spreading to my middle). But my choice was clear. Lose the weight or face surgery and quite possibly pain. Lots of pain.

So I assessed my lifestyle and realised I was doing many things wrong:

• I was eating the wrong things, often at the wrong times. Working shifts meant I was relying on convenience foods (so called because they belong in a convenience) and eating at odd times of the day.
• I was far too sedentary. I drove everywhere, even short journeys such as the school run, and got virtually no exercise. Because my job is a) desk based and b) has no long break that also reduced scope for activity.

As Gandhi would have it, I had to be the change I wanted to see. Pretty obvious, really.

So my plan was a simple one.

My diet became more virtuous. I cut out bread altogether because up to that point, what I ate had been something of a yeast feast. I reduced my calorific intake by cutting out snack foods and sweet things.

It was bloody hard – I was a grazer – and the lure of the biscuit barrel was great. But I had my motivation – threat of pain – and gradually “educated my appetite”. I could eat little without feeling hungry.

My lifestyle became more active. I left the car behind for any trips around town. Much to the kids’ chagrin, we started walking to and from school (which just happens to be up a steep hill – cue much redness and sucking of air in the early days).

Okay, I didn’t take up trampolining or orienteering. But I did start walking just for the exercise; a four and a half mile route with hills and stuff became my workout.

Because my target was a statistical one, I weighed myself regularly. To my astonished delight I found I was actually losing weight. It was slow and gradual. There were times when I lost nothing or actually went back up. I realised my metabolism meant it was a high wire act with very little margin for failure.

But I had my target and I knew my changed habits could work. I was down to my target weight in about ten months. My regime, such as it was, had become normal. By the time I saw my consultant, my weight was no longer a contributing factor and I avoided the surgeon’s scalpel. Phew.

However, with the threat went the motivation. I played fast and loose on that high wire, choosing to dive into the safety net too often (or the crisps stash as it’s known). Some of the weight is back and I’m verging on disliking it all again.

I realise getting fitter and losing weight was and is very much a journey without end. Just a series of signposts. It may be time to embark upon it again.

Many thanks to Garry for telling his story. I'm sure men can end up feeling a bit inadequate when they see magazines like Men's Fitness which show men with bulging six packs (in the right way!) that give the impression that you have to do lots of exercise in order to get and stay fit. It doesn't have to be that way if it's not for you - simple changes that you build into your lifestyle are more effective for many as they are easier to keep doing when they become part of your normal routine. 

Please share any experiences you have in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous.

My Fitness Story... - Emma

Welcome back to the My Fitness Story... series of posts. This week's story, by Emma who blogs about her life in Cyprus at A matter of choice, is her tale of how she overcame an almost lifelong struggle with her weight and changed her habits for good to finally lose the extra pounds. 

As far back as I can remember, I was overweight. I was always told I was not fat, I was ‘big boned’ and I suppose from that over the years, I assumed that there was nothing I could do about it.

Before

At age 12, I was 12 stone, and as I got older, it gradually increased. When I left home, I ate junk and drank beer and did no exercise at all. I thought I was being good by eating ‘healthy’ ready meals. Once, I joined a gym but left after just a couple of sessions. It felt like a pointless activity and I ‘knew’ that I could never be a size 12. I started a new job in 2001 and they had to order me a special uniform in a size 20 but even then I didn’t do anything. I even got married at that size and didn’t even think of trying to lose weight beforehand.

There was no ‘lightbulb” moment for me. My Dad, in a bid to encourage a friend, had started going to our local Slimming World group and I was so surprised. I thought if he could do it, then maybe it was worth a try, maybe I could lose a few pounds.

I started going in January 2006, I had no target in mind at all. My ideal weight was so far from where I was, I felt there was no way I could lose that much. In the first week I lost 2.5lb, in the second 5lb. I was stunned – I had lost weight and not only that I had lost over ½ stone!

Still with no final target in mind, I just kept going, doing pretty much the same thing and averaging one or two pound loss each week.  It totally changed my eating habits and it taught me to cook as well. For the first time, I was eating fruit and fresh vegetables, I was cooking from scratch rather than buying ready meals and I felt so much better for it.

After

I also started exercising, it was hard at first having never done it, apart from being forced to at school but slowly it got easier, and to my surprise I actually ended up enjoying it!

A year later, I felt it was time to set a target weight and in September 2008, I reached it; I had lost just over four stone. It’s no exaggeration to say it changed my life, I felt so much healthier and confident. I had thought that losing weight would be impossible so now I had done that I realized that I could do anything if I really set my mind to it.

