And so I stepped out of the shower this evening, towelled myself dry and stepped tentatively up to the bedroom scales for the first time in months. I stood on the glass and watched the LCD display wheeling up, working out what the grand total was. And then the display steadied and settled on a final number.

87.9kg. Oh dear.

It seems like tonight was exceptional timing. 88kg is – according to the Body Mass Index – the threshold between me being in my ‘normal’ weight range and being overweight. After ignoring my increasing bad habits for too long, it was time to start taking action.

How did I end up here? A combination of factors. A sports injury didn’t help matters. I haven’t been able to exercise properly since October due to wrecking my knee at a half-marathon. Factor in some spectacular gluttony over Christmas, and that certainly didn’t help keeping the weight down. Worse, it established a junk food and red wine habit that has stuck with me to this day. Not good.

I’ve tried to keep running, but this winter has lasted far too long. Rain and snow and high winds have kept me indoors, even when I have felt up to the task of running.

But clearly the time for excuses is over. I’ve watched my waistline expand over the last few months and all the hard work I put into losing weight and toning in the first place is slipping away. But there’s a plus side.

I feel like those scales tonight just issued me a challenge. Bring it back down again. I need to lose at least 10kg. Ideally I’d be sitting around 75kg, maybe by the summer if I can contain the diet and keep up a regular workout routine. So what’s the plan?

1. Bring the diet back to basics. I’ve got to rein in the sloppy eating habits. Junk food and wine are off limits.
2. Start working out again. But I need to take it easy to begin with – I can’t risk another injury, so it’ll be short 3-5 mile runs to begin with and cross training to sweat some of the weight off. And tone up a little at the same time.
3. New shoes! Yep. Rather than risk my old trainers giving me another injury, I’ve invested in a new pair. Nice, new well-cushioned trainers. Mizuno Wave Inspires.
4. Stand on the scales every single day. I need the constant reminder to stand on the scales to discipline me. And there’s a certain reassurance to seeing the numbers slowly going down.

So, challenge accepted. Let’s see how long it takes to shift this excess baggage!