• My final weigh-in this week, and it did not disappoint! This is why I don’t worry about the odd “birthday blip” on my weight loss and diabetic reversal journey.

    I weighed in this morning and – fanfare please….

    I am now an increasingly svelte 16 st 7.7 lbs (231.7 lbs / 105.3 kg). That’s a 3.4 lb (1.54 kg) loss since my last weigh-in on Thursday, and a 5.9 lb (2.67 kg) loss since my Tuesday weigh-in! That is the single biggest weekly weight loss I’ve had since starting this process in December!

    Even when you account for my 1.7 lb blip, that is still a 4.4 lb total drop this week. Remember, my target average weight loss to hit my 6-month goal is 2.56 lbs (1.16kg) per week; this week’s incredible progress keeps me firmly on track. I’m over the moon, walking on clouds – and I’m light enough to do it! 😝

    So – let’s look at the overall weight loss stats:

    Progress Update • Week 11 – March 7, 2026 (from December 20th)

    16st 7.7lbs
    231.7 lbs | 105.3 kg
    Total Loss: 1st 12.2lbs (26.2 lbs / 11.9 kg)

    Exercise status: 1.25km swim (1 * 250m + 2 x 500m) and second weekly outdoor walk/run sessions completed.

    Fasting Status: Third 36-hour fast completed.

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 51.7 lbs

    Since I started this new lifestyle in December, just 11 weeks ago, I’ve lost 26.2 lbs – just shy of 12kg!!! So that’s now over 1kg per week!

    If you go back to when I was diagnosed in 2023, I’ve lost 33.8lbs (15.3kg)! And that equates to 12.73% of my starting body weight! As you may recall, there is a key window stated by diabetic clinicians which is – losing 10-15% of your body weight is often sufficient to REVERSE type 2 diabetes!

    At 231.7lbs I’m now in spitting distance of another big milestone – I’ll soon be out of the 230s and into the 220 lb range! I’m almost halfway through the 16-stone range, with 15 stone in my sights. And only another 5 kgs to get to a huge milestone – under 100kg! From triple to double digits!

    All very exciting stuff! I genuinely get such a buzz when I have not one, but two days like this in a single week!


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  • Well, that didn’t take long!

    In my last post, I talked about my  “Birthday Blip” – a 1.7 lb gain after a week of entirely expected birthday celebrations.

    But even when you plan for a fall the landing still bruises the ego. You know it’s probably just water weight when you see the scale move the wrong way, but it still stings a bit.

    However, as I predicted, it didn’t take long to correct it! Not only is the blip gone, it’s been well and truly obliterated.

    After just a few days back on my regular protocol I’ve hit a new low: 16 stone 11.1 lbs (235.1 lbs / 106.6 kg). That’s a 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) drop since Tuesday! “What!?” I hear you cry! “That’s just two days ago isn’t it!?!?”

    Yes, gentle reader, I’ve dropped 2.5lbs – which is my weekly average weight-loss target – in just two days!!! 🥳🎉🥂🎂

    If that isn’t the best birthday present, I don’t know what is!

    Progress Update • Week 10 – March 5, 2026 (from December 20th)

    16st 11.1lbs
    235.1 lbs | 106.6 kg
    Total Loss: 1st 8.8lbs (22.8 lbs / 10.3 kg)

    Exercise status: 1.25km swim (2 x 500m + 250m) and outdoor walk/run sessions completed.

    Fasting Status: Back on 36-hour fasting protocol.

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 55.1 lbs

    That’s another couple of milestones ticked off – 10kgs lost since I started in December! 30lbs lost since my type 2 diagnosis in 2023!

    At this rate, it won’t be long before I’m under 230lbs, and until I also break through another epic milestone – the 100kg mark!

    The Three-Pronged Attack

    But a reminder – these results don’t come cheap.

    There is no doubt you could get decent results just by intermittent fasting, or just by cleaning up your diet, or just by exercising alone.

