Let's not be fat! - my monthly fitness blog

I'm not as productive at work as I used to be. In March 2020, I weighed 165 lbs. When the lockdown started in the UK, I made the conscious decision to start eating and drinking whatever I wanted. It was like a William Wallace moment; they can take my freedom, but they can't take my free will! Well, now I look more like Free Willy (search 90's kids movie about an unrealistically NOT killer whale), than I do my old self.

Today, I weigh 254 lbs. I'd like to get back down to 165.

There are a few things I have in my favour. I have done this before, and I have some methods that I know will work. 10 years ago, I lost 100 lbs in a year through running, a good diet, and weight-lifting. Believe it or not, I'm a qualified personal trainer - this was something I did just to cut through all the crap rather than as a career move; the fitness industry pumps out all sorts of fads and myths just to keep a flow of content - the truth is that weight loss and fitness are extremely simple things.

The first thing I like to do is shame myself into keeping up the hard work. Last time in 2012, I did this by signing up to a charity 10km run. I knew that I'd train properly if other people were expecting me to. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to raise money, and then just sack it off! My shame this time is this blog. I'll release monthly updates, and I expect to be roasted if there is not progress. Actually, I expect nobody to read this, but I'm going to pretend they are.

Next, I know to track my progress. The scales are my friend. I have a smart watch too, so I can see how far I've ran, how fast, my heart rate, cadence... and all that other stuff.

There is only one main principle to losing weight. Calorie deficit. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. It is far easier to maintain a calorific deficit than it is to out-exercise a poor diet. Next month, I might talk about basal metabolic rate and more advanced things.

Run on an empty stomach. If you eat sometime between 7pm and 8pm, you will have enough energy to run 5-10km the next day, I promise. Drink some water (and a black coffee if you want to), and run before you eat lunch. People who exercise get hungry less than people that do not exercise.

Surprisingly, today I found that I had some reasonable foundation of fitness. I left the house 99 lbs heavier than the last time I ran 3 years ago, and I did manage a full 5km. This was jogging and walking, and took just over 46 minutes.

Now to burst my bubble, my best ever 10km was 41:06 recorded in 2016 (I don't know my best 5km, I stopped doing them pretty early on) - double the distance of today, and much quicker.

To burst my bubble further, several people over the retirement age passed me on my route, and they weren't panting like a fat 35 year old idiot called Jack 'The Fat Basta... okay I'm going too far, but these were the thoughts in my head at the time.

I jogged the first 800m before having to start walking for 50m, and this was basically the pattern that followed. This was a sharp reality check as I expected to be able to at least jog 1 mile (1600m). However, I quickly put this out of my mind. It's important to accept where you are at, and know that early progression will come at an exceptionally quick rate.

A benefit of having been through this before is knowing what to expect. Early gains in fitness, early losses in weight - these are the things that I know will happen. I know this time to look forward to these first heady weeks. It's a little like playing online games. You'll get the easy lobbies at first. This is how the developers get you hooked. They feed you dopamine and inflate your ego. Then they throw you into the fire with the rest of the well practiced pasty nerds, and you realise the hardest yards start now.

I know that the difficulty really comes at the dreaded plateau. After the honeymoon period, my body will start to level out. 5km will feel like a doddle, and will take less than 30 minutes. But 10km will feel horrific! This is where it is important to get realistic and work for the next level. Run 6km for a week, then 7, then 8 etc. It'll happen, you just have to trust the process. Next month, I'll talk about some more specific methods, like intervals, but for now, we'll stick with the basics.

If you are looking to get fitter or lose some weight, I invite you to follow this blog. I'll release an update each month and if you want to message me, I'll be more than happy to give free advice.

Happy trails!

*Disclaimer; my watch recorded 4.78km, but it cut out 250m from my house.