My Story So Far

So, you seem to have stumbled across my blog. Welcome! This first post will basically give you an overview of who I am, my weight loss journey so far, and what I hope to get out of this blog.

First things first; why the name "Big Fat Nerd Bird"? Well, my nerdliness is a big part of who I am, and so, unfortunately, is my weight. I've been overweight pretty much as long as I can remember, and that has had a huge impact on the person I am today. Picture this, if you will; I am 14 years old. For some reason I haven't hit puberty yet, so my growth spurt has not yet happened. I have recently upgraded from a fixed brace to retainers. I have glasses, I am 4' 11" tall (or short, rather) and I have no boobs to speak of as yet. I'm nerdy, bookish and quiet. I am, quite literally, a bully's dream come true. And so yes, I was bullied at primary school. And high school. And, weirdly, at college, when I thought people would be a little more grown up than that. Now, this bullying could've caused me to go one of 2 ways; 1. I could use their negativity to inspire change in myself, or 2. I could eat my pain away. Unfortunately I chose the latter.

My terrible lifestyle habits (large portions, snacking, and lack of exercise due to constantly having my head stuck in a book) continued on into my late teens/early twenties, until I hit 16st (224lbs or 101.6kg). I'm not sure why this number hit me so hard, but it did, and I thought "No. No more." I vowed I would never weigh this much again, and indeed definitely never creep over that amount And, I'm happy to say, I never have.

Full disclaimer here; I'm most definitely not perfect. I'm not a dietitian, a health trainer or nutritionist. I don't know everything there is to know about weight loss or healthy living. My weight has yo-yo'd over the years, but I'm getting there. This past year, my weight has been on a downward trend, and I currently weigh 12st 11.9lbs (179.9lbs or 81.6kg). I am less than 5lbs away from being the lightest I've been since puberty (it hit when I was 15-and-a-bit, and I grew to a respectable 5' 7", in case you were interested!). I still have a ways to go with weight loss (I'm aiming for anywhere between 10st and 11st, depending on how comfortable I feel) and that's where this blog comes in. It took me a while to realise how much progress I've actually made, and so I'm here to keep myself motivated and impart any useful tips I've picked up along my journey. I hope (after this initial, fairly serious post) to update regularly with interesting tips, daft stories and humorous anecdotes to keep myself reflecting on my progress, staying on track and basically sharing the weight loss love. I must say, my confidence is on the rise and it's because I feel fitter, healthier and happier, so let's do this!

Current Weight: 81.6kg