In the dead of the night, when my mind was loud and the world was still, I made an impulsive decision that ended up reshaping my entire life.
It was 3 am on a cold December night, the new year approaching steadfastly, and I was in a repetitive cycle of overthinking and self-pity. I was lying in bed, crying, and doom scrolling through transformation videos. Women who looked like me and had been overweight their whole lives, then suddenly not.
Something in me snapped that night. I always told myself, “I could do it if I actually tried, so why don’t I?” Finally tired of this pity party, I signed up for a gym membership before I had a chance to second-guess myself. It was the middle of the night, I was in my jammies, and I had no idea what I was doing.
I just knew that I owed it to the 12-year-old girl crying, praying to God to make her skinny and ‘normal’, fulfilling her promise that our 20s would be the best-looking version of ourselves. With my 21st birthday approaching, I gave myself a deadline. Five months to look amazing for an unforgettable birthday, so future me could admire herself through these memories.
Equipped with unwavering determination and leftover holiday guilt, I began just after Christmas at 80 kg, my heaviest weight yet. No easing in, I went full keto. The keto diet focuses on high protein and fats while cutting carbohydrates almost entirely, forcing the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. The process of teaching myself how to live a healthy lifestyle was long and winding. I became the friend who needed “just a minute” in Sainsbury’s because I was deep‑diving the ingredients list. I repurposed my baking scales for weighing food to count calories instead and used my time to learn how to lift weights safely and make a routine I could stick to.
Evidence from the World Health Organization shows that physical inactivity “is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality,” emphasising the importance of being active and moving your body regularly, which I incorporated into my lifestyle. This taught me new things about myself along the way, like the fact that the Stairmaster is my worst enemy, and my only preferred form of cardio is walking, even at a moderate pace, which works just as well.
I agreed to have a monthly weigh-in rather than weekly, and I knew seeing a bigger change in numbers would motivate me more. So, I went in for my first step on the scale with low expectations. But there was no need because it worked, I lost 5kg in my first month and kept up that pace for the oncoming months. The NHS recommends you “aim to lose 0.5 to 1kg a week as a sustainable and safer rate of weight loss,” and knowing I was on the right track made each weigh-in a victory, and with discipline, it continued my drive.
The most difficult part of my journey was rebuilding my relationship with food. I knew I would have to do a full 360 with the way I view food, and going cold turkey came with its disadvantages. I used to avoid sugar and carbohydrates for three weeks at a time, but I would indulge during my period and then go into complete guilt mode. After experiencing panic attacks over a single piece of chocolate, I turned to some of my favourite weight loss content creators, who provided me with incredible advice that I still follow. “One day won’t reset months of progress” was my holy grail; it gave me the patience and ability to say, “It’s okay, we will continue tomorrow,” which meant that I wouldn’t have to cut calories but would still be able to eat enough to stay healthy.
An NHS health survey found “that nearly 70% of overweight people meet the recommended levels of aerobic activity. This suggests that while exercise is important, it isn’t the only factor.” it is true that exercise alone cannot help reverse a bad diet, which is why to live a healthy lifestyle it is important to combine both exercise and healthy eating and you will surely see results if you are consistent enough. If you are waiting until you feel ready, I did too, but I just happened to stop waiting at 3 am.
25kg later…..
