At the beginning of 2025, I made a bold decision that probably tells you everything you need to know about my ridiculous “all or nothing” personality type. Having eaten and drunk myself into oblivion in December, I was now going to do the opposite: take on board all the healthy advice I’d ever heard but never followed for at least two months.
And when I say all, I mean all. I cut out refined sugar, alcohol and processed food. I drank 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day, aimed for 8-9 hours sleep a night and upped my exercise regime to four times a week. I paid for the Fast 800 diet app and meal plans, the brainchild of the late Dr Michael Mosley and his wife, and followed them to the letter – which meant, initially, only two meals a day constituting around 800 calories in total. High-protein recipes were stacked with vegetables, grains, pulses and dairy; carbs were rarely, if ever, invited to the party. Even fruit was kept to a minimum due to unwanted sugar spikes.
