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I checked my phone for a third time, it was 3:48am. Still couldn't sleep.
It's not normal that I have trouble sleeping, in fact it's one of the traits I think frustrates my wife the most. Throughout our children's early years, I was able to either sleep through them waking multiple times each night, or if prompted (usually with a knee to the back) I was able to get up, feed/change/settle them and be asleep again within 5 minutes.
This night was different though. I had been lying in bed for over 2 hours wide awake and with no signs of returning to sleep any time soon. Maybe 3 coffees a day for someone approaching 40 is taking its toll?
My mind turned to more productive thoughts as once again I began thinking about how much fun it could be to start a podcast. As a child I dreamt of being a radio presenter. Back then, both podcasts and the internet were yet to be invented, and remember recording my own radio shows sat at the dining room table at my Grandmas house using her old tape recorder. I'd interview imaginery guests, playing the part of both and cutting to musical breaks and then singing the words I could remember from my favourite songs.
If I was to do a podcast, nearly every single article I had read about starting one said to make it about a passion. I'm interested in many things, but not to an obsessive level and so found it hard to pick a single topic. I began to ask myself what I truly felt passionate about (thanks brain, it was now 4:02am and I could hear birds starting to move about outside), and the one predominant thought that kept looping back to the front was my innate need of helping people. From holding a door for someone at shop to dedicating whole weekends to helping a friend move house, it's something that gives me a true feeling of self worth and belonging.
I then turned my attention to how I might be able to help people in a digital format. Almost instantly my mind turned to my own journey of losing weight and then to a conversation I had with my mum the day before. She was explaining to me that she loved going to Slimming World, knew exactly how to follow the plan but often struggled when it came to staying motivated during the week in between weigh-ins. She would find herself opening the fridge door and snacking in the evenings, or on days when feeling emotionally weaker she would turn to food as comfort. The other issue she described as an obstacle was a lack of feeling supported at certain times, saying that trying to lose weight could be very lonely.
Whilst everyone has their own story, motivation or reason to lose weight, I firmly believe there are a number of common emotions and experiences shared by the high majority of anyone who either struggles with their weight or is unhappy with their appearance. I asked myself how I felt when I was heavier and felt aligne with what my mum had said.
Some common feelings when overweight and wanting to transform:
Lack of confidence
Lack of self esteem
Feeling of being judge based on appearance
Shyness to be in public events
Wanting to avoid swimming pools, the beach etc
Guilt
Sadness
Depression
Hopelesness
The pure desperation of wanting to make a change but feeling emotionally unequipped to deal with the challenge is horrible. I began to think how much difference it could make to have a strong support network and be led by people who discovered the secret to long term success. What if next time my mum found herself opening the fridge door she had an alternative to eating chocolate or a way to be pulled away from that feeling of weakness?
It was then (now aproximately 4:27am) that I connected the dots, and had that magical "Ah-Ha" moment. I would create a podcast celebrating the successful weight loss stories of normal people as a way to help motivate, inspire and support people who were trying to acheive the same.
Weight Loss Warrior was born.
I felt a surge of excitement run through my body and with absolutely no chance of falling back to sleep now, I grabbed a pen and paper and started making notes.
The goal was simple. I wanted to give people who were on a weight loss journey a way of staying motivated and to continue believing that they could reach their goals by sharing the stories of those who had been there, done it and bought a smaller, better fitting T-Shirt.
Now with ideas racing in my mind, I considered all the possible advantages as a person trying to lose weight, often feeling lonely who needed extra support. The thought of being able to turn to my phone and listen to an inspiring story during a moment of weakness could be just the right amount of time and distraction needed to stay on track. Let's be honest, from experience I know that having an emotional relationship with food is an addiction. In order to break the cycle there needs to be a support network and practical steps to avoid finding yourself in a moment in which you don't have the power to do "the right thing".
Fast forward to today (about 4 days later) and I am in the process of getting the project live. There are about 50 tasks on my things to do list ranging from simple jobs like finding a quiet space to record each episode right through to creating a large tribe of listeners. There is a lot I am aware I have no idea even where to start but I like a challenge and this is an opportunity to create something amazing.
One thing I am clear about is the definition of what a Weight Loss Warrior is. For each podcast interview, the person telling their success story will be inducted into the WLW hall of fame. These people are the role models and inspiration to those needing help and listening to the podcast. To ensure we give people the safest, most enjoyable platform to get weight loss support, I have defined the following qualities of a true Weight Loss Warrior:
Has lost weight in a natural and healthy way
Is honest and transparent about their journey without sugarcoating the truth
Wants to share their story to help inspire others
With so many different programs and methods of losing weight, I want the podcast to be fully inclusive and explore the various options. One thing I am certain I also want to do is to discourage controversial or potentially dangerous ways of losing weight.
Over the coming weeks, I'll share the nuts and bolts of my project to create the WLW podcast and welcome your feedback, questions and ideas. This is all about building a friendly and support focused community so I think it's important that you help steer the direction of our journey.
Make sure you don't miss the first episode or offical launch giveaway. Enter your details below and you might be one of our lucky WLW winners on Launch Day!
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