There were several amazing moments but one day I was walking past a shop window and saw my reflection and thought it was someone else – I stopped dead in the middle of the high street and stared in amazement.  The other was being nominated by my group for “Woman of the Year” and coming second in the regional finals. I was featured in our local paper and a national newspaper too – not bad for a girl once called “Emma the elephant” at school!

At the Woman of the Year regional finals

The Slimming World plan (and I do think of it as a plan not a ‘diet’) is brilliant, obviously it is designed to help you lose weight but it taught me so much more than that. It is not a ‘quick fix’ but about changing your eating habits for the better. There is nothing you can’t eat but it does teach you to eat more of the ‘good things and less of the bad.  Because of the change it had brought about in my diet, I am confident that I can bring my son up knowing the importance of healthy eating. It was always a worry of mine that I would have a ‘fat kid’ like I had been and I wouldn’t be able to help.

When I got pregnant in 2009, I obviously put on weight but the day I was to be induced I stepped on the scales and I was still lighter than I had been at my heaviest. I still have about a stone to lose to get back to my ‘new target’ I am not aiming for the lowest I have been as I don’t feel like it would be an easy weight to maintain, my goal is to fit back into my old clothes but mainly to feel as fit and healthy as I did before.

Although I know the Slimming World plan inside out, it is much harder without the support of going to a weekly group, as I moved to Cyprus a year ago and  had to leave my group behind. Fortunately, Slimming World has just reached us out here and a group has opened in my area. I will soon be attending to give me the added motivation for this last little bit.

Even now, I am still stunned and amazed that I did it, and although it sounds like a bit of a cliché, if I can do it anyone can. I just now need to remind myself that if I did it once, I can do it again, and get back to my target weight.

Thank you, Emma, for telling your story today. Don't you agree that she looks fantastic? I realise this is the second post in as many weeks that have seen success with Slimming World but I can promise you that this is a coincidence and that no-one has been paid to write these posts. These are personal experiences and it has obviously worked for them. As Emma points out in the post, it's a longer term change to eating habits and leading a healthy lifestyle more than it is a diet, so it has a better chance of long term success. 

Please share any experiences you have in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous.

My Fitness Story... - Welsh Mum

This week, I have a post by fellow blogger, Welsh Mum. Her story will be one familiar to many of you - she struggled with almost constant dieting throughout her adult life until she found the one diet that worked for her following the birth of her children. So, I'll now hand over to her to tell her story, which she has entitled:

Dieting, the good, the bad and the ugly

Dieting or fitness regimes, whatever you want to call them - I have tried them all! For me, the one thing that has lead me along this path has always been weight loss and to generally feel better about myself.

Photo credit: lockstockb

I was actually quite young when I first started watching my weight, probably 13 or 14 years old, when your height stabilises and you start to realise that you can no longer eat anything you want. My first venture into losing weight was via counting calories and although I always lost weight, I would practically starve myself and ended up living on vegetables. Without fail, the boredom would eventually kick in as I would begin to get tired of eating the same things. You get to know the exact calorie content of familiar foods and the fear of moving onto other unknown foods is too great. This causes a complete veer from the path and you end up back where you started!

After the birth of my second child, I decided I wanted to lose weight as I had put on an incredible 2 stone, so after some gentle encouragement from my sister, I joined Slimming World. For 4 weeks, I lost absolutely nothing as my body started to get used to the new regime. If it wasn’t for my supportive sister, I would have given in and got even fatter. However this diet has changed my life; I reached my target weight about 2 years ago and I am now able to maintain it within a couple of pounds. I still follow the regime during the week and then just relax it a little at the weekends.

It has been successful for me because you can eat as much as you want of the right foods and are never left starving. For me, I know my weight is something that I will always have to monitor so as soon as I learnt to live with this fact, my life and my weight has been more constant – no more yo yo dieting for me! If you look around at all those that are slim, they don’t have this ‘magic metabolism’- they too still have to watch it!

The hardest, or should I say the saddest, thing for me is that even though I am a lot happier and I have managed to be more or less a constant weight for the last 2 years, with 2 small children I cannot afford to buy the lovely clothes that I know I could now fit into!

However, I am confident my time will come…

Thanks to Welsh Mum for sharing her story. I think it's really important to find what works for you. Personally, counting calories works for me but I accept it might not be for everyone. Another important point she makes is that slim people don't have a magic metabolism. They have to ensure they eat the right amount for their size too. That's why a longer term lifestyle change is more effective than a short sharp fad diet, after which the dieter goes back to their old habits and eating patterns, because if you start eating like you were when you were heavier again, you'll soon be that size all over again. 


