I've been doing this weight loss thing for a really long time now. I mean, I started in September 2010 - so we're talking almost three years since I first stepped into the gym in Worcester, weighing 290lbs. It's been a while, then, since I've felt like I could be surprised. As I've said over and [...]

Y'know when you start out on a journey to a 'new you' - or even just pick up where you left off on an old one - it's hard to imagine failing. You're resolute. You're determined. You're totally going to kick ass and achieve your goals, because you are awesome. Heck, once you're finished, you'll proba[...]

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I said I was starting to train with the lovely Tom Dyer of Ultimate City Fitness, to find out how much butt it is possible for one fat girl to kick. I'm nothing if not open to new experiences, even if they do seem utterly terrifying. After all, I have this w[...]

Healthy livin'. It's something I'm meant to be all about. And I am, most of the time - or rather, I was, until, say, early December - back when I had my knee operated on for the 4th (and hopefully final) time; when I had a birthday that involved a lot of cake; when I was job-hunting and interview[...]

I just had something of a revelation. After a week of feeling like death warmed up, I've realised... I've got Freshers' Flu. You've gotta laugh at times like this. Here I am, with my grown-up job, in my grown-up flatshare, with my grown-up clothes and attitude and a healthy living blog... And I'v[...]

Perfection is something I'm pretty sure I don't believe in; it's right up there with the phrase 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels' and the 2013 Cliff Richard calendar in my 'List of Things I Strongly Oppose.' But sometimes, for reasons beyond my control - also known as this blog - I have to p[...]

It's so funny how times change. A couple of years ago, I'd never, ever have thought I'd be where I am right now. A lot of things are different, in a whole range of crazy ways. I like different foods, for one thing; unless I'm a hormonal demon horsebeast, I could take or leave chocolate - but put a b[...]

I've been amazed by the fabulous response to the exercise programme we published on Thursday this week - you guys are awesome. I've been rather inundated with questions since, so apologies if I haven't been able to email back right away! The questions that have popped up most often, I've answered[...]

This is a guest post from Matt Peacock, who designed the programme I follow. I asked him if he'd write something that gave a little bit more insight into who he is and what he does - because obviously 'tis all well and good me gushing about his awesomeness here, but, you know... It's not quite the s[...]

This time last year, I was a good 220lbs (at least - I'd started avoiding the scales around August, once I knew I was gaining weight.) I'd had a busy October, full of cake and alcohol from a jam-packed birthday calendar, and sweets from a very-much-extended Halloween celebration. I'm a big fan of Ha[...]

I like to think I'm pretty confident. Most of the time, I've got no issue with meeting new people, and I love a good chinwag - so outwardly, I'd say I'm pretty outgoing. Plus, I did post a series of photos of myself in my knickers for the world to see a couple of weeks ago, so I'm pretty sure nobody[...]

As the wise man Mr T. once said, it's not where you come from, it's where you're going. And I'd be inclined to agree, especially on this whole health business. I don't think it's ever too late to make a difference to your lifestyle, regardless of where you're starting from - and I think aiming high [...]

It's been an exciting week for me, because I finally hit the 160lbs I'd been aiming for for the last two years. Now I'm here, I realise I've still got some work to do, and my target weight has shifted a bit now I'm here - but when I started out, at 290lbs, it seemed like an impossible dream, so to f[...]

Yesterday, I read this quote reported to be from Christina Aguilera (it's since been denied - but bear with me on this), who said she told her record label the following when working on her new album - because apparently, no amount of talent will help you if you're fat: I told them during this Lotu[...]

I've asked Matt to help me with this post, because he's a nutritionist (who actually won the Contribution to Physical Activity award at the Worcester Sports Awards the other night for this very programme - woo!), so this is kind of his specialist subject. I can't over-estimate how much of a fountain[...]

I have a very cool, albeit slightly double-edged, thing to tell you guys today. You might already know that I've had a lot of knee surgery - three rounds, in fact - to repair them after I had an accident in 2007 that brought on something called patellofemoral dysplasia - in English, that means yo[...]

I've been asked this a lot since I started this blog - and yet, weirdly enough, it's one of the posts I've struggled most to write. That's for a few reasons. Firstly, when I set out to lose weight initially, I didn't think like I do now. When you first start, you're all motivation - you know you wan[...]

Ahhhh, carbs. Apparently enemy of all things diet, they're the current thing to ditch. I know this, because I tried it. Not for long, mind - it's not much fun, it makes you feel pretty terrible, and it's certainly no way to lose any weight you'd actually like to keep off. We laugh about it now, but [...]

I've said before how evil the scales can be. Repeatedly. I swear to God, they are put on this earth just to toy with my emotions, because whenever I feel like I've had a really good week, boom! I can guarantee you I will have apparently gained a few pounds. Never fails. There are so many variable[...]

I don't know about you guys, but I love a good spag bol. It's been a staple of my diet since way back in my heady undergraduate days - although the "mince" we'd buy then was probably a tad suspect, and I'm not sure it was all that tasty in hindsight, being composed primarily of chopped tomatoes and [...]

Wow. Just wow. I am completely, unspeakably overwhelmed to the huge response I've had to the article published yesterday on the Huffington Post about my weight loss story. If you haven't read it, you can find it here - and I'd just like to take a moment to say thank you, thank you, thank you to ever[...]

