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  • Back on track with another 2.8lbs week!

    Ken

    ·

    It’s been a while since I’ve posted, which usually means I haven’t made much progress. That is both true and not.

    During the flu bug and blood pressure issues I reported, I was unable to exercise or fast. I did try to get back to fasting, but a natural side effect of a fast is that your BP drops, which was just too risky until I was sure my pressure had stabilized.

    I did the smart thing and took a complete rest for well over a week. Over the last week, I gradually started back with swimming, as it is the lower-impact exercise option. While I’ve dropped my swimming back to 1km (4*250m) after the layoff I’m feeling much stronger now. Having re-established a routine there, I finally reintroduced running this past Sunday (8th Feb), again taking it a bit easy but still managing 2 mins run / 1 min walk (7 sets), and I felt ready to get back on track with fasting.

    I completed my first 36-hour fast in two weeks this morning. I must admit yesterday’s fast was a little bit taxing, and I seriously contemplated not going for my Monday swim as I was feeling lethargic – but I persevered, pushed through, and am glad I did.

    During my illness, of course it’s no surprise that I put back on a few pounds. One of the issues with low blood pressure is low blood volume, which can result from dehydration and the flushing of electrolytes. As I discussed, one of my medications, Indapamide, is a diuretic. Its sole purpose is to keep blood volume lower, thereby lowering blood pressure. As I was over-medicated, it was a major contributing factor to my fainting episodes. Once I dropped that medication, I saw a corresponding increase in weight. I know this was just water weight because I didn’t change my diet at all. No more Indapamide now, I’m free of that forever, which means my hydration levels will no longer be an issue.

    My weight peaked at 17st 6.2lbs (244.2 lbs) on 4th February, so on paper, I’d put back on 4.5 lbs during my illness – but most of that happened after my medication change which means it was water weight.

    Now, with just a couple of days of my regular running and fasting regime, I’m at 17st 3.4lbs (241.4 lbs), so I have lost 2.8 lbs in less than a week. I didn’t change what I ate in that time and there was only one fast, which at best could only account for less than a pound of body fat loss. The rest is simply my water levels readjusting.

    Here’s my updated weight ticker.

    Progress Update • Feb 10, 2026

    17st 3.4lbs
    241.4 lbs | 109.7 kg
    Total Loss: 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)

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

    Fasting Status: 36hr fast complete!

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 61.4 lbs

    It will take another week to get back to my pre-illness weight, but losing a couple of weeks to an unexpected illness is no big deal.

    I’m really pleased with myself for not using that illness as an excuse to fall back into old eating habits that could have seriously sabotaged my efforts. It’s probably a first for me to not ‘eat my emotions’ or eat badly while feeling sorry for myself.

    And let’s not forget—I still have cause to celebrate! Part of the reason for that illness was, paradoxically, my weight loss success. I’ve now halved my blood pressure medication precisely because I’ve lost weight so quickly.

    My blood pressure has been fine since. I checked again today and my seated BP was a healthy 113/78 (74 bpm). My standing BP was 106/74 (102 bpm). That’s a tiny drop compared to the 30-point crash I was seeing before, and my heart rate and BP recovered within a minute.

    Everything is looking good. I’ll just need to keep an eye on my BP as I increase my fasting and exercise, especially once I lose another 10 lbs or so. It’s quite likely that I’ll reach a point where I’m ‘over-medicated’ again as my body adapts. I’m now very confident that by the time I reach March for my next diabetic check-up, my HbA1c will be back to at least the ‘pre-diabetic’ level, if not ‘normal,’ and I’ll be able to look at dropping the last of my blood pressure medication.

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  • Self-medicating – managing the downturns

    Ken

    ·

    In my last post, I was riding high on hitting the 10% clinical weight loss milestone and finishing my first 36-hour fast since the flu. I thought I was back on track. But as it turns out, the ‘Machine’ had one more lesson for me this weekend.

