Now that we are approaching the end of the year, we tend to start planning ahead for the ‘new year’. I am no fan of the ‘new year, new me‘ comments as I truly believe that when you really want to change something so bad, you act with immediate effect and not wait for a new year resolution. But 2020 will bring with it new milestones in my journey.

As you might have noticed, lately I have been very busy and I was not that active on my social media and in my social life. Those like me working in finance can understand me better as this time of the year is the busiest time for us. This alone already consume a lot of time but this is not all I was dealing with in the past weeks/months. Let’s take a look at my 2020 timeline below so it will help you understand better my current situation.

Surgery (February – March 2020)

So now that the date of my first surgery (removal of excess skin) is confirmed for Monday 3, February 2020 after which I will have the second surgery in approx 6-8 weeks after the first one, it is very important that the during the festive season I’ll keep to my diet plan in order to keep my weight below 97kg. If I gain weight, that would mean that I will be increasing the risks of something going wrong during my surgery/recovery. I have to be extra careful especially during this time of the year! Why should I increase the risks after what I have achieved so far? Besides being careful not to gain weight, I also need to prepare myself for the surgery both mentally and physically by planning ahead and by making sure that I provide my body with the essential nutrients which will help me heal and avoid being prone to infections during the recovery period.

Turning my place into a Home

Once I get my strength back, I need to continue where I’ve left with my place. There are still some final touches which needs more attention before I can call my place ‘home’ and move into. Original plans were to complete everything by end of 2019 but this was not possible given that it depends on a number of factors and some deadlines had to be missed. Now that my main priorities are the surgery itself and my recovery, the final stages had to be postponed to mid 2020 (hopefully!).

Keeping a Healthy Lifestyle

The idea is that by June 2020, I will be in position to return back to training (light training) and continue with my diet plan in order to reach the second phase of this Journey. My main target is to keep myself fit and start working on something which will see me challenging my limits (we’ll discuss that at a later stage). One things is for sure, the surgery won’t be the final stage of this journey but it is just one of many other milestones yet to come.

My Backbone

All of the above would have not been possible without the backing and support I am continuously receiving from my Family (girlfriend included with this package ;P), Work Colleagues at ICE Malta, NIU, The Student Campus (Including the Directors), Friends and Coach Kevin Pisani. No ‘Thanks’ is big enough to tell you how much I appreciate having you besides me in my Journey.

Thanks for being there and for understanding me even when I fail to understand myself!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for following my blog and wish you all the best for the festive season!