This weekend two years ago, I could barely walk. Every morning, I'd wake up, strap my immobiliser brace on to one knee (or both, depending on the pain), grab my crutches, and hobble to the bathroom. Some days I'd have to knock back four different types of painkillers before I could even get out of b[...]

I was intrigued to read this the other day, sent in by a very lovely reader: Teenagers who think they are overweight, even if they aren't, are far more likely to grow up to be obese, researchers warned today. They say that obsession with body image as a teen can influence our weight when we are [...]

I have a confession to make: I've always been a little intimidated by feminism. Not because I didn't agree with it, of course - I've just always been a bit afraid to engage in discussions about it, because most of the encounters I'd had with 'proper' feminists had seemed just a tad... Angry. I re[...]

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been a couple of times where I've really had to drag myself all but kicking and screaming to the gym. I know it's what I ought to do, and I know I won't regret it once I'm there - but sitting on the sofa doing all of diddly squat just seems so much more appe[...]

Up until relatively recently, I thought I could eat pretty much what I wanted, so long as I managed to stay within my calorie goal. After all, calorie counting is the key to successful weight loss. Right? Hmm. You'll notice I'm using the past tense. I no longer think that. I've always total[...]

Last week, I was forwarded an article that claimed that inactivity now kills as many people as smoking. Apparently: A lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a study suggests. The report, published in the Lancet to coincide with the build-up to the Olympics, e[...]

I've been amazed at how many people identify with me on the emotional eating front - especially among people who, like me, have to juggle a lot of balls and spin a lot of plates to keep everything ticking along. It's one of those things most of us have done at some point - landing face first into[...]

I’m actually pretty delighted to be writing this post, because – along with the aforementioned Mr Super-Trainer-Nutritonist-Man (who I'll introduce properly below) I’ve finally got this weight loss thing down to an art. Not an art, actually – a science. GO SCIENCE. If I haven’t stressed this enou[...]

If there's one question I get asked a lot (second only to 'How did you do it?') it's this - 'do you feel different?' Usually the people asking that question are referring to the physical side of it - and yes, I feel completely different. I'm less tired. It doesn't hurt to get out of bed or the ba[...]

I’m so uncomfortable. Three years of hard work, and I’m stuck here, sweating, trying not to breathe so I don’t bust a shirt button under my graduation robes. This ought to be one of the best days of my life, and I just want to get out of here, get into my pyjamas, and eat until I fall asleep. [...]

Oh, some days are HARD. Really hard. Especially when you're a scary hormonal cowbag, like I was earlier this week. I'm not gonna lie guys - I've been wandering around the office, trying my level best to conceal my deranged wrath at nothing in particular, contemplating curling up in a ball in a ba[...]

Over the last couple of days, I've been asked twice what exactly it is that I eat over the course of a day, a week, a month, etc. Obviously you guys have seen some of the highlights (mostly just because they're pretty) but it's not representative of everything that I chow down on on any given day - [...]

When you spend 24 years numbering pizza and sitting down in your list of Top 10 Favourite Things In The Whole World Ever, switching to a healthy lifestyle seems a bit scary. I mean... There's no way you'll learn to love healthy foods. They're all...green. Pfft. My housemate and I have always j[...]

My last few posts have been a bit serious, I know - so I thought I'd take a minute to write a nice cheery post! I am happy at the moment. Really happy. The sun's out and I'm only a little bit burnt, which is always a bit of a mood lifter - and check it out, a new before and after pic: Evidentl[...]

I was going to write a blog today about the importance of keeping your 'before' pictures for later use - but I was browsing the news over my lunch and came across this article about a girl in the UK who has been declared 'Britain's heaviest teenager' weighing 63st at the age of 19. Source: Daily [...]

When you first embark on a diet, of any description, it seems like you've made a permanent decision to change for the better. For about two hours. Then the biscuits come out in the office, and suddenly it seems very much a temporary measure. If you're going to make a really substantial change [...]

I have a confession to make. I haven't lost a single pound in over three weeks. Yes, that's right - I'm considering myself a blogger about weight loss... But one that isn't losing any weight. It'd be very, very easy to get disillusioned at this point - after all, I'm logging at least 9 hour[...]

Yesterday, I made an exciting decision. In 7 weeks, I'm doing the Race for Life with my Mum and sister! We did it once before, years and years ago when I was still at school, and I huffed and puffed my way through walking the 5k - I wasn't exactly at my physical peak, let's put it that way. Now I[...]

Don't get me wrong - when I first took those footsteps into the gym, it was all about weight loss. I was never a depressed, shy, or insecure fat girl, and I didn't want to lose weight because I hated myself, or how I looked. I thought I looked good - I just thought I'd look even better in a small[...]

I think I'm one of those people that does their best to make life difficult for themselves. I think that's taken as read when you decide to do a PhD - in anything - and on top of a job? Well, that's just a fool's game. But I do it, because I'm passionate about it. Working out and eating healthy, [...]

My name's Katie. I'm 24 years old. I'm attempting to do a Literature PhD on top of a full-time job (because let's face it - a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.) Fortunately it's a job I love, so I'm very lucky in that respect. But above and beyond all this, I've always been a "fat girl" - n[...]