I need to drop bad habits, not just weight

As the pounds slowly drop off, I’ve had two main issues.

Firstly, patience is a virtue I have not been blessed with.

Probably one of the reasons my eating habits were so bad — I’ve got to have it now.

Someone commented that I’d ‘wasted’ the first eight weeks of my journey as I lost very little weight.

I have to admit the thought occurred to me.

But I also remember the level of inactivity and amount of discomfort I was in. I wouldn’t be where I am today without those eight weeks.

I’m hovering around 20.5 stone.

To keep doing what I’m doing and break that 20 stone barrier at a sensible pace — that’s a challenge.

I know how to lose weight fast. I’ve done it before.

What I’ve never done is kept the weight off, so this time I need to focus on changing the bad habits, not dropping weight.

I have to remind myself it’s not what the scales say, that’s not what the journey is about.

My activity level has dropped again. It’s been a busy time with college deadlines and I’m still a bit frightened off by the weak ankle diagnosis.

I bought some ankle supports, but I realised I’m scared to build the exercise back up again in case it slows the weight loss.

But a recent event helped me find my motivation again.

The PDE reported the sad loss of a work colleague who I taught alongside at two schools.

He also taught my youngest siblings.

I will complete my 10K in August in honour of Liam Cullen.

Today I’m going to dust off the running shoes and hit the streets again.

I want to be sure that I can complete the road race in August and raise some money as a tribute to a person who inspired many.