FatRoySlim

no matter how much exercise.....

2008-12-13T08:24:00.003Z

I have worked out extensively for the past month - almost everyday. For up to an hour (in 2 half hour slots - rowing machine and cross-trainer)but I just can't seem to get under 12st 10 pounds. Its incredibly frustrating especially as a) the end of the year is now only a couple of weeks away (with Christmas in between!)and b) my target weight was 30 pounds lost in a year. I'm bracing myself for failure :-(

However I have lost 22 pounds so far - so its not a complete washout :-)

Worse than 12st 10lbs

2008-11-18T17:09:00.001Z

It's been a month since my last post - and the end of year has been rushing towards me!

And my weight has gone up (again). Very depressing. All my fault of course.

So - what am I doing about it?

For the past week I have done half an hour of exercise every morning (cross-trainer, rowing machine and weights), repeated every early evening too.

Stuck at 12st 10lbs

2008-10-21T06:17:00.002+01:00

I have been putting off a blog post, because i just can;t seem to drop from 12st 10lbs. Staying in a series of plush hotels is merely an excuse for not having the necessary self-control. A lack of an exercise programme is also a contributing factor. I am becoming more and more aware of the end of the year is nigh. I have 10 pounds to shift before 30 December if I am to succeed in achieving my weight-loss goal - although having lost 22 pounds is also a worthy success too.

latest news - stayed at the Beau Rivage palace Hotel in Lausanne, reputedly the finest hotel in Switzerland. I can see why!

I was there to host a global conference for the International Olympic Committee and the City of Lausanne for the mayors of former, present and future Olympic cities. Part of my extensive interviewing and MCing duties included interviewing the Deputy Mayor of Beijing in his first offical de-brief of the Beijing Olympics.

And my other piece of news is that we have another 4 hens!

Rescued from a battery farm, they are in a sorry state, enough to put anyone off eating battery eggs. They are effectively kept in a chicken concentration camp. Hopefully, they will improve in the next few weeks and their strength will improve sufficiently so they can walk up the ramp into their nesting area. As for our first two hens, they have decided to leave home (too cluttered - or should that be too 'cluckered' - so have started laying eggs under the hazel nut tree. Truly free range eggs!

Scrambled egg

2008-09-09T09:21:00.004+01:00

This morning was a unique experience for me. I sat enjoying my breakfast of scrambled egg and smoked salmon whilst looking out of the kitchen window at the two new chickens that laid the eggs only an hour or so before! (One of my new 'girls' pictured.)

The salmon was not home grown. Last night we sat down to baked marrow with red onion also from the garden. We had a bit of a marrow disaster a few weeks ago - the marrow wasn;t cooked through and tasted dreadful but this was delicious - the stack of marrows in the pantry will now be put to good use!

As for weight-loss this week - a one pound loss down to 12st 9 pounds.

Jeremy Jacobs asked if I was pleased with my progress. Honestly - not really. It's taken longer to get where I am, although doing it slowly was always part of the plan. I see the end of the year looming - and I'm not at my target weight yet. I'm sure my new-found interest in cycling has had a beneficial effect, but the weather has been SO bad, cycling has been impossible.

The no cereals of any sort 'rule' has been maintained - with one little exception - without thinking I bought some duck spring rolls - which I then realised had wheat in them - der!

Doing more exercise is the key. I just need to use that key more often.

Success

2008-08-28T11:01:00.002+01:00

Normally a lack of a post is a sign that I have failed! But not so this time. August is supposed to be a quiet time but I can't believe how busy its been!

Anyway - last Friday I weighed in at 12st 10pounds (I've been there before but it crept up again slowly!)

And, if I'm being honest I can see time slipping away as we - dare I say this - approach the end of 2008!

So I figured I'd better sort this out. Since my last post I have cycled with gusto. Last Saturday in particular I managed 32.4 miles between home and Frome along the old railway again - but this time with Kurt. A coffee break was enjoyed at Babington House which is en-route - then it was on to the Talbot Inn for lunch in Mells - and then to Frome, where we promptly turned around and came back. A pint of diet coke at Babington did wonders.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day - and I was knackered (in a good way). And to cap it all, it started raining gently just after we got back!

This week has involved a lot of gardening activity - intense digging of the old strawberry patch - it served me well but after 4 years of bumper crops - they needed to be pulled up. The bigger problem was yanking out all the roots from the bindweed that had taken over the patch. 20 minute sessions sprinkled throughout the day has meant at least 1.5 hours or so of digging each day. More interesting than a workout and you get something to show for it!

I certainly feel more motivated again to attack my weight-loss target - having lost the plot for quite some time. It is so easy to lose your way. Remaining focussed has been a challenge.

Since I last wrote I haven't eaten ANY cereals of any sort. I just managed to stop myself in time when I was about to order popcorn (corn is a cereal I just remembered!) as we went in to see the movie Mamma Mia. Which was such a joy. A couple of hours of escapist fun. (it was shame the family behind us didn't stop talking throughout.)

Any way - more cycling planned. And the garden digging isn't quite finished!

Awesome cycling

2008-08-18T09:53:00.002+01:00

Yet again no weight-loss but I've had a ball.

Kurt and I cycled along the Bath canal and enjoyed a sumptuous pub lunch at Avoncliffe with a pint of cider before heading back. 25 miles round trip. Relatively easy because it was all on the flat - but incredibly satisfying.

