4 Years

Both Jennette (Pastaqueen) and Shauna (Dietgirl) are celebrating major milestones in their dieting and blogging life this week, or "fativersaries" as PQ styles it. PQ has been at it for 7 years and DG 10! They are inspirations and very funny, intelligent women so hats off to both of them.

As I am a bear with very little brain, these anniversaires have set me off thinking about my own, wait for it, "journey". I, in common with nearly every dieter I know, started my serious (Lighter Life) diet in the month of January, 12 January 2007 to be exact. So it has been just over 4 years of dieting, exercising, blogging and learning.

I had a look back at some early posts to see what I had been thinking back then. 3 main things struck me. Firstly, how certain I was that this time the diet was going to work - that it would be a long road and a hard one but that I would get there! This is strange considering how many diets I had done before LL and how, although I'd usually lost some weight, I had never become slim or changed my way of life. I wonder where that confidence came from?

Secondly, why did I start this blog that night, the day before I went to my first LL meeting? I had never before even read a blog and was only dimly aware what they were. Had not been on any weight loss forums. I think I heard something on the radio about someone keeping a diary of trying to get pregnant and thought I'd do the same re losing weight. I'm so glad I did as I'm sure it has been a major factor in succeeding and keeping most of the weight off and I've met (both virtually and in real life) so many great people through it.

Finally, right from the start I can see that the problems between D and I were uppermost in my mind even back then. I talk often about rows and niggles in the early months. Later on, when I found out that D was reading my blog, I began to self-censor a bit, especially after he went ballistic about me being on the TV show and insisted that I must delete everything about him!! But at the beginning, what I was saying was just part and parcel of my dieting experience. Part of me being honest about what helped and hindered me. It's not all bad obviously and there are often good times but the mentions of rows and niggles leap out at me now and make me remember how bad some of hte bad times were. I realise that the foundations of us splitting up have been there for years, years and years. I wonder if we could have saved us but suspect for this to have happened, we would have had to have taken steps a long time ago.

So - a summary of the last 4 years in weight terms:

I started out at 19 stone 11lbs in January 2007
I lost 9 stone and at my lowest reached 10 stone 10 lbs
I gradually gained weight, "peaking" at 14 stones 12 lbs
I settled into my longest period of stability last year at between 13 stone 7-11lbs
I'm currently just over that at 14 stone dead.

In other measures:

I wore size 22/24 clothes in 2007
I got down to a slim 12 and occasional 10 (which looked a bit too thin on me to be honest)
I ran the Bamford Fell race up Win Hill in 2007 and a half marathon in 2008
I took part in a reality TV programme in 2009 and learned how to cycle on a velodrome and all about my chimp and healthier mental patterns

I left my husband in 2010 and started a new relationship with a lovely bloke (not quite in that order to be fair...)
I now exercise fairly consistently, walking, personal training, swimming, occasional runs, the gym
I'm training for the Three Peak Challenge in July with Richard
I'm now a 16 (well, a 14 in Wallis....)

Where would I like to be in a year's time?

The divorce sorted, house sold (for a massive profit preferably...) and financially stable
Rich and I happy and healthy and still having loads of fun together
A slim size 14 (well, 12 in Wallis...) and weighing around 12 stone 7-11lbs
Golf handicap down to 16 (currently 19 so that is quite ambitious)
I want to be able to waltz, quickstep, foxtrot and tango (better than I can at present)