Week 9: Put on 1lb!
Total: Lost 15lbs.

Comments: So, it had to happen. Here's the tester. For the first week since I started, I've put on weight. I've been good - been for four runs, five walks, steered clear of all the wrong foods. But the scales stared back up at me accusingly this morning.
The thing is, I half expected it. My body is used to the new regime. And I think I've been getting a bit complacent. It's all about the amount. I need to take more care over how much I'm eating, not just how 'healthy' the food is. And cut down on the number of healthy snacks. Because the calories they contain still mount up.
So I've got to practice what I preach to you lot and not let this get me down. I can see what's happened and I need to put it right.

Tips: I'm going to write down what I eat each day, and restrict myself to three meals and two snacks.

This week lost 1 lb
Total lost 21 lb

I was pleased to see the scales dip down 1 lb but as Drakey implies above, the rewards are not always quite so forthcoming as they are in the initial stages. I'm finding, I'm having to work harder at it (exercise and diet) to make the smallest of gains or to even stay still (as in some weeks).

This is where it helps to share the experiences on this forum. Now we are at week 9 it would be great to hear how people are managing to maintain the effort now the initial kick start period is behind us. This next bit is likely to be tougher, but its where the potential for real gains can be made for long term weight loss. Even the smallest of changes are to be celebrated as a significant step.

Keep going chaps

4lbs. This is the result of a week doing DIY with my dad, in which the house was a bomb-site and we ate bad food. That in itself, not so bad. What is bad is that I've not got back into good habits: the lure of the pies has been strong.

Feeling very demoralised: I feel appreciably fatter. Also, the girls have been ill, so we've all been sleeping really badly, so I haven't had the gumption to go to the gym.

Pissed off.

It seems I've neither gained nor lost, although I reckon I've gained a pound. No surprise really - a lot of wine this week, two take aways, 2 creme eggs and chips twice on Friday. same feeling as Bob - the lure of bad food was strong.

Sadly, a business trip looms - in fact I'm off to the airport in 15 minutes, for a week in Shanghai, which will also put outside the range of this blog. Going to try not to eat too much but it will be meals out every night. My hosts try very hard to be helpful, which tends to mean fat laden pizzas each lunch time.

Anyway, hang in there everyone. As Jon Bon says - Keep the faith.

This week: lost <1lb
Total: lost 13lb

The scales are saying I'm less than last week, but not by much. I expected it really: I had a fairly heavy weekend last weekend and, due to work commitments, I didn't do as much walking as I had been doing.

Tips: Why not make use of the psychological concept of negative reinforcement? Every time you get an urge to eat cake, get a family member or close friend to punch you in the face, thus creating a connection in your brain between cake and pain. After a while, whenever you think of cake, the concept of pain will be inextricably linked and you won't want to eat it.

Alternatively, if that sounds too painful, try positive reinforcement. Get your partner (or, perhaps close friend) to sexually pleasure you whilst eating celery.

...but it does get harder.

This Week: 2 lbs
Total: 11 lbs

More exercise this week - 3 x 1 hr power walks; 2 stints in the garden; and 90 minutes ballroom dancing lesson - no, don't laugh, it's really good for you and 90 minutes dancing burns off around 500 calories which is not to be sniffed at.

Top Tip: Picking up on comments above, it seems that the longer we go on the tougher it gets. The key to continuing success may be portion control. I know that weighing things is a chore but it is a habit worth developing. Smaller portions, eaten more slowly - lots of chewing - educates the stomach into living with less. Also, snacks - just say no!

Don't forget to drink lots of water - still or fizzy, it doesn't matter. A survey a few years ago found that fizzy water is good for reducing LDL cholesterol - the one that is a heart attack risk.

Courages, mes braves!

However, I got myself a brand-new 12-speed mountain bike to replace the old one , which had a small falling-off-a-mountainside-related accident and I expect to be shedding kilos like a recently-elected politico sheds his ideals in no time.

