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[...]

It's my birthday! Well, not mine. But it's a whole year since I found myself sitting in my bedroom, writing my very first post, in my slippers and hat, at 10pm at night. I'd written the post, but I couldn't think of what to call the blog itself. I'd come up with a couple of bad puns, the odd play[...]

You may remember, a month ago, I said this: It's easy to change a bit, adapt, and then stay put. That’s why we plateau, both in terms of weight loss and in a wider sense. You’ve got to stay focused on improving yourself and your life in a number of ways, both physically and – more importantly – men[...]

In the last 48 hours, I've had no less than three - three - people tell me that they've been upset by the number on the scales at some point this week. Ladies: the hell. The hell? Are you kidding me? Seriously? This state of affairs leaves me with no choice, because I've put my head in [...]

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[...]

Simple question, really. But I have a theory that this whole health, fitness and wellbeing malarkey pretty much boils down to it. Figuring out what you really want - on a number of levels - is one of the most important things you can do to make a big ol' lifestyle change. Essentially, it comes d[...]

I'm super sorry guys - I've been ever so busy this last couple of weeks, what with the PhD, work, various project-type things, the Meal Plan, and some exciting bits and bobs relating to the blog (which I'm hoping you'll all like, eventually!) However, I've also done a spot of shopping. Well, I sa[...]

America, I am officially gatecrashing your holiday. Because I love turkey, stuffing, and frankly, I think it's unfair that you guys get two goes at a Christmas-style break - so I'm getting involved. Consider me having pushed my way in there. Because I think Thanksgiving is a great holiday, or at [...]

We've finally made it! I can't even begin to tell you how hard we've been working to get this programme finished for you guys, following the amazing, astounding and oh-my-god-I-may-be-welling-up-a-little-bit response to last week's guest post by Matt, the trainer who designed this programme. This[...]

Q: If you had to choose one thing to start with, would it be exercise or food? With everything going on, both is overwhelming at the moment. Personally, if I had to choose one thing to tackle first, it'd be food. But - and this is a big but (and I cannot lie) - I'm not saying that you should go o[...]

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[...]

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 [...]

I'm a busy woman - and it's hard to keep everything in balance sometimes. Normally this isn't an issue - and finding time to hit the gym usually seems like a welcome break from the huge amount of time I spend sitting in front of a computer screen... Even though I do tend to multi-task with the iPad [...]

I was in full-on writer mode earlier. I was tapping away furiously, in total silence, pausing only to sip coffee and after four hours, at last, I was done. So, I cranked up the volume on my speakers, and got DOWN. I live alone. In a tiny flat. Above a curry house. But dammit, I can get down like [...]

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[...]

Oh, habits. Bad ones are really easy to pick up, and ridiculously hard to quit. And good ones, predictably, are quite the g'damn opposite. Here's a few examples from my own experience: grabbing a sausage sandwich and a can of full-fat coke as consolation for Monday morning (boo...) And doing t[...]

I've been asked a lot over the last few days - "how do you stay motivated?" Seems a lot of us - myself included - are in the habit of starting a diet with the best of intentions, and with all the motivation in the world... For about three days. Then it starts to go bit wrong. Temptation, life,[...]

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[...]

Because I’m super-cool (that’s a lie) and super-popular (another lie), I’ve had a very busy few weeks. I’ve been to Global Gathering, and I’ve been to leaving parties, birthday parties and just plain old regular parties. And you know what all these things have in common? Booze. Lots of it. [...]

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[...]

I love weight training. There's nothing more satisfying. It's hard, and it'll make you pull some interesting faces - and probably break into a sweat sitting down - but it's pretty empowering to be safe in the knowledge that you've got great upper body strength. Plus, it's amazing for toning up - mea[...]

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[...]

It's often all-too-easy to get complacent about what you've got, be it friends, family, money, warmth - and your health. I've got a cold at the moment, and dammit, I feel sorry for myself. Really sorry for myself. I've noticed this more since I've been living a healthy lifestyle - the fact that I[...]

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 love yoga. This isn't something I thought I'd ever say, being rather inflexible and a bit of a chunky monkey. When I first started on this journey, and I had two problems with yoga. Firstly, surely if you're trying to lose weight, you should be sweating and working really hard at a slightly unc[...]

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[...]

I know there are lots of people in the world doing amazing things every day, and the Olympics are coming to town soon - so my miniscule athletic prowess isn't all that impressive in the grand scheme of things... But today, for the first time since I broke my knees in 2007 (actually considerably long[...]

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, [...]