    But to get these kinds of “aggressive” results that actually move the needle on a regular basis – and not just on the scales, but in terms of reversing type 2 diabetes –  a multifaceted “three-pronged approach” is the best way to do it. For me, this week that meant:

    • The Fasting: Getting straight back into my 36-hour rhythm to reset my insulin levels.
    • The Fuel: No sugar, refined carbs or ultra processed food. Just high-quality protein and “clean” veggies.
    • The Exercise: I’ve had a big 1.25km swim session on Monday (2 x 500m + 250m), then a recovery swim last night (4 x 250m) and also a trail run (walk/run) on Tuesday.

    That third prong is huge. Getting into the pool or out on the road isn’t just about burning calories; it’s about forcing your muscles to soak up any excess blood sugar.

    A pragmatic side note about fat loss vs water loss

    Let’s be real about that sudden massive loss of weight. I didn’t actually burn off two and a half pounds of fat in two days. That would be challenging to say the least (but not impossible!). What I’ve experienced in the last few days is what’s known in dieting circles as the “whoosh effect.”

    When I broke my scheduled programming for my birthday (eating more carbs and salt than usual, no fasting, no exercise) just for a few days, my body loaded back up on water like a sponge.

    Once I got back to the fasting, the swimming, the running, and the ketogenic eating, my body finally felt comfortable letting go of that water.

    But hitting 235.1 lbs means that underneath all that water fluctuation, the actual weight loss hadn’t stopped. Just paused temporarily.

    Eyes on the prize: Diabetes is getting on my nerves!

    While the scale is a great ego boost, the real reason I’m celebrating is my neuropathy. Every swim and every “clean” meal is a deposit into the health bank to protect my nerves. This all started in December when I had a painful wake-up call – my first symptoms of diabetic neuropathy – numbness in one of my feet which lasted 18 hours!

    This was shortly followed by an HbA1c reading of 79 mmol/mol – which told me exactly why I’d had numbness in my foot.

    So the reason for such an aggressive approach to weight loss is that my diabetes was literally starting to get on my nerves. I had my wake-up call, and results like these above demonstrate that I’m answering it, loud and clear. Fuck you diabetes!

    I’m feeling much fitter, both in the water and on the trail, my blood pressure is doing great, my resting heart rate is excellent for my age, and I’m ticking off weight loss milestones even despite the occasional blip where life gets in the way.

    The lesson

    Don’t ever let a “blip” become a “slide.” Own these little detours. They are often predictable. If you have a business trip coming up or an occasion like a birthday, or Easter, or whatever it might be – just plan for it. Yes, life gets in the way sometimes! And that’s fine! As long as your plan is solid any minor detours that life presents you will simply be that – detours. You will continue to get fantastic results. Just get back on track, and wait for the whoosh!


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  • Despite my slight weight gain blip, it’s great to see that my blood pressure is doing just fine! I accidentally let myself run out of one of my blood pressure medications this week. It was a simple enough error, and a knock-on effect from the reduction in my BP meds I spoke about previously. I was prescribed a new 50mg dose of my other medication, but still had a batch of the 100mg tablets, and they have that handy little groove on the pills that makes it easy to just split the tablet in half by hand – so I’d been using those for weeks and so complete forgot about the fact that my other meds would be running out soon.

    Anyway – I ordered my repeat prescription for the missing medication on Monday, having missed my dose that day, and it’s now Wednesday – so I’ve missed three doses.

    Obviously, because of that, I’ve been concerned about my blood pressure, and checking more regularly than usual. This morning my readings were pretty good, but this evening I just checked again and they were even better. I usually take three readings in a row, with a 4-5 min gap between them as this gives the best overall indication of my BP. But in fact, this evenings readings were the three most consistent (ie closest together) that I’ve ever had! And I’ve been taking my blood pressure myself now for 2.5 years!

    Reading 1 – 133/89 58 bpm
    Reading 2 – 132/87 55 bpm
    Reading 3 – 133/86 58 bpm

    Those readings are rock solid – my systolic pressure – the first number – is very slightly above where it might ideally be. And the diastolic pressure – the second number should ideally be under 80. But considering I’ve missed three days medication, and I’m 20 hours into a 36 hour fast, those numbers are incredible! And the consistency even more so. Usually the first reading is quite high, and then the second two drop considerably since I’m generally sitting and consciously relaxing.

