A 2024 update – life, love, diets and Just Average Jen
It seems a long time since I wrote a truly personal post, and I think I should do it more often. I hate reading blogs that aren’t much like blogs anymore as they don’t have a personal touch, so I never want to be too much like that. Equally, I don’t want to write stuff that no one wants to read and give you daily updates about a life that isn’t that exciting! Anyway, I digress; here is a bit of a 2024 update and a few changes you might like to know about.
Firstly, I want to say thank you if you have been a long-time reader of Just Average Jen. I started it in 2015, so it has been a good few years now, and some of you have stuck by me since the beginning. I still aim to write a fun, friendly and supportive blog, so don’t panic; that won’t change, but I want to share a few updates.
My life in 2023 and how that will affect 2024!
Did 2023 seem like a long year to anyone else? It did to me! I was in hospital in February with Covid Pneumonia and quite poorly because of my severe asthma, which means my lungs are pretty rubbish at the best of times. Well, Covid (for the second time!) gave them an extra kick, and now they are even worse.
It has been a long time since I was running and more active anyway, but that said, I had hoped to use our home gym and lose some weight with exercise, healthy food and loving myself a bit more, but 2023 just put a go-slow on that. Just moving around and breathing was often challenging, never mind trying to exercise.
In 2023, I was also diagnosed with sleep apnoea and now have a CPAP machine at night to help me breathe. It has made quite a difference, and I am much less tired during the day now, so I should get more time to work and exercise when my lungs improve.
Look at all my chins – don’t worry, keep reading. I am going to lose them! That said, I am honest, and I would rather share the real me than hide away and pretend I am a supermodel!
Perimenopause and Midlife?
Another label that came in 2023 was that of Perimenopause. I am 43, and it seems I have been in this for the last few years. My periods have lost all sense of normality and have decided that they will do exactly as they like. I have had some other symptoms, but I won’t bore you with those today.
I always thought menopause was a thing for the late 40s or 50s and hadn’t thought of it being so close, which made me a little sad, but it is what it is. I have set up a group on Facebook called “Peri-menopause and menopause buddies by Just Average Jen“. It is very new, so don’t be alarmed if there are only a few members when you look.
Wedding Plans and Weight Loss
I need to lose weight again, I know I have said it before but I know you guys are with me on the whole up and down of losing weight and gaining weight, it is like a crap rollercoaster! This time, I am aiming to lose weight to get married! Stuart and I got engaged in 2022 and want to start planning a wedding for 2025, hopefully, BUT I want to lose weight first.
I know he loves me however I am, but I want to feel stunning in my dress and am determined to try. If you are also trying to lose weight for a wedding, feel free to join the wedding weight loss buddies group I set up on Facebook. It is also a new group, so don’t be alarmed if there are only a few members!
So far, I haven’t made any specific commitments about a diet to follow as I never feel that will help me in the longer term. I have decided that whilst I lost a huge amount of weight with Slimming World, it just isn’t for me to return to that.
Whilst I will use some of the same principles of Slimming World, which are essentially healthy eating, I won’t be eating unlimited amounts of anything as I don’t think this works in the long term.
Personally, if I eat unlimited of anything healthy, then before long, I slip into eating large amounts of simply anything, and I need to teach myself to eat smaller portions, eat anything I like in moderation and enjoy food without anything being a sin (or a syn)!
I am also trying to drink more water and have bought a giant water bottle! I know I often eat when I am probably actually thirsty so I think this will help!
Updates and changes to Just Average Jen
Despite not following Slimming World, I will still share recipes and note how they fit into the plan. I won’t be removing Slimming World related articles, but I will also be focusing more on nutritious recipes and happiness alongside healthiness.
I truly believe that the secret to happiness is loving yourself as much as you love your best friend and treating yourself with the same love and respect as you would do to a small child. Talking to yourself like rubbish will never help you be happy, will it?
Anyway, enough of my waffle, I hope you got to the end!
Jen xx
Happy New Year hugs! And congratulations on planning for the wedding!
As someone with ME and Long Covid, I completely empathise with your health problems. I am finding that acupuncture really helps me, though. And over the past year I’ve gone from needing treatment every week to only once a month now, so things are improving… or more manageable, perhaps!
Re. perimenopause: I started when I was about the same age as you, and then by the time it finished, I was 50, and living in Southeast Asia. Hot flushes in 46°C heat are no fun, I can tell you. But, actually, that part didn’t last too long, and now I’ve been free of the whole rotten malarkey for 10 years. I really hope that you’re not having a horrendous time.
Weightloss: what you said about eating unlimited amounts of healthy food, then slipping into the non-ideal stuff makes so much sense. I firmly believe that for sustained healthy weightloss and maintenance, it has to be a lifelong commitment. And I also believe, like you, that having support and encouragement really does help. Because of being ill for so long, I’ve found that the weight has piled on – mostly because I’m just not as active as I once was. I’m not getting married though, so I don’t know that it would be appropropriate to join your FB weightloss group. But I wish you the best of luck with it!
And I look forward to more of your newsletters!