and I have lost a stone and a half.
The first pic is of me at a Word meet-up in January. In the true tradion of 'before' pics it is a truly dreadful and unflattering photo. The second is my new passport photo, which, astonishingly, I like.

If you are happier for it then that is great. BTW I don't buy this supposed mumsnet problem thing. People don't have to read threads. I like the broad church approach to the site.

It is a sad day indeed for the Word Community.

I'd just like to say a very big thank you to you for maintaining this thread. I've found it inspiring and it has genuinely played a major role in helping me turn things around on the health front. It was great to share updates with everyone. It certainly kept me going and became part of my fitness strategy.

I wont trivialise this particular thread by bemoaning yet another small step in the wrong direction for me this week as the spirit of this community was never better represented than by your weekly high spirited contributions.

If the "Richard Thompson worship" and the "Cure are actually quite good" threads now typify this site then the blog will be a much poorer place for it. There are plenty of elephants in the room fighting for buns, but please take heart that this wasn't one of them!

Really, really great picture by the way!

Anyway, most of my weight has come off round my waist, meaning I can fit into my clothes a bit easier now, and no-one wants to see before and after pictures of my stomach.

I've lost a grand total of 14lbs, which isn't to be sniffed at. I'd like to lose a bit more, as I've been hovering around the same weight for about two months now, but at least I'm keeping the weight off. BMI-wise (I know it's not a suitable measure of weight for everyone), I've gone from borderline overweight to about as "normal" as it's possible to be, so hooray. I'm off to celebrate with a nice, juicy pear...

Oh, and I'll completely second what Jim said above, drakes. You look better and a good few years younger now - great work!

PS What's the best age to start teaching your child basic numeracy? Should I think of moving house to be in a catchment area for a good school? I'm worried about the effect prog rock will have on my infant - what can I do?

I have no idea which threads made the maker of the "mumsnet" comment say that, but I can't imagine this was one of them. A sad day.

I'm afraid my net loss is absolutely fuck all. I'm having a bit of a time, which I won't bore you with, but suffice it to say weight loss has been a low priority for me. I am full of admiration for all you losers, and hope that when my current downswing turns upside-down, I can get back on the wagon in earnest.

of what this blog is about then I don't know what is. What you've done here has been fantastic. These threads have been a great spur to tackle my weight, and knowing there will be a weekly report back has been really helpful. I can barely look at a bun now without thinking of you. Er... doesn't read quite right, but you know what I mean.

If the appropriateness issue is the only reason for stopping then please don't. Anyone who doesn't like these threads can kiss my slightly smaller behind.

My net loss so far is 6lbs - not good enough, so I'm going to keep going. The rest of me won't find it the same without the rest of you.

To be honest, I'd much rather have quality contributions like Drakeygirl's, which she obviously takes time and trouble over, then throwaway, ill-considered contributions that just happen to be 100% on-topic.

The best threads are those that make people laugh, or think, or re-consider their positions on something, or provoke them into real-world action, whether that's buying a Supertramp CD or cutting back on the cakes.

If the quality is kept high, and if people are enjoying them, then I have absolutely no problem at all with posts that wander off-topic. And for anyone who'd prefer not to read them, don't worry, there'll be another post along shortly.

And if posting here helped you (or anyone else) along in the process then don't worry about it. Continue as you see fit.

And Mr. Drakeygirl too. She's an inspiration to us all. Foaming pints of Diet Coke all round.

Just a bit puzzled as to where that 360lbs of fat has gone though. Is there a special landfill site or do you have it recycled as lard?

Sad day indeed. I used to really enjoy catching up with how you were all doing. I have quietly been trying to lose weight myself this past year. 2 stone and counting (although the recent holiday to Padstow put a half-stone back on - blast that Stein, oh and perhaps the gorgeous Tribute Ale may have had a small part to play.)This has involved taking up some exercise which because of my stupid work schedule, has to be done at 5am. I 'power walk' for 30 mins 3 times a week and the whole thing has been a revelation. Audiobooks have been devoured (Johnny Depp reading Keef's one is my current joy)and I am so enjoying the solitude around our village at that time. Your regular posts have kept me inspired as well. On the point of 'mumsnet' I agree with everyone above. The whole reason I love this site is the diversity. If I want a site that is exclusively muso talk I'll go somewhere else. The sense of community and the range of subject matter is the draw for me...surprise, surprise much like the magazine. Well done to all of you. You should be very proud Drakey.

This has been a heart-warming series of threads, and a lovely example of "community action".

