2024 is the year where the biggest day to day focus is going to be on my fitness and weight loss journey. I am determined to absolutely smash my goals in this category and see myself heading towards that end weight I set myself way back when. January was always going to be the month of building a new routine and working out what actually works for me and doesn't. I went into the new year with a much better attitude than I had in the whole of 2023 and let's just say that new attitude paid off and I have had the best start to the year. So here is January's journey wrap up 

Start weight : 104.5 kg

End weight : 101.3 kg 

Total lost : 3.2 kg

I can honestly say that I did not expect to see myself recording a 3.2 kg loss in the first month, I thought I would be lucky to get to 1 kg at one point as the scales have been very inconsistent. Stepping on the scales on the 31st and seeing that final number though was just absolutely fantastic and shows that it all works out in the end and it left me entering February on a high ready to keep up with the habits to hopefully see another great change by the end of the month.

Gym sessions attended : 2

I had two great gym sessions in January however, I really do wish I had got to more but for a variety of reasons this didn't take place. At some points in the month I wasn't well so the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym around other people. Then there were also some sneaky last minute changes that led to plans changing last minute and me not being able to attend. 

Football sessions : 4

This number is also not as high as I would have liked it to have been but this is due to a number of reasons again. One big reason was the weather, a few times it was called off duty to snow and ice which is typical around January time. There was also the illness factor again which spoilt a few sessions for me. 

Weight lifting sessions : 0

Unfortunately the first few weeks classes weren't running and then I fell ill so I didn't manage to hit any of the sessions I had hoped to. I am really hoping to get back to these classes asap though as I am missing them and I know they will really benefit me on my journey. 

I have really been working on my nutrition in January too and the meals out have been massively reduced meaning I have spent more time in the kitchen for a change which is something I am really not used to. One of my favourite things to make has definitely been a simple dish of turkey bacon, egg, spinach & mushrooms. This meals keeps me feeling full for ages and even though it takes so simple it is really nice. Plus it is super quite to make so within 10 minutes you have a lovely filling meal ready to go. I have also stopped myself from ordering McDonald's breakfasts far too often and instead I have been making my own take on a sausage McMuffin. Again this is really quick to make and is not greasy like a McDonald's so I consider this a healthier alternative.

Throughout the month there have been so many high points and I am really pleased with how many I have actually had. So here are the two biggest high points...

Seeing the scale drop

Obviously this was the biggest thing I was hoping to see in January and I saw it drop more than I could have ever imagined. I was worried that things weren't going to move at one point but I kept on pushing and the results started to roll in. It just goes to show for me a bit of patience goes a long way and the results will soon roll in. I don't think any other months will have such a high drop but we shall see.

Learning not to let the negative thoughts in

A big reason I believe I ruined my progress in 2023 is by letting the negative thoughts in and letting them bring me down meaning that I didn't want to do anything and just binge ate instead. Throughout January I have been working on not letting those thoughts creep back in and instead I have been working on adopting a more positive attitude which has really helped me achieve that drop. 

Of course as with any journey there have been some low points too but I am happy to report that those haven't been too low and have actually been out of my control. So here are two of the low points from January...

Getting ill

Unfortunately around the middle of the month things started to go down hill and I spent a few days in bed unwell however, thanks to me learning though about those negative thoughts I allowed myself some proper rest and recovery and in the end I was ill for a lot less time than usual. So it may be a low point but it wasn't too low.

The weather

I am putting it down to the weather for why I got ill in the first place however, it also caused a fair bit of disruption. It meant football was cancelled a few times and in some cases it also meant that I was unable to get to the gym meaning a few sessions were missed. I can't help the weather though so we go again and just plan better next time around.

After the success of January though it is time to set myself some goals for February, another month which I am hoping to smash and see some brilliant progress on my journey. Fingers crossed that I can start picking up some of the rewards I have set myself soon too as the progress is going that well. So here are the goals I am setting myself for February...

Get under the 100 kg mark 

I have 1.3 kg to go until I hit the 100 kg mark but I think with a good push I can get myself into the 99 kg bracket by the 29th of February. This would help keep me heading in the right direction for the end of the year goal but will also give me a bit of a confidence boost I think. The 99 mark is a more realistic goal however, 98 kg I believe would mean I am 1 stone down so I would be over the moon if I achieved that.

Limited the eating out

I did really well in January when it came to eating out and I am determined to keep the momentum going in February. I have a few things coming up in the month however, I want to try to just stick to these events for the eating out rather than constantly adding more days out to the list. If I want to see that progress I can't be reverting back to old habits. 

Gym twice a week

I have two full body sessions per week that I need to head to the gym for so I need to make sure I am getting there twice a week no excuses. By going twice a week I should be able to get into a nice routine without neglecting other aspects of my life too which is a win, win situation.

Football 6 times

Before February started I had chance to sit down and work out realistically just how many football training sessions I could get to and the answer was 6 so we are going straight in and aiming to hit every session possible within the month. These sessions will definitely help me on my journey but also get me back into the game I love and I really can't wait to attend the sessions.

Smash my first reward goal

My first reward goal is at half a stone down and I am hoping to smash that in February so I can go buy myself some new shin pads but I also want to be well on my way towards the 1 stone mark which will really push me towards the 3 stone by 30 goal. 

Feel great going into my first friendly

My first game with my new team is on the 18th so I really want to work towards feeling good about myself by then. I want to feel confident heading back onto the pitch as I have had a long time out and put a lot of weight on since the last time. I know that if I feel good heading into it I am more likely to perform better on the pitch so fingers crossed.

So those are my goals and now onto the things I am wanting to change going into the new month to help me push on even further. First up I want to be more organised, I know that more organisation will lead to me hitting more sessions as I won't be double booking or burning myself out. I am also hoping that cutting out the late starts on a weekend will also help me along, by getting up a few hours earlier I will have more time to get on with my day and that extra hour could determine if I work out or not. Finally I plan on making sure I am hitting those full body sessions, there is no need to keep putting them off and I know I will see a big change in my body if I get them done.

Overall I feel absolutely brilliant with how my progress is going and I have surprised myself with how well I have done in month 1 I didn't think I would be capable of a 3 kg lost in just one month but I guess that self doubt can disappear now. The progress in January has definitely more determined to keep going in February so let's see what the month holds for me...