    While my flu was gone, the fainting spells weren’t. I was regularly checking my blood pressure, and on Saturday morning, I hit another snag. A quick check of my blood pressure revealed the startling truth: my standing BP had cratered to 82/56. My heart was racing at 105 bpm just to keep me upright. For those not familiar with BP readings, a normal, healthy BP is typically around 120/80!!! The reason I was on medication for hypertension (high blood pressure) is that, 3 years ago, my BP had skyrocketed to 206/112! Now I’d gone the other way entirely. Low blood pressure is like a hydraulic pump with a leak – and my blood pressure was barely enough to keep me upright.

    It became clear that even after halving my Losartan, my body was still over-medicated for my new, lighter weight. It was now the weekend so I couldn’t talk to my GP so it was clear I’d have to either tough out the weekend mostly horizontal to prevent any risks of fainting, or take drastic action myself.

    Since I’ve been ill for a week, I’ve been absolutely chomping at the bit to get back to my exercise regimen, and obviously, this was simply not an option with such instability in my blood pressure. Running would almost certainly lead to me fainting. Swimming…well, let’s not even contemplate that!

    I took a long look at my medication. One of the meds I’m on, 2.5mg of Indapamide, is a diuretic whose main role is to reduce overall blood volume by encouraging more frequent urination. But given my increase in exercise and lower weight, the reality is that this was flushing out electrolytes along with water, notably potassium and magnesium, which are essential to maintain pressure.

    I had to make an ‘executive decision’: I paused the Indapamide entirely.

    The results over the last 48 hours have been nothing short of a revelation. By Sunday evening, my standing BP had climbed back to a rock-solid 118/77. The ‘haze’ had lifted, my seated readings were perfect at 117/75, and my resting pulse was a calm, efficient 63 bpm. It was still dropping during my standing BP test – but only to 91/70. That said, my heart rate was rushing up to 103 bpm in order to support the extra effort of pumping my blood around my system as I stood up.

    But this morning – Monday – things were completely fine! My seated blood pressure was 115/79 with a heart rate of 61bpm, but standing saw no drop in my BP At all – if anything a slight rise, no doubt caused by the reflex of a system that has become used to having to work harder to pump blood around a taxed machine – my standing BP was – 118/77 with only a jump to 77bpm!! So it was clear that standing up was no longer stressing my system!

    It’s a strange irony of this journey: sometimes you struggle because you’re failing, but sometimes you struggle because you’re winning. My body has changed so fundamentally in the last two months that the very drugs keeping me alive through 2025 were becoming a dangerous liability in January 2026!

    Obviously, I do NOT recommend making changes to prescribed medications without discussing with your GP – but in this instance, I knew exactly what the problem was and what my medication did, and had researched potential side effects of not taking my Indapamide. Since it was only a diuretic, the worst case was some water retention and my blood pressure going back up, but obviously the latter was the intended effect, and I’ve been checking my BP twice a day so I wasn’t too concerned about the risks.

    I’m now looking forward to getting back to the pool tonight for my first swim in over a week. I’ve been fasting again today but I am very conscious that fasting also can lower blood pressure, so I’ll be monitoring through today and if there’s any sign of low blood pressure, or a drastic change when standing up, then I’ll break my fast a couple of hours before swimming.

    I’ve subsequently messaged my GP this morning with an update on what I did and why, and a request to make this change official – I now have a follow-up appointment booked tomorrow evening to discuss.

    But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a huge win, and a really profound step toward my goal of being once again medication-free.

    I’m not just ‘dieting’; I’m recalibrating a complex machine. And tonight, that machine is finally ready to get back to exercise with my first swim in over a week!

    ,

  • A week off due to illness, but now firmly back on track

    Ken

    ·

    After my flu bug and mysterious fainting spells were resolved, I’ve been gradually recovering. That meant not only letting my flu bug run it’s course but nore importantly, giving my blood pressure a chance to adapt to the lower dose of my main BP medication. As I previously reported, the ‘mysterious’ fainting was actually a sign of success – my body had simply outgrown the old dosage.

    As a result, I decided against fasting, as I wanted to track my BP, and fasting is one of the things that can affect your readings. And of course I didn’t risk any exercise given the risk of fainting!