Then last Friday Peggy and I took Cycle Network Route 24 from Radstock to Frome along the old railway line. This time it wasn't flat all the way - near Frome it was incredibly hilly - and we deserved the coffee when we arrived. We were exhausted, yet knew we had the same to contend with on the way back. But what a fantastic day out. The most wonderful type of tiredness.

Along the route were countless apple trees. Apparently they grew where train passengers had thrown out their apple and pear cores en-route. A multitude of apple and pear varieties that are no longer widely available.

Mr Beeching who recommended closing down the railway network has SO much to answer for. it was nothing short of a crime.

As of now I am now 'cereal free' - not just wheat but everything else - let's see if that can kick-start my weight-loss again.

An excellent week

2008-08-08T08:59:00.002+01:00

No weight-loss, but an excellent week.

I finally decided to have an active week. Activity bred activity. Creating more energy. On Monday I got my bicycle roadworthy again. This simply involved replacing the pump for my tyres. It was woefully inadequate for the job.

Then we were off. Its quite hilly around here - but we managed 11.9 miles in about 75 minutes. Feelings of elation and exhaustion followed. No real problems afterwards either.

The next day I managed 20 minutes on the cross-trainer.

Wednesday, I did 22 minutes followed by 3 minutes on the rowing machine. They seem to work even when caked in a fine layer of dust! :-) Then in the evening after a light supper, we had a leisurely bike ride and covered about 5-6 miles, getting home only minutes before the heavens opened and poured with rain (typical 2008 summer weather).

Yesterday was rest day. Because today I will be cycling with Kurt, a new mate who lives in Bath. I plan to use up a lot of calories!

Food has been in check too. Its a shame that the combination of all this activity and eating sensibly didn't show on the scales for my Friday morning weigh-in - but may be I'm just being a bit slow!

No change

2008-08-01T08:54:00.002+01:00

Well, I have been doing at least SOME exercise - but not enough to drop more weight.

The past two weeks have been uneventful in terms of weight-loss but after applying two and a half years ago I finally received notification that I have been accepted for membership at nearby Babington House, the private members club.

OK, so I haven't actually used the gym or either of the two swimming pools there - yet! I did, however, take a look around there :-)

I've eaten well this week. Invited to join some long-standing friends from Canada who were passing through London on their way to Austria. Norm and Nan Dove took us to Wilton's, the seafood restaurant in Jermyn Street.

Wow! Fantastic food (grilled sea bass for me)and great company. Check out the luxury ranch and spa resort they own in British Columbia at www.EVRanch.com. I've been there about 4 times now. And will go again.

So, as Peggy said this morning just before she got on her 650 Honda motorbike - it's the first of August - time to start exercising again!

Where are my trainers? I'll wipe the dust off them - and put them into action. Cross-trainer at home - and the 'beasting machines' they have at Babington.

Exercising has re-commenced

2008-07-18T12:04:00.002+01:00

The shame of it - one pound up on my last post. That was the case last week - so in a way, it didn't get any worse!

Yesterday I did a small workout on my cross-trainer as well as a few weights exercises - I'm sure those dumb bells are heavier than they were the last time I used them (months ago) :-)

All week I have done at least 2 hours gardening, so I've been fairly active - although obviously not active enough!

Another change to the daily routine has been the phasing out of wine during the week! Sadly, this fell by the wayside too. My neighbour Jenny is a professional wine taster (she gets PAID for drinking!) and she had a couple of leftovers so asked if we'd help her 'dispose of them'. It would have been extremely rude not to!

Plan to exercise again today and over the forthcoming weekend.

Let's see how I do THIS week!

12 stone 10 pounds

2008-06-27T09:17:00.001+01:00

Again, I have fallen behind on my blogging. It's true this always happens when I have not had a successful time with the weight-loss!

A lot has happened in the past 2-3 weeks. Where to begin. After my enforced dysentry diet(!) things were good but too much 'catching up' and a few glasses of wine here and a few beers there just compounded the problem. Then last weekend we spent 4 days driving around Western Ireland with the roof down in the Merc. Eating and drinking too much was 'sort-of' required!

The Ring of Kerry is utterly stunning. Looking North from the top of a hill at Rossbeigh towards the Dingle Peninsula was jaw-droppingly beautiful.

And Irish hospitality has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. The Irish must be the friendliest, most sincere people I have met. They really wanted you to visit Ireland and enjoy the experience.

The only problems were the Irish cooked breakfasts, the bars, the booze and the exquisite restaurants!

Sibin Bar just outside Baltimore, near Skibbereen served the largest most tender fillet steak I've ever been served!

Then there was the O'Neill's seafood restaurant at Renard Point overlooking Valencia Island. Bridie - you have a fantastic place there. I jokingly suggested they get their staff to run from the quayside 20 feet away laden with the food they serve - to ensure its a bit more fresh!

Unbelievable. Their calamari starter was as fresh as it could be. I also had a seafood platter with hake, crab and more squid. A couple of beers washed it all down.

The day of reckoning took place last Monday - how can you possibly gain 6 pounds in 4 days?!!!

I was at 13stone 2 pounds. Terrible.

Any way since then I have got back on the wagon (again), eliminated wheat, fat, salt and sugar (yet again) and lo and behold - this morning i was back to 12st 10 pounds.