This Week: 0 lbs
Total: 14 lbs

The rowdiest week of the year by miles, with inevitable hitting of the buffers in consequence. Considering that last week was an estimated bill then if I had been more gung-ho in my estimate it would seem worse. A kick-start may be required. I notice this Wednesday is the start of Lent. 40 days without crisps, chocs, pies and (oh no !) beer ? St. Paddy's Day excepted, obviously. Hmmm...ponders...

Really the next thing should be to up the exercise, not just for this but to get in practice for the planned Let's Walk Up A Mountain To Avoid The Royal Wedding.

This week: Nowt
Total: 7lbs

Again a seven day period of no measurable loss. Nothing gained though. I know why this is. I'm still not exercising enough. I must find ways to find time to do more moving about more vigourously.

More happily my body is indicating that it is appreciably smaller. Clothes feel looser. A trip to a trendy (over-priced) t-shirt shop in Marlow proved I can now fit into smaller sizes without looking like the Michelin Man. As much, anyway.

This in itself is a fillip.

You may recollect I played my joker last week. No weigh-in for me as it had been a very bad week with lots of top quality birthday related troughing and general sloth. The weigh-in actually took place but there was no way I was going to disclose a 5 (FIVE!) pound increase to you lot.

However, as is often the way with my weight, big increase usually gets followed by big decrease, so by Tuesday night it had all gone again. Despite 4 lazy days, working from home and a weekend of more sloth (I've got another cold and was all snotty and horrible)the downward trend continued, so I'm proud to announce that we are now showing:

Week - 1lb loss
YTD - 10lb loss

Sometimes it just works.

This weeks tip - another cold? Maybe I need to eat more green stuff?

Well, I'm now weighing in once a month. So here we go:

Month - 1lb loss
Total - 9lb loss

Last week's exercise: 4 x 30 minutes in the gym (plus core strength exercises, plus weights). 1 x 30 minute swim.

1lb in a month isn't as amazing as I'd hoped for, but I'm trying to concentrate on other factors. And my gym assessment last week went well - 1% off my body fat, 0.5% increase in my muscle mass.

Biggest challenge is pushing myself enough. I had a plateau-ey couple of weeks, but I'm still going for it in the gym; last week, I broke my own speed record in the pool (can now swim 1km in under half an hour). wooooooo-hoooooo.

So the weight might not be falling off me, but I'm definitely toning up. Which isn't to say I'm actually toned (long way to go), but I am making progress.

Biggest challenge is still watching my portion sizes. I still take more food than necessary.

Oh and thought I had the comfort eating completely nailed, but wound out having a stressful night last night and chewing through a big bag of kettle chips (they're my kryptonite). ah well. I haven't been beating myself up about it, it happened, I'll just be more careful next time I'm stressed out.

Anyway.

Have splendid weeks all round. xxx

Objective: 3 x 30 minutes of exercise per week. Objective achieved this week (2 sessions of running, one of pilates).

This week - +1lb
Total - 7lb loss

The pound that went/came back/went... is back again. Having said that I've had something of a treat week: drinks on Tuesday night, two fry ups at Pellici's Bethnal Green and two trips to the pie and mash shop..

So up by 1lb isn't too bad really

This week: 1lb loss
Overall: 7lb loss

I actually did a sneaky mid-week weigh and had lost 8.5 lbs but contrived to put some back on this weekend having relaxed a bit! Absolutely love going to the gym and I'm appreciably getting fitter every day which is my main yardstick, although I'm thinking of replacing my yardstick with a celery stick.

...only for the week.

I didn't weigh myself on Monday. I had an absolute bugger of a week last week, which has continued (until a lovely trip to the Lane and then an OK day today). I know I probably put on some weight last week, or at least didn't lose, and I decided not to put myself through disappointment.

Haven't resorted to snacking or drinking as much a I used to, but cannot say I didn't do any of the above.

Anyway, it's only a week and I'll be back next week for the weigh-in!