Let battle commence...

Tomorrow I will face possibly my toughest opponent - myself - in what I hope will be a conclusion to a lifelong battle to gain control of my weight.  

Over the years I have fought my demons under the guidance of leaders such as WW, Atkins and Jenny Craig.  Yes, they knew how to rally the troops with established strategy, but with an offense-only attack on obesity, I,  like many, went AWOL. While I left that little bit slimmer, I made up for loss with growing disillusionment with the dieting in general.

Abandoning the mainstream, I rambled from pillar to post in my search for weight loss. From neuro-linguistic programming to acupuncture, I left no stone unturned in my quest for the one true way to not only lose weight but keep it off. 

You name a system or programme and chances are that I've tried it. MyFitnessPal? Spark People? Diet Chef? Yep. Yep. Oh, and yep. 

Which has brought me here today. I'm quickly approaching 40 and I'd be a liar if I said the prospect of spending another decade fighting weight didn't scare me. So I've resolved to win this battle once and for all. (Of course, like any good fight, it will take time.)

Generally, a battle is well-defined in its duration, area and force commitment. What's more, it's defeat needs to be determined from the outset.  

So on the eve of battle, I need to address these important issues. After all, how do you set out to do anything without a clear understanding of what it is that you're really doing. A SMART approach to weight loss is absolutely essential. 

How much will I lose?

My goal is to lose 50 per cent of my starting weight... I'm estimating that my starting weight will be in the region of 19 s 6lbs - 272 lbs.  This would mean that my goal should be 136 lbs (9 stone 10 lbs).  This would put me in the healthy BMI range for my height (5'5").  

When will I lose weight by ?

This is one that I've been thinking about a lot. You see, I'd love to say within a week, month or even a year. But this is part of my big problem with weight. Working on a weight loss of  no more than 1 lb per week, I can expect to reach my goal within 2.5 years. But the goal isn't just losing the weight - it's keeping it off. That's why my aim is to lose the weight by year 3 and to keep the weight off until year 5. This will require significant commitment. But surely my lifelong health is worth a five-year period of positive living.

How will I lose weight? 

Over the years I've gathered a huge amount of information about weight loss techniques and approaches. This time I hope to amalgamate this knowledge by closely examining the physical, mental and emotional aspects of my weight loss. 

And I'm not doing it alone.  I've decided to follow the Slimming World programme, drawing on the support of weekly meeting.  What's more, this will be backed by regular counselling sessions to explore the thinking behind my food issues and a varied physical programme which includes sessions in the pool. gym and out in nature. 

How much will losing weight cost? 

I'll be honest - taking a multi-prong approach to weight loss will come with a heavy price tag. But that's in the short-run. While I'd normally be spending money on food itself, my money will also be spent on support for the mind, body and soul with lots of new indulgences and activities.

To be continued. Find out more by checking back from time to time.