Still a bit heavier than I was 3 weeks ago - but feeling back on track (I think I've said that quite a few times in recent months!)

A few months ago I mentioned my neighbour James who was also on a diet - competing with colleagues at work. Well, since January he has successfully lost over 3 stone! More than 42 pounds. And he's looking great for having done so. Well done James. You have inspired me to carry on. Thank you.

My 'Dysentery Diet' Works!

2008-06-07T06:29:00.004+01:00

I can see it now - a new marketing campaign by the Egyptian Tourist Board "Send us your fat people and we will rid them of their unwanted weight."

Using our unique approach to food hygiene we will use contaminated water in our ice cubes and salad washing to induce diarrhea and vomiting. This will lead to dehydration and a total lack of appetite - and even if you WANTED to eat - you didn't dare!

It worked for me!

And, it seems, a significant proportion of the other delegates and their partners who attended the conference I was working on.

I stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel at Mirage City, Cairo - a 5 star (and very swanky) hotel with its multiple swimming pools - with wave machine, golf course, 'health' spa "and acres of marbled flooring.

I had opened the conference with an attempt at humour which politely encouraged delegates to be careful about what they ate. I warned that if they didn't do so, their bum would resemble the picture at the beginning of Bonanza! (If you got that, you're old!)

Any way, I heeded my own advice - until the last night, when i let down my guard. I had been invited by my client to stay on for their awards dinner and i could have a night off as i would not be required to MC the event. A very kind and much appreciated invitation. Little did they know what the food had in store for me.

I made the classic mistake and ate a green salad - with prawns! AND a tiny cup of ice cream (and it was tiny) How stupid could I be?!!! It must have been the two glasses of wine I had before dinner that stopped me from thinking straight.

Everything was fine, until I awoke at 2.50am. But at 3am precisely and every ten minutes thereafter, I was forced to rush to the bathroom. I suspect similar 'explosions' were taking place throughout the hotel that night. Thankfully I was already equipped with Immodium (what I call 'superglue for the bum' - and is ALWAYS with me when moderating foreign conferences)

For the next few hours, almost as regularly as clockwork, every ten minutes I had to go.

The next morning, it appeared that the majority of colleagues I saw looked grey and weak. Many had indeed been similarly affected.

It was my first visit to Egypt. I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't realsie that cairo has a population of 16 million - and is the second largest city on the planet (behind Mexico City. The Egyptians I met were SO genuinely friendly and helpful. They really appreciated you visiting their country. There was a warmth that radiated from behind their smiles.

My message to the food hygiene administration (if there is one!) is - SORT THIS OUT! With 30-40% of your countries' industry coming from tourism - its not good to poison a significant proportion of them!

On the plus side - yesterday I weighed in at 12st 9 pounds.

As Peggy said, "This could be the 'new start' you were looking for." She could be right. I have lost my way a bit in recent months - this has helped (even though - two days after I got back, my guts are still VERY delicate - and right now, I have to take a break from writing - I'll be back in a moment!

I'm back.

When I returned from Egypt, Peggy's other comment which is not for the fainted hearted was;

"May be you need a large dose of gravy granules - to help you thicken it up!!!"

Forgive me for I have sinned!

2008-05-30T12:23:00.003+01:00

Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been 3 weeks since my last post!

Today I weighed 12st 12bs. Up two pounds from 3 weeks ago - but miraculously whilst in Las Vegas I behaved myself (in every way) and didn't put on any weight. This is probably the first time I have visited the US and not put on any weight. So I'm pleased with myself.

However, since i got back I have abandoned my weight-loss regime. Started eating wheat again - what a bad move that was. It started with a 'sandwich on-the-go' then another at a different time - etc etc.

When I got back from the US, even with the 8 hour time difference I didn't suffer from jet lag until Wednesday this week - nearly a week later - or so i thought. I then relaised that my new-found exhaustion was linked to the wheat I've been eating. Funny how you forget why you decided to stop eating it in the first place. I will stop. I have felt lethargic, bloated and depressed (partly due to a drop in the adrenaline I was living on whilst working abroad - and I've come to accept is part of getting home) but the food I've been eating has also had quite a marked effect on my outlook and demeanour this week. At least I've recognised it.

Looking ahead to the next week; its possible I will be embarking on a new fad diet this coming week - the dysentry diet - you won't find any diet books extolling its virtues (not yet any way) it doesn;t really exist except when you know that i am about to travel to Cairo Egypt for nearly a week! I will be shocked if I don't get at least some tummy bug that will probably contribute to weight-loss!

Still haven't managed to get back into exercise - linked to lack of energy I guess. Taking my gym gear with me to Egypt. Don't usually have the time while away - but the intention is there!

AT LAST!

2008-05-10T11:12:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I stepped on to the scales for my weekly weigh-in - a one pound loss! The first in AGES!

Thank you thank you thank you :-)

OK, it was only one more pound but every little helps.

The next two weeks could be tough though - staying at a very swanky hotel in Venice, with fancy dinners thrown in.

This is followed immediately by 4 days in Las Vegas. I have yet to visit America and not return with excess baggage around my midriff. :-)

This is frustrating

2008-05-06T18:09:00.003+01:00

It just won't budge. No weight-loss since my last posting on 25th. And I hate it when I don't keep promises (to myself) to post on a Friday.

