‘I am having twice as much fun!’
Liz discovered a life she’d been missing out on...
My body was trying to tell me something, it just took a shock for me to listen.
The summer of 2018, I felt tired constantly and blamed work, unable to see my weight was the problem. I’d need constant naps. I was grumpy and my back hurt.
That August, I went for my usual Saturday afternoon nap but didn’t wake up until 9pm, missing my friend’s 40th birthday party. A few weeks later, I went with friends to the local agricultural festival, the Kilnsey Show. I had eczema on my feet, swollen legs and excruciating back pain. I could barely walk. I got drunk and posed for a photo with friends. When I saw that photo, I knew I had to do something.
I joined Slimming World, then did Go Sober For October. I’d got myself in a rut of opening a bottle of wine every night. Then, in a hungover state, I’d have a bacon butty for breakfast. Followed by a sausage roll, a steak bake and a cake. Dinner was a takeaway - with another bottle of wine. And so the cycle continued.
Going sober stopped the cycle. I started to make healthier choices.
In November 2018, I took part in a 5k. I was as pink as my skin tight top, but I made it! Motivated, I joined a gym and rediscovered a love for cooking from scratch.
By the end of the year I had lost 4st. My New Year resolution was to take part in one sporting event each month, which made 2019 brilliant. (listed at end)
When I lost 7st, I realised I couldn’t lift that amount of weight in the gym. It was a profound moment. I literally couldn’t lift the equivalent dumbbell. It became so clear that my fatigue had been entirely down to the excess weight I had been carrying around.
Now, I had energy, I didn’t need to nap. I started raising money for charity through my challenges and when I did the Pretty Muddy obstacle race, I was fit enough to help others around the course.
For years I had been too heavy to ride horses but in June 2019, I bought my horse, Peggy. Like me, she’s had weight issues. A year after I’d been in a terrible state at the Kilnsey Show, I returned with Peggy. My friends and I recreated the picture we’d taken a year before. I’d changed so much, inside and out.
Lockdowns permitting, I’ve got lots of new challenges ahead. I want to do the Paris Marathon, Dublin Marathon and the MoonWalk Iceland. I’ve gone from a size 26 to a size 10-12 and my bra size has gone from 44DD to 36B.
My eczema, bad back and swollen knees have gone. Even the dog is fitter now. When I go out, people I know walk straight by me - they don’t recognise me. I’m half the woman I was and I’m having twice as much fun.
Liz’s challenges in 2019:
Jan - Run Aintree
Feb - Total Ninja Course & white water rafting
March - Shamrock Shuffle
April - Gung ho, Leeds Bubble Race and Mascot Race
May - Holy Island to Bamburgh, 26 mile walk (Northumbria) and Run Media City Manchester
June - Zip World (the longest zip wire) and The MoonWalk Scotland, coasteering in the North Sea , Mount Snowdon
July - Pretty Muddy, Tough Mudder, Yorkshire Three Peaks
August - Kilnsey Show (horse riding), run Bolton Abbey
September - Dressage
October - Abseiling, Muddy Dog Challenge, Dressage, National Trust Night Run
November - New York Marathon, Run Bolton Abbey
December - Reindeer Stampede