    Also – well worth noting my resting heart rate range – between 55 and 58 bpm – which for someone my age is “athlete” territory! Given I’m diabetic and hypertensive, these are simply excellent readings, and well worth celebrating! 😊

    A final note before I get too carried away – While I’m celebrating these results, I’m not advocating for anyone to skip their meds! This was a legitimate and unfortunate mistake, and I’ve been on the phone to my pharmacy today trying to hussle them along. They were expecting a delivery this afternoon so I’m hoping to get my prescription filled first thing tomorrow to get back on my full regime.

    But this does suggest to me that I’m not too far away from being able to drop a second medication. If my readings had been under 130/80 I might even have suggested this to my GP. Every day I see results like this and I feel so validated and encouraged. I’m doing all the right things and the results speak for themselves.



  • Last week was not only my birthday, but also that of my partner. We had planned a quiet celebration dinner at a local steakhouse, and I had further plans at the weekend with friends and family. I knew going into that week that I was not going to lose weight, and had budgeted for it in my projection spreadsheet.

    The damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been – I put on 1.7lbs but it definitely could have been worse, and as you’ve seen, I’ve been averaging a steady 2.3lbs loss per week, so I’ll quickly repair the damage and move on.

    This week I’ve already been taking steps to fix my birthday blip – with a 36hr fast yesterday, a 1.25km swim last night around 21hrs into my fast, and then a run today.

    Tomorrow I’ll be back to my second 36-hour fast this week, and then another swim, and to cap the week off, a third 36hr fast through Friday into Saturday morning, with a third swim Friday night. I’m confident that will reverse my 1.7lb blip completely and get me right back on track.

    It’s really important when you’re on a mission like mine to keep some flexibility and accept that sometimes “life gets in the way”.

    The important thing for me is the long-term target, which is not just about losing weight, but about reversing type 2 diabetes. And I still feel like I’m well on track to do that. If not by 27th of March , when I have my 3-month diabetic check-up, then very shortly after that I’m sure.

    And if I don’t quite make my HbA1c number by next month, and I have to wait for my next check-up in June, I will definitely have beaten diabetes by then – of that I have no doubt! As long as I keep doing what I’ve been doing, I feel like I can’t really fail. I’ve changed my lifestyle and eating habits radically, and without it feeling like I’m depriving myself.

    So if I don’t quite hit my target HbA1c in March, it won’t be the end of the world – this is a marathon, and not a sprint.

    I recently was called in for my regular diabetic eye screening, and this showed the early signs of diabetic retinopathy. Nothing to worry about at this stage, but obviously that should have been expected given my diabetic neuropathy wake-up call in December.

    It doesn’t change anything – it just means the stakes are higher than just the numbers on the scales. Every clean meal I eat, decision to run or swim, every 36hr fast, is a stride toward protecting my eyesight and reversing nerve damage before it becomes permanent.

    And of course, no endeavour like this would be complete without life conspiring to “get in the way” again and again.

    So, before my March 27 check-up, I’ve been very generously “volunteered” for two business trips. Next week I’m off to our Paris office for a two-day customer meeting, and then literally just before my March 27 GP appointment, I’m going to Barcelona for a two-day conference.

    Both of these trips will have lots of opportunities for temptation, so it will be a real test of resolve. Business trips are usually stressful – even if it’s a stress I’m used to – and keeping to a strict eating plan is always going to be challenging under any kind of stress. There will be meals organized while I’m on these trips, and ensuring that they are diabetic/keto-friendly will be difficult. Certainly not impossible, but difficult nevertheless.

    And meanwhile, let’s not forget that I’ve had a very real win last month already – having my GP halve my blood pressure medication because my readings have improved so much. My latest readings today were a great example – 118/76 which is an almost textbook healthy BP reading.

    Those are the kinds of results that make sticking to my guns during business trips feel less like a chore and more like just par for the course.


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  • Post-36hr weigh-in this morning, and I’m now at 16 stone 11.9 lbs (235.9 lbs / 107.2 kg). That’s another 1.5 lbs lost in just the last three days since my Saturday weigh-in!

