Weight loss, two simple words when strung together which can bring a mix of emotions. From joy to heartache, from acknowledgement to frustration, they are two words which we all hear regularly and respond to differently. Regardless of the start and finish points we experience, no two people seem to have the same journey when it comes to weight loss.

My first real foray into weight loss began February 1st 2014 when I set a goal to make changes in my life to enable me to lose my excess body weight. I checked my weight on the scale to find it was 91kg. Not my highest weight, but a number I had been hovering around for the past 12 months since I had started to monitor my weight. My fitness routine was settled with regular sessions for weights and cardio on a weekly basis. The reason for my inability to lose weight wasn’t from my fitness level, more so my diet.

For the majority of my life I have been physically active, between little athletics and weekend sports during the early years through to skateboarding into my late twenties. With a life of constant movement I was able to eat what I wanted, when I wanted, without any noticeable effects. Unfortunately this advantage was lost once my physical activities slowed down and I was spending my evenings and weekends relaxing on the couch. For the first time I needed to start looking at my intake a bit more seriously.

After a bit of searching on the internet and discussion with a few friends I decided to download an app (MyFitnessPal) to help me achieve my weight loss goal. The app enables entry of food and drink as well as any exercise completed to calculate both the input and output for the day. Once the goal has been established it can be put into the app which will then recommend a daily intake to achieve the set goals. With the tools in my hand (well in my smartphone at least) it was time to set out my weight loss goal, and a plan to succeed.

My optimistic weight loss goal became to reach my birth year (in kilograms) by my birthday, roughly 16 kgs in 21 weeks. To achieve this was going to be tough, but I decided it was time for a change, and I was ready to commit. Next step was to lay out a training plan which I was able to revolve around my local gym where I am a member. I decided to continue my regular crossfit and spin classes, but also added in some yoga classes as well as stepping up my running schedule. To accompany this I also invested in a set of digital kitchen scales to gather accurate data on my food intake.

With enthusiasm and the right tools, I felt the weight loss goal was ready to be kicked. A few changes to my diet, removal of late night snacks and reading and understanding the dietary information on food packaging started to pay dividends. With my exercise routine set and a new understanding of dietary intake I managed to drop big numbers in a short period presenting the new issue of sustaining my momentum. As the numbers tumbled on the scales, the need to sustain the correct amount of calories became paramount to staying healthy. Although weight loss was the goal I was noticing the days I pushed too hard I was left light headed as my body was alerting me to it’s low intake levels.

As the days turned into weeks, then months, my fitness improved and the weight was disappearing. I was able to run further, push harder and generally felt fitter than I could remember. After 16 weeks from the start of my challenge I stood on the scales to be greeted with my weight loss goal, almost 5 weeks ahead of schedule. My focus now went to keeping the weight off, which from discussion with others was the potential point where things go awry. Thankfully my endeavours to beat the challenge had created new healthy habits which enabled me to sustain my goal weight over the following weeks.

With 3 weeks to go until the day I had set the goal for, I stopped checking my weight and relied on my training and trust to continue towards the goal. As the day arrived I was nervous as the numbers appeared, then relieved to read them. At 72.2 kg my weight loss goal had been achieved. I was now at a weight that was considered healthy for my height, and at 40 years of age probably weighed less than I had since I was in my twenties.

With a new set of challenges awaiting I look forward to completing my upcoming fitness goals, and planning more opportunities to keep my weight loss achievement under control.

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