My Personal Diary – Week of December 12-19
If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this fitness journey, it’s that progress rarely moves in a straight line. This week has been a perfect example of what I like to call the “yo-yo phase” – that frustrating but entirely normal period where your body seems to be taking a breath before the next leap forward. And you know what? I’m completely at peace with it.
Let me share where I’m at, because I think there’s real value in being honest about the messy middle of any transformation. (And yes, I’m a few days late posting this week – life happens, and that’s okay too.)
The Numbers Tell a Story (But Not the Whole Story)
Looking at my Fitbit stats this week, there’s actually plenty to celebrate. I clocked 80,579 total steps – that’s an average of 11,511 steps per day, which is comfortably above the often-cited 10,000 step target. Even better, that’s 47,644 more steps than last week. My best day was Sunday, where I hit 18,795 steps and earned that coveted star badge.
The miles are adding up too – 37.98 total miles this week, which is 22.46 miles more than the previous week. When you think about it, that’s essentially walking the length of a marathon plus some change. Not bad for a regular week of life after 50.
My active minutes came in at 405 for the week, up 50 minutes from the week before. Sleep has been reasonable at an average of 7 hours 33 minutes of restful sleep per night, which is actually 8 minutes better than last week. My resting heart rate is sitting at 64 bpm – a couple of beats higher than last week, but still very much in healthy territory.
And then there’s the weight. 2 stone 5.2 pounds lost overall. The same as last week.
Now, I could look at that plateau and feel deflated. I could let it derail my motivation, question whether all this effort is worth it, or worse – reach for the biscuit tin as some sort of comfort. But here’s what I’ve come to understand about weight loss, especially for those of us over 50: our bodies don’t operate on a weekly reporting schedule, no matter how much we wish they would.
The Stabilisation Phase Is Real (And It’s Actually Good)
What I’m experiencing right now is something I’ve come to think of as stabilisation – that period where your body is essentially catching up with the changes you’ve made. You’re still doing all the right things, still moving, still making good food choices, but the scales seem to have gone on holiday.
This is where so many people give up. This is the exact moment when the internal dialogue turns negative and the temptation to throw in the towel becomes almost overwhelming. I get it. I’ve been there more times than I care to admit over the years.
But here’s what I want you to know if you’re in a similar place: this pause is not a sign of failure. It’s not your body working against you. It’s simply your body doing what bodies do – adapting, adjusting, recalibrating. Think of it as your system taking a moment to consolidate all the good work you’ve been putting in.
The fat burning will come. The progress will show up. But only if you keep going.
Introducing My 40-Day Challenge
Speaking of keeping going, I’ve decided to give myself a structured push to carry me through the early months of the year. I’ve created what I’m calling my 40-Day Challenge, and I’m genuinely excited about it.
The challenge combines four key elements: steps, floors, sit-ups, and squats. These aren’t arbitrary choices – they’re deliberately selected to build a foundation of movement that covers cardiovascular fitness, lower body strength, and core stability. Combined with continuing to eat well, this approach should absolutely kick-start the fat burning process and break through this current plateau.
The beauty of a 40-day challenge is that it’s long enough to create real change but short enough to feel achievable. It’s not a vague “I’ll try to be healthier” resolution. It’s a specific, time-bound commitment that I can track and measure.
I’ll be sharing more details about the challenge structure in the coming weeks, and I’d love for you to join me if you’re feeling stuck in your own fitness journey. There’s something powerful about knowing you’re not doing it alone.
The Tech Question: Fitbit vs Withings
While we’re being honest, I want to share something else I’ve been wrestling with this week: my relationship with my Fitbit.
I’ve been a loyal Fitbit user for years. My Versa 4 has been strapped to my wrist through countless walks, workouts, and weigh-ins. But I’ve noticed something since Google took over Fitbit – things just don’t seem to work as smoothly as they once did.
I’ve tried multiple times to update my Versa 4, and it simply won’t cooperate. Before the Google acquisition, updates just worked. You’d get a notification, press a button, and that was that. Now? It’s become an exercise in frustration. The data feels less reliable, the user experience has become clunkier, and I find myself questioning whether the metrics I’m seeing are truly accurate.
This has led me down a rabbit hole of research into alternatives, and I keep coming back to Withings. Everything I’ve read suggests their devices are more accurate and better made. The build quality appears superior, and the data they provide seems more comprehensive and reliable.
The catch, of course, is price. Withings products cost more – sometimes significantly more. But here’s where I’ve landed on this: what’s the point of tracking your health data if you can’t trust the numbers? If I’m going to base my decisions, my motivation, and my sense of progress on what a device tells me, I need to have confidence in that device.
I haven’t made the switch yet, but it’s very much on my radar. I’ll keep you posted on what I decide, and if I do make the change, I’ll share an honest comparison of both systems.
The Real Lesson: Don’t Let One Weigh-In Define Your Journey
Here’s what I really want you to take away from this week’s update: one weigh-in means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
I know that sounds counterintuitive. We’ve been conditioned to step on the scales with hope and fear in equal measure, to let those numbers determine whether we feel like a success or a failure. But that’s giving far too much power to a single data point.
Weight fluctuates. It’s affected by hydration, sleep, stress, what you ate yesterday, when you last went to the bathroom, where you are in any number of biological cycles. A single weigh-in is just a snapshot – and not always an accurate one at that.
What matters far more is the trend over time. What matters is whether you’re consistently moving in the right direction, even if that movement looks more like a gentle meander than a straight march forward. What matters is whether you’re building habits that you can sustain, not just for 40 days or 40 weeks, but for the rest of your life.
This is especially true for those of us over 50. Our bodies don’t respond the way they did at 25. We can’t crash diet our way to quick results (nor should we want to). The changes we’re making now need to be sustainable, enjoyable even, because this isn’t a temporary fix – it’s a new way of living.
January Is Just Getting Started
We’re only a few weeks into 2026, and it would be easy to look at a plateau and feel like the year is already going wrong. But let me offer a different perspective: there are still eleven months of possibilities stretching out ahead of us. This is absolutely not the time to give up.
More importantly, this is not the time for regret. If you had a difficult holiday season, if you’re not where you thought you’d be by now, if your own scales are showing numbers that disappoint you – none of that matters as much as what you do next.
The power is always in the next step. The next healthy meal. The next walk around the block. The next decision to choose water over wine, stairs over lift, movement over stagnation.
I’m choosing to see this stabilisation phase as my body’s way of preparing for great things. I’m choosing to trust the process, stick with my 40-day challenge, and keep showing up for myself day after day.
Because that’s what living your best life after 50 is really about. It’s not about perfection. It’s about persistence. It’s about understanding that the journey itself is the destination, and every step forward – even the ones that don’t show up on the scales – is a victory worth celebrating.
So here’s to the yo-yo weeks. Here’s to the plateaus. Here’s to staying the course when every part of you wants to quit.
We’ve got this.
How are you finding your own fitness journey this January? I’d love to hear from you – the wins, the frustrations, and everything in between. Drop me a comment below or connect with me on social media.