More back fat

My first weigh in of the Great Diet of 2005 took place on my first day back to work following New Year. I was 15 stone 6lbs. That morning I put on the flat shoes I had bought for the sole purpose of wearing to walk to work and off I set on the 30 minute walk. I counted calories, aiming for around 1250 for the day and then I walked home again. 

Repeat for every weekday.

Every single day, no matter what the weather, I walked to work. I had this black parka thing with a big hood which was a struggle to do up around my backside but it was warm and kept me dry on the many cold, wet and frosty mornings. This was the days pre ipod and I used to get The Highlander to put a CD in my Discman (ha – makes me feel so old writing that) the night before work so I’d get a surprise CD to listen to on my way to work.  I also went to the gym twice a week. No matter what. This was my routine and I stuck to it. At the weekends I ate a bit more than during the week but it was all dutifully logged in my notebook. I lost weight steadily; 1 pound some weeks, 2 pounds other weeks and after six months I had lost 2 stone, which averages out pretty much a pound a week. Hmmm- notice a pattern here? A pound a week sounds paltry but bloody hell, keep at it and boy does it add up - and it felt pretty damn good.

So that was just the first six months of 2005, what about the latter six? Who the hell knows what happened. I tried to lose weight for all of those six months – counting calories and exercising but after losing and gaining the same few pounds month after month, the grand total of my efforts at the end of the year was about five pounds. The reality of the situation is that I wasn’t as consistent as I had been for the first six months. I was doing a lot though and I was frustrated. However – how can you be that annoyed when a year after starting to diet and exercise I had lost almost two and half stone – go me!

2006 rolled around and the first weigh in of the year saw 13 stone 4lbs on the scales. I was determined to move on down into uncharted weight waters. Fast forward six months time and I was 12 stone 12lbs. Okay, so I had lost just a few pounds but it was the same few pounds over and over again. The only consolation was that I was working out loads and so I was at least getting fitter.

Over the next few months I managed to lose... 3lbs. The lowest I ever managed to get down to was 12 stone 9lbs. This was my darkest dieting time. I was killing myself exercise wise while eating around 1250 calories a day but my weight was barely moving. I remember one morning I weighed myself and had put on a pound after a week of being totally on plan – after weeks of staying the same. My mum called me and I have a vivid memory of sitting crying my heart out down the phone to her.  The gain of a pound is no big deal but I all I did was live dieting for week after week with an obsessive like focus and to see the scales going in the wrong direction just about tipped me over the edge and ultimately it was getting me nowhere. By the end of the year I was sitting at around 13 stone, with another new year looming and the thought of getting ready for another stab at the diet.

PS) Just replying to the comments on my last post.... Amy - so lovely to hear from you! Peridot, the old blog is no more - not updated it since I moved here.