Thank you very much for starting this.
Mrs Crout and I fell off the wagon due to an incredible amount of Christenings and weddings we've been going to.
We were motivated by the club and have both lost weight during it's run.
BTW Drakeygirl,you look great and thanks again.

Drakeygirl, let's stop all this nonsense and keep the idea going. It looks like there are a lot of people depending on you to be able to fit in their summer frocks.
So until someone pipes up specifically about you knocking the Chubby Checker on the head (and even if they do they will be roundly beaten down) you must carry on or we'll come round and put a bat up your night dress.

but I always took an interest in how people were doing. DG's thread typifies the community aspect of the Word site and I agree with Fraser: I'd much rather encourage that sort of thing than have endless musical apple/orange comparisons.

how how the Chubby Checker threads aren't Word related. It's been set-up by a devotee who goes the extra mile in terms of contributing on here and in the flesh at Massive meet-ups, who is funny and pithy and who gives this blog posts and threads of quality and substance; although obviously slightly less substance than before on account of the weight loss.

Given that people have responded by shedding the pounds (or in the case of Bob have maintained a steady as she goes approach) it would appear that Chubby Checkers has been a help and not a hindrance and that, in my book, makes it a more than valid contribution to the Word blog.

Drakeygirl is Word through and through in that she welcomes all comers. All this despite the fact she lacks the obligatory beard and baldy head. I've met her and pulled her hair really hard, so I know it's not a wig. I always search out for her posts because I'm guaranteed to either laugh out loud or take a moment to reflect, irrespective of the subject matter. I seem to recall a certain magazine called Word that does the same thing. QED.

As far as I'm concerned Drakeygirl can start a thread on the pros and cons of disposable nappies or the best way to strip wallpaper because she brings class and wit in her musings and has an open and accessible writing style that invites response from people. She's always inclusive. Contributors like Drakeygirl shouldn't feel they have to justify what they write because some people have very fixed ideas on what they want the Word Blog to be.

I too have fixed ideas so I'm no different in that respect. I want the Blog to be eclectic and interesting and to offer threads that offer mutual admiration and Richard Thompsone love-ins but I also want threads that challenge convention or offer a different perspective on the everyday stuff. Most of all I want the Blog to be a place where anyone can have a Voice because many voices on here are worth hearing even when they're talking about issues that are not directly related to music. Drakeygirl is one of the key contributors who gives this Blog its broad appeal and it's contributors like her that keep me coming back to the broadest church in the blogosphere.

Long live Chubby Checkers and God bless Drakeygirl.

Good for you and anyone else who has lost weight. I meant to join in and find myself amazed we're now almost halfway through the year and I've made no effort to exercise or eat better. I liked seeing your threads as a little reminder to get a shift on with shifting the weight off.

I read the first couple, even contributed, but lost interest because I'm not making any effort to lose any weight. As a result, this is the first time I've read one of the postings since January, they weren't hard to avoid (they all had just about the same title!) -actually I wasn't "avoiding' them, just skipping past them to something that I thought would interest me more. So anyone complaining seems to be the sort of person to be avoided rather than indulged. My concern is the amount of weight lost...25 stone means that this forum is about two people down since the start of the year!

My waistline's moving fast in the opposite direction but I enjoyed reading these threads, and I completely agree that they make the site what it is - a community and, maybe, something of a second circle of (virtual) mates.

Thought: as with cricket - what do they know of music, that only music know?

Also, Drakeygirl is one of the nicest, friendliest, most welcoming people on the site, and in real life is every bit as nice.

Drakey - I hope you continue the threads, but if not, may I pass on my congrats to you and all the other Chubby Checkers for your commitment (which I really ought to emulate...)

Just got in and caught up. My flabber has been well and truly gasted.

I was thinking I would be able to quietly euthanize my Monday morning Chubby Checker thread, but looks like you lot have ripped up my one-way ticket to Switzerland.

So, drop that doughnut, step away from the chocolate gateau, and stow that Watney's Party Seven back under the stairs - Chubby Checker has earned a reprieve. It lives to wobble another day.

You're a bit like Susan Sarandon, playing that kindly nun in Dead Man Walking. Only fatter. And balder.

Drakeygirl. You persuaded a good deal of the male population on this site to try and lose some weight - a health benefit that should never be ridiculed. I joined the crusade at the beginning but sadly didnt have the willpower to see it through. However I am 6lbs lighter than I was before I was seduced by your sales skills. It isn't significant in comparison to others but it is significant to me. I will go again sometime after the summer holidays but in the meantime well done for dragging us out of the post christmas inertia.

Loss This Week: 1 lb
Total Loss: 30 lbs

Inching ever closer to my target, but not there yet. "2 weeks - 2 pounds" is my new rallying cry!