Please share any experiences you have in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous. 

My Fitness Story... - Holly

Today's post is by Holly, who has been an online friend of mine for several years. Over the last year or so, Holly has totally overhauled her diet and her lifestyle and lost a dramatic amount of weight, dropping 4 dress sizes so far. She agreed to share how she's done it and so, without further ado, I'll hand over to Holly to tell her fitness story. 


In October 2009 I was fat (18.5 stone) and unhappy. I was working as an IT Consultant over 150 miles away from home during the week, away from all friends and family and had £25 a night to spend on food. Joining a gym was pointless as I was never at home to exercise and the more frustrated I got in my job, the more I ate - then I got upset that I was putting on weight and didn’t like the way I looked - so I ate more.

In Vegas October 2009

That month, I flew out to Las Vegas to see one of my younger sisters get married - when I saw the wedding photographs I realised that I couldn't continue at the weight I was - I looked horrendous! Double chin, massive stomach - The fact I was quite tall meant I could 'carry' the weight better than someone shorter, but when you're buying size 22 clothes, you can only bury your head in the sand so long.

When I got back from Las Vegas I went to see my Doctor - I burst into tears and said I was miserable with life - I hated my job, hated how I looked and was having very bad thoughts. The Doctor was lovely and suggested I needed to find another job as soon as possible and lose weight - she suggested the 'GI Diet', one that I had never heard of before. January 1st 2010, I started my 'healthy eating' (I hate the word 'diet') and also started looking to move jobs. The GI diet worked for me as it wasn't complicated - there were no 'points' and no 'bad food' although I did stay completely clear from chocolate, crisps and alcohol for the first 4 months.

In March 2010, I found another job which was much closer to home and this meant I could join my local gym which is conveniently located a 2 minute walk away from my house. I also decided to get a personal trainer so that he could kick my ass if I fell off the wagon. Within 3 months, I had lost 2.5 stone and felt a lot better - my complexion was better, my double chin was going and my confidence was growing. Rather than wearing very baggy tops and shirts, I started buying fitted clothes and liking myself a bit more.
My friends and family were all so supportive, even to the point that they wouldn't eat 'fatty' foods when I was around. I started taking a massive interest in cooking as I was no longer living out of hotels, so started cooking my meals from scratch and I really believe this has helped a lot in my weight loss. Even now, over a year later, I still try and make it my mission to cook one new healthy meal a week, and I still follow the GI principles.

The one thing I struggled with the most was 'guilt' when I ate something I deemed to be 'bad' for me. I had been on diets before (Slimfast, Weight Watchers etc) and when I had a cake, some chocolate etc, I felt that I had let myself down, so my willpower plummeted and I thought to myself 'Well, I've failed, so I may as well just not bother' and I would sabotage myself and continue eating rubbish for a few days. I won't lie and say this hasn't happened in the last year, as it has, but I am still trying very hard to retrain my mind to say 'You know what? You've been to the gym 3 times a week and eaten healthy all week - you CAN have a bar of chocolate and not feel as if you've failed...'

From this

to this

Where am I now? Well, I have lost just over 6 stone and am now 12 stone 2lbs! Have I got to where I want to be? No, not yet as my BMI is still 27, so I know I need to lose some more weight. However, I am so much happier, healthier and for the first time in YEARS, I like what I see in the mirror. To keep myself motivated, I have registered for the Reading half marathon and even if I don’t finish it, I’ll be proud that I tried my best. My current wardrobe consists of mostly size 14 jeans and tops, but I have a couple of pairs of size 12 jeans that I can fit into and if I can slim down to an ‘average’ size 12, then I think I’ll be chuffed.

Now

I learnt a lot of things along the way – the biggest epiphany was that people can sabotage you or demotivate you without even wanting to. For example, when my ex-work colleagues found out I was trying to lose weight, they seemed to take extra interest in my lunches. ‘You’re not allowed that’ was said to me on more than one occasion, along with ‘How can you eat that if you’re on a diet?’ so when I moved jobs, I kept my weight loss goals to myself which worked very well indeed. One friend, who was also trying to lose weight, wasn’t doing very well so she’d try and sabotage me by arranging to go to the gym with me, then cancel at the last minute and suggest we go for pizza! I felt sorry for her, but never said yes – the only person I had to justify my healthy eating plan to was myself.

I’ll never be overly slim, nor will I ever be ‘model’ material – however I hope to continue to be happy in my own skin and like myself. I consider that a success.

