Why I’m Starting My Fitness Journey
I used to be around 9 stone, and it felt effortless to stay that way. My weight would naturally sit between 9 and 10 stone, and because I had a more active job, I didn’t really have to think about it. I felt comfortable in my body, and I genuinely loved how I looked.
Since moving into an office job, things have changed more than I expected. My weight has slowly crept up to nearly 13 stone, and I’ve really started to notice it — especially around my stomach. It’s affected how my clothes fit and how I feel when I look in the mirror.
The other day I was looking back at old photos of myself, and I couldn’t believe the difference. I miss that version of me — not just how I looked, but how I felt.
So now it feels like the right time to do something about it and start getting back to a place where I feel comfortable in my body again.
How My Body Has Been Affecting My Confidence
Even as I sit here in my new activewear, I can feel how soft and comfortable the fabric is — it actually feels great to wear. But at the same time, I’m very aware of my stomach, and how my T-shirt keeps riding up over it.
Lately I’ve found myself choosing baggier clothes just to hide it and not think about it too much. It’s become easier to cover up than to feel comfortable facing it.
I do find myself comparing my body to other people I see, especially women out and about who have the kind of shape I wish I had. And with summer coming up, I’ve started thinking about how I won’t feel confident in the clothes I want to wear.
Life feels too short to stay in that mindset. If there’s something I don’t like, I’d rather try to change it — that’s the mindset I’m trying to move towards now.
My plan to get back my flat stomach
When I look back at how I’ve gained weight over time, it really comes down to a calorie surplus.
A typical adult needs around 2,000 calories per day to maintain their weight, although this varies from person to person. In my case, I was likely consuming significantly more than that on a daily basis.
Working near a Lidl made things very easy and very habitual. I would often start the day with a pastry because I felt like I deserved it, followed by a microwave burger and a cake at lunch. I’d usually have another cake on the way home, and sometimes a beer or two. Once I got home, I’d still have a full evening meal with fruit, and then more chocolate later in the evening.
Looking at it honestly, I was probably averaging around 3,000 calories per day, if not more on some days.
At the same time, my lifestyle changed. I used to have a more manual job where I naturally burned a lot more calories during the day. Now I have a sedentary office job, so that same level of eating no longer matches my activity level. As a result, my weight has slowly crept up over time.
So I now have two choices: reduce my calorie intake, increase my activity, or ideally do both.
My plan going forward is exactly that.
I’m going to start doing light exercise in the mornings before work. I’ll continue walking to and from work each day, and I’ll also add walking during my lunch break.
At lunchtime, I’ll switch things up by having a simple sandwich, a bottle of water, and a piece of fruit instead of heavier, more calorie-dense options.
This feels like a realistic and sustainable way to start getting back to where I want to be.
Why I Chose to Work Out at Home
I’ve decided to start my fitness journey at home for a few reasons.
The first is cost — I can’t really justify the extra expense of a gym membership right now.
The second is time. I don’t have spare hours in the day to spend travelling to and from a gym, let alone working out there.
And honestly, I don’t feel like I necessarily need a gym at this stage. I’m not planning on lifting heavy weights or doing anything overly complex — I just want to start moving more and improving my fitness.
I already have everything I need at home. My own body weight is enough to act as resistance, and there are so many guided workouts available online.
The gym is great if you have the time or you’re really passionate about it, but right now I just want something simple and realistic that I can actually stick to. So I’m starting here and seeing what’s possible.
Finding Workouts on YouTube
I started looking on YouTube by typing things like “flat stomach woman lose weight” and quickly found that there are loads of workout videos out there. I decided to just pick one of the most popular ones and give it a try.
The top result was the Chloe Ting “Get Abs in 2 Weeks” challenge, which has hundreds of millions of views. The exercises looked exactly like what I was looking for — no equipment, just bodyweight movements that I can do at home.
The workout includes a warm-up followed by exercises like leg raises, reverse crunches, planks, mountain climbers, Russian twists, bicycle crunches, and a cool-down at the end. It’s a full-body core-focused routine that looks challenging but doable if I take it at my own pace.
I know the title says “2 weeks,” and realistically I understand it’s not going to completely transform my body that quickly. But what it does give me is structure, motivation, and something to follow instead of guessing what to do.
There are tons of people online who say they’ve had good results from it, so I’m going to give it a try and see how I get on.
At this stage, my focus isn’t perfection — it’s just about getting started and building consistency. Any movement is better than none.
What this workout will give me
I don’t expect this workout to completely transform my body overnight, and I know that’s not how real progress works. For me, this is more about building consistency, getting moving again, and starting to feel better in my own body.
Physically, I’m hoping it will help me become a bit more toned, especially around my core, and slowly start reducing some of the weight I’ve gained over time. Even small changes like feeling a bit lighter, having more energy, or noticing my clothes fitting slightly better would be a win at this stage.
Mentally, I think the biggest change will be confidence. I want to stop avoiding how I feel about my body and start taking control of it again. Even just knowing I’m doing something active each day should help me feel more positive and focused.
It’s also about routine. I’ve gone from a much more active lifestyle to sitting at a desk most of the day, so building a habit of moving again feels important. If I can stick to this, it’s proof to myself that I can make changes and follow through with them.
Right now, I’m not chasing perfection. I’m just focusing on progress, consistency, and getting started.
This is where I’m starting from, and I’ll see how I get on with it over the next few days. I’ll update with how the first sessions go and what I learn along the way.
All my Love