Our leader asks for before and after pics; well, in my mind it's

From to

But in actual fact it's

From to

And, I am very happy with that.

Can I just say that Chubby Checking has become a big part of my life and I am so grateful to drakeygirl for her inspirational leadership. 30 pounds makes an enormous difference to one's life - and wardrobe. This has been the most successful weight loss programme I have ever undertaken and I don't want it stop.

This place has been described as a virtual pub. Now, I don't know of a pub where the subjects under discussion are subject to any forms of censorship - other than those of good taste and politeness. Life is multidimensional and so is the Massive. We are about much more than just music or technology or football or what's on telly or comedians or politics or...or...

Chubby checking emerged because it struck a chord with many, many people. We may not all have achieved, but we have all enjoyed. I say "Save the Chubby Checkers!"

A good thing. Well done drakeygirl. I'm 6lbs down in total, which is not mega, but better than 6lbs on.

in the dieting fun. After all, I'm built like a racing snake, but good luck to all of you who are disappearing before our very eyes. And DG, if you continue on the downward spiral to sylph status, Daphne may have to be ousted as your avatar, perhaps by Penelope Pitstop.

Whilst not brave enough or strong-willed enough to join in (but deparately needing to) I've admired your thread and was disappointed to see the earlier decision.

It seemed a big shame if this community was being tied down to a particular perceived subject matter; as noted by everyone above, its the variety of topics covered by this blog, in the manner they are - with the Chubby thread being a prime example - that make the difference.

So glad to see you've changed your mind - now I'll go back to telling myself "next week...I'm too busy this week..."

is great news. I'm afraid I fell off the wagon a few weeks back and at the moment feel like I've eaten most of the lard mountain but I'm happy to see CC's carry on.

I think the CC thread pretty much stands for what I love about this place. We cover a wide range of topics (some you like/understand and others less so) and mostly done in a good humour. The occasional fanny wobble is usually forgotten in a burst of mutual apologies and the blog is generally a nice place to be.

Most threads are no more than 2 postings away from a 90 degree tangential swing and a healthy degree of pisstaking. So what if there's some "in jokes" - don't in jokes and talk about football happen in real life too? Techy talk only arises in response to a question for help. And we're miles from mumsnet thank the lord. Whats not to love?

I happen to agree that most of the x vs y threads could have been tedious. Thats why I didn't read them.

Sorry if this comment is a bit late to the party but it needed saying, no matter how badly.

I'd just like to add to the chorus of approval for this thread and the spirit behind it.
I've never read it, beyond chuckling at the title and getting the general gist, but I'm glad it's there.
I suppose most people are drawn to this site from a love of music, but, even for pop obsessives, there's more to life than Hawkwind and Haircut 100. And that's reflected here: a bunch of people occupying roughly the same headspace amiably chewing the fat about life at large and the passing show. An informal mutual support group about dieting belongs here just as much as a discussion about which is the best Jam b-side (though that's Liza Radley, obviously ... or Shopping.)
I suggest we take Drakeygirl's idea further and start up an online sewing circle, book review and drag racing club.

Missed all this when first posted... so I've been reading the whole thread going "oh no! oh no! oh no... oh hang on, hooray hooray hooray!".

Drakeygirl - you not only look fab on the outside but you are also fab through and through. Thanks for sticking with us Chubby Checkers. I know I need the threads for inspiration, and it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Now, this week's report:
Haven't weighed in, but now back on the exercise wagon after a week off for half term. Eating pretty good. Very happy. Went on a hen night with some friends I hadn't seen in a bit - greeted with the words "Wow H, you've lost a bit of weight haven't you?!" which is an extremely happy-making ego-boost.

Only black cloud on the horizon - my ankle injury has flared up (I fractured it this time last year, thought it had fully recovered but it's been playing up). This is annoying. Slightly concerned it might impede my gym progress. Anyway, let's see how it goes.

I will also attempt to find before and after pics of myself...

I didn't read the Chubby Checker threads except the first post (I don't do the NY resolution thing), but I'm not sure I see why it made things all 'mumsnet'. All it was was a nice little idea to give others a bit of mutual encouragement, which anyone who wanted to could take part in. It seemed like a nice little side conversation when each week's status report appeared on the side bar. Those are the little things that make a community a community.

If it's going just because it has served its purpose, then that's fine; any other reason would make me feel just a little sad.

Like Hannah I read this thread initially in a flood of tears then began punching the air John Shuttleworth style.

