New Year's Resolution - 1 year on

Like many people, I started out 2017 determined to lose weight. Today marks 1 year since the day I started logging my food and exercising. We all know that resolutions often fall by the wayside when "normal life" kicks in later in January, so I wanted to share my story to show that, if you stick with it, you too can achieve your goals, lose weight and improve your fitness.

I'd always been overweight growing up. I come from a family of runners and, as the middle child who just had to be different, my "thing" was that I was the one who didn't run. All my hobbies were sedentary and, despite the great example of my mum's healthy home cooking, I ate pretty badly once I left home.

I'd lost weight a few years ago and finally got down to a healthy weight for my height but then gave up on exercise and went back to pizza and wine. By the end of 2016 I was uncomfortable, unable to sleep due to stomach pains, and felt like I was trapped under my layers of fat.

So what did I do about it?

I started out "running" - just short distances and stopping to walk often. Slowly I built up my distance and my pace. I started going to the gym across from my work at lunchtimes for 20 and then 30 minutes of cardio, which also helped to reduce stress and increase my focus at work.

I logged my food every day and learned how to log better - finding correct entries to use, weighing everything and using the recipe tool for homemade meals. I cut down on carbs because I didn't find them sufficiently filling for the calories, but otherwise largely ate whatever I wanted. My boyfriend loves fast food, so we were ate McDonalds, KFC, Domino's etc. every week. I learned to find the nutritional information online and to make sensible choices that fit my goals, without giving up the food I enjoyed.

I discovered the MFP forums and learned a lot about exercise and nutrition. I found motivation and support from reading the stories of others and seeing their successes. I joined in challenges and made friends, plus started resistance training and saw my body shape change and improve.

By the end of April I'd hit my original goal weight - just into the normal weight BMI category for my height. I'm 5'9" and started out at around 90kg/198lb, hitting 75kg/165lb in April. I decided that it wasn't enough to be "just" under overweight, so set a new goal for the middle of the normal weight BMI range at 65kg/143lb. I hit that at the beginning of September and have been maintaining my weight around there since then.

Losing weight and improving my fitness has transformed my life. I am happier, less stressed and less moody. I have more energy and am more active. I am closer to my family and share my exercise successes with them. Through my local parkrun I have met new people and have become part of the local community, as well as improving my 5k PB.

So if you're starting out just now and wondering if you can really do it, I say yes you can. Losing weight is simple (eat less, move more) but it's not easy. You need determination to keep going until your new lifestyle changes become habits. You need to find out what works for you so that any changes you make are sustainable for your life. You need to be able to pick yourself up after a bad day and keep going. You need to weather the tough stuff, because it is worth it in the end. Good luck: you can do this!

New Year's Eve selfies, 2016 vs 2017


Christmas 2016 vs November 2017


Starting out 2018 right at my local parkrun