25lbs down and 10.5 miles up!

In February I reached my highest ever weight, apart from during pregnancy. After pregnancy, I always managed to get back to where I'd started from and the kids are in their teens now so I can't use them as an excuse! I did little exercise and ate too much of the wrong things, it's that simple. I discovered 5:2, watched the Michael Mosley documentary, downloaded his book to my Kindle and trawled through the posts made by 5:2 dieters on Mumsnet. My mum was visiting for a few days, we ate out one evening and had takeaway another, so my first fast day was the day I dropped her off at the coach station.

I set myself a target of 122lbs (I was 140.5lbs/63.7kg) and reached that in less than 11 weeks. I found fast days easy and wasn't tempted to go overboard on non-fast days, I used MFP for keeping my food intake close to TDEE and exercise calories gave me the leeway to eat out sometimes. My TDEE dropped along with my weight, but I had a much better handle on my appetite and recognised when I was eating despite not being hungry, so that was something I could handle.

I joined a gym in February too. I had belonged to one for much of the last 12 years, but stopped going because I was running with a friend and didn't need to pay for a gym when we were exercising outside for nothing. Three years ago she moved away, so did I but in the opposite direction, and exercise became sporadic. I'd run occasionally, use the Wii Fit, cycle or walk the short distance to work sometimes, and my weight was fairly steady at around 130lbs or so. This year though I was ready to make a real difference to my weight and my body. I set myself targets of running 10km and getting my waist size back down to 28".

Since reaching my original goal, I switched to fasting once a week or less and yet have continued to lose. Last week I decided it is time to stop logging my food, just make good choices and see where it takes me. I had continued to log because fasting is so effective for weight loss that I was worried about losing too much if I was unintentionally undereating on non-fast days.

As of today I've lost almost 25lbs, taking me to a little under 116lbs (52.5kg). Yesterday evening I ran the furthest I have ever run in my life without stopping: 17km (10.5 miles). I could have run even further! I've lost 10cm off my waist, 11cm off my hips and 8.5cm off each thigh.

It has taken me a while to get my head around the fact that I can buy size 8 (US4) clothes and they will fit me. I had reached the point in February where even size 12 trousers and skirts were too tight! Now the sun is finally out here, I'm about to put all of last year's summer shorts, tops and dresses in the wash - though I'm not sure they will be a good fit any more!

I'm 45 years old and seriously considering entering my first ever half-marathon. I think I could do it!