In August 2023, I shared that I'd gained just over 4kg. 16 months later, I've since gained another 12kg. I'm really pleased with the steady growth rather than in sharp peaks and valleys. The dip that started in October 2023 was when we put the house on the market, and it didn't start to rise until we accepted an offer and officially reserved our new (now current) house in early Jan 2024.

Turns out I stress-starve.

For a little context on that, my BMI went from the bottom end of underweight before I started at 60kg to slap-bang in the middle of 'healthy' at 76kg. For my height, healthy ends at 90kg. And yes, I know all about BMI's shortcomings, but it's commonly understood, so I'm rolling with it.

I owe much of the success in my gaining weight to MyFitnessPal, which kept me in check and helped me steadily gain the weight, rather than binge on sugar for 3 months straight. I had it set to gain 0.2kg a week since I started, and even though I'd added a quarter of what I weighed before, I still look very, very slim. So there's definitely work to do, but that work is in the gym. More on that later.

I also wrote in that linked post that I wanted to do a 5k run by the end of 2023. I gave that a try at the end of the year, but I failed needed to work at it some more.

I tried again at the end of March 2024. We were moving house a few days later, and I wouldn't be working with my PT after that. Being able to run was one of the bigger reasons I started working with him, so it felt a little symbolic to complete the 5k run before I moved away.

I completed it, but it wasn't quite the pace I had imagined.

I never really talk about my fitness goals or issues with anyone, so having someone in my life whose primary goal was my fitness was a nice motivator. That came to an end, but his way of thinking about all of this stuff is now lodged in my head, and that's my motivator.

I've not donned my running shoes since, though.

I mentioned the gym & weights earlier. The new house has an internal garage, and that was always going to be for motorcycle storage and a gym. Within a week of moving in, I placed an order for a RowErg, 2 barbells (6ft and ez), 60kg of weight plates, an adjustable bench, and dumbells from 1kg to 12.5kg. That was enough to replicate a decent chunk of what I did with the PT.

I've been in there at least 2 days a week since the beginning of April 2024, and I've definitely continued progressing, and I know that because I'm starting a drop set of curls with heavier weights than I was even 3 months ago now.

I'll never be a bodybuilder—that's not my goal at all—but I am fitter, stronger, and healthier.

I am now thinking that I should have a plan and routing for gym stuff, and stick to it. Progress will stall at some point if I keep going aimlessly, and I can't let that happen.

It's been 3 months since I started working with a personal trainer. I'm seeing some changes now, so I thought I'd jot those down.

I started at 60kg (130 lbs), and while I don't have a target weight in mind–preferring to gauge it on how I look & feel–I'm still weighing myself daily. This helps me keep an eye on whether I'm eating enough and that I'm not going down. Even though I'm not aiming for a specific weight, I'm still early in my journey so a loss in weight either means I'm not eating enough or I'm not gaining muscle.

In my first several sessions, we'd start with a 1km row. Initially, it was a 'take as long as you need' kind of thing, but it soon turned into an aim for 4:30, then aim for 4:15, then one day I did a 3:48. That's well below what it could be–a 3:30–but it's all good progress. Whenever we did this, it would wipe me out for the rest of the session, so we don't row much anymore.

We are focusing on weights more though, and this is where I'm noticing the difference. Several weeks back, I'd to struggle with a 6kg dumbbell bench press, now I can do a set of 10x 6kg, 10x 8kgm and 10x 10kg. I can also do a 35kg trap, but unsure what my max would be. Not big numbers by any means, but it's an improvement for sure.

I've also been running more. My distances are still pretty short being in the 1.2km to 1.6km range, but it's something I can do easily without much prep, and again, it's better than nothing.

I'm learning that it's cardio that is my biggest issue. My body just isn't used to it. I did go to the doctors (for free, thanks NHS!) to get some blood tests and an ECG after my PT suggested it for my high heart rate. The ECG was good, with 1 doctor & 2 other nurses all agreeing it's just my body acclimatising. The bloods came back as a vitamin D & B12 deficiencies, for which I take pills for now. It'll take months –even from here–to get to the point where I can run a few kilometers without stopping.

I'd like to do a 5k parkrun by the end of the year, even if that means getting up at 7am on a chilly December morning to do it.

I've been training with a personal trainer for a month, so I thought I'd check in here and track some progress. I've been doing 30-minute sessions until now, but I start 1-hour sessions this Friday, so it feels like a natural point to do this.

If you haven't read the why, here it is:

Starting With A Personal Trainer

I’ve started training with a personal trainer. But why?

Paul DavisPaul Davis

I now weigh 2kg more than I did when I started. This is largely down to me eating more. I'm eating breakfast & lunch every single day, and have massively increased my protein intake with the help of a mass gainer shake.

I'm drinking water. Note I didn't say more water. My liquid intake for years was a single coffee in the morning, maybe a small glass of something fizzy with lunch, and a beer or two after dinner. I now have at least 2 pints of water a day, and I'm trying to get this to 4. With the weather getting warmer, this should be easy.

I'm also doing some simpler exercises at home to keep momentum. I have some old weights and I've been replicating some of what we do in sessions at home. I'm always asking questions about what muscles are targeted with different exercises, so when doing them myself, I know I'm doing it right.

I'm also trying to run more. My distance is very short right now, 0.5km, but it's a step in the right direction and further helps with that momentum.

We'll probably do a fitness test in a few weeks, so that'll give me some solid numbers to report on and compare with in a few months.