Making Graham Happy

In the last 24 hours, I've been dealing with temptation. The lure of a pint after work on a Friday afternoon was avoided. The tub of Celebrations gifted by a satisfied client was palmed off to my wife, while the offer of an ice cold bottle of cider as reward for another good week of exercise and watching what I eat was reluctantly declined. It isn't a case that I don't believe I should have a treat once in a while; it is more the fact that I know me only too well and one treat will lead to another. Let's be honest, one glass on a Friday night is never enough!

I'm often asked how do I stay so resolute and focused. I'll admit it takes a certain amount of pigheadedness to stick solely to three meals a day, particularly now that I've picked up an exercise bug. While a certain amount of motivation is directed towards where I want to be with my weight, the vast majority is cased in desire to not return to what I've been before. Having spent a large portion of my life as what can be most kindly described as Supersize, I know only too well the cumulative effect of having a few treats (and all the rest).

8 years ago I participated in a TV show for the BBC, called Making Slough Happy. 50 of the town's residents were put through a programme of activities, with the ambitious aim to try to make us all happier in our lives. I've managed to dig out a copy of one of the episodes and edited some of my footage, to visually share exactly what the 25 year old me looked like.

When I signed up for the show, I didn't necessarily expect to camp out with a peculiar psychologist in the New Forest; hugging trees was clearly not for me. However, one hope that I did have which I expressed during my initial interview was that through participation I may find a way to lose weight. 23st+ Graham wasn't a pretty sight I'm sure you'll agree. 

While the activities I was involved with in the show did not focus on my physical well-being, I've always been aware that Making Slough Happy did have a profound change on my life. Firstly, it helped me to reach a decision to leave a job that I'd not enjoyed for some time, but secondly while camped out with virtual strangers, I felt compelled to reach out to a distant friend who I missed. That person I've now been married to for almost five years and is mother to my two beautiful children. Good decision if you ask me.

A combination of those factors led me some 18 months after the show was filmed to diet, having created a platform for me to move forward. I lost 9 stone in the next two years and went from the big guy in the video to somebody who was a lot more happy with themselves. Having put back on some of that weight in the last year or so, my motivation is clear - I don't want to go back to how I was. So if I decline the occasional treat or seem quite anal at times about maintaining my diet, it isn't a question of self-punishment; I just know only too well what overindulgence can lead to.

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