Why?

Hello. My name is Dave. And I am a bit on the tubby side.

Disgustingly thin

OK, that's a little bit euphemistic. I am currently 6 foot 4 and 127kg. On the BMI scale, that makes me 33.1, or to put it another way, firmly into the obese camp. But it wasn't always this way. Here's a picture of me when I was 18, and a fairly amazing 78kg! To put it another way, nearly 50kg LESS than I am now, with a much more healthy BMI of 20.3. That was probably as low as it has ever been.

So what went wrong?

Well... it's unfortunately very simple: University.  By the time I left uni, I weighed over 100kg. I have always struggled with my weight,thanks in part to my mum's awesome cooking and a love of food. Mum made sure I left for uni with a strong understanding of my way around a kitchen, so I was always good at cooking for myself. However, now I was cooking for 1, and rather than freezing or saving leftovers, I would end up scoffing it all in one sitting. And there was another big, big issue. Beer. Before university, I didn't really drink much. But the curse of the student union hit me. I wouldn't say that I was a heavy drinker, but combined with the lack of needing to exercise (living in the middle of nowhere and not having a car meant I cycled a lot pre-uni) meant that I piled on the pounds.

Since university, the stresses, strains, and late-night takeaways of work life have meant that the weight hasn't come off. As anyone who works for the emergency services will attest, it's all too easy to grab a McDonalds instead of taking your own healthy food, especially at 2am when you have been under a car for an hour and a half. 

The Plan

I'm now at the stage where, at 30 years old, I am becoming increasingly aware of the fact that my weight could well have long-term health implications. I'm seeing men not that much older than me in similar conditions with Type 2 Diabetes, heart attacks and the like. And you know what? I don't want it to be me. So, here's the plan:

"By the end of 2013, I will get to below 100kg and STAY THERE!"

My manifesto has a few other points:

1. Take food to work and leave the wallet behind. That way, temptation is curbed.
2. Eat more fruit and veg.
3. Be realistic: I am never going to totally give up the naughty things, but limiting them to occasional treats is key.
4. Weigh myself regularly: treat the weighing scales as an assistant, not like a credit card statement. 
5. Do more exercise: get on the bike and go places.
6. Remember that the weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.
7. Bore, amuse and anger the general public by blogging about my experiences and weight loss on a daily basis.

 I am aware that weight loss is nothing without support. I have no set "diet plan", but am going to take a lot of advice from the Hairy Biker's diet book, as well as bits and pieces from elsewhere. If any others wish to join me on my epic journey, please let me know!

Wish me luck.....!