    That’s now 22 lbs (9.98 kg) lost – almost 10kg in less than 10 weeks! We should really discount the two weeks when I was ill and unable to fast/exercise, and my festive blip at Christmas / New Year’s—so it’s more like 6 weeks of actual effort!

    Since I recovered from my flu and blood pressure issues around three weeks ago I’ve managed to lose 8.2 lbs (3.7kg)!

    Progress Update • Week 9 – Feb 24, 2026 (from December 20th)

    16st 11.9lbs
    235.8 lbs | 107.2 kg
    Total Loss: 22 lbs (9.98 kg)

    Exercise status: 1.3km swim (2 x 500m, 1*300m) completed 21hrs into fast

    Fasting Status: 1st 36hr fast completed this week!

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 55.9 lbs

    Those figures are relative to my “reboot” after my wake-up call in December 2025 of course, but taken from my diabetes diagnosis, I’ve now lost 29.6 lbs (13.4 kg), which is over 11% of my starting body weight.

    I need to track both time periods, even though my diagnosis was two and a half years ago now, since doctors measure progress from that point and there are key milestones in terms of percentage body weight lost since diagnosis that are key – I’ll come back ot that momentarily.

    But at the same time, I want to keep track of things like average weight loss week by week, and obviously tracking that back to my diagnosis would make the numbers meaningless.

    Anyway, from a post-diagnosis perspective, I’m now well on track to lose 15% of my starting body weight, which is one of the most significant milestones for type 2 diabetes. Effectively, “10-15%” is given as the range of weight loss in which diabetic remission occurs, and I’ve breezed past the 10% mark, so now I have 15% firmly in my sights.

    I’ve already halved my blood pressure medication, which is an incredibly positive sign not just of weight loss but of transforming my health for the better.

    Of course – progress is great, but life goes on and this week happens to be not just my birthday but also my partner’s so I have many social things happening – firstly my partner is visiting for a few days this week, then I have a friend due to visit on Friday/Saturday, before my brother and his family descend on me on Sunday!

    This will certainly limit my opportunities for fasting, and put a damper on my regular exercise routine, so it’s an interesting real-world test for me.

    While I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t lose any weight this week – in fact I had already budgeted in my weight loss projection spreadsheet to explicitly NOT lose any weight this week! The question is whether I can stick to my new lifestyle and avoid relapsing into old eating habits amid so many external pressures.



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  • Is fasting hard?

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    That’s the first thing people ask when I tell them I don’t eat for 36 hours at a time. My answer is always: “It depends.”

    If you’ve followed my “reboot” since December, you know it’s not always a walk in the park. I view fasting like a muscle. If you don’t exercise it, it withers. If you train it, you can do more – in this case, go longer periods without food – and with surprising ease.

    Defining the Terms: What is “True” Fasting?

    Many people start with the 5:2 diet. I did! It’s a great “toe in the water.” But eating 25% of your calories isn’t technically fasting; it’s a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). It teaches you that you won’t collapse without three square meals, but it doesn’t unlock the full metabolic “cleaning” benefits of a true water fast.

    To me, fasting is simple: Not eating.

    Building the Fasting Muscle: From 12 to 16 Hours We all fast overnight (hence “Break-fast”). If you eat dinner at 7 PM and breakfast at 7 AM, you’ve done 12 hours. Easy.

    • 14:10: Just push breakfast to 9 AM. You’ve probably done this by accident on a busy Monday. Now you’ve done a 14 hour fast.
    • 16:8: This is “proper” Intermittent Fasting. Skip breakfast, eat lunch at 1 PM. You’ve just cut your “eating window” to 8 hours and have fasted 16 hours.

    Meeting the Hunger Gremlin: Ghrelin

    “Don’t you get hungry?” Yes and no. Hunger isn’t a constant scream; it’s a wave. That wave is caused by Ghrelin, the “hunger hormone.” Ghrelin is a creature of habit—if you always eat at 1 PM, it will bark at 1 PM.

    But here’s the secret: If you ignore it, it goes away. As long as you have body fat, you have “onboard fuel.” Your body just needs to switch the dial from “burning food” to “burning fat.” Every time you ignore a hunger pang, you’re training that fasting muscle.

