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 [...]

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[...]

You'll notice things have gone a bit quiet around these parts since my last post - because it's been something of a whirlwind since I upped sticks and moved to the big smoke. Honestly, I have not stopped for long enough to even think, let alone write - but I've been lucky enough to have met some rea[...]

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[...]

Hello! This is only a short post, but I wanted to check in and wish you guys a very, very Merry Christmas. Here's me and my gorgeous, wonderful, super-intelligent (and a bit of a pop star) sister this morning - we thought we'd dress up this morning, to make up for the inevitable pyjama time after di[...]

I kind of hate myself for the timing of this post, because, let's face it - if there's a time of year you're likely to drink more alcohol, it's the festive season. I'm a particular victim of this, because it was my birthday yesterday - so it's very easy for December to be less Katie Lowe, more Keith[...]

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'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[...]

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[...]

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[...]

I was so, ridiculously cheerful earlier this week that it was almost embarrassing. Honestly, even pre-coffee, I'm pretty sure I had Disney-style bluebirds flying around, singing happy songs about how beautiful the weather is. Even though it's been raining. Yes, that cheery. I know. It's gross.[...]

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[...]

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[...]

I'm not really sure of the reasons behind it, but for the last few days I've been feeling a bit... Blue. That happens to everyone from time to time - even fine upstanding wellbeing-ers like myself. I've been a tad frazzled - it's been a busy patch at work, my PhD programme is being a pain in t[...]

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[...]

Last week, I was asked to be a talking head on HuffPost Live, during their interview of Lisa Lampanelli - who is ace. She's known for her amazing (if a tad...uhhh...blue) put-downs - the only one I could find that wasn't too filthy to put here was "Donald Trump has disappointed more women than Sex a[...]

I seem to talk about body image a lot. I know that. But here I am, back on it again, like a broken record. Sorry 'bout that. This time, though, it's because a friend of mine sent me this fabulous article and it gave me pause for thought. It's amazing what an impact the things people say to you as a [...]

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[...]

When I first started out trying to lose weight, I hate hate hated cardio. What can I say? I like to have nice hair, and cardio seems to go out of its way to push against that. Boo hiss. But as you probably already know, one of the biggest parts of the exercise plan I've been following is the l[...]

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[...]

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. [...]

You guys know when I talk about being fat, I mean it affectionately. But in this post I briefly touched on the connotations of "fat" and I was really surprised by how many people said to me afterwards how much they've been affected by the negative things our society associates with being fat. I've a[...]

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 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[...]

Ahhh, celebrity diets. The age-old 'I lost 50lbs by eating nothing but grapefruit covered in salt water and lizard's tears' diet is a staple of trashy magazines (full disclosure: I love trashy magazines). When you're tucking into your second helping of chicken nuggets, it's easy enough to think 'TOM[...]

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. [...]

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[...]

A very, very large part of my reason to move to this particular flat was location, location, location. It's closer to my family, and it's two doors down from the flat I lived in that day when I made the decision to enter the gym across the road. Yesterday, I rejoined said gym - and tonight, I saw my[...]

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 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[...]