The Bearded Belly Chronicles

Bearded Belly Chronicles-Chapter 14- Losing the pressure and finding myself. Off the scales..... and back into life  I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who reached out to check if I was ok.... it honestly meant more than you probably realise. I didn't write my blog last week.... and there were very good reasons why. I needed some time. I could feel my resolve starting to waver in certain areas.... things like drinking enough water.... sticking to my daily checklist. Small cracks were beginning to show. But more than that.... parts of this journey, like tracking my fasting times and even writing this blog each week, had started to consume me a little. I needed a break.... to breathe.... to get my head straight again. I have lost weight for 16 consecutive weeks now.... and somewhere along the way, it started becoming all about the number on the scale. That was never the point. This journey was always meant to be about becoming a healthier, happier version of ...

  The Bearded Belly Chronicles Chapter  Thirteen :–  Holding My Breath.... and Finding My Way Back In the Numbers 📊 Starting weight: 159.7kg ⚖️ Weight last Friday: 143kg ⏳ Weight today: 141.6kg 🎉 (–1.4kg) Total lost: –18.1kg This week, I fasted for 141 hours and 17 minutes — which is long enough to watch the new Minecraft movie 59 times.... which I think the kids wouldn't have minded. I also drank 30 litres of water — enough to flush a toilet 37 times. Rippling Rolls.... Pizza Hut Battles.... and YES Day Triumph The whole aim of this journey was always about becoming a better man.... not just for myself, but for Jess and the boys. Sure, sometimes I stumble.... sometimes I fall flat on my face.... but slowly and steadily, I feel myself becoming more present.... more open. I've mentioned previously that we have a family "YES day" once a month.... a day where the winner of a board game gets to plan all our adventures for a Saturday or Sunday. Jess and I started t...

Chapter Twelve  – Hoodie On, Head High In the Numbers 📊 Starting weight: 159.7kg ⚖️ Weight last Friday: 143.7kg ⏳ Weight today: 143kg 🎉 Total lost: –16.7kg This week, I fasted for 147 hours and 7 minutes — which, for context, is longer than it takes to watch all 10 Fast & Furious films back-to-back… twice . Vin Diesel would be proud. I also drank another 38.25 litres of water , taking this year's total to 477.15 litres  ..... enough to fill my bathtub nearly six times . A Full Stomach, A Quiet Mind Buffets and I have history. Dangerous, messy, delicious history. On Saturday, we travelled over to Derby for some belated birthday celebrations for my father in law, back to Cosmo once again. I was slightly dreading this one, even more than the last time Jess, the boys and I went. Being in a larger group, I was worried I'd slip back into old habits and use the distraction of there being loads of us to sneak in plate after plate, unnoticed. We arrived at the re...

  Chapter Ten – The Pasty Orca Strikes Back The Whisper That Turned Into a Shout It started with a whisper... that familiar voice of self-doubt that turns into a shout if I don’t shut it down fast enough. Jess was away Friday night. I had a meal planned. But instead of cracking on with work or ticking off the to-do list, I sat there all day thinking: What can I eat later? What should I eat? What will make it go away? It took over. The whole day got consumed. But here's the wild realisation of this journey  its like there are more hours in the day now. I've got time back. Not just minutes or hours, but mental space. Six months ago, I wouldn't have even realised this constant fog was part of the problem. I'd feel like I was drowning in work, always behind, always stressed... without knowing why. Now? Aside from days like Friday, I'm getting stuff done. I'm sharper. I' m showing up properly. So yeah... I ordered a takeaway. The guilt followed. Then the shame...

The Bearded Belly Chronicles – Chapter 9: Still Here, Just About In the Numbers 📊 Starting weight: 159.7kg ⚖️ Weight last Friday: 144.2Kg ⏳ Weight today: 145.4kg 🎉 (-15.5kg) This week, I fasted for 110 hours and 37 minutes ⏱️First miss of the year. One hour and 23 minutes short. It does not sound like much but it matters. Not because I am chasing perfection. I am not. I am chasing consistency. And this week I blinked. Life got in the way, I let it, and now the streak resets. But that is okay. Growth is not in the perfect weeks. It is in how I show up after this one.  I drank 26.6 litres of water 💧, I missed my water goal by 1.4 litres and I felt it.... not just in thirst but in the hunger I mistook it for . Dehydration crept in quietly, and before I knew it, I was eating to fill a gap water should've closed. Lesson learned. This journey isn't just about what I cut out. It's about what I need to put in.

  The Bearded Belly Chronicles-Chapter 8:  Holding the Space In the Numbers 📊 Starting weight: 159.7kg ⚖️ Weight last Friday: 145.7kg ⏳ Weight today: 144.2kg 🎉 (-15.5kg) This week, I fasted for 133 hours and 13 minutes ⏱️ , which is showing some consistency. The week before, I fasted for 133 hours and 2 minutes . I feel it is settling down into a nice pattern. Also, it has left me enough time to watch all 34 series of The Simpsons 📺 back to back. Meanwhile, I drank 33.7 litres of water 💧 , which, scarily, is only around a quarter of the water an average person in the UK uses per day 🚰 . However, for some freshwater-scarce countries 🌍 , it would have lasted them the whole week!