What will your life be like once you reach your goal? Here's

On the 15th May of this year I reached my goal weight and waved goodbye to my 50lb excess. As I approach the first 5 month anniversary I thought I would share what the last 5 months have been like and what my current weight/happiness etc is.

The thing that most worried me once I had hit my goal weight was that I was going to gradually put it all back on as my old habits slowly started sneaking back. I was also worried that I would be watching what I eat for the rest of my life and that eating was no longer "fun". Well, these are my results...

Once the weight has gone you don't have the stomach capacity to eat the amount you were eating before. I am rarely hungry and I do eat smaller meals compared to the fat version of me. Don't shoot me but...I still have a take-away (or two) each week (GASP! Shock horror!). The thing is I no longer feel depressed or angry with myself after because for the other 5/6 days of the week I'm still eating responsibly. The other thing is I have changed what I eat when I eat the fast food...

McDonald's (and I never thought I would ever tell ANYONE this!) my old usual of 3 hamburgers, large chips and a large coke has been replace with 1 hamburger, small chips and a bottle of water. In calorie terms that's 480 calories instead of the 1,560 it used to be.

KFC - My old 3 pieces of chicken, 2 hot wings, mini-fillet and large coke has been replaced with a zinger burger, small chips and a bottle of water.

Reaching your goal shouldn't mean the end of everything you ever loved and I firmly believe that I would fail if I didn't have something to look forward to each week. It is all about enjoying yourself but being responsible with it. The smaller meals are just as filling because my huge over-hanging gut doesn't exist anymore so my body doesn't need a couple of thousand calories per sitting.

So 5 months on I have lost a little more (132 now and 140 was the goal weight I hit in May) and I also have a 4 pack. I could go the whole hog and aim for a 6 pack but to be honest I am happy with my body now and those last few pounds would take an awful lot of hard work and I just don't want to go through it when I'm so happy now.

What about exercise? Those who know me will know that I went mad and I was burning from 700 to 1,200 calories a day on the treadmill etc. I had the cartilage removed from my right knee a few years ago and I was stupid doing so much running because it has caused damage. I now greatly limit the exercise I do and look to other ways of burning calories. For example I take the stairs to the 4th floor where I work instead of the lift (doing this 10 times a day). When I'm walking home I walk at a fast pace instead of a leisurely stroll. For the last two months I have all but stopped fitness and yet my weight still remains the same because I am being responsible in what I eat. I'm not calorie tracking; just being aware of what I eat in a day.

My confidence is still higher than it has ever been and walking around this summer in figure-hugging t-shirts, jeans etc has been WONDERFUL! I actually LOVED going out this summer!

When I first started this epic journey a bought some scales which also calculated the body fat, H2O etc and this has been a godsend for me. You never know how accurate these things are but it doesn't matter because as long as you use the same scales you can see what's happening to your body. Each week (usually a Monday) I take a full reading and note it all down in an excel doc so I can keep an eye on what is going on. If my weight has remained the same but the body fat has slightly increased I know that this week I will cut down on any fatty foods.

My weight fluctuates between 132 and 136 pounds which seems a lot but we all have lives that revolve around others and those staff lunches and family meals out will happen. This is why I have such a range in weight. In all honesty it isn't that bad because as it reaches 136 I know to cut back a little or do some gentle sessions in the gym and it very quickly drops back down. Likewise when it drops below 132 I eat a little more to bring it back up. At 132 I'm right on the limit before I'm classed as underweight so it is a number I try to stick to.

Maintaining your weight once you reach your goal is no longer that difficult to do. Hopefully, like me, you won't hate yourself if you do have a good evening out because you now have the control over your body to compensate for any deviations.

I have found it incredibly easy to remain fit and enjoy food because I still monitor my body stats once a week and tweak as needed. I no longer count calories on here because I have no need to. Stopping the calorie count is very rewarding when your body maintains a level weight

Life is amazing, happy, awesome, contented, great, joyous and losing that weight has been more life transforming than I EVER imagined! You will be SO happy once you get there because it isn't then a life of gym and salads. You really can enjoy life, enjoy food and enjoy treats. The big difference is they are now treats and not the everyday foods that piled on the pounds!

What I want ALL those who are losing the weight via a lifestyle change to know is once you've made it you won't have to worry about calorie counting or never eating the foods you enjoy or anything else you're worried about.

Your mind will be so strong after doing this journey it will honestly be MUCH easier to maintain than you think BUT... and it is a big but... The route you take IS VITAL! If you are on anything other than a lifestyle change this strong mindset probably won't be there because you're not learning about alternatives and new routines so you won't be learning about how to maintain once you're there.

I took the slow and steady route and opted for the lifestyle change. I cut back on bad foods and sought out alternatives. It took me months to lose it and find new foods but that meant once I hit my goal I had everything in place to help me keep at a maintenance level.

Life is very, very, very good 5 months on!