Year of the Diet: Wednesday Weigh-In 9 October

Time for a bit of a confession. In the days following my 10k, I contemplated ending this blog. After achieving my weightloss goal and getting through the challenge of the run, I was left feeling somewhat deflated and questioned why I would want to continue writing about my efforts to lose weight when I've done all that I set out to achieve at the start of the year. This is fairly typical Taylor mentality. I remember my grandad used to stop taking his medication because he was feeling better, ignoring the fact that the tablets were what was helping him to do so. When he stopped taking those pills, the wheels would fall off. While I don't consider this blog to be the major factor behind my success, it has been a contributory factor, knowing that good or bad I would be sharing my story with those who wanted to know. And so those negative thoughts have been cast aside and I'm pushing on until at least the end of the year.

A few things happened this week that got me to snap out of my mini slump. My leaner shape has meant that I've had to shift towards the smallest clothes in my wardrobe. It isn't a terribly manly thing to admit, but I've moved down a size for my underwear. I've been dusting of my M-sized t-shirts which means I've been proudly wearing my green Duffs shirt that I had on display in my Visualise Your Weightloss article back in January. I had to buy a belt as my 'skinny jeans' were no longer staying up by themselves. I used to have to wear a belt to compress my stomach to fit into trousers. Now I'm using one to stop my trousers falling down in public. Got to love that!

I also really enjoyed meeting up with a dear old school friend during the week, who I don't make enough of an effort to see or speak to. It was fantastic to see her and her little girl who is growing up fast. As and added bonus, her mother was there too who has not seen me in a while and used the term 'hunk' to describe me. How things have changed from yesteryear.

With a bit of motivation restored, I headed for my Saturday morning run in a determined frame of mind. Having ticked off the 10k, I wanted to see improvement in my 5k performance, and had high expectations of obliterating my PB. As it turned out, I knocked 28 seconds off (finishing in 25:28) and yet despite this was left somewhat disappointed. It says quite a lot that I can do that and feel negative, but the simple fact is I know there is more to come and in the coming weeks will strive for further improvement. I'm never going to be a pacesetter, but while I'm still on an upward curve I can't wait for Saturday morning to come and get better and better.

As an added wow moment, I saw another person I went to school with at the ParkRun. I didn't say hello as it must have been 15 years since I last saw him, and he was with company. He was someone I'd know during primary school and throughout secondary, and was somebody I'd have described back in those days as one of the more sporty lads. When the results came through I didn't just look for my time but also his. I was surprised not to see his name above mine when I first scanned the results page, so I looked again. I couldn't find him still and then it dawned on me that perhaps I finished ahead of him. So I looked down the results, and kept going. Eventually I found him. Over 10 minutes behind me. Now I don't know what has happened to him in the intervening period since school; maybe there has been a sports injury that affects his performance, maybe he's just got older and filled out while I've gone the other way. All I know is that this rather crudely hammered home to me that I'm doing bloody well right now, both with my weight and this running lark. Long may it continue. (For the curious St B's and HF crowd, click here and find the runner who finished in position 323)

So where does this leave me this week on the weight front? Well, it has been a productive. 3lbs shed, meaning I'm dipping under 15st for the first time since the end of 2009. I'll hold my hands up an admit I donated blood yesterday, which could be considered as cheating the day before a weigh-in, but that in itself would not account for the 3lb loss.