    So it was a frustrating week, only made marginally more bearable by the fact that I was at least able to take some time off work as well. I’m not one who easily gets bored sitting around – I watched lots of movies, and some TV – including the new Marvel Wonder Man TV show, which was excellent! And got some of the lower effort chores around the house done as well.

    I did have a weigh-in earlier in the week in which I’d put on 1.5lbs, although I haven’t really counted it due to the illness. No great surprise that a few days without fasting or exercise would see an increase in weight, but given that I’ve pretty much stuck to my eating plan, the damage was negligible.

    Anyway, yesterday I did my first 36hr fast since falling ill, and today I weighed in again. The results demonstrate that I’m back on track with a bang! Not only did I lose the 1.5lbs I put on, but I lost an additional 1 lb to take my total weight loss now to 19.3lbs.

    Progress Update • Jan 30, 2026

    17st 0.6lbs
    238.6 lbs | 108.2 kg
    Total Loss: 19.3 lbs (8.7 kg)

    Milestone: 10% Clinical Weight Loss (from diagnosis) achieved!

    Fasting update: 1 36hr fast completed this week

    Exercise update: None this week due to illness

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 58.6 lbs

    Barring any further unexpected illness or other disasters, I’ll break through the 17-stone barrier this week and should have exceeded 20lbs lost since December, which is a huge milestone.

    While I’m tracking my weight loss from my reboot in December, one figure that I track all the way back to my starting weight at my original diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is the % of my body weight that I have lost. This is a key milestone by which Diabetic medical professionals track progress. And as of this week, I have now lost 10.13% of my starting body weight, which was an embarrassing 18 St 13.5 lbs (265.5 lbs / 120.7kg).

    However you look at it, it’s a great achievement – and one that, as I’ve mentioned, has already made a real difference to my health. I’ve been able to reduce my main hypertension medication by 50%, the first step in many towards me getting back to being “medication-free”. I simply refuse to be tied down to medication whose sole purpose is to counteract my own bad lifestyle choices!

    This weekend I’ll get back to some exercise, maybe starting with a run, and then a swim.

    I am going to take it a little easier on fasting this week, targeting just 2 * 36hr fasts rather than the 3 * 36hr fasts I did before I got ill. Perhaps that was just a little too much too soon. But I will also be checking my blood pressure and how I feel, and may revise that if I’m feeling up to fasting longer.

    Despite that week’s layoff and the 1.5lbs I put on briefly as a result, my average weight loss is still at 2.8lbs per week. That’s well over my 2.56lbs per week target. But that said, I’d like to try and get a couple of weeks in where I top 3lbs per week just to give me a bit more of a buffer. Every week that I exceed 2.56lbs lost adds to my safety net. I’ve already had 5 weeks where I blew way past 2.56lbs and reached 3 or even 4lbs lost in a week so no reason I can’t repeat that success.

    More updates soon!

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  • The 10% Milestone: Why being “too healthy” is not for the faint-hearted! 😏

    Ken

    ·

    So – I finally got to see my GP this evening. I’ll admit, I was feeling a bit down in the dumps after those recent fainting spells, but it turns out the news is actually all good!

    I’ve mentioned before that a major clinical target for diabetics is to lose 10% of their body weight. I thought I was sitting around the 7% mark – not to be sneezed at, but still not quite there yet. However, I was only counting the weight loss from December. If I use my original diagnosis date as the ‘baseline,’ I’ve actually lost over 25lbs. That means I have officially hit 9.64% of my starting weight!

    Losing 10% is the magic threshold where the ‘Machine’ starts to rewire itself—and that includes blood pressure.

    Think of it as a calibration issue: the ‘triple-whammy’ of medication that was prescribed for 265lb (121kg) me is simply too powerful for the fitter, healthier, 240lb one.

    My meds have become ‘too good’ at their job, lowering my pressure to the point where I’m prone to light-headedness and blackouts – especially when my system is stressed, as by these recent coughing fits!

