Back in 2002 there were no smartphones, no (affordable) digital cameras, just good old fashioned photo film cameras. The ones you had to take to a shop, when full, to be developed; and then you had to wait a few days for them to return.
It was, therefore, several weeks AFTER this photo was taken that I saw it and OH MY GOD did it scare me to the core!
It had suddenly dawned on me, I was never in front of the camera, I was the one always taking the photos and now I understood why! I was ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted and hated myself.
It was at that exact moment in late 2002 I decided enough was enough and time to take action to turn this 24-year-old mess around! Yep, 24 years old.
What a state!
I was such an active, skinny child and teenager, always cycling, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing and enjoying the outdoors, so to now all of a sudden be touching 18 stone of pure fat was mortifying.
Yes, I had suffered a brutal – near death – attack, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and daily seizures, but ffs Simon, this was madness. I knew I would struggle to see my 30th birthday, let alone my 40th!
I knew my daily mint Viennatta, bottle of wine, pizzas, massive bowl of cereal in the evening and everything else had to stop. I knew I had to start moving more and stop using my seizures as an excuse to not do any physical activity.
Due to my daily seizures, it was extremely tricky to be out alone exercising, and it was already challenging enough for everyone around me to manage my fits – and size!! I had to think outside the box a little.
Only a few days earlier had I watched QVC (yea get over it, this was 2002!) and saw the “Lateral Thigh Trainer”. I knew I could use this in front of the TV, in the comfort of my own home - nearly risk free, without the need to put on any more people.