It's been a bit like watching Billy Elliot and Brassed Off. Without the dancing or the mimed trumpet playing. Although doing both together might be a fantastc aerobic workout. I feel a niche has been identified.

Back to the point; Quite. I have nothing to add other than my support for all the messages of support to Drakeygirl. The fact that someone as warm as Drakey has been made to feel so comfortable on this forum, to identify it as a place where these inclusive, helpful and encouraging threads can thrive speaks volumes for all involved. Herself, the hosts and the contributors.

The main reason I post and lurk here is because the span of subjects that pop up. Yes, it's driven by a music based magazine and that common denominator sits and hums like a generator in the basement. But virtually all that contribute here are of a type; curious, friendly, erudite and funny. No wonder the threads are so broad - so many of you have so much to say.

All of that arse-smoke is hide the fact I've lost fuck all again this week.

This week: -1 lb
Overall: -17.5 lbs

DG, you look fantastic and I totally agree with the sentiments here - you have put your heart and soul into this and deserve nothing but praise. Diversity is the name of the game and is one of The Word's greatest strengths, and your contributions typify this. I'm so glad you're keeping it going, everyone is doing so well and there is a real team spirit here.

Long live The Chubbies!

is faster than Usain Bolt and at 6ft 4" and 13 stone I'm ok, but my wife suffers the ups and downs of weight that some of you do and I know that if she had the support of a group like the CC's she would find it invaluable. I dip into the posts from time to time and even offered to cut down my (Justin) Currie intake, which bizarrely I have done and I feel slightly more upbeat (sometimes). Anyway Drakey this is a public forum and you are providing a free public service for which my wife is currently paying Weightwatchers. I won't read all the CC posts and I am fairly adapt at scrolling past to the next thread if I feel the need but keep on keepin' on and I would like to see Daphne instead of Velma as your picture. Have a song

The Redskins "Keep On Keepin'On"

The weight loss continues.

This week another 2lb.

I have decided to stop my programme next week and get back to normal, readjusted, eating.

So nearly 2 stone in 7 weeks has left me a healthier and happier chap.

Inserts Status Quo video here (but I can't be bothered and no one would watch it anyway!)

Reading this thread after a long day at work I feel like someone who overslept and missed the revolution...what's been going on ?
I'm so glad that you changed your mind Drakey, why listen to one single hurtful comment ( probably an exaggeration used to get a point of view across and not to be taken to heart ) when a majority on this blog demonstrably love your entertaining blog posts ( and you have the rosette to prove it ) ?
All I know is that your initiative to start the Chubby Checkers came at a perfect time when I needed inspiration and moral support to get healthier, after being diagnosed with diabetes.
I've lost 5 documented kilos ( and a few undocumented pre scales kilos that you will have to take my word for; clothes getting noticably larger week by week etc ) and I've been able to scale down on my medicine as my blood tests have come back looking better and better each time.
So I'm very greatful for your contribution!
Not greatful enough to have been able to lose any weight this week though...but at least I'm not gaining anything back either!
Personally I have no interest in reading about guitars or Apple products. So I just don't. I wouldn't want those threads to disappear though, if this blog only had threads about things that interest me I would never have time to leave home.

Meaning...yes, joker is played yet again. But hey, I had a great week. OK, back in character for a while. It may be a week or three before I return to testify in a woo-hoo kinda way. I may have walk a few more hills.

But I do hope Drakeygirl knows how much I have valued this thread, so let me add my belated but wholehearted support and appreciation. It has been genius, frankly. (Looking good, girlfriend, by the way. If, of all possible things, the PASSPORT PHOTO is the evidence, then by golly you know you are in the zone, babe !)

is king - or queen if you prefer - on these pages. The broader the spectrum of topics posted about, the more the site will thrive. So keep going girl!

Agree with the comments above.

I followed the first couple of posts but not taking part means I've not followed the rest. However, this kind of post makes this site more of a community and less of a slanging match.

Keep up the good work

Midweek check-in cos I had a complete re-assessment at the gym.

In 6 months:
My body fat's gone down by 6% points (which is actually a 10% reduction)
My BMI's down by 3 points
My blood pressure and resting heart rate are both down
(and I'm a hell of a lot fitter)

YAY.

A diverse, eclectic magazine like The Word deserves a diverse, eclectic blog. The mag isn't solely about music and films and neither should the blog be. I would therefore suggest that anything that's appropriate in mixed company conversation is probably appropriate on the blog.

There are frequently threads here that hold no interest whatsoever for me. I've learned from several years of Usenet before arriving here, to leave what doesn't interest me well alone and seek other topics.

Good luck to all of you Chubby Checkers and keep it up!