So, what's the problem?
Towards the end of last year, I was looking back at photos and videos from before the Covid pandemic (pre-2020) and couldn’t believe just how much thinner and generally healthier I looked back then.
To be honest, I’ve always been rather fit and active, and have never had to worry about my weight. However, over the past few years, I’ve noticed that as I have gotten older, it has been more difficult to maintain or lose weight, and my poor diet coupled with reduced exercise during the Covid period and lockdowns really did have a negative effect on my body. For the first time in my life, I had moobs (man boobs).
Granted, I could be in much worse shape but by the same token, things could be so much better, and now is the perfect time to get things sorted. Although this is primarily a golf blog and this feels like a health and fitness post, the results from the changes I’m looking to make will hopefully have a positive impact on not only my everyday life but my performances and level of enjoyment on the golf course too.
As one of those people who considers the beginning of a new year to be the perfect time to make a change and build a habit, my new year, new me journey starts now. It’s my hope that by sharing my own personal progress updates each month on the My Golf Journal section of this blog, those of you reading this article who are in a similar position will feel inspired and supported to take their first steps towards improved fitness.
So, let’s begin by taking a look at what we’re dealing with in terms of my current weight, activity levels and diet.
The current state of play - where is my body at
On 1st January, I decided to hop onto my Renpho Health digital Bluetooth scales and get a better idea of my exact weight. What I like about these scales is that they are linked to the Renpho app, so each time I weigh myself my results are linked to my account to allow me to set a target and track any weight loss or gains. They provide a total of 13 measurements including BMI, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle and more, but I don’t focus too much on these.
My weight on 1st January was 76.80 kg (classified as “Slightly High”) with a BMI of 25.4 (classified as “Slightly High”). What completely caught me off guard and showed that a change was needed was my body fat rating of 25.6%, which apparently put me in the “Obese” category. OBESE!!. That came as a shock! The only silver lining was that my metabolic age (36) was playing ball – a very thin silver lining indeed.
Now, not only did I think I was probably carrying too much timber – my scales confirmed I most certainly was.
Time to make a change.

The target
Before the 2020 Covid pandemic, I was relatively fit and healthy and weighed around 70 kg. Given I was happy with this weight, I feel that trying to get back to 70 kg should be achievable if I put the effort into regular exercise and being more careful with what I eat. With the new golf season starting around April, that seems like the perfect target to drop the 6 kg by – working out at around 2 kg per month, which sits within the NHS healthy weight loss recommendations.
The weight loss master plan
Now, I’ve never been someone who has ever enjoyed going to the gym and to be honest, that’s not about to change. I can think of nothing less appealing than getting up early in the morning and going for a workout. So, in order to lose weight, I’ll be focussing on three main things: regular exercise, calorie counting and intermittent fasting.
Regular exercise: A mile a day keeps the doctor away
In 2022, inspired by this Mind Body Green article, I set myself the challenge of running a minimum of one mile (1.6 km) per day for the entire year. Sadly, my streak of 74 straight days ended when I contracted Covid and then injured my back. Despite not completing the challenge, I found it to be hugely beneficial in terms of how much my fitness, concentration and motivation levels improved. Running one mile burns roughly 120 calories and only takes around eight to nine minutes to complete, so this form of exercise fits well into my often busy lifestyle. It’s also flexible, so whilst I need to run at least one mile per day (without missing a day), I can choose to run as many miles as I like, as long as the run is at least one mile.
Determined to break my previous record of 74 straight runs, I have decided to renew this challenge this year, and so far, I have managed 23/365 runs at the point of writing this post.
I’ll be tracking every run using the Runkeeper app, and sharing progress updates to this blog every month, with my January fitness update available at the beginning of February, so be sure to look out for it.
Of course, as well as my daily runs, the plan is also to continue walking as often as I can either with our dog or during my lunch breaks, as well as squeezing in a weekly game of 5-a-side football and of course, several rounds of golf when the weather improves.
Calorie counting: You are what you eat
Regular exercise is one thing but that won’t be enough to shift the weight alone. In addition to running, walking and sports, I’ll be giving much more thought to the food and drink I am consuming. I’ll be tracking everything I eat and drink via the Calorie Counter app, with the aim of a daily net calorie deficit, but doing so in such a way that I can still enjoy the odd treat here and there. Generally speaking, I’m not a big eater but I’m probably guilty of eating the wrong type of foods all too often. By giving more thought to the type of food and portion sizes, I’m hopeful that I can cut enough calories without starving myself to lose weight.
When it comes to playing golf, I’ll be swapping those pre-round bacon rolls and unhealthy chocolate bars for more nutritious alternatives, like those outlined in this article on the best golf snacks for improved performance on the golf course.
Intermittent fasting: No more late night snacks
The final leg of my fitness tripod is intermittent fasting, which is known to promote weight loss, improve heart health, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, and even improve your brain health. The plan is to finish my last meal and then not eat again until 16 hours later, known as 16:8 intermittent fasting. For me, this is the easiest of the three pieces of the master plan as I have regularly performed intermittent fasting for several years, so it’s very much business as usual. Generally speaking, I’ll usually try to fast daily for 16 hours between 7PM and 11AM, and use the free Fastic mobile app to help track my progress.
In my experience, the first few days of fasting can be tough but after that, it becomes much easier and just part of your daily routine.
Next steps
So, there you have it, I’m starting the new year with a new attitude and am desperate to make a positive change in terms of my mental health and well-being, which will hopefully have a positive impact on my life both on and off the golf course. I’ll be spending the remainder of January continuing my daily runs, continuing to count those calories and continuing to say no to those bedtime snacks, before sharing a progress update at the beginning of February.
If you’ve got this far, then I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and will be interested in stopping by every month for my regular updates, which I’ll share in the My Golf Journal section of this blog. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this article or challenge in the Comments area below, and if you’re undertaking your own new year, new you challenge, I wish you all the best.