    The doctor caught the ‘glitch’ pretty readily. My seated blood pressure was a normal 129/80, but when he took a standing measurement, it plummeted to 106/76. This is Orthostatic Hypotension – a fancy way of saying my body can’t move blood ‘uphill’ fast enough. Essentially, my medication has made my arteries ‘too relaxed.’ They’re just chillin’ – completely uninterested in doing the extra work required to keep me conscious when I stand up!

    The fix should be simple: my GP immediately halved the dosage of my primary blood pressure medication. I should see the ‘system update’ take effect over the next few days.

    My cold and flu symptoms are finally retreating, so a day or two more of taking it easy – while the new prescription settles in – should be all I need. I’ve gone from feeling frustrated by an ‘enforced break’ to feeling absolutely over the moon. This isn’t a setback after all, it’s the first real, undeniable proof that my hard work is literally changing my biology!

    This has turned my frown of frustration upside down into a smile of elation! 😁

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  • Stop! Fast! Lessons in electrolytes and limits

    Ken

    ·

    Well—that escalated quickly!

    I thought I was just fighting a scratchy throat, but this evening took a serious turn. After a series of coughing fits, I actually fainted on the sofa during a particularly strong cough!

    For some context, my type 2 diabetes was originally “announced” two years ago by serious hypertension. At its worst, my BP hovered around 206/112, which is considered “crisis” level! It took some months and three different medications to bring my blood pressure down to normal. But as a side effect, my meds cause low blood pressure – just standing up too quickly can leave me lightheaded.

    But I didn’t feel like I really came close to fainting until last year.

    I’d developed what I thought was a really bad flu, but it was accompanied by some other symptoms that didn’t fit. The most serious symptom was the fainting spells. I had a couple of coughing fits that were so bad I couldn’t breathe and passed out. The technical term for this kind of episode is a “cough-syncope”.

    The first time it happened was the worst, though. I had been lying in bed with my partner, reading and dozing off, when I started coughing. It was so bad I panicked and sat up on the edge of the bed – which was, in hindsight, the most stupid move. The coughing persisted, but next thing I knew I was on the floor, looking up at my partner who was on the phone to the emergency services! 🫣😱😬

    I had hit my head on the chest of drawers next to the bed on the way down, but fortunately hadn’t done any real damage. But I was lucky.

    I stupidly insisted they didn’t send an ambulance out, which would have at least gotten me to a diagnosis sooner. I only discovered later it was, in fact, shingles! Which is easily treatable with anti-viral medication!

    After that first fainting spell, I got very good at sitting/lying down somewhere safe at the slightest suggestion of a cough. I assumed the symptoms would quickly pass, but they persisted, and the other symptoms got worse until, eventually, I made my way to the hospital, where a doctor diagnosed me in minutes and had me on the right antivirals straight away!

    So why is this cough-syncope back now?

    It’s pretty clear that a month of radical lifestyle changes are to blame. Losing 18lbs very rapidly, getting into quite extreme fasts without building up gently, pushing myself in the pool, and switching from running on my treadmill to outdoors – it’s no surprise my body has hit a hard limit and is telling me so in no uncertain terms!

    So between my meds, the electrolyte depletion from the fasting and exercise, and this new bug, the ‘machine’ didn’t just need fuel; it needed an emergency shutdown.

    This is a stark reminder that while the weight loss is great, the transition can be a massive shock to the system – especially if the means of getting there involve a lot of changes.

    Recovery isn’t just a goal now – it’s a requirement.

    I had known that I was feeling worn down before this happened, so I had fortunately pivoted dinner to a heavy-duty “comfort chili – beef, kidney beans, and a base of blended sweet potato and squash served over riced broccoli, alongside homemade guacamole. It’s high-protein, high-potassium/magnesium, and exactly the kind of “internal maintenance” I need. I’ll be looking very closely at the nutritional profile of my meals over the next few days to help restore the balance.

    As I’m “home alone” right now, without a partner to call for help in the case of an emergency, I’m monitoring my vitals closely with my home blood pressure cuff – I have a spreadsheet that tracks my BP over time, and I’m very familiar with healthy vs unhealthy readings. I’ll be keeping an eye on any lightheadedness or coughing and taking a “duck and cover” approach – or rather sit down / lie down!

