16/10/2025
As I've spent the last few years really focusing on endurance tasks, I've not been too bothered about my physique. In fact, having a few spare pounds to draw on when you're 1300 Burpees in or on mountain number 8 of 9 isn't a bad thing.
At the start of July however I decided I wanted to cut some weight prior to going on holiday and I'm pleased with the results, having trimmed off 13kg in 15 weeks (which included a full week of stress eating when my dog was ill)
Here's what I did and didn't do to cut the weight.
Things I did
✅ Cut out alcohol - I love a drink but there's no denying that alcohol can slow or even kill your gains.
✅ Eat a low (not no) carb high protein diet. - Lowering your carb intake will encourage your body to use stored fat for energy and a high amount of protein is essential for muscle sustainability and recovery.
✅ Up my step count. - Walking is the easiest way to burn fat and also an incredibly effective one
✅ Vary my training - mixture of resistance, steady state cardio and hit, keeps the body guessing, avoids plateaus and encourages fat loss
✅ Drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day - water helps fuel recovery keeps you healthy.
✅ Aim for 7 hours sleep a night - rest is essential for any form of sustainable exercise goal.
Things I didn't do
❌ Give myself a ridiculously low calorie limit - in fact I didn't count calories at all throughout the process. Whislt monitoring calories can and does work, limiting yourself to a horribly low target will only leave you feeling tired, grumpy and lacking in energy.
❌Force myself to go to bed hungry - Who wants to do that?? If you're having to go to bed early to avoid eating or going to bed feeling famished the "diet" you're on is not for you
❌ Deny myself things I enjoy. With the exception of alcohol I didn't fully avoid anything. Over the last 15 weeks I've had takeaway pizza, takeaway curry,, takeaway Chinese crisps, chocolate and ice cream. Life is for living and we should be allowed to enjoy treats, even when losing weight.
❌ I did not overly obsess about the scales. I weighed twice a week - on a Monday and a Friday. NOT every day. The scales can become an unhealthy obsession and to me
