Guest Blog - Dirty Kebabs and Accidental Pizzas

Although I’ve never been a skinny minnie, I’d never really been overweight…. until that is, I entered my 30’s. Too many cheeky drinks, dirty kebabs and accidental pizzas over the period of one reckless year had meant that by the time I was 31 I was knocking 14 stone and categorised as ‘Obese’ for the first time in my life.

Lucy at her fattest

It’s sounds stupid to say, but although I was well aware of my muffin top and the fact that my thighs rubbed so hard they could almost start a fire, I didn’t really admit to myself that I’d put on weight until I went to register at my new local doctors.

Having moved house it was a requirement by the local quacks that I go and have a medical, and it was this that made me think ‘Oh Dear.’ Not only did the scales say a good 2 ½ stone heavier than I’d been at my previous heaviest, when the nurse asked me how much I drank, her response was ‘Jeez… don’t tell them that!’

It was then that I realised I was fast descending into becoming a fat alcoholic… and this was not good!

Over the following year I tried a number of approaches to drop the weight, bootcamps, Atkins, starvation etc, and although the weight did start to go, it would go for a bit, but then I’d put it back on. To be honest it wasn’t the horror story you always hear on TV where people tend to lose weight and then put more on besides. The reality for me was I’d lose ten pounds and then put eight back on. It was soul destroying, particularly as each morning my mood was determined by what the scales said, however minor the difference.

In October 2012 I asked my sister if she fancied going to Weight Watchers. It’s a strong relationship you have with someone when you can ask someone that, because effectively what you’re saying is… ‘you are fat, fancy coming to fat club?’ At any rate she agreed and our weight loss journey began. Within the a year I’d got back to a size 12 and was starting to feel good, although I still wanted to lose a bit more… my ideal was to be a size 10.

By May 2013 I lacked lustre and for the remainder of the year stayed around 7-10 pounds away from goal weight. Which besides the weight factor, was annoying because I still had to pay £22 a month membership.

In January 2014 I decided to participate in a (mostly) Dry January. I’d toyed with the idea of Fanuary but this more beneficial to my bottom!

So for the period of 20 days (because I’d booked a night in York and the hotel has a free bar with my favourite Chablis) I have vowed to abstain from alcohol.

So far it’s going okay, but I have been struck with the lurgy, so rather than benefiting from that sprightly feeling in a morning that can only be linked with sobriety, I’m more snot than anything else.

In the spirit of Positive Mental Attitude however, I’m hoping my abstinence from alcohol and lack of appetite through disease will be recognised on the scales tomorrow… and if it’s not, I’ll just remind myself to stick with it. After all it’s a marathon not a sprint and the last thing I want to do is another desperate Bootcamp!

Lucy a couple of weeks ago on holiday

Almost at goal weight Lucy!