    I of course, also have my partner set to check-in on me remotely over the next few days.

    If a further syncope happens again despite my precautions, I won’t be as stubborn as I was last year – I’ll be calling for a professional check-up. It’s vitally important to take these things seriously and not try to just “plough through”.

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  • 36 hour fasted and a 1.25km swim: refuelling the machine

    Ken

    ·

    Woke up this morning to find the scratchy throat I’d been ignoring has not just miraculously disappeared overnight, so as much as I’m fueling for muscle recovery, I’m now fueling to fight off a potential cold. I suspect Tuesday’s run in the damp cold air caught up with me, so today’s meals are pulling double duty.

    I was low on a few breakfast ingredients so I took a walk to Sainsbury’s to grab some avocados and extra veg for the refeed. They were out of frozen mushrooms, so I pivoted to frozen Mediterranean vegetables instead.

    I sautéed the veg with spinach and an avocado in oil, then poured my usual 3-egg omelette mix over the top to create something more like a frittata. Topped with some grated vintage cheddar for flavor and served alongside three Heck chicken sausages, it was a lot of food, but I felt like my body absolutely needed it after last night’s exhausting swim and the accumulated fatigue as well as low electrolytes from the rest of the week’s exercise and fasting.

    While it might look like a massive plate of food, and a lot of fat and calories, there is a bit of a method to my frittata madness.

    My breakfast frittata already gave me a head start on extra vitamin C for that scratchy throat, with red peppers, cherry tomatoes and spinach. Later, I’m planning a berry smoothie with strawberries for an extra hit of antioxidants, and dinner will be heavy on the broccoli and spinach. If I’m going to keep my “machine” in tip top condition, I need to make sure the maintenance includes the immune system, too!

    Here’s the estimated nutritional load:

    Recovery Fuel: Nutritional Breakdown
    Ingredient Cals Protein Fat Carbs
    3 Large Eggs 210 18g 15g 1g
    3.3 Heck Chicken Sausages 130 18g 6g 2g
    1 Medium Avocado 240 3g 22g 12g
    Vintage Cheddar (30g) 120 7g 10g 0.5g
    Med Veg & Spinach Mix 60 3g 1g 8g
    Cooking Oil (1 tbsp) 120 0g 14g 0g
    TOTALS 880 49g 68g 23.5g
    • The “Good” Fats: Loading up on the avocado and oil wasn’t just for the calories. After a 36-hour fast, these healthy fats are exactly what I need to signal to my brain that the “famine” is over. It helps me stay satiated so I don’t spend the rest of the day thinking about food! For diabetics, healthy fats are our friend.
    • The Muscle Repair: Between the eggs, the chicken sausages, and the cheese, I made sure to get a heavy hit of protein. My muscles were definitely feeling the strain after that “running on fumes” swim last night, so this is the building block they need to start recovery.
    • The Salt Factor: I didn’t hold back on the vintage cheddar, and even added a pinch of salt to my omelette mix – and for good reason. Despite suffering from hypertension, after this week’s exercise and fasting, the salt content helps me reset my electrolytes. It’s quite likely why I experienced lightheadedness after my swim last night.
    • The Immune Support: I also treated this meal as a preemptive strike against that scratchy throat. By choosing the Mediterranean veg mix, I’ve packed in red peppers and cherry tomatoes which, alongside the spinach, provide a massive hit of Vitamin C and antioxidants. It’s about giving my immune system the resources it needs to fight off whatever bug is trying to take hold while my defenses are temporarily lowered from the week’s efforts.

    It feels good to have some fuel back in the system. Now, I’m going to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon – physically anyway, since I have some work to do – and let my body do its own work of recovering!

    I may need to grab a herb tea with fresh lemon juice to keep myself hydrated.

    ,

  • Tough swim!

    Ken

    ·

    So last night I did my usual swim, but it felt nothing like usual. The difference was stark and not in a good way.

