Day One: The why

I am fat. In fact, I am morbidly obese. At a height of 5'4" (163cm) I weigh nearly 17 stone (over 100kg) giving me a BMI of over 40. This is NOT GOOD for any number of health reasons, most urgent of which are the significantly increased chances of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer. My father has diabetes and both my parents have high blood pressure. At a recent health check, my cholesterol results were higher than the acceptable range. I have constant pain in my hips, knees and ankles which gets significantly worse if I attempt any form of exercise e.g. gently walking further than about half a mile. I snore terribly, which means I don't sleep well. Lack of sleep and exercise means my energy levels are generally low - I'm tired pretty much all of the time.

However, none of this is big news. I have been overweight for most of my adult life, although my descent into whale-like status has accelerated over the last 9 years since having children. I have tried various methods of food deprivation, including Weight Watchers, hypnosis, gym and running regimes, although I have never been able to bring myself to attempt the Atkins/Slimfast/cabbage soup torture. My weight has caused my mental state to rollercoaster between mild irritation at not being able to wear the clothes that I would like to, to being a contributing factor in full blown clinical depression. This has been going on for a LONG TIME - I am 43 years old.

So why now? Why today? Why is today Day One?

Several things have happened recently. Most significantly, I have taken control over many other aspects of my life, part and parcel of which was separating from my husband of 14 years. While that is a whole other story that I am not going in to here, a by-product of the process is that I am now more confident, more calm, more in control and more optimistic than at any other time of my life that I can remember. And I want to LIVE!! There are so many things I want to do, so many pleasures to experience, and my body is holding me back. Quite literally. If you have never been large around the middle you won't know the utter misery of trying to tie up shoelaces and breathe at the same time. And I want to do stuff that is a lot more fun and demanding that tying shoelaces.

Very recent attempts to introduce regular physical exercise into my life have been painfully frustrating. Hip and ankle injuries sustained over the last few years have never entirely healed. My doctor won't refer me for treatment as ultimately it is my weight that is preventing my joints from restoring themselves. I actually like being physically active. I love walking. But when every second step has me reeling as the stabbing pain in my hip leaves me breathless, it's hard to stay motivated.

I have wanted for a long time to attack this problem. I have formulated goals, but had no realistic strategy by which to achieve them. I looked seriously at surgery - a close friend has had spectacular results with a gastric band. But I just felt I hadn't tried enough less radical solutions yet. Surgery should be a last resort, surely.

The 5:2 strategy, or intermittent fasting (IF) fell into my lap over the last few days. I had heard of it before, in articles about DODO dieting (Day On Day Off) and passing discussions with friends. My initial reaction was to dismiss it as another fad, and as probably unachievable - go for a whole day without food, twice a week? You gotta be kidding me. I'd pass out before lunchtime.

However last week, I had to do a 24-hour fast. I needed some medical tests (I haven't even started on my other medical issues) which required me to consume nothing but clear fluids for a day beforehand. In fact it ended up being nearer 30 hours by the time the test was complete and I was allowed to eat again. I was very apprehensive, and spent the day smoking, drinking sweet black coffee and thinking about it all far too much. By the evening I was feeling quite weak and wobbly, and gratefully swallowed some clear soup. But the next morning? I wasn't hungry. In fact I felt fine. In fact I felt really great.

Then yesterday my doctor, despairing at my complaints of joint pain, suggested the 5:2 strategy. She said go look it up on the internet. And I thought, you know, I could actually do this. In fact I know I can, because I survived last week and that was with no planning and a somewhat negative attitude. 

I'm very excited about this. Having devoured the medical evidence presented in the BOOK, I feel that even if I don't lose weight, the health benefits could be spectacular. But hey, who am I kidding. I'm doing it to lose weight. Finally, I have a strategy that I am confident will work and I know I am capable of putting into action.

Hurray for me :)