62 weeks - 114lbs shed!

Blogging is weird.  Mostly, of course, I choose to talk about businessy things, booky things and work things.  But I'm also championed by the most amazing customers, who are probably a greater support in my life, than they realise. 

So a wee, personal update, today. 

I used to be really fit. Fit as in, some days, I would climb a mountain before work, and then walk 10 or so miles during work, before walking another couple after work. And chuck in a swim before work, and a cardio or weight class on the way home...days off were often spent Munroing, or long distance hiking (I wouldn't bother heading on a walk that was less than 20 miles)...I actually had no idea just how fit I was! 

I was never slim.  I've always been 'cuddly'.  But I wish I'd appreciated how proper fit I was hahaha

Then No Books came along.  And lovingly enveloped my whole life and changed it forever. This is my absolute vocation.  It entered my life unexpectedly, and just grew and grew and I ate, slept and breathed it.  I've often said my business is like my parent, my partner and my child.  It's just wonderful, and I love every aspect of it, and I struggle to remember life before it, and hope there will never be an 'after it'!

As the years rolled on, I realised I'd gained the best part of 8 stone, in the first 7 years of NoBooksWereHarmed.co.uk.  Why?  Because instead of spending my days moving and walking and, y'know, standing haha, I was literally sat on my arse for anything up to 18 hours a day.  As my dogs grew older, even they didn't need the walks they once did, and there were days...weeks...months...that you'd be lucky if I was hitting 1000 steps a day.  Not much wrong with my diet.  I don't eat meat, barely think about food, don't have a sweet tooth, takeaways are a once in a blue moon thing.  But as well as sitting on my arse, working, there were many days I just didn't think about eating. Wasn't hungry, hadn't thought about food, didn't bother eating. I've always been like that.  That's where following Slimming World works for me - I HAVE to think about food, if only to make sure I'm eating enough fibre and calcium.    Balance that up with the first few years of NoBooksOnTour.com, where I was travelling the country with my pop up stand.  Working in shopping centres for 12-16 hours a day, living out of a suitcase, leaving hotels before breakfast starts, getting back long after kitchens closed.  So half the week I wasn't eating much of anything.  The other half, I still wasn't eating much, but it was 'garage food' - sarnies and crisps bought from whatever 24 hour shop I could quickly nip in to. And in between travelling?  Sat on my arse hahaha It's not much wonder the weight piled on, is it? 

Covid changed everything.  

For a few months, it took me off the road completely.  Then I did get back on the road, but nothing like the schedule I'd previously had (anything up to 100+ events a year).  Events were still busy (thank you!), but you know what?  Far from crumbling the day lockdown hit, as I'd expected, NoBooksWereHarmed.co.uk had continued to grow and grow.  Blew my mind. I had ALWAYS thought that if I stopped being seen at events, venues etc, that orders would soon dry up.  Covid showed me that this wasn't the case.  Who knew?!  Not me, that's for sure!!! Fast forward towards the end of 2021 and a health scare in the family made me want/need to stay close to home, and NOT to commit to being hundreds of miles away.  And it was like a light bulb came on.  It was like "I can stay at home...?!".  

With travelling time saved, I could do two things.  I could lean in and continue to work 12-18 hours a day.  Or.  I could give myself that time back.  And that's what I chose.  I suddenly had time to get back to the gym, back out on long walks, back to how I used to be.  We all have the same 24 hours in the day.  But as a self employed person, my drive was always to work as many of those hours as possible.  And I still work silly hours, a year on haha But they are now punctuated with long hikes, lots of zumba and a bit of gym.  And, today, for absolutely no reason, I actually had a long lie.  A long lie!  In NOVEMBER!?  Unheard of! hahaha

This has become a much longer post than I'd intended hahahah

This week, 62 weeks since I rejoined the gym and started going to Slimming World meetings, I hit an incredible 8 stone 2lb weight loss!  Eight fucking stone!!  A whole person ffs! And it's still coming off, week on week.

I don't have a final target weight in mind.  if my losses had stopped at 5 stone, I'd have been delighted, so now I'm at more than 8, it's like *whatever*, up to you, bod!   I do have a target date.  1st March 2023 will be 18 months since I started this, and whatever I weight that day, is where I will work to stay. I'm keen/excited to get to a maintenance number, because I know that's where the hard work really starts.  That sneaky fat finds us again so easily, and I'm determined that will NOT be the case this time round...!