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My parallel universe

This is my weight. Starting weight was the heaviest I had ever been in all of my 55 years on the planet, and the start date was 1 January 2020. Although I started my alcohol free journey on the same day, I didn't start Dry January 2020 with the objective of losing weight. That (alongside improving my fitness) was a parallel journey because, honestly, I just decided I'd had enough and needed to get a grip.

I have been on a diet for literally all of my adult life, obviously not totally successfully! I had had an exceptional period of work-related stress and anxiety - and my response, like it always has been, was to eat (and drink) to excess. 

But this was the worst it had ever been. At this point I was also on anti-depressants to deal with my "low mood" and anxiety, but still drinking. And eating. Yeah, I know ... 

So why am I sharing this with you now? It's to emphasise that I'm not mentoring clients from the point of view of being a lifestyle transformation success story, who is totally squared away nor because I have all of the answers (although I think I've found a few ...)!

I AM however posting this image because it's an important visual reminder that the periods when my weight went up were periods when stress and negative emotions meant that my normal, by which I mean habitual, response was to go back to unhealthy 'comfort eating' even if I was not now drinking to address those emotions. 

So much of what I write about the sober journey I've found to be true about the healthy weight journey. For some of us, the reasons why we drink to excess and why we eat to excess may be the same. Therefore, turning to eating when we would otherwise have turned to alcohol doesn't really solve anything in the longer term. This is why I have come to believe that the cravings which we experience on the sober journey are not always best resolved by 'comfort eating'.

Finding my WHY was a critical element of my journey. And I seem to have demonstrated that holding on to my WHY was also pretty important. In my journey analogy I got a bit lost, probably cos the road was too busy and my map was upside down! Now I'm back on track. I have rekindled the flame of the passion and purpose in my life, and now I'm convinced that this is as important for me as it is for each and every one of you on your journeys.

My journey to become the better version of myself continues, just like yours does. As a mentor I am accompanying you on the journey. I'm sharing my experiences and my wisdom, plus a bit of knowledge I've picked up along the way. I'm still 100% alcohol free, and I'm still in a vastly different place to where I was on 1 January 2020, but we are all on a journey of a lifetime. Literally. 

When we feel our WHY strongly we motor ahead, and when we lose sight of it we end up on a bit of an off-road diversion. And over the days and weeks ahead, and in 1-2-1 mentoring sessions, we will explore the importance of your WHY and work hard together to keep it alive.

Location: 11000 Carcassonne, France

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