When I started this journey back in January 2025, I had no idea I’d be able to stick with it, let alone turn it into a permanent lifestyle change.
My routine is simple. I aim for 1,900 max calories a day and walk five miles daily. That combination creates a consistent calorie deficit, and sticking to it gives me flexibility. It allows for the occasional day where I eat a little more without derailing progress, because I’ve effectively “earned” those extra calories.
Planning has become a key part of making this sustainable. With a bit of thought, I can still enjoy treats and stay within my calorie target. If I fancy a Greggs for lunch, it’s absolutely doable. In fact, there was one day this month where I had a full Sunday dinner and a Greggs lunch (chicken and bacon baguette, sausage roll and a Belgian bun) and still stayed within 1,900 calories, alongside completing my five-mile walk. It does of course mean no additional snacking in these instances.
That said, it’s not always perfect or easy to maintain calories and it does have its challenges.
Planned flexibility works well. Unplanned decisions are where things can slip. In March, I had one binge that highlighted this. I went into Greggs intending to buy a Belgian bun that I’d already accounted for, but they’d sold out. I substituted it with a pack of chocolate chip cookies, thinking I’d just have one. I didn’t. The temptation was too strong. Lesson learned: substitutions need to be truly like-for-like, or not at all.
Stress is another challenge. There was a moment this month where I bought a Mars bar, a bag of Revels and a pack of biscuits without planning and went shopping. Even with my walking, I exceeded my calories that day. Avoiding food shopping when stressed might be part of the answer for when this situation occurs as well as general grazing and picking up just what you fancy.
March also included my birthday. I enjoyed a few meals out, but I kept up my walking, which I genuinely believe is the foundation of maintaining my weight. I’m now averaging 30–35 exercise miles each week.
I also allowed myself a couple of rest days from walking. One was unplanned due to bad weather, but I made up for it by walking more on other days. In March alone, I walked 155 exercise miles, bringing my total for the year to over 400 miles already. For context, I walked 900 exercise miles across the whole of 2025, so I’m well on track to beat that in 2026.
The next real test will be a holiday. My plan is to keep walking as much as possible while being a little less rigid with calories. The real challenge, as always, will be returning to routine afterwards.
The goal has to remain that I am “building lifestyle behaviours that last” while learning from any mistakes. I guess reflection is also key.
Now all I need to do is work out how to survive Easter!
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