Week 2 (10/03/2025 to 16/03/2025)

 

(Some meals from Week 2)

Week 2 of my weight loss and fitness journey I have found a little more difficult. I was waiting upon an appointment majority of the day on Monday, and promised myself I'd go to the gym in the afternoon (after my husband was back from work, along with my son from school). However, 4pm hit and I just really struggled to find motivation to get off my arse and go to the gym - so I ended up skipping it. For some reason, I felt really drained on the Monday too, however, I promised myself I would make up for the missed session one night after work instead, which I managed to accomplish on Thursday.

I was so thrilled about losing 8lbs when I weighed myself on Monday, I decided to do the same as the previous week and weigh myself daily so I could see the loss progress throughout the week, however, I got slightly disheartened when I seemed to put back on 2lbs on the Tuesday, and the extra 2lbs did not budge on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. In attempt to not let this get to me, I avoided checking the scales on Saturday and Sunday and reminded myself that the weight gain may not be fat, but water retention. (I intend to get myself a better set of scales that can measure my fat loss and other things rather than just general weight loss so I can track this better). 

Following my gym sessions on Tuesday, Thursday - I had developed a routine of 1 hour walking on the treadmill and half an hour swimming afterwards On Saturday, my husband was working most of the day and my son had a Stage Coach session in the morning, so I had to split my gym session to an hour in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening (once my husband was home to look after our son whilst I went to the gym). This was when I decided to try something different. In the morning, for half an hour I did the treadmill only. I tried doing 5 minutes walking, followed by 5 minutes running in that pattern for 30 minutes (35 minutes including a 5 minute walk cool down, as the last 5 mins running period took me to the half hour mark). The first 5 minutes of running (casual jogging) didn't go too badly - then I struggled a little bit on the 2nd and 3rd jogging sections of my work out. I found I struggled again with this in the 2nd 30 session I did in the evening, however, I was relieved that I pushed myself and accomplished my goal. I then found it even more difficult doing the 5 mins walking to 5 mins running for the full 60 minute session on the Sunday, but again, I pushed myself and I did it. I only hope I find it starts to get easier if I keep with this routine in my future treadmill sessions in week 3. 

I discovered from doing 30 minutes swimming on the Sunday morning (before needing to pick my son up from Stagecoach) that there appears to be a regular Aqua fit (almost daily) at 11am (I went for a swim around 11:15am, and saw the class taking place whilst I did my usual 30 mins swimming in a separate dedicated lane). After my Sunday swimming session, I took a look at my gym app and could see I could book onto Aqua fit classes most mornings at 11am. I managed to get myself booked in for 11am on Monday and Tuesday next week and look forward to seeing if I enjoy this or not.

Weekly Calorie Overview

My husband set up the app he had been using to track what we had been eating on my phone. This made it easier for me to also track my calories and include my exercise sessions and have an overall view of how my calorie consumption was and how my exercise sessions were also impacting my calorie deficit. 

Overall, I am happy with how this week went, felt proud of myself for pushing myself more at the gym. I did struggle some days to stick to my calories - in that I just really wished I had a big bar of chocolate to chow down on - however, I resisted (as evidenced above in my calorie overview). I may also clarify at this point that I am sticking to my daily calories and not including calories gained from exercising. I'm looking forward to what next week will bring and hope Monday will show weight loss in the end after worrying about a gain throughout the week.

Current progress:

-8lbs

(No change to body measurements yet).

Week 1 (03/03/2025 to 09/03/2025)

I was expecting to find the first week really difficult, as I usually do when starting a diet plan due to the sudden reduction in all the sugary treats I usually indulge myself when I am "off the wagon", however, this time round, it hasn't been too bad (so far/touch wood). My first seven days and I've not craved a big bar of galaxy caramel or "share" bag of minstrels. 

Equally, I also did not feel like I had been on a rabbit food diet. Still ate well and had snacks. Stuck within target calorie range of 2068 per day.

Main meals from Week 1:

Monday - Steak Pie & CHIPS

Tuesday - "Taco Tuesday" (Beef tacos)

Wednesday - Green Thai Curry

Thursday - Melt in the Middle Fish Cakes

Friday - Katsu Chicken

Saturday - Burgers & Chips

Sunday - KFC Fakeaway

I am aware that I have a bad habit of skipping breakfast, but I genuinely wasn't hungry at the time. I am going to try and not make a habit of that though going forward. 

