Year of the Diet

Sunday, 29 September 2013

Run Fatboy Run

I'm not quite sure at what point it was that I became fat. When I started primary school all those years ago I was pretty skinny. By the time I left that school at the age of 9, I had chunked up considerably, to the point that when getting changed for PE class, some of the other boys encouraged me to move my arms inwards, compressing my chest and making what they thought looked like a pair of breasts. They found it funny and that early age I learned to laugh at myself.

As I grew older, progressing into secondary school I was always the fat kid. The fact that I was usually the tallest in the class probably meant I got away with quite an easy time of it. I was never really bullied, though there were one or two characters who made my life less easy than it needed to be. Towards the end of school, the 6th formers took over for the day as part of a long running tradition. In the performance we put on, a take off of TFI Friday was staged. You won't have to guess too hard which role I had. Yep, I was the Fat Lookalike, a role I embraced standing in front of 900 or so people declaring I was a fat Mr Warren (sports/japanese teacher). It was always easier to make a joke of my size rather than do anything about it.

At university, I became affectionately known as Big G. When I got back into watching Slough Town after I graduated, I adopted the forum name BigFatRebel (Slough are nicknamed The Rebels), which seemed pretty appropriate. It was a persona that has hung around even to this day, with my Twitter account using the name and the blogger account from which these posts are generated from called BFRweightloss. Even thought I've lost the weight, the name has hung around as some sort of security blanket.

And yet despite outwardly being the typical 'jolly' character that is stereotyped about a fat guy, I was never really happy. I hated having to buy new trousers, either because I'd bust a seam or because my mammoth thighs rubbed together creating holes. For years I wouldn't sit on a toilet seat for fear of breaking it. Having to order clothes online because no high street shops stocked my size was pretty horrible. But rather than do something about this, instead I chose to eat and got bigger.

It took someone very special to get me to change my ways. I hate to think of what sort of state I'd be in right now if my gorgeous wife hadn't seen past my size and unlocked my heart. Probably on a Sky Living programme about a big guy who can't leave the house and needs to have MRI's at a vet because I'd be too big for the ones at hospital.

So I lost weight. This year has been a good year for me to date. More than 3 stone lost and heading towards my lightest as an adult. And to provide the exclamation point, in the last few months I've discovered running. Readers of this blog will be sick of me going on about it, but it has become an important part of my success. Today I did something that wouldn't have been possible in the past. I participated in the Moor Park 10k, and while I await the official time, know I crossed the finish line with 56.something minutes on the clock. The cherry on the top comes in the form of my colleagues and I collectively raising more than £900 for charity, which we're hoping will nudge up to four figures.

I've achieved my weightloss goals for this year, and now completed a life goal to run a 10k. Not bad for a fatboy. Time I moved on and got myself a new name.

Runner 1226 - with a medal for finishing the race

Bloke in the middle used to be 24st - well done to my colleagues too!

Wednesday, 25 September 2013

Wednesday Weigh-In - 25 September

One week on from passing my 15st 7lb target, and it would have been very easy to relax after months of dieting. I could have treated myself to something tastily unhealthy. I could have made a serious dent to the booze supply my gorgeous wife stockpiled last week when there was a pricing glitch at Tesco. But I didn't. I declined the offer of takeout on Friday night, not wanting to impair my running on Saturday morning. I chose not to buy something quick, easy and overpriced at Waterloo station on Monday and waited until I got home to have some lunch. You don't just need discipline during a diet.

Instead I've kept things going, the result of which is another 2lbs lost, following on from the 4lb loss last week. I'm now weighing in at 15st 2lb, the lightest I've been for 4 years.

Those numbers keep going down

I head into my debut 10k in better shape than I expected when I first signed up to it. I recorded another PB for the 5k last Saturday and look forward to the challenge that Moor Park brings this weekend. My colleagues and I are rather overwhelmed by the generosity our friends, family and workmates have shown in supporting us in raising money for the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre. We're now well past £500 and may yet raise a bit more. Thank you to readers of the blog who have donated. If you've not yet done so but would like to, head over to www.justgiving.com/teampcc

Whatever happens on Sunday, I'm proud of my acheivement. I knew the weightloss would happen as I've made a diet work before, but the running was new territory. I'm still learning and won't always get it right, but Sunday does not present me with any fear or apprehension. I've been building towards this over the last few months and have the chance to do something I've never done before. Bring it on.

In Autumn 2006 I weighed 24st and looked like this

This weekend I'm 9st lighter and running a 10k

Proof if you need it that you can make changes in your life for the better.

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Wednesday Weigh-In 18 September

260 days ago I set out on a mission. I wanted to lose weight and slim down to the size I was on my wedding day in 2008. YearOfTheDiet was born to allow me to record my progress as I aimed to shed 41lbs and share anecdotes with anybody who may be interested in the dieting exploits of an overweight bloke.

Today officially marks the day when I hit my target. I wanted to stand on the scales today and take a photo of my feet stood either side of those magical numbers telling me I am 15st 7lbs. However, I've not been able to do that, as I've gone that little bit better.

I needed to lose 1lb. I lost 4. Go me!

While my weightloss goal has been reached, this does not signal the end of the diet. I've every intention to keep this blog going until the end of the year, and maybe even beyond. More importantly, it isn't enough just to lose the weight; it is about keeping it off. This is the third time in 5 years I've got down to this weight and I really don't want to have to repeat again in the future. Therefore my aim now is ensure that this is the norm, rather than something I achieve once in a while.

To do this, I plan in the short term to continue to diet. 15st 7lb was the first target, but I can easily create another. It would be nice to dip under 15st. I've briefly been under 14 1/2 stone before. I've got to get down to 14st 8lbs before the stupid BMI scale tells me I'm a normal weight rather than overweight! I'm not daft enough to starve myself chasing an unrealistic size. My body shape will never have me as a bean pole and the saggy skin I have in places from years of obesity aren't going to just magically disappear, so don't expect me to be modelling for Calvin Klein any time in the future. But it is realistic for me to lose a bit more and while the lbs are still dropping off relatively easily, why stop?

The running will continue too. I rather enjoy my Saturday morning exercise and with the 10k just days away, I'm in no position to start wildly celebrating my weightloss. I'll probably allow myself a few cheeky rewards when that is done and dusted but until then I intend to stay focused and true to the diet.

41lbs (and a little bit extra) gone. If I can do this, so can you.