I won’t throw in the towel

Is it really August tomorrow?

I can’t believe it’s come around so quickly.

By the end of the month, I’ll have completed my first 10K and I’ll be in my 40s.

I won’t have achieved what I set out to in February, but that’s okay.

Too many times over the years I’ve sabotaged any progress I’ve made because I didn’t meet the deadline I set.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned on this journey is that the goalposts change all the time in life, so your plans have to change as well.

For all the progress I have made, the memory of my trip to London – when I could barely stand without pain – and Christmas Day at the end of last year is still fresh.

I know exactly where I’ll end up if I throw in the towel, and that’s not going to happen.

I had another hypnotherapy session this week and I really feel positive about moving forward. If I’m completely honest, my confidence was knocked when the plan I set out with fell through after eight weeks.

All the coping mechanisms that got me down to 22 stone in the first place began to creep back in as I felt I had no support.

I’d like to think it’s because I know what’s at stake, but I know that sharing my journey with the Paisley Daily Express readers has played a big part in fighting that negativity.

Food is not my only comfort. My body is capable of exercise and increased activity.

This journey doesn’t end at the finish line of the 10K or the day I turn 40.

This is a journey that keeps going until I’ve banished the bad habits, ditched the unhealthy coping mechanisms, and burned the fat that I’d allowed to become my identity once and for all.