I attended the gym 4 days out of 7 which met my initial plan. I did 3 hours over 3 days (Monday, Tuesday and Saturday) of just steady walking on the treadmill whilst watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then on Sunday I did half an hour on the treadmill of steady walking again and then half an hour swimming (breaststroke). The 4 days I attended the gym, I also achieved reaching at least 10k steps. It's a bit more difficult on the other 3 days when I was at work, which is due to me working at a desk all day. I know I need to try and come up with finding the time to fit in reaching at least 10k steps on my work days as well, which can also be challenging when there is the school run to work around.  

Overall, I was happy with how my first week went - with keeping within my calories for the week, with my gym sessions and the amount I attended and how I felt in myself,.

I lost 8lbs in my first week, so I also felt super thrilled at the start of my second week!

Podge Blog - Introduction

Since I was 16, my body and my weight is something I have always battled with. I look back at pictures of me from when I was 16 and how young, slim and healthy I looked with sad memory of knowing how I felt about my weight and how my body looked. I have no memory of my exact weight back then, but I was around UK dress size of 12 to 14. As a 30 something woman now, I look back on images from when I was 16 and would kill to have that body now. Yet, back then, I thought I was overweight and I hated my body.

Of course, back when I was 16, it was in the early 2000s. Back when young girls and women were heavily pressurised by media and society to have the perfect slim bodies that were usually unachievable, unrealistic, unhealthy and mentally damaging to the average woman - which is still difficult to state what the "average" is for women as well all come in different shapes and sizes. There is of course, the BMI scale to go by, however, I call bullshit on this following learning that BMI was originally set up based on a slim, white male physique. BMI neglects to take into account the difference between male and female bodies, the fact that women all have different shaped and sized breasts (regardless of how fit or slim they maybe). I do not even recall what my BMI was back in the early 2000s, but definitely considerably better to now. 

Me in South Africa, aged 16.

University was definitely the starting journey of my weight yoyoing up and down. Moving away from home and beginning to become more independent from my mum - learning that there is a difference in eating what I want, whenever I want as an adult compared to ensuring I am providing myself a balanced diet. Other challenges, such as undiagnosed depression, anxiety and ADHD also contributing to these struggles. 

Fast forwarding to today, as a 30 something mum, with a husband and a 5 year old and significantly a lot bigger and heavier and many other personal life experiences, I am on my lost-count attempt at sorting myself and my life out. Reaching towards a size 22 dress size, I am now bullying myself into doing something about it, and figured writing this blog, perhaps pushing myself to do some TikTok videos? Maybe? I can make myself more accountable in my weight loss journey and general level of fitness. 

I did make significant progress back in 2022 when I joined Slimming World, then illness struck in October. Managed to lose just over 5 stone over a year, running regularly. Then I was hit with a very terrible sickness bug. Lost all motivation for a balanced diet and exercise as I got better. Ever since then, I have struggled following many personal reasons to not put on weight and to get back into the running that I had gotten addicted to in the summer.

Photos of me with my hubby at the Paradox Museum in London, February 2025. 

Looking back at these photos taken at the time really made me see that I have gotten to my biggest and heaviest. 

I joined the gym late 2024, with the expense of it, close proximity to home and fact that it could facilitate swimming for me would prompt me to go and would not be able to make excuses for myself not to go. Still managed to avoid the gym between December 2024 to February 2025. I now have a small victory in attending the gym now for two sessions over the last two days within the first 4 days of March. I'm hoping this means I have finally turned a new corner. 

Anyway, that's me and my boring life. My next post will be reviewing my first weeks progress on how the battle against my podge is going. Until next time! Write soon.

Reminders below of what I know I am capable of achieving: 

Previous "before" collage prior to doing Slimming World in 2022, photos ranging from 2019 to 2022.

After photos in 2022, following doing Slimming World food plan and "Jog a Mile a Day" in June 2022 when I lost 5 stone.

Year loss weight comparison from Summer of 2022 to Summer 2021.