Weight loss, my gift to myself
6 months ago, I suddenly realised I would be 50 in March. I was worried we could still not have parties due to covid.
Turning 50, I felt, was a personal milestone and something I should celebrate for myself. In no way am I scared of turning 50; actually, I am very proud I made it. My best friend and older sister did not make it to 40, so I think it is a privilege to make it to 50. I started to think of what I wanted and realised all I wanted was to be fit and strong.
After my fight with cancer some years ago, I felt I was never the same. I had to take medication that sent me into a turbo version of menopause. I gained weight during treatment, which I lost straight after, but felt my body was not performing as well as it could. On top of that, I had the added fear of cancer recurrence. The risk of recurrence is highly linked to the amount of body fat you carry. I honestly did not want to see that chemo ward ever again.
I want to say that everybody is a different shape and size, and everybody is lovely and should be cherished, not punished for not being a certain size or shape. But I needed to lose weight for health. There is no perfect weight, shape or size; only you decide what is ideal for you.
So, I decided it was time to shift some excess… lose some fat, and gain muscle. But it was never about the scales but about health.
Amazing support
I have had incredible help from Adele Johnston Coaching. She has been there all the way. She has been so supportive, she has so much knowledge, and everything she does is scientifically proven. No crazy celebrity diet nonsense, I have learnt so much.
Then on top of that, I have the greatest running gang one could imagine, pushing me along all the way. I have had support from the staff at Nuffield Gym, although with the lockdown, I have not been there as much as I would have loved. And then thanks also to my amazing swimming friends, meeting with me in the sea come hail come shine. Lastly, I have discovered indoor bike riding. I use an app called Zwift, and I am addicted. It has been such fun, and the online community around it is great, funny and really supportive.
I changed my diet, not hugely, but consistently made sure I had a calorie deficit every day. I make sure I exercise every day. As you all know, I have not had so many wedding dresses to attend to, so I have had time to change my habits and do meal prepping at night, and it has been straightforward, I am on autopilot now.
Weight loss and weddings don’t mix
This has all made me think about lots and lots. I have so many brides and mothers of the brides come to me to order a dress or an outfit. 9 out of 10 say, “and then, of course, I am going to lose some weight”.
I want to tell you that weddings and weight loss do not mix. This is a fantastic journey, but also one that needs time to reflect on lifestyle and time to exercise and energy to create new habits and not fall into old patterns. And if anyone previously had said I was an emotional eater, I would say no, but now I know otherwise.
This is an excellent investment of your time, energy and focus, and it is a lot to add to your schedule while you are planning. You will have hen nights, food tastings, and planning meetings with people after work. And you miss one day’s training then another, and then you get into that bad pattern of punishing yourself and feel you are a failure.
Many people think brides automatically lose weight. That they drop a stone by sending out the invitations, I think it used to be so, but it is not so any longer. Because we have such great access to wine, and many events leading up to the wedding have wine, fizz, and snacks. You need to make a conscious effort to lose weight. If you gained weight from stress previously, adding wedding planning will hardly take the strain off.
I am not saying do not lose weight. If you need to for health or other reasons, do so. But do it safely and plan, and make a commitment. Do not make promises to your dressmaker, make them to yourself. Perhaps consider whether the weight loss is for marriage instead of your wedding.
Lockdown birthday
My perfect lockdown birthday celebrations are happening on Sunday the 21st I am running a half marathon. I will see if I can beat my time from when I was in my 20es. That should be fun.
I will be running with a helium balloon; I am setting off from St Marks Park, running down to Granton and back up to Ferry Road, back to St Mark’s park. Setting off at 9.30, and I am doing 2 laps. If you are in the area, I would love a cheer or a toot of your car horn if you pass me.
here is an article describing the pros and cons of running vs spinning. Cardiovascular Workouts: Spinning vs Running – Sport Fitness Advisor (sport-fitness-advisor.com)