    This is my first week on the Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) protocol—basically three 36-hour fasts back-to-back. Fast Monday, eat Tuesday, fast Wednesday, eat Thursday, fast Friday, eat Saturday. Because of the pool schedule, my swims always land on the evening of a fasting day. Last night was my first Wednesday swim after two fasts in a row. Throw in a Monday swim and a Tuesday run, and the fatigue was starting to stack up.

    Physiologically, I was running on fumes. Fasting while exercising depletes your glycogen stores much more rapidly, and I was definitely feeling that lack of “fuel” on top of the accumulated tiredness from the week’s miles.

    Of course, none of that stopped me. I still powered through my planned sets of 5 x 250m. I’d told myself to listen to my body and that if I felt done at 4 x 250m, I’d call it quits. But despite feeling low on energy, I felt good enough to push through those final ten lengths.

    It wasn’t without consequences, though nothing too major. I felt a little more lightheaded than usual afterwards and even the walk back to the car felt like a slog. I’ve often dealt with fatigue and lightheadedness since my diagnosis, and my blood pressure medication is known for adding to those symptoms, but this felt different.

    This felt earned.

    I’ve been pushing myself because I’m determined to get my fitness back while losing the weight I need to get my diabetes under control once and for all. So, all in all, I feel pretty good about myself right now!

    I’m also sensible enough to know when NOT to keep pushing. While I might have wanted to go for another run today, I won’t. Instead, I’m about to take a leisurely walk up the river to the local Sainsbury’s to grab a few essentials for my refeed. By the time I get back, I’ll have completed the full 36 hours and I can finally refuel the overworked machine! 😁

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  • Breakthrough to 239lbs: Capitalizing on the “easy miles” of early weight loss

    Ken

    ·

    After my second 36hr fast this week, another cheeky weigh-in…

    Progress Update • Jan 22, 2026

    17st 1.9lbs
    239.9 lbs | 108.8 kg
    Total Loss: 18.0 lbs (8.2 kg)

    Exercise status: 1.25km swim (5 x 250m) completed 21hrs into fast. Exhausting session, but hit the target!

    Fasting Status: 36hr fast nearly complete. Preparing to re-fuel and recharge electrolytes.

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 59.9 lbs

    I’ve dropped another 0.8 lbs (0.36 kg) in just two days, taking my weekly total to 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) and my cumulative total to 18 lbs (8.2 kg)! It also brings me within a hair’s breadth of a major milestone: 7% body weight lost. I’m now at 6.98%! I am edging ever closer to that 10% initial target, which—according to the guidance—is where people start to see meaningful changes in blood sugar and even early stages of diabetic remission.

    That also brings me down into the 230 lb weight range, which is another nice win. Just another 2 lbs and I break through another big milestone. I’ll be out of the 17 stone range and into the 16 stone range instead! That is psychologically huge for me, given that it wasn’t too long ago I was over 19 stone! 😱

    An average weight loss of 3.1 lbs per week equates to an average monthly weight loss of 13.47 lbs (6.1 kg). That is almost one stone per month! (For those not familiar with our archaic measurement system, there are 14 lbs in a stone).

    I am aiming for 180 lbs (81.6 kg), which is 12 stone 12 lbs. That means I have just over 4 stone left to lose. In principle, I could do that in just over four months if I were able to maintain my current pace! That would be the end of May, or more likely early June. Beach bod here I come! 😝

    The Law of Diminishing Returns: Why the Finish Line is Uphill

    I’m currently buzzing about this 3.1 lb drop, but I have to keep my feet on the ground. Biology has a funny way of making you work harder the more successful you are.

    Think of it like this: right now, I’m driving a heavy-duty truck. At 240 lbs, my “engine” (my Basal Metabolic Rate) burns roughly 2,150 calories a day just to keep the lights on. But when I reach my 180 lb target, I’ll be driving a much smaller, more efficient car. That smaller engine will only need about 1,850 calories. I’m effectively losing a 300-calorie “free pass” every single day just by being lighter.

    Effectively, every time I lose weight my BMR drops very slightly and I lose a few calories off of that free pass so keeping to the same level of calorie deficit becomes harder every single week!

    The Percentage Trap

    It’s not just about the calories; it’s about the math of my own body mass.

