Last year I did pretty well, I stuck it out the whole duration and I did noticeably lose weight. The lovely ladies at work all commented on my slimmer physique towards the end of it and I was happier and felt more confident to wear outfits in the spring and summer that revealed parts that I don't usually show off. For a while, I did manage to keep the weight off too.
Unfortunately though, a lot has changed since then. I left my placement job, which went from me being on my feet most days to being back at home not doing a great deal and then back in the classroom for the final year of Uni. I stopped riding as much, I haven't ridden as much the past couple of years as I used to overall, but due to my operation, I didn't ride at all for about 6 months.
My operation did limit how much I was able to do for a while and I was less active than usual. Also, I went back to Uni for final year. Cue the onset of depression and anxiety and my 'go to' option for happiness: comfort eating.
Overall, by the time lent has come round again I'm right back to the weight that I started at. To give you a rough idea without having to be totally transparent, I'm approx a size 14-16 in clothes on the top half and 12 on the bottom. Although this is perfectly fine, in regards to my height, it is not healthy for someone this short to be carrying quite as many pounds as I am. I'm not a huge believer in BMI as it's doesn't take in muscle etc and according to that I should weigh just over 8 stone and it's unlikely I ever will. I do however, still need to make an effort to slim down.
The past few weeks I've actually felt 'bigger' as well. It doesn't really play on my mind a huge amount, but when I was putting on clothes and they were getting a bit tight, it was a bit of a temporary mood killer. Also, I've noticed my face and neck getting a little bigger too, which is something that I have ongoing confidence issues with.
So, hopefully I can stick to my Lent detox and by cutting out the above items from my diet, which also stops me snacking. I will see the weight going down a bit.
It's not just about a change in diet though, it's about a whole lifestyle change and this is something I want to work on too.
The first area is diet related, but it's not what I'm eating, it's when. As a student, you often find that mealtimes are not regular and often meals are skipped. I am part of this, it can't be denied (it's one of the reasons I snack so much) so I'm making a conscious effort to change that. I've been doing so this past week and it's been going well. I'm back to 3 proper meals a day (I have always been eating a proper cooked meal in the evening, as my housemates and I take turns to cook for each other) and each meal is accompanied with a glass of juice.
I don't like fruit (don't ask, yes I've tried lots of different types, yes I've tried them all many times during my life as tastebuds change, no for one reason or another I still haven't found any that I like) which is a big issue. It's not the best option, but it's better than nothing so my 3 glasses of juice are being used as a substitute for 3 of my '5-a-day'. The other two I get from at least my main evening meal and sometimes my lunch, as I am a big fan of vegetables.
The juice also is helping me to combat another area that I know is a weakness. Hydration. I have never, ever been good at keeping myself properly hydrated. Much as my parents tried to make sure I was as a child and teen, I just rarely felt thirsty. I have no idea why.
So, I've decided to make a real effort with this too. I've treated myself to a snazzy new water bottle.
It is 0.35ltrs, meaning that 5 of those a day, plus my 3 glasses of juice takes me up to the 2ltrs a day of fluids that you're meant to drink. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to this. Today I had two this morning, two this afternoon and have just had a final one after dinner. I think that should work in the long run.
It's also important to help my immune system. Due to my thyroid and my heart, my immune system is weaker than average, so an increase in fluids is a good way to try and flush toxins etc through the body and reduce their negative impact.
Finally, I need to start exercising more. Now I'm not riding regularly, I cannot rely on it as my only exercise. I need to make an effort to go for a short walk or something at least a couple of times a week. Now that my Uni timetable is down to 8 hours a week for the last few months and the weather is hopefully improving, I don't really have an excuse.
So, we'll see how these changes work and if I end up sticking to them or finding other methods that work better and see if I will have slimmed down much between now and Easter (due to my birthday being during lent, chocolate, cake etc will be eaten that day!!). Also, in case anyone tries to catch me out. I don't find it's the end of the world if I allow the occasional treat between now and then. I'm doing this to get healthy, not as some kind of test of stamina!
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