My Journey (So Far) and Celebrating a Milestone

[UnitedRed]

Hi all, it’s been a while since I’ve been here but wanted to check in and share an update.

I found this forum in May 2020 when, with all the takeaways closed, I figured if I was ever going to loose significant weight now was the time. I was over 23 stone at the time.

I posted regularly, shared and commented, and was so encouraged by many of the members here. I lost almost 6 stone between May and Christmas, then the wheels fell off - literally on Christmas Day 2020. What was supposed to be a couple of days of treating myself turned into over a year of not caring what I ate. I had a lot of false restarts (as the graph shows!) but started to take my weight loss seriously again in June this year after a family holiday where I just hated the way I looked and that I couldn’t keep up with the kids.

Since then I’ve been really consistent and today hit 16 stone exactly, which had been the dream goal all along, as that was the weight I was at 18 when playing rugby regularly. This goal seemed so unachievable for so long, I literally can’t believe I made it.

That’s a loss of 7 stone from my heaviest and 5 stone since June. It’s funny because people ask what I’ve done and are a bit disappointed when I say just eating a bit better and exercising a bit more - many want a magic pill! But I joke that for me it’s just about consistently doing things that are a bit boring.

It’s by no means the end of my journey. The next goal is 13 stone, which would put me in the “healthy” BMI range for my height for the first time in my adult life. And then I’ll be staying focused on maintenance and making the good changes I’ve made stick long-term.

Just wanted to encourage anyone starting out or struggling that if I can do it, you can too. It may not look perfect, and it will probably be slower than you want it to be, but stick at it. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt as good physically as I do now at 37.

Good luck!

-

P.S. I’ve intentionally not shared the “method” I follow, because I don’t think that really matters, find what works for you.

P.P.S. I’ve not been active around the forum for the past couple of years because I realised I need to do this for me and my family, but I found myself chasing validation here instead. So when I started to put on weight I found it hard to come back. That’s not a group thing, it’s a me thing. Like I said in the post this is a super-supportive community, it just wasn’t working for me posting weekly.

[Wine Host 7 stone]

What an amazing post thank you so much for sharing... You are right you have to find what works for you and a massive well done from me... What a result... Can't wait to see you every week losing weight and getting to 13st... Have a gorgeous week

[Gizmocat Moderator 13kg Maintainer]

Wow! Well done. You made a great start and I think a lot of us struggled during the lockdowns. It's a big achievement to get back on track and keep going and what a great loss. As you say how you did it does not matter. Whatever you are doing is working for you. Why not pop over to the weigh in and post your new weight there. You will get a shiny new badge if you reply to at least 3 people and you will get lots of support as you contine to your new target. Keep up the good work

[Halcyon-Days Visitor]

wow that is an amazing loss and huge credit to you for keeping going despite the ups and downs. You are so close to your goal now and I’m sure that you’re going to get there. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing as it obviously works for you 🥳

[Bliss-]

What a fantastic achievement and thank you for sharing your weight loss journey. You’re so right, it’s about learning what works for you

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Bliss-]

Welcome back, Bliss-

Have you found what works for you, or can we help?

As a reminder, all of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/weight-l... and we hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially the weigh-in and daily diary.

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best