    • Today: Losing 3.1 lbs represents about 1.3% of my total weight.
    • At the Finish Line: That same 3.1 lbs will represent nearly 1.7% of my mass.

    To lose that same amount of weight at the end, my discipline actually has to be tighter than it is today. The “Last 10 lbs” are legendary for a reason. You’re asking a smaller body to give up a bigger percentage of itself.

    The Evolutionary Tug-of-War

    Why does it get harder? Because our bodies haven’t caught up to modern life. As the fat cells shrink, they produce less Leptin (the “I’m full” hormone) and start pumping out more Ghrelin (the “feed me” hormone). My body doesn’t know I’m trying to reverse diabetes; it thinks I’m trapped in a famine and starts trying to save energy by slowing down my fidgeting and general movement. Scientists call this NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis). There’s nothing neat about it! 😁

    So, while I’m celebrating the “Big Wins” now, I’m mentally preparing for the fact that the final miles of this marathon will be the steepest. It’s not a plateau—it’s just the tax you pay for becoming a smaller, healthier version of yourself!

    The Silver Lining: Getting to the “Finish Line” Faster

    On the plus side, losing weight this rapidly does mean that I’ll get to those tricky last 10 lbs much faster! If I can keep this pace up, I’ll be staring down the final stretch before I know it. So, what does life at 190 lbs (13 stone 8 lbs) actually look like?

    • The BMI Reality Check: At 190 lbs, my BMI would sit at 27.3. Now, if we listen to the research of people like Dr. Josh Wolrich, we know BMI is a pretty blunt instrument. It doesn’t account for muscle mass or where that weight is distributed. Dr. Wolrich often points out that health isn’t a weight, and you can’t “diagnose” someone’s health just by looking at a height-to-weight ratio. In his view “healthy” BMI is up to 30!
    • Focusing on the Markers: For me, 190 lbs isn’t about hitting a “Normal” BMI box; it’s about the health markers that come with it. It’s about being firmly out of the Class II Obesity range and into a zone where my body simply functions better.
    • The 24% Club: Reaching 190 lbs means I will have shed nearly 1/4 of my starting body mass. To put that in perspective, that’s like you’ve been carrying your maxed-out weight suitcase to the airport on your back (around 25 kg!) and leaving it at the bag-drop desk. You probably feel like you could fly without the plane!
    • The Metabolic Reset: Most importantly, at 190 lbs, the pressure on my pancreas and liver will be at an all-time low. This is well beyond the territory where many see their HbA1c levels drop into the non-diabetic range and neuropathy symptoms begin to fade. As Dr. Wolrich argues, the goal should be health-focused, not just “thin-focused.”

    So I’m goint to take advantage of these early days of huge weight losses while I can, build the momentum, build the habits, so when I get down to that point I’ll be ready to deal with the additional challenges. It’s going to be a steep climb, but the view from 190 lbs – regardless of what the BMI charts say – is going to be spectacular, and knowing the end is just over that next ridge will be all the motivation I’ll need!

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  • The road to health is paved with chocolate mousse!

    Ken

    ·

    I’ve mentioned before that I have a major sweet tooth. One of my biggest worries when I started this journey was losing out on my favourite treats. In the past, a Gü Red Velvet mousse was my go-to indulgence.

    When I was first diagnosed as diabetic, I went looking for better options. The best I found at the time was the GetPRO chocolate mousse. It’s high in protein, but it still has a fair amount of sugar and virtually no fibre. As I’ve learned, fibre is essential because it blunts the impact of sugar on your blood glucose levels.

    Today, I tried something different: a home-made mousse made with dark chocolate, 0% fat Greek yogurt, and avocado. I already use avocados in my smoothies for the texture, so I figured it would work here too. I did a comparison of the nutritional values between the three options with my diabetes in mind, and the difference is massive.

