Glad you are starting 2024 gently and determined. Delighted you have the all clear Tom. Your Downsizing book was an inspiration and I reduced my mass by 5st. 2 new hips(11 months apart) and the post surgery immobility led to 3st back on. Desperate to impact this and reduce chances of diabetes. 2024 has started with RSV and chest infection over Christmas followed by norovirus. However, I am also quietly, gently determined not to give up fighting to regain my previous health and fitness. Thank you for all you do and your updates. Good Luck! 👍🏻 be kind to yourself X
I had a very similar journey with weight loss after the pandemic, which was sadly followed by a heartbreaking year in 2023, I am an emotional eater and the distress and stress quickly turned to calories and an expanding body. I too steered clear of the scales until last week when after one successful week back on a healthier lifestyle I felt strong enough to face it and strive to my previous weight. No good regretting, or punishing myself; it is what it is. Now I have to just look forward, lesson learned. Good luck on your journey, you are a true inspiration.
Tom, we share a birthday. I had some chocolate. But. Good to hear of your efforts and best wishes for getting fitter. I’m ’doing Zoe’ and finding it very helpful. In a small way (at 75) I’m adding squats. It’ll help me get out of armchairs 😉 In a Zoe podcast, a professor of kinesiology explains how resistance training gives your brain the best possible workout whatever your personal physical strength at the time because it requires a firing up of neurons second to none.
After six years of weight gain triggered when I lost my Father to cancer which plunged me into a deep depression where binge-eating seemed to be the only relief, I have finally decided to do something about it. The lockdown only made matters worse and I piled on the pounds!
Eight years ago I was running half marathons and weighed 80kg, on January 5th this year I went for a full medical check up at a private hospital here in Pattaya, Thailand where I spend my winter months since retirement, and I weighed 125kg, I had high cholesterol, my blood sugar was pre-diabetic, my Uric Acid was also high, and there were signs of a slightly fatty liver.
I was prescribed Ozempic for 3 months to suppress my huge appetite and the doctor instructed me that I must change to a low fat, low carbohydrate diet and significantly reduce my alcohol intake. In addition I needed to do at least 45 minutes of exercise a day, preferably an hour.
I started the Ozempic medication immediately and have been following the doctors instructions, eating very small meals, mostly salads, drinking three litres of water a day and no beer, and either swimming or walking every day.
Eleven days into my new lifestyle I have lost 7 kilos and am feeling better, but I know I have a long way to go. The Ozempic can sometimes make me feel tired so I have regular afternoon naps, rather than a few beers with friends.
I take each day at a time, and focus on short term goals rather than the distant target of 45 kilos weight loss.
We’ve given up on grandiose goals and have started focusing on changing habits that undermine who we want to be. The results have been amazing. Life changing actually. It’s great to hear you got the all clear and good luck with everything. Here’s for a great 2024.
So glad you got the all clear Tom. Fitness and wellbeing is always a path of regular steps and finding something that you can happily and readily add to every day until it becomes a good habit. As a qigong teacher I always start my day with that, great for wellbeing and all round mobility and strength, I meditate daily and later either do a walk or if the weather is not great I do an online fitness video. I’m pretty self motivated. I got a great dual journal for Christmas with ‘morning motivation’ one side and ‘night notes’ the other. Its well laid out to just write a few thoughts.
I loved this honest account. It's so much more persuasive than the normal clamour of voices with impossibly toned bodies and stretched faces. I'm going to start again and maybe start simple. Having read your first book that I found utterly engrossing I'm going to keep trying . I also believe you need to be kind to yourself and recognise that sometimes pain does make us retreat and am going to try the gratitude journal
Hi Tom, just a quick note to say that after 4 years I continue to follow and be inspired by your story and 7 stone and a complete change in my quality of life (now a committed cycle to worker), appreciate the honesty in your comments and will definitely look into the journal, as we all need time to reflect more on the positives, which is sometimes hard when the world pushes us to only accept perfection. Enjoy the journey, best wishes for a healthy 2024
Glad you are starting 2024 gently and determined. Delighted you have the all clear Tom. Your Downsizing book was an inspiration and I reduced my mass by 5st. 2 new hips(11 months apart) and the post surgery immobility led to 3st back on. Desperate to impact this and reduce chances of diabetes. 2024 has started with RSV and chest infection over Christmas followed by norovirus. However, I am also quietly, gently determined not to give up fighting to regain my previous health and fitness. Thank you for all you do and your updates. Good Luck! 👍🏻 be kind to yourself X
I had a very similar journey with weight loss after the pandemic, which was sadly followed by a heartbreaking year in 2023, I am an emotional eater and the distress and stress quickly turned to calories and an expanding body. I too steered clear of the scales until last week when after one successful week back on a healthier lifestyle I felt strong enough to face it and strive to my previous weight. No good regretting, or punishing myself; it is what it is. Now I have to just look forward, lesson learned. Good luck on your journey, you are a true inspiration.
