Back at the start

It's a funny thing. I just typed the first line of this post and promptly deleted it. It was so negative and miserable. In the interests of doing everything differently this time, I'm not going to start out that way with the shadow and expectation of failure. 

I first dabbled with 5:2 about 18 months ago and for the few months I stuck with it, I found it quite doable, easier as I went along and successful for weight loss. I was losing about one kilo each week. I was first drawn to the plan because I had been leaning towards incorporating a day of fasting (or fasting until night time) once a week anyway and it seemed like a sensible way to start out. Why did I stop? Like so many things I do, I don't always get around to finishing them! 

Anyway, to start this in correct fashion here are my horrifying stats:

• Weight  - 115kg

• BMI - 47.3

• BMR - 1774cal

• TDEE - 2439cal

• Under Bust - 117cm

• Navel - 136cm

• Hips - 133

• Neck - 43cm

• Upper Arm - 43cm

• Thigh - 67cm

• Size (22-24 AUS)

My neck is as fat as my upper arm! A sobering thought. This weight also represents near my highest weight ever (except in pregnancy and shortly after). My whole life I have always been overweight except for a brief few years at university when I hovered very close to the upper end of my healthy weight range. For at least the last ten years I have been a member of the dreaded 'morbidly obese' category with brief stints in the obese category. It makes me sad to think how many times I have lost and regained (with interest) the same kilos.

Now approaching my forties, I notice how my body is aging and exercise is so much harder at this weight than all the other times I have lost weight before and I don't want that to become my future. In the last few years I have been confronted with my family's and my own declining health and it's just shouting louder to me all the time that i have to make the change as soon enough it might well be too late.

To return to a positive note, I do feel in general that I know what to do and am getting stronger in sticking to lifestyle choices that benefit my health. Since going vegetarian a year ago, I now eat and enjoy way more vegetables.

I'm also hoping this exercise in blogging and doing 5:2 will grow my perseverance and keep me accountable. I am a perfectionist and procrastinator by nature and let to many things just slip when I feel I can't do them properly so I am going to try and focus on consistency and perseverance instead.

So, here goes...