    Nutritional Profile Gü Mousse
    (The Past)    		 GetPRO
    (The Transition)    		 Home-made mousse
    (The Present)
    Verdict 🔴 RED (Avoid) 🟡 AMBER (Limit) 🟢 GREEN (Go)
    Total Sugar 17.2g 8.6g ~3.5g
    Main Base Whipping Cream Skimmed Milk Greek Yogurt & Avo
    Thickener Egg Yolk Maize Starch Natural Fiber
    Protein Content 3g 20g (Processed) ~18g (Natural)
    Neuropathy Support Harmful (Spikes) Neutral Supports Repair

    Note: Values for Homemade Mousse are estimates based on 85% Dark Chocolate, half an Avocado, and 0% Greek Yogurt.

    My home-made version has less than half the sugar of even the ‘healthy’ GetPRO mousse. Because the base is Greek yogurt and avocado, it’s packed with natural fibre. The ‘maize starch’ used in the GetPRO has no fibre at all – and for a diabetic, starch is really just sugar in disguise. Plus, while the Gü has almost no protein, my version matches the industrial GetPRO for that muscle-building hit.

    A final point: I get a lot more for my money!

    • Homemade (£1.28): A much larger portion than a tiny Gü ramekin, plus the metabolic benefit of the avocado. It’s basically ‘premium medicine’ for less than the price of a luxury dessert.
    • Gü (£1.48): You’re paying a premium for sugar and cream. In terms of nutritional density, it’s the most expensive because it offers the least benefit.
    • GetPRO (£2.30): The most expensive option. You pay for the convenience of the pot, but it simply can’t compete with fresh ingredients.

    The Recipe (Ready in 5 minutes) It couldn’t be easier. I used my Ninja blender smoothie attachment:

    1. Put two squares of 85% Lindt dark chocolate in the blender cup and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds until melted.
    2. Add 200g of Greek yogurt and half an avocado. Add a few drops or half a teaspoon of a sucralose based sweetener.
    3. Blend for one minute.
    4. (Optional) Pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes. The melted chocolate sets back up, giving it a perfect chilled texture.

    That’s me done for food today. Between my morning omelette and a dinner of air-fried chicken breasts with dijon mustard and a mountain of garlic-butter veg, I feel completely satisfied.

    Even with that mousse, I’m still over 600 calories under my BMR (Base Metabolic Rate). Being able to eat until I’m full, knowing I’m in a state of ketosis, makes this sustainable.

    Tomorrow is my second 36-hour fast of the week, including my evening swim. This is where the strategy really shines. Between my BMR and the calories burned in the pool, I’ll hit a net deficit of around 2,600 calories in a single day. Since 1lb of fat equals roughly 3,500 calories, that one day of fasting burns about 3/5 of a pound of fat! When you add in the steady 600 calorie deficits from my eating days, I’m on track to lose about 2.89lbs this week. Not bad for someone with a sweet tooth!”

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  • Another 2.3lbs down!

    Ken

    ·

    Weighed in this morning after my first 36hr fast this week:

    Progress Update • Jan 20, 2026

    17st 2.7lbs
    240.7 lbs | 109.4 kg
    Total Loss: 17.2 lbs (7.8 kg)

    Exercise status: 1km swim completed.

    Breakfast: Re-fueling after 36hr fast with 4-egg spinach / mushroom omelette.

    Target: 12st 12lbs (180lbs) | Remaining: 60.7 lbs

    After the little weight gain blip I reported yesterday, it’s always gratifying to see things getting back on track.

    I found a cool way to add a little ticker to my blog (with a little help from Google Gemini AI) – hopefully this will simplify things going forwards, and make it easier to see my progress at-a-glance! I may add to it over time. Hope you like it! 😊 I also changed my main ticker and theme to colours I prefer. Sorry if it’s a bit jarring at first! 😝

    This pushes my average weight loss back up to 3.1lbs per week, which is great – I’m still well ahead of my 2.56 lbs average weekly weight loss target.

    I’m still planning to increase my fasting this week from 2*36hrs to 3*36hrs – which is also known as “alternate day fasting” (ADF). So I’m eating normally today, then I’ll fast all through tomorrow (Weds) from my last meal until breakfast on Thursday, then eat Thusrday and fast again Friday, which should definitely help keep my momentum up! 😊

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