Thanks so much to Holly for telling her story today. I am so chuffed for her as I know how much it meant to her to lose weight and keep going this time. She found what has worked for her and stuck at it. Learning to overcome hurdles and dealing with bad days seems to be an important factor in the long term success of any fitness regime, whatever it is aiming to achieve. Losing a lot of weight is a long, long road. There are bound to be problems along the way so getting up again after a slip up ensures you get there in the end. 


Have you lost a large amount of weight? Please share your experience in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous. 

My Fitness Story... - Corinne

Today's story is a truly inspiring one. It's by Corinne Ellison, who decided she wanted to do an Ironman, started training, but was then diagnosed with a heart condition requiring open heart surgery which she underwent in June 2010. When I first read the post, I was struck by how positive Corinne has remained throughout, even when she has been experiencing tough times. Over to Corinne to tell her story, which she has chosen to call..

Heart Surgery to Ironman

My story starts with a desire to complete an Ironman. To those who have not heard of Ironman, it is a long distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles bike and 26.2 run (a marathon) – one after another!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not an experienced triathlete. In fact, when I entered my first race, I could only swim 2 lengths and bike round the block! I finished my first triathlon in 2009 and came third….from last! I had been ‘keeping fit’ for a couple of years but I didn’t seem to be improving as I should. I began to become suspicious that something was wrong but put this niggle to the back of my mind. Eventually, I went to see my doctor, complaining of shortness of breath and chest pain - within two weeks I was diagnosed with a large hole in my heart.

This leads me to the motivation behind finishing an Ironman. Facing the prospect of never being able to exercise again scared me immensely. Doctors warned me that I would never be an elite athlete (I wasn’t planning on this!), that I wouldn’t be able to take up my marathon place that year and I facing open heart surgery.

As a woman in my twenties, I felt like the natural concern should be the physical aspects of the surgery – pain, the anaesthetic and the scar. Open heart surgery usually means a vertical scar of around 12 inches down the centre of the chest. This did not concern me, my only focus became ensuring I got back to health as soon as possible. After getting over the initial shock of diagnosis, I had to stop exercising completely as my heart was at the beginning of failure. Whilst I had my long term fitness dreams still burning away inside, I felt unsure about the timescales for achieving them. Over the next few weeks, I began to switch off from sport – I couldn’t talk about it with friends, I stopped going to my club and couldn’t read magazines. The pain of not being able to exercise meant that I had to shut off for a while, focusing only on the here and now.

I was feeling pretty vulnerable whilst waiting to have the surgery and initially afterwards. I was frustrated at not being able to exercise. Doubts started to set in and I was concerned about my ability to ever run again. I needed a positive boost of confidence. This is where the Ironman goal came in. My fixation with achieving of the ultimate physical challenge was cemented. My journey from heart surgery to Ironman began; I fully committed to this goal and used it as a distraction from my fear.

Obstacles in recovery were overcoming the post-operative pain to get out for my first shuffle round the block – a miniscule 7 minutes on my first day! Mentally and physically, I felt fragile but was determined to keep up with the training prescribed by the physiotherapists. Everyday, I pushed myself a little further and soon was walking up to 4 miles a day. My love of exercise began to return and I soon felt the benefit of the fresh air.

What I learnt from the experience was that when something is taken away from you (in my case the ability to exercise and potential ability to race in the future), you want it even more. Scarcity is powerful and I found my determination grew. Ironman became a possibility after a discussion with my cardiologist. He inadvertently told me that as my heart was so ineffective pre-surgery, I should be able to achieve much faster times with my fixed heart. An hour off my best marathon time was jokingly mentioned – I committed this to memory and set my goal then and there. The benefit of having heart surgery, aside from improved health, was that I now appreciate the true value of exercise and how it improves your emotional and physical well-being. Going through a test of character and coming out the other side has given me confidence in myself.

So, where I am today? Almost 8 months after my surgery, I am back to all the sport I love and getting ready for my first race – the Brighton half marathon. A succession of races follows for the rest of the year, with the ultimate challenge of Ironman in November 2012 – the month I turn 30!


Huge thanks to Corinne for sharing her story with us, and good luck for all the races she's running - the Brighton half marathon is actually this Sunday so I will be thinking of her then. Corinne also has a Just Giving page to raise money for GUCH (Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association) when she runs the London Marathon for the third time in April. You can also find her on twitter here.

If you'd like to tell your fitness story, please get in touch with me, either on Twitter or via the email address on the About Me page.