Debs Wallbank
- Jan 15, 2023
- 2 min read

fit by 50!

It has begun!

My mission to be 'fit by 50'

That gives me exactly 14 months!

My entire life before perimenopause I was tiny.

I came into the world weighing less than 2 bags of sugar and was, affectionately called 'skinny-ma-link' most of my childhood, til I hit 14.

14 was when it all happened!

Boobs, hips, boys, booze!

It felt like I'd become a different person overnight.

So now I had shape, but I was still very slim.

In fact I don't think I ever hit 9 stone until my 30s.

Back then it was 'the worst thing ever' and I made sure I lost the weight sharpish and stayed very close to 8 stone right up until I moved to London.

London saw me at my lowest weight since puberty! 7 stone 10 lbs!

Not intentionally, just a much faster pace of life - constantly running for trains and travelling around a huge city.

However… I never ever FELT particularly slim. Even at my lightest.

It's crazy how the mind reacts to weight, and it's actually why I weigh myself so rarely these days despite now being close to my heaviest.

Then, albeit very gradually, since 2010 the weight and fat has snuck up on me.

Part of the reason for the huge gain I've had is without doubt, menopause.

Menopause hormones deciding to store my excess fat around my middle.

Age slowing down my already practically non-existent metabolism.

And hormones leaving me feeling fatigued almost every minute of every day.

All of this leading to a much slower, more sedentary lifestyle.

But as I'm now being very good with my nutrition and mindset, it's definitely time to put more of an effort into movement!

So in the name of full transparency, and to monitor my progress…

December 2022 - I weigh in at 13 stone 2lbs (I've even tipped the scales at almost 14st in the last couple of years!).

A far cry from my 20s and 30s but that's ok!

Because this is NOT a post about weight.

Yes I mention it, because I need a baseline and something to monitor.

But I'm not focusing on it as the full picture.

What is most important to me nowadays is to FEEL GOOD, be fitter, stronger and have more energy.

I'd expect my fighting weight to eventually be somewhere between 9-10 stone for my height, build and muscle mass (believe it or not I actually have really big muscles!).