☀️ Sequins, Sunshine & Steady Steps

January 2026 – Mounjaro Diaries

Happy New Year✨🎉

And no… there is no “new year, new me” speech coming.

Because the truth is, I quite like the me who showed up in 2025.

So January wasn’t about reinventing myself.

It was about continuing.

✨New Year’s Eve (Yes… I Wore The Same Dress)

Confession time.

I wore the same navy sequin dress for New Year’s Eve that I wore to the black tie event in December.

And do you know why?

Because losing over 7 stone is costing me an absolute fortune in clothes😅💸

Every time I think I’m “sorted” wardrobe-wise, something else hangs differently, slips differently, or just looks… not right anymore.

And also?

I loved how I felt in that dress.

Not in a “please tell me I look slimmer” way.

In a “this is me and I feel good” way.

So yes — same dress. Same sparkle. Different year.

And I danced again💃✨

☀️A Week in Cape Verde

And then… we escaped.

Cape Verde.

Sun. Sea. Sand.🌊☀️🏝

Oh my goodness, hello sunshine. I have missed you.

There is something profoundly healing about warmth on your skin after months of 5:30am alarms, pitch black mornings and scraping ice off the car like you’re in some Arctic endurance test.

I sat on the beach and felt present.

I swam without worrying who was looking.
I wore summer clothes without mentally calculating angles.
I walked barefoot without feeling heavy or self-conscious.

And yes — there were cocktails.🍹
And hotel buffets.
And desserts that did not ask permission before being delicious.

But here’s the difference.

There was no “last supper” mentality.
No internal panic.
No secret overcompensating.

Just balance.

And that feels like freedom.

💉“Have You Changed Your Dose?”

Another question that keeps popping up:

“Have you increased your dose?”

No.

Still on 10mg.

And yes — weight loss has slowed.

But let’s be honest… life has been a whirlwind.

Between Christmas events, travel, decorating chaos, hospital visits, and sunshine escapes — it hasn’t exactly been a quiet, routine-driven season.

What matters more to me right now?

No side effects.
Steady appetite control.
Being able to eat healthily (mostly😉).
And not feeling ruled by food.

This isn’t a race anymore.

It’s a lifestyle.

📉Weight Update

January loss: 1.5lbs

Not dramatic.
Not headline-grabbing.

But steady.

And steady in January — the month of “all or nothing” — feels quietly powerful.

Because January used to be extreme.

This January feels grounded.

📖The Digital Journal & The Mindset Shift

I want to talk about something that matters more to me than the scale.

The mindset work.

Because the injection helps with appetite.

But it does not silence the inner critic.
It does not undo decades of emotional eating patterns.
It does not magically create self-trust.

That part takes intention.

It takes reflection.

It takes gently rewiring how we respond to stress, joy, boredom, grief, celebration.

That’s exactly why I created the “I’m Doing This” Digital Journal.

It’s not a rigid planner.
It’s not a food diary that makes you feel judged.

It’s a space to:

• Reconnect with yourself
• Build habits that feel doable
• Track your GLP-1 journey without shame
• Notice emotional triggers
• Celebrate non-scale wins

If you’re on this journey and starting to realise that mindset is just as important as medication, you can have a look here:

👉 https://helencraddock.com/join

Because this time, it isn’t just about losing weight.

It’s about becoming someone who trusts herself.

And that shift? That’s the real transformation.

💔The Quiet Undercurrent

While there has been sunshine and sequins and celebration, there’s also been something softer running underneath it all.

My sister-in-law is now in a home.

It’s a lovely place. The staff are amazing. Kind. Gentle. Present.

And yet… we don’t think she has long left.

It’s strange how life works.

You can be sitting on a beach in Cape Verde feeling warmth on your face… and at the same time carrying that ache in your chest.

January has felt like that.

Light and heavy.

Joyful and fragile.

And again, this journey reminds me why I started.

Health is not about a dress size.

It’s about being here.

Clear-headed. Mobile. Present.

Strong enough to hold both celebration and sadness.

🌿Moving Into 2026

There’s no dramatic declaration this month.

No detox.
No extreme gym plan (although yes… I probably should reintroduce one😅).

Just this:

I’m continuing.

Still on 10mg.
Still steady.
Still living.
Still enjoying.
Still showing up.

The weight loss may have slowed.

But the growth hasn’t.

And honestly?

That feels like the most important win of all.

With love,
Helen💕