    The “Sweet Spot”: 36-Hour Fasts I’ve settled into a 3×36 protocol. I finish dinner Monday, fast all Tuesday, and eat breakfast Wednesday.

    • Why 36? Because once you’ve fasted for 24 hours, you’ve already done the hard work. You might as well sleep on it! Going to bed at the 24-hour mark turns a difficult day into a 32 or 36-hour win effortlessly.
    • The Fat Math: One pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories. By skipping a full day of eating, you’re incinerating about 1/2lb to 3/4lb of fat just by existing.

    To Infinity and Beyond?

    I’ve done 5-day fasts before, but they aren’t my “forever” plan. For me, 3×36 is the sweet spot for sustainability. It’s enough to keep my blood sugars in check and my weight dropping, but it allows me to enjoy normal meals with my family four days a week.

    The Takeaway Is fasting hard? No. It’s just a skill. You wouldn’t walk into a gym and try to bench-press 100kg on day one. Don’t try to fast for 3 days on your first go. Start with 16:8, build that muscle, and see where it takes you.


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  • I’ve finally done it—I’ve shot past my initial target of losing 10% of my body weight since my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Actually, I’m at 10.58%!

    This is a huge win. Endocrinologists and diabetes experts everywhere point to the 10% mark as a major physiological turning point for glucose handling. It’s often the ‘tipping point’ that signals the beginning of potential remission. That’s a total loss of 28.1 lbs—nearly two stone gone since diagnosis!

    The ‘Big 16’

    This morning’s weigh-in also saw me back into the 16-stone range for the first time in ages! I am now 16st 13.4lbs (237.4 lbs / 107.9 kg).

    The Reboot Stats

    I’m also tracking my progress from my “reboot” after my diabetic neuropathy health scare in December 2025, and since then, I’ve lost 20.5 lbs (9.3kg) in just 9 weeks.

    Progress Update • Week 9 – Feb 12, 2026 (from December 20th)

    16st 13.4lbs
    237.4 lbs | 107.9 kg
    Total Loss: 20.5 lbs (9.3 kg)

    Exercise status: 1km swim (4 x 250m) completed 21hrs into fast. Missed two swims this week, but getting back to it!

    Fasting Status: 2nd 36hr fast completed this week!

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 57.4 lbs

    On paper, a 1.7 lb loss this week was slightly lower than my 2.53 lb target, bringing my overall average down to 2.3 lbs per week. But let’s look at the context: that average survived three Christmas dinners, a New Year’s celebration, and two weeks of illness where I couldn’t fast or exercise.

    When I look at it that way? I’m absolutely delighted!

    And the most important thing for me is that I’ve kept my blood sugar under control throughout that period, so I’m really confident that I’ll beat type 2 diabetes – all through lifestyle changes, and without any medication. I should see the real results of that as early as next month when I go back for my next diabetic blood test. Fingers crossed!


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  • I had to share this recipe; it was incredibly tasty and ready in about 15 minutes using the air fryer. I spotted the Schwartz ‘Air-Fry Spicy Korean BBQ Seasoning’ in my local Tesco, and since Korean fried chicken is something I’ve really missed, I had to give it a go.

    It’s worth noting that the packet doesn’t look particularly diabetic-friendly as it contains a high proportion of carbs. However, when you calculate how much you actually use per serving, the impact is negligible. I coated the chicken liberally and used only about a tenth of the pack—around 12g—per serving. Even at 40% carbohydrate, that’s only about 5g of carbs for the whole meal.

    The Method:

    1. Prepare the chicken: Cut chicken breast fillets into bite-sized chunks. Ensure you only prep as much as will comfortably fit in your air fryer tray in a single layer.
    2. Coat: In a large bowl, toss the chicken in sesame or olive oil, then cover liberally with the seasoning.
    3. Air Fry: Place the chicken in the tray and air fry for 12 minutes at 200°C, shaking the tray halfway through.
    4. The Glaze: While that’s cooking, prepare a paste of tomato purée, soy sauce, and 2–3 drops of a sucralose-based sweetener (I use MyProtein Chocolate FlavDrops). Mix thoroughly.
    5. The ‘Crunch’ (Optional but recommended): Use a pestle and mortar to crush some pork crackling into a fine dust.
    6. Finish: Toss the cooked chicken in the glaze, sprinkle with the pork crackling dust, and mix well. Return it to the air fryer for a final 2 minutes.