Tom, we share a birthday. I had some chocolate. But. Good to hear of your efforts and best wishes for getting fitter. I’m ’doing Zoe’ and finding it very helpful. In a small way (at 75) I’m adding squats. It’ll help me get out of armchairs 😉 In a Zoe podcast, a professor of kinesiology explains how resistance training gives your brain the best possible workout whatever your personal physical strength at the time because it requires a firing up of neurons second to none.
Hi Tom,
After six years of weight gain triggered when I lost my Father to cancer which plunged me into a deep depression where binge-eating seemed to be the only relief, I have finally decided to do something about it. The lockdown only made matters worse and I piled on the pounds!
Eight years ago I was running half marathons and weighed 80kg, on January 5th this year I went for a full medical check up at a private hospital here in Pattaya, Thailand where I spend my winter months since retirement, and I weighed 125kg, I had high cholesterol, my blood sugar was pre-diabetic, my Uric Acid was also high, and there were signs of a slightly fatty liver.
I was prescribed Ozempic for 3 months to suppress my huge appetite and the doctor instructed me that I must change to a low fat, low carbohydrate diet and significantly reduce my alcohol intake. In addition I needed to do at least 45 minutes of exercise a day, preferably an hour.
I started the Ozempic medication immediately and have been following the doctors instructions, eating very small meals, mostly salads, drinking three litres of water a day and no beer, and either swimming or walking every day.
Eleven days into my new lifestyle I have lost 7 kilos and am feeling better, but I know I have a long way to go. The Ozempic can sometimes make me feel tired so I have regular afternoon naps, rather than a few beers with friends.
I take each day at a time, and focus on short term goals rather than the distant target of 45 kilos weight loss.
Life is getting better, day by day!
We’ve given up on grandiose goals and have started focusing on changing habits that undermine who we want to be. The results have been amazing. Life changing actually. It’s great to hear you got the all clear and good luck with everything. Here’s for a great 2024.
So glad you got the all clear Tom. Fitness and wellbeing is always a path of regular steps and finding something that you can happily and readily add to every day until it becomes a good habit. As a qigong teacher I always start my day with that, great for wellbeing and all round mobility and strength, I meditate daily and later either do a walk or if the weather is not great I do an online fitness video. I’m pretty self motivated. I got a great dual journal for Christmas with ‘morning motivation’ one side and ‘night notes’ the other. Its well laid out to just write a few thoughts.
I loved this honest account. It's so much more persuasive than the normal clamour of voices with impossibly toned bodies and stretched faces. I'm going to start again and maybe start simple. Having read your first book that I found utterly engrossing I'm going to keep trying . I also believe you need to be kind to yourself and recognise that sometimes pain does make us retreat and am going to try the gratitude journal
I hope your 2024 is a healthy, lean and successful year Tom.
Liz Kershaws approach has really helped me.
Remember to sleep. Get a couple of hours before midnight. 👍
So glad to hear you’ve got the all clear Tom. Our Yorkshire air will do you the world of good. X
We really need to expunge the term 'clean' from discussions about food unless we are talking about contamination with salmonella or mercury etc.
Happy New Year! Good to hear you sounding so chipper. Take care, and don't overdo the salads...
Hi Tom, just a quick note to say that after 4 years I continue to follow and be inspired by your story and 7 stone and a complete change in my quality of life (now a committed cycle to worker), appreciate the honesty in your comments and will definitely look into the journal, as we all need time to reflect more on the positives, which is sometimes hard when the world pushes us to only accept perfection. Enjoy the journey, best wishes for a healthy 2024
Best of luck with it all Tom. You are doing great xxx