I'm
27 years old, and have been overweight for pretty much all of my
life, I think. Have you ever read weight loss blogs where the writer
talks about the moment that they started to put on weight? I don't
remember that moment. There are photographs of me looking reasonably
slim at around four years of age, but I'm pretty sure they were
Photoshopped thanks to some mystical, secret time machine.
 |
| Me at age four. No, I'm not either of the pretty ones in the middle or on the left - I'm the one on the right, red-faced from screaming about wanting cake, probably. |
I
digress. Believe it or not, being a fat person does not encompass my
entire personality. As well as being fat, I am a book lover, a
documentary enthusiast (especially ones about serial killers. In fact, I have an encyclopaedia on
serial killers. No, don't go...) and a cat fanatic. I also adore
comedy and will binge on box sets like they're going out of fashion.
And these hobbies have probably, I admit, contributed to my being
fat. Damn you, Parks and Rec! Not really. Amy Poehler can do no
wrong.
In
my professional life, I'm a writer. I write for a magazine part time,
and also work freelance. I love what I do, and so I figured that
incorporating it into my weight loss journey could only be a good
thing.
Meet
my trainer!
 |
| Harry: my trainer, housemate and best friend. He's the one with two legs. |
If
anyone can motivate me, it's Harry. Firstly, he's really fun to train
with. He picks the best soundtracks for me to work out to (the Rocky
theme + 90s dance = workout heaven) and knows how to push me to my
limit without sending me over the edge. Secondly, he's supportive, motivating
and understanding, and COMPLETELY non-judgemental. I usually hate
using capitals in the middle of a sentence like this, but here it's
necessary.
Harry
is very good looking and has a fantastic figure, two facets of a
person that can sometimes mean they look down their noses at people
who get to a BMI of 38, like me. But Harry does not judge. Not one
bit. And one of the reasons for this, I think, is that he's been
there himself.
Harry
has never been overweight – I think he's actually incapable of
being fat – but he used to be, in his own words, very skinny. (I
know, boo hoo.) For a bloke who wanted a body like the guys
on the Calvin Klein boxers packet, this was as much a problem for him
as being overweight is for me. So, one day he decided to do something
about it, and successfully changed his BMI from an underweight 18.5 to a healthy 23 - what I'm aiming for.
 |
| Believe it or not, these are both images of Harry's arm - but one is before training, and one is after. |
I
think the main reason that Harry will make such a fantastic personal
trainer, apart from his in depth knowledge of nutrition, exercise and
the human body, is his empathy. He really does understand how hard it
is to force yourself to exercise, and to change your eating habits.
And because he's been there, he knows how to get you to where you
want to be.
I'm
going to document my experiences, both good and bad, during my
weight loss journey. And maybe, just maybe, this will be the last
time I have six stone of weight loss ahead of me. Cross
your fingers, people!
