Getting There

Ever since the beginning of lockdown well over a year ago, and then particularly when I herniated a disc in my spine, I've been battling to get back down to my pre-lockdown weight.

During the lockdown I hit a high of 95kgs (15 stone), but I know this was a result of depression connected directly to my back and the fact that I couldn't run or box. It was a deeply frustrating time and one I have no wish to repeat.

Just before I began the journey of intentionally managing my health & fitness I was deeply in denial and had stopped getting on the scales when they topped out at 107kgs (almost 17 stone), knowing that I went above that, but didn't want to know by how much. When I began this journey I was still in denial and only admitted to being 102kgs.

Once my health & fitness journey had begun properly I set my target at 85kgs (just under 13½ stone), and just before lockdown I got down to 87kgs which felt fantastic! At that point I was doing really well and had cracked the 25 minute mark for my ParkRun. Everything was going in the right direction.

Then wallop! The wheels fell off as we entered lockdown, the gym closed, ParkRun was cancelled, and shortly after I endured the most excruciating pain I had ever known in my lower back. This all added up to feeling very sorry for myself and indulging in all the wrong things again.

As the lockdown eased and the pain in my back subsided I was able to get boxing again, but the running was a big no no as each time I tried to run my back would scream at me. The chiropractor helped with the pain and managing my core fitness, and so once again I set off on the journey of getting fit and healthy.

This time I swapped my running for unicycling and built up to riding 20ks, this really strengthened my core muscles and eased the pain. I changed my exercise routines and stopped doing movements that aggravated my back, my gym coaches were excellent for this! But I was still eating and drinking too much.

Enter the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan*.

We had previously done the 5:2 and it worked well, but the 16:8 just seemed more doable and compatible with our lifestyle, so Paula & I agreed to support each other. This is working really well for both of us and I'm really pleased to finally be back under 90kgs and down to a 34" waist. It's been a tough journey but oh so worth it!

Will I ever hit my target of 85kgs? I doubt it, it seems like a massive leap to get there and to be honest, at my age I'm very happy just being under 90kgs and would be very happy to just remain there. What I'm not going to do is stress myself out with a *goal* that taunts me from a distance and messes with my mental health.

Right now I'm just very thankful to God for the lack of pain in my back and for the blessing of good health!

*16:8 is 16 hours of fasting followed by an 8 hour window for eating. I choose to stop eating at 8pm and break my fast at 12pm the next day. I'm then careful to make sure that I consume fewer calories than I burn.