MY STORY
FROM 17.5 STONE TO KEEP CLIMBING
This isn't a story about becoming perfect. It's about finding a way forward when i didn't know where to start.
17½ STONE
When i didn't know where to start
KEEP CLIMBING
One step at a time.
17½ STONE - WHEN I LOST MY WAY
There was a time when i didn't recognise the person looking back at me.
At 17½ stone, I wasn't just carrying extra weight. I was carrying a lot mentally too. My confidence had taken a hit, and there were times when I didn't know how to change things or where to even begin. From the outside, I could carry on with life and put a smile on my face. But inside, things weren't always as they seemed. I eventually realised that I didn't need to change everything overnight. I just needed to take the first steps.
Then another.
And another.
That's where my journey really began.
THE WEIGHT WASN'T JUST PHYSICAL
At 17½ stone, I knew I needed to change, but the hardest part wasn't knowing what to do - it was finding the strength to actually do it. I had spent a long time putting on a front. I could laugh, carry on with life and make it look like everything was okay, while inside I was struggling with my confidence and how I felt about myself. The more I struggled, the easier it became to put things off. I'd tell myself I'd start tomorrow, next week, or when things settled down. But tomorrow kept becoming another tomorrow. Eventually, I realised that waiting for the perfect time was getting me nowhere. I didn't need to become a completely different person overnight. I just needed to make one decision - to start.
I didn't know where the journey would take me. I just knew i couldn't stay where i was.
THE FIRST STEP
The turning point came when I was sitting alone on the sofa, looking at photos of my children hanging on the wall.
I remember thinking that if I didn't change, I might not be around to see them grow up. And if I kept getting bigger, there would come a point where I wouldn't be able to play with them the way I wanted to. I didn't transform my life overnight. I started small.
First, I cut out alcohol.
Then I started taking a short walk everyday and making at least one meal healthier. Then one became two, and eventually all of them. My walks got longer. I started building momentum. Then I got myself a personal trainer. I needed someone in my corner - someone I could be accountable to and someone who expected me to keep showing up. Then I set myself a bigger challenge.
I signed up for the Three Peak Challenge.
I needed a goal. Something to work towards. Something that would make me keep moving forward.
One small change became another. Then another. And eventually I was climbing.
THIS IS WHY I BUILT KEEP CLIMBING
I know what it feels like to need someone in your corner.
I didn't make these changes alone. I had people who supported me, challenged me and held me accountable when I needed it most.
That's why i created Keep Climbing Club.
A place where you don't have to do it alone.
You'll have support, encouragement, daily challenges, simple goals and a community of people all trying to move forward - one step at a time.
If I can do it, so can you.
KEEP CLIMBING