I will almost certainly need to up my physical exercise regime - getting back into using the rowing machine and cross-trainer - I've been gardening like a demon-possessed - but my body has decided to hold on to my love handles! After all, they've been attached for quite a few years now!

I had heard that you reach a plateau during a weight-loss programme - well, I guess this is mine.

A new strategy is in order!

25th April 2008

2008-04-25T12:15:00.000+01:00

I haven’t lost any weight this week but I’m very pleased with myself. 12st 12pounds.

I got back on to my weight-loss regime after wavering for a month or so. And I’m very proud of myself for being able to do this in a week where I travelled to Dubai and stayed for 4 nights, being wined and dined by my client and guests of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres.

As I have oft repeated, I don’t have a drink problem (!) but I enjoy nice wine and the occasional beer – its just that the sugar in alcohol triggers sugar cravings – if I have a drink I invariably ‘have’ to have a dessert!! I stayed off the booze entirely – which meant I didn’t crave desserts either. An exclent result for me.
Business class on Emirates always has top wines and excellent food – but I didn’t partake of that hospitality (I just watched!)

One night whilst in Dubai we all went to the Dubai Creek Golf Club for a sit down dinner outside on a terrace overlooking the night time Dubai city skyline. The food was superb – a choice of various ethnic menus from Arabic Mezze to Asian curries. And I just looked at the desserts (honest!)

I met a former BBC reporter who has only been in Dubai for a month and fears for her waistline with all the top class food on offer by everyone who invite her to press launches!

What developers are doing in Dubai is breathtaking – and what is being planned will be even more impressive. Billions are being pumped into the infrastructure (except the roads – traffic in Dubai is still horrendous) but Sheik Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai is a true visionary – it’s quite amazing what is happening there.

So this coming week, I need to continue as I have and add in a bit of exercise – with some luck the weather this weekend will allow me to get stuck in to a load of gardening and burn off a few thousand excess calories!

19th April 2008

2008-04-19T03:40:00.002+01:00

Changing my posting date to a Friday has given me a bit more time to get my head around what has gone wrong with my weight-loss programme. Although writing this at 03.42am on a Saturday seems to say a lot about keeping my own word!

Having been in London all week and leaving for Dubai in the next hour I have come to realise that it is almost impossible to eat sensible food ‘on the road’. Firstly it is very difficult to find anywhere that sells ‘ready-to-eat’/cold healthy food. A shop on the concourse at the Excel Exhibition Centre must have had over half its shelf space devoted to every kind of make or flavour of potato crisps. The rest was chocolate sandwiches and carbonated drinks.

When you are away from home for a few days at a time, ‘comfort food’ takes on a huge appeal. One one night, the hotel restaurant had a problem with the ‘fryer’ so most of its menu was ‘off’ – this in itself was so incredibly telling of how much food gets fried. Appalling. There was a time (not too long ago) when a pizza and a beer had distinct appeal – well, that night there was little choice! It was horrible. I didn’t even eat it all. But it was wheat and fat (cheese). And neither wheat or fat is part of my diet.

For the past month I have lost motivation and success on my diet. In fact, it fell apart completely. It’s almost as though if you break your resolve once, it is SO much easier to do it again and again. That’s what has happened. And I feel bad about a) not losing weight – or worse, putting it back on and b) for demonstrating to myself that I have been unable to stick with what works. Avoiding wheat, fat, salt and sugar WORKS for goodness sake – so why haven’t I kept to it?

Going away again today and staying at yet another convention centre will be a trial. But I will do my very best to avoid any foods (and more importantly, drinks that may appeal to me in the short term but contribute to my excess weight staying on!
Having said all that, I have lost 20 pounds – and have only 10 more to go before reaching my target weight – it can’t be that difficult – can it?

Day 98 – week 15

2008-04-07T14:51:00.001+01:00

Its official – I’m an old git. Yesterday it was my 50th birthday.

I spent the day with a mate of mine and labouring hard in the garden between April snow showers.

Today I weighed in at 12st 11pounds. A one pound loss in the last 2 weeks.

I didn’t post anything last week – and plan to change my posting day to Friday’s from now on.

I have another 11 pounds to go to reach my target weight. I am really pleased with what I’ve achieved so far. Although I’ve lost a bit of focus lately. If I’m going to achieve my goal I need to pay a bit more attention!

Over the past few weeks – one beer or a glass of wine has become 2 or sometimes even three. Perhaps I needed a respite to enjoy myself a bit – like having a diet holiday I suppose before I get back to more physical exercise and my no wheat, fat, salt and sugar regime. I know it works so all I have to do is re-learn and intensify the desire to lose the remaining weight. Easy to say…..

Day 82 – Week 13

2008-03-28T12:02:00.002Z

Unlucky week 13. As regular readers of this blog may have noticed – I have been extremely late in posting this week. Why? Embarrassment. Sheer unadulterated embarrassment, with a bit of disappointment thrown in too.

I actually put on weight last week – TWO Pounds!! This is the first time I have put weight ON since starting this blog and my plan to shed 30 pounds.