    Voila! A keto-friendly, super tasty Korean ‘fried’ chicken dish. It’s fantastic as a snack or served as a main with veggies sautéed in sesame oil and soy sauce.

    Just a ccouple of notes – I do highly recommend these MyProtein drops – they come in around 20 flavours from fruity to chocolatey and beyond. I use them to replace sugar/sweetener in anything and everything. I use them in my coffee as a replacement for syrups, and in my greek yogurt based smoothies and desserts, but as you can see they are often ideal for “lifting” a recipe that needs sugar.

    Also a reminder – with the soy sauce, watch out for salt content; there are plenty of low salt versions out there.

    The killer ingredient, for me, is the pork crackling. Ready-made pork crackling is a must for my keto diet, and I buy in bulk – just watch out again for the salt content and flavourings. Get the unflavoured versions wherever possible, as the flavoured ones often have all kinds of nasties in there. I usually transfer them to a large ziplock bag and sprinkle with chilli powder, paprika or similar then shake to spread the flavour around.


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  • An amazing week for weight loss!

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    Weighed in again this morning after my third 36hr fast of the week, and another 1.25km swim last night.

    I’m now down to 17 stone 1.1 lbs (239.1lbs / 108.7kg), which is another 0.6lbs (0.27kg) lost just in the last two days since my cheeky mid-week weigh-in. I’m so close now to being back in the 16 stone range, I can smell it! 😝

    That brings my total weekly weight loss to 5.1lbs (2.3kg). Since my “reboot” in December, I’ve now lost a total of 18.8lbs, but looking back at the big picture, that’s 26lbs gone since my diagnosis!!!

    That’s a fantastic result and means I’ve now lost 9.94% of my starting body weight since diagnosis (which is the important measure from a diabetic standpoint!). I’m sooooo close to that 10% figure now.

    Progress Update • Feb 12, 2026

    17st 1.1lbs
    239.1 lbs | 108.7 kg
    Total Loss: 18.8 lbs (8.5 kg)

    Exercise status: 1.25km swim (1 x 500, 4 x 250m) completed 21hrs into fast. Feeling stronger again!

    Fasting Status: 3rd 36hr fast completed this week!

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 59.1 lbs

    My average weekly weight loss since the reboot is now back up to 2.4lbs (1.1kg), just shy of my target of 2.56lbs per week, which is also great news. That’s despite having almost a full two weeks off of my fasting and exercise regimen. At least I managed to keep on eating properly during that time, which prevented me from sabotaging my efforts.

    After 8 weeks, I think these new eating habits have become very much ingrained. And while I do foresee a day where I might occasionally treat myself with some of the foods I used to enjoy, I can see myself sticking to this as my main way of eating for life. Being honest with myself, I have to, knowing my susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes. I will always have an insulin sensitivity, and it’s something I’ll have to stay on top of permanently.


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  • Another 1.7lbs lost in just 2 days!

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    Another 36-hour fast done, another swim—and I felt much stronger in the pool last night, managing 1.25km pretty comfortably.

    I weighed in this morning and in just those two days, I’ve lost 1.7 lbs. Again, some of this will be water weight due to fasting and exercising, but a significant amount will be body fat.

    This brings me back down into the 230s – under 240 lbs – and gets me back to a weight loss of 18.2 lbs (8.3 kg) in total since I started in December. That is nearly 26 lbs since diagnosis (9.72% of my starting body weight!).

    I now have less than 60 lbs (27 kg) to go, so I’m effectively one-third of the way to my target in just two months. If I keep going at this rate, I’ll hit my goal in another four months, which will be June 2026!

    Progress Update • Feb 12, 2026

    17st 1.7lbs
    239.7 lbs | 108.9 kg
    Total Loss: 18.2 lbs (8.3 kg)

    Exercise status: 1.25km swim (5 x 250m) completed 21hrs into fast. Feeling stronger again!

    Fasting Status: 2nd 36hr fast completed!

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 59.7 lbs

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