A few glasses of wine and a massive Easter egg did have a negative effect after all. I thought I was immune to calorie laden foods - even invincible – OK, not invincible :-(

Thankfully I have been well-behaved this week and this additional weight seems to have disappeared – although I will find out next Monday. I MUST do loads of gardening, walking and aerobic exercise in the next few days! Or else. :-)

Day 75 – Week 12

2008-03-17T11:05:00.004Z

178 pounds. (12st 10 pounds) 2 pounds lost. That’s 20 pounds in all. I am starting to see my ultimate weight-loss goal in sight! I have set out to lose 30 pounds in all – 10 to go. (I nearly wrote ‘only’ 10 to go – but I have started to realise that it has started to get tougher!)
Despite the best of intentions I didn’t do any ‘exercise’ this week (again). No excuses.

I’ve been ‘home alone’ this last weekend – Peggy’s been with friends in Scotland – so I decided to dedicate the weekend to working in the garden. Lots of hard digging and planting, often in the pouring rain and driving wind. It paid off though – not only will the garden benefit but it improved my chances of a successful weigh-in this morning.

As for the garden, I’ve planted out nearly 150 bulbs of different sorts, with far more to be done. And planting numerous vegetable seed trays and dozens and dozens of broad beans in individual pots.

I’ve had quite a few meals this week of just boiled and roughly mashed or roasted vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, swede, parsnips and carrots) – who needs meat? I’m sure this has contributed to my weight-loss. Especially as I came off the wagon this week over the weekend a couple of times – a bottle of beer and a few glasses of wine. Hey, what’s a guy to do when left alone!?

But I did try on the blue trousers featured at the top of each page of the website - they fitted. OK, they were a little bit tight (but not much). That's quite a difference. It was prompted when I was looking for a particular photo I needed and found some of me driving around the garden on my ride-on mower. My extra 'tyre' was shocking! Thankfully - that's nearly gone - are at least much 'deflated'!

Day 68 – Week 11

2008-03-11T07:43:00.000Z

180 pounds. (12st 12 pounds) 0 pounds lost

“You haven’t been doing much exercise lately, have you?” said Peggy. That seems to sum up my progress this last week. I’ve kept to my regime (with one exception – more on that later) although the walking and exercise was put on hold. I could detail precisely why it was impossible and SO many other excuses! But bottom line; I didn’t do it. And I didn’t lose any weight last week. Period!

My ‘rich Swiss’ client who insisted on me taking part in a gastronomic tasting 10 days ago in Montreux did it to me again! This time I was invited to attend his retirement dinner – at he stunningly gorgeous Brockett Hall in Hertfordshire. He had been with his company for 16 years and is about to retire to St Moritz. His company put on a lavish dinner for a select group of colleagues. I was one of only three ‘outsiders’ to be invited. When I arrived I was shocked to discover that this dinner was for about 50 – not 200 as I’d thought. The guest list was indeed very select. One guy flew from Tokyo to be there! Others from the Southern States of America. It was humbling to think that so many seriously high-powered executives would want to be there to wish this man well on his retirement. How many of us have developed such deep friendships in business that colleagues would be prepared to do this? Truly impressive.

The dinner, as you might expect, was exquisite. And it would have been so rude not to partake of it. And the wine flowed freely – into my glasses. I am SUCH a cheap date these days. I sat next to Paul, a guy who I’ve known for a few years. I said “I have to ask – how much weight have you lost?” 11 kilos! OK, he’s a lot younger than me – but he was looking really good on it. Although he admitted that he has quite a problem because he’s lost the weight. His collection of very expensive Italian suits don’t fit. He’s gone from a 44 inch chest to a 40. Even though he’s tried getting a tailor to re-cut the jackets – it can’t be done without it showing!

The dinner was on Saturday night. Knowing I had to weigh-in on Monday morning – I starved myself on Sunday - so even though I came in at the same weight as the week before – I don’t think I would have if I hadn’t taken drastic action on Sunday!

A final mention for James my neighbour who popped in last night with a few opened bottles of Cava, a red and a bottle of fine port. James has lost 22 pounds since January. Well done James! Very impressive. His wife Jenny is a senior wine consultant to one of the large supermarket chains – and she has to taste everything they sell!) According to Peggy, the port in particular was VERY smooth. Thank you Jen.

Target - 2 pounds this coming week! I have some catching up to do.

Day 62 – Week 10

2008-03-03T07:54:00.002Z

The Montreux Palace Hotel in Montreux, has been awarded ‘best hotel in Switzerland’ status this year. I stayed there Wednesday night for a client meeting on Thursday morning. On Wednesday night I was ‘forced’ to take part in a ‘tasting’ to help decide what should be on the menu for the 150 guests who will attend the conference at the hotel I will be moderating later this year. It will also be attended by a former world leader.

At the dinner we were presented with a ‘menu de gustation’ – actually there were 3 separate ‘taster’ menus. Each of us were asked to taste and assess all of the food on our own menu. When e had finished sampling the dish, we would then swap plates with another guest, sample their dish and then swap it with yet another colleague. This was TOUGH!!! My own menu was; Foie gras terrine with apricot and nut jam and brioche. This was followed by scallops, cauliflower mousse, seaweed caviar. Then veal chop cooked at a low temperature, carrots with ginger, seasonable vegetables and Lyonnaise potatoes. Dessert was chocolate Manjari, Grand Cru and cake – then coffee and petits fours. TIMES THREE!!! One of the other menus featured the most mouth-watering duck. My client was gently insistent that everyone take part because we all had to vote at the end of each course for what we preferred. Oh – I forgot the wine…. There were 3 whites (including a stunning white merlot – which I’d never tried before - I think it won the white vote) and 3 reds – none of which satisfied my clients requirements. A fourth red was produced from the extensive cellar – this one saved the day!

The quality of the food and wine was excellent (not something you find that often in a hotel restaurant) I was very well behaved – until I found a petit four melting in my mouth at the end of the evening!)

Lunchtime the next day I caught my train back to Geneva airport (it arrived absolutely on-time. It left Montreux exactly on time. It travelled at a gentle pace along Lake Geneva past vineyards that stretched for miles. Even the smallest terraces right next to the railway line had vines. Every square meter had vines. The train then went right into Geneva Airport. All I had to do was go up an escalator onto the airport concourse. Why can’t WE do that in Britain? So well organised, smooth, calm and stress-free.

Friday morning at 5.45am I had to set off for Brighton in my car to moderate another conference. I stayed at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. My room was on the same floor a terrorist bomb tried to murder Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet when they stayed there during a Tory party conference all those years ago.

More hotel food. Surrounded by biscuits, cakes and 300 litigation lawyers for 2 days. I avoided the biscuits and cakes – the lawyers were nicer! Really.

Got back home – crashed out. Then on Sunday headed up to South Gloucestershire for lunch on Mothers Day with Peggy’s parents. It was also her dad’s 88th birthday. Even more food, including crumble, chocolate gateau, wine and champagne.

I knew it was going to be a tough week. It turned out to be true in more ways than I’d have chosen.

But what about my weight? 180 pounds. (12st 12 pounds) 2 pounds lost – as per my weekly plan! Phew.

Day 56 – Week 9

2008-02-25T07:28:00.001Z

182 pounds (13st) 0 pounds lost.

By rights, I should have put weight on this week. Saturday night we had some friends over for a curry and movie night (a DELIGHTFUL film called ‘Once’ about a busker and a Big Issue seller on Dublin’s Grafton Street. The story behind this movie is also delightful. With a budget of just £80,000, shot in 17 days - Glen Hansard, the lead actor played 'Outspan' in The Commitments. he and his leading lady Marketa Irglova are now an item. In an interview a week ago he said how the director said 'cut' at the end of the recording of 'Falling Slowly' - and added in jest "And the winner of the Oscar goes to...." Everyone laughed but - guess what- last night it won the Oscar!

Before the film started I over-indulged on the food front. I didn’t have any Naan bread, FBCs (Flippin’ Big Crisps) or mango chutney but I did have a few drops of wine (a small glass) and a some samples from a cheese plate afterwards.

But worse than that I hardly did any exercise all week and feel quite lethargic because of it. I can definitely see the link between being active and how you feel inside yourself.

I wasn’t totally slothful though. Yesterday I did a few hours of light gardening – planting about 30 raspberry canes that I was given by a neighbour and did quite a bit of weeding on the vegetable patch. I felt it in the afternoon though. Aching rib-cage and back.
Then last night I hit the wine jug – but this really was a special occasion. For the past 5 months, a gallon of home-made blackberry wine was plop-plop, plopping on the kitchen window sill (alongside the damson, apple and elderberry. The blackberry wine had ‘stopped’ – meaning it was fully fermented and ready for bottling – but before that we ‘needed’ to siphon off two glasses for sampling purposes only.

WOW! It was gorgeous. Clear, bright with a beautiful hint of blackberrys. And strong!

I was velcroed to the mattress this morning – a real challenged to get out of bed.
Another week I start with the mantra – must do better.

Oh, no – I’m staying at a 5 star hotel in Montreux, Switzerland. The evening meal will be a sample menu for the gala dinner at a global event I am moderating there later this year. When I get back I have 2 nights at another 5 star hotel on the South coast. I MUST do some exercise this week. My target is a 2 pound weight-loss this week.

Day 49 – Week 8

2008-02-19T08:25:00.001Z

182 pounds (13st) 2 pounds lost. 16 pounds total weight loss so far.

A day late! Really busy yesterday.

This last week I was afraid that living in a hotel for 3 days was going to put too much temptation in my way. I was moderating a global conference for the 200 or so corporate communications professionals who work for the electronics giant Philips. The conference took place in Amsterdam – although I hardly saw any of the city!
I was genuinely taken aback at how nice everyone was at Philips. They were such lovely people to work with.

Anyway, typical of all business hotels at every break there were piles of cakes and cookies. But thankfully there were also large baskets of fruit too. I was quite the ‘fruit bat’ practically all the time I was there. Aside from a meal at a fancy restaurant for the conference contributors overlooking an illuminated Amsterdam canal, I ate very little while I was away. In fact I also slept very little too. I simply didn’t seem to have any time.

When I got back late on Thursday night I was exhausted. In the morning I weighed myself – I was amazed to see that I’d lost nearly 5 pounds while I’d been away – or was that more to do with an empty stomach? It was.

Shared another bottle of champagne on Sunday to celebrate Peggy’s birthday.

A day late, I see this morning that my weight is another pound less than it was yesterday – but I’m not letting that count – the weigh in was yesterday. That stands.
As far as exercise is concerned – last week was hopeless – hardly anything to report. And it took me two days to recover when I got back – no energy at all. Plan to start again today on the cross-trainer.

All in all, I really believe I’m changing my relationship to food and drink and becoming a new person. I’m not on a ‘diet’ any more as such – I’m just sticking to the no wheat, fat, salt or sugar.

Day 42 – Week 7

2008-02-11T08:14:00.000Z

184 pounds (13st 2lbs) 1 pound lost

Over the weekend my weight was up, down – all over the place! How could I weigh THAT much?

This morning was therefore scary as I stepped nervously on to the scales. The relief was obvious as I weighed in at 13st 2pounds. A total loss of 14 pounds (1 stone) since I began. Saturday night we celebrated our anniversary by sharing a bottle of champagne – my first booze since New Year’s Eve. I’m now a cheap date! A joint celebration really – for losing all that weight too.

Another 16 pounds to go though.

And this week will be a challenge I suspect. I shall be staying at an hotel in Amsterdam – no doubt I’ll be surrounded by biscuits where ever I am, chocolates on my pillow and all that malarkey. Gala dinners invariably have all the stuff that’s not good for me.

One thing I have realized recently is that my weight loss has begun to slow down – time to crank up the exercise to the next level I suppose. The rowing machine is proving a valuable addition to the cross-trainer. I would not have thought it possible to do as much on the rowing machine as I have been.

Yesterday we headed out for a walk, but in the end merely strolled around Bibury, East of Cirencester in the beautiful sunshine – didn’t break out into a sweat so it can’t really qualify as a ‘walk’. But it was a stunning day.

Day 35 – Week 6

2008-02-04T08:26:00.000Z

185 pounds. (13st. 3lbs) 1 pound lost

Last Friday I was 13st 2lbs which would have meant I’d lost a stone since I began my FatRoySlim regime a month ago. Damn it (!) A bit disappointing- but at least any weight-loss is something to celebrate. I have a theory that my body knew I was going to ‘reward’ myself with a bottle of wine when I’d lost 14 pounds – I have a suspicion that my entire body voted against me losing enough weight to do that – my organs had started to enjoy a cleaner environment and voted against me consuming such alcoholic ‘poison’ :-)

My brain has enjoyed a lack of hangover headaches in the morning and the attendant fuzzy thinking and dehydration.

I just don’t know what happened over the weekend for me to put weight back on. I was well-behaved – and didn’t indulge in eating or drinking anything that I have decided not to have.

OK, it was cold and wet and I didn’t go out much – but made up for it by giving myself serious ‘beasting’ on the rowing machine. I’m up to 20 minutes in one session – although I did learn to do 20 minutes rowing BEFORE I took to the cross-trainer. If I tried it the other way around – I collapsed after 4 minutes! I am becoming more and more aware that I have a six-pack emerging – although it’s still somewhat ‘submerged’!

Quite seriously, the rowing machine has been a revelation once my body got over the shock to its system. Its only on the ‘3’ setting but I did click it up to ‘4’ at one point for 3 minutes to see how I got on. Once I feel I can handle ‘3’ easily for extended periods – I’ll knock it up to ‘4’ and take the duration back down to 10 minutes – working it back up to 20 minutes again.

Thank you Trish for reminding me to stick to the ‘good fats’ because our bodies need fat. I’ve been pretty good on that score – I am keeping with the mackerel pate every week – oily fish is excellent.

I was also forwarded a piece in TescoDiet.com that outlined how to increase your metabolism- I’m already doing a lot of what it said. Our metabolism slows down as we grow older – and our body is programmed to hold on to our existing weight. In a nutshell; eat breakfast as it kick-starts your metabolism for the day– it’s the most important meal of the day, eat more protein as the body has to work harder to break it down’, nibble on healthy snacks, avoid booze and pump iron – with 2 smaller workout sessions at different times of the day – because it provides a way of boosting metabolism twice. It also said drink milk and low-fat cheese – but that’s a ‘no' for me. It’s not part of my ‘no wheat, fat, salt or sugar’.

Finally, this is not meant to sound egotistical – but I had a very brief experience at the Post office last week. I passed a mirror and saw a ‘slim Roy’ emerging! It was quite a nice feeling.

Day 28 – Week 5

2008-01-28T09:17:00.000Z

186 pounds. (13st 4 pounds) 2 pounds lost.

The week began with a realisation that I was utterly hopeless using my new rowing machine as my body screamed out against its motion. My first day of 1 minute 17 seconds before being in bits was embarrassing. The next time was 5 minutes, then 7 minutes. The third attempt was 15 minutes! Although I’m still trailing behind Peggy – at least its moving in the right direction! Interspersing this with 20-25 minute sessions on the cross-trainer – and walking. More on the walking in a moment.

Nothing new to report on the food front – still no wheat, fat, salt or sugar (except for running out of breakfast (!) and opening an old-stock carton of Bran Flakes with its main ingredient of wheat) Still no alcohol though.

This came in handy at the weekend. On Friday afternoon, we bunked off early from work and in just 2 hours we had arrived in Devon at the home of our friends Joan and Henry who live on Dartmoor, such a stunningly beautiful part of the country.

Friday night we all piled into Henry’s 4 x 4 in our black tie/ball gown best to attend a fancy ‘do’. I avoided the bread, and enjoyed yet another way to cook chicken (being in the conference industry and having attended hundreds of ‘gala dinners’ – by now I MUST have eaten chicken in just about every way it can possibly be cooked!

The drink flowed freely and for many hours. I had volunteered to drive back and so stuck to drinking copious quantities of water. It’s weird being one of the few sober people when surrounded by so called grown-ups who were ‘feeling no pain’. Attending the ‘re-rigeur’ disco took me back in time. Not just the DJs choice of music, but it was just like a school disco – but with A LOT of wrinkles. I also witnessed a couple in their late 60’s and early 70’s grabbing each other’s bums on the dancefloor. I think he’d pulled!

I wish to apologise profusely for what I did to the gearbox of Henry’s Chelsea Tractor on the way home. I don’t think any lasting damage was done! And thank you to my well-lubricated passengers for all their well-meaning ‘help and guidance’ when the clutch seemed to seize up, half way up that somewhat steep, winding road at 2am.

Saturday was a quiet affair. My companions the night before put on a brave face, but I knew better…. After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, we headed out on a gentle walk on such a bright, sunny day. Who could have believed it was January! The views were stunning as we looked down over Widdecombe one way, Haytor the other - Teignmouth and thesouth coast in the far distance. Peggy was thrilled to have managed to get a just before dusk, 10 minute para-gliding flight from Haytor.

The wine, Bailey’s and port flowed again that evening when we were all joined by another couple; Ken and Daph - friends of Peggy’s for over 25 years.

Fast-forward to Sunday lunch – home made vegetable soup, houmous. We were joined by Robin, one of Peggy’s para-gliding buddies who lived nearby, Mandy a commercial hot-air balloon pilot and her husband, the legendary film cameraman Leo Dickinson who regaled us with countless fascinating stories of filming the seemingly impossible . From filming a flock of ‘tame’ geese following a powered hang glider around Mont Blanc, going over Mount Everest in a hot-air balloon, ‘falling’ out of a hot-air balloon, trying to keep up with a peregrine falcon in rapid descent. What a life.

As soon as lunch was over – no time for coffee and we are all out of the house with 3 over-excited labradors up a long steep pathway through the woods, up on to Rippontor, in the brilliant sunshine in a cloudless sky. A day they call ‘Buckskin and blue’ in Canada – deep blue sky – surrounded by the pale coloured ground cover across the Dartmoor bog. This couldn’t possibly be the end of January for goodness sake. We tried to explain this to a passing butterfly! Acually we saw two of them! Amazing.

By the time we got back after 2 hours of fairly strenuous walking – legs screaming, sweat pouring – it was time for afternoon tea – and my most difficult weekend experience – toasted teacakes and lashings of home-made blackberry and apple jam were laid out in front of me – both of which are my absolute favourites. I don’t know how I resisted temptation. But I did.

We got home at 9pm – in bed and asleep by 9.30! Thank you, Henry and Joan for a fantastic weekend. And I’ve only got 18 pounds to go!

Day 21 – Week 4

2008-01-21T09:15:00.000Z

188 pounds. (13st 6 pounds) 3 pounds lost. A total of 10 pounds lost so far.

An excellent week.

And best of all I don’t feel any deprivation. In fact, we continue to eat well. Or if I’m honest, we’re eating better than ever. No rubbish. No appetite destroying snacks. I’m still sticking to my no wheat, fat, salt or sugar, with hardly any deviation. There was one exception; we went to the movies last week to see "Charlie Wilson's War." – a thoroughly enjoyable, brilliantly well written and fantastically well performed movie. Anyone who knows me, probably knows that I’m a “West Wing” fan, owning all seven series on DVD, - this makes me "A Wing Nut!" The movie was also written by Aaron Sorkin who created the West Wing. As far as I’m concerned, he only does great work. Any way, I mention the movie because I did indulge in some sweet popcorn! But instead of the usual ‘medium’ it was a ‘small’ – actually that’s what I was given – it wasn’t what I asked for :-).

This way, it didn’t ruin our Thai meal at an old haunt of mine in Bath called “Yum Yum Thai”. A delicious date!

On Friday night, Peggy brought home two gorgeous, thick fillet steaks from Tuck’s the butchers in Sherston. They were sensational. Grilled to perfection, our ordinary knives cut through them as if they were soft butter. Served with a rough mash of potatoes, sweet potato and leeks, alongside peas and lightly oil-fried chunks of organic onions from the garden.

Saturday we had decided to get up early, read the paper for a short while before heading off to the South coast. Becoming more active, making decisions to get out and about is part o the weight-loss plan. First port of call a coffee shop in Dorchester before heading along the coast to Abbotsbury (where there’s a famous swannery – now closed following an outbreak of avian flu). We parked at the Chesil Beach car park – and put on our boots, warmest fleeces and weather proofs. It was blowing hard, and on the verge of raining – although it didn’t all the time we were out. We set off along the pebbly beach for about 25 minutes, then turned away from the beach and headed up and up towards a hill fort. The uphill climb was hot and sweaty. The old trick of stopping to rest but claiming it was to admire the view didn’t work – there was no view – we were in the clouds. Visibility was only about 20 yards- so we have to take the guide’s word for it when she wrote about the spectacular scene from the top. The fort was worth seeing – the remains of an iron-age settlement. From there, the walk was so much easier, along the ridge before descending below the cloud line into the picturesque village of Abbotsbury. We’d decided not to stop there but finish our walk up to an old chapel that stood majestically on the top of a hill over-looking the sea. As the plaque there said – from afar the chapel looks so imposing on the skyline (I can’t imagine it would ever get planning permission if anyone were to build it today!) but up close – it was quite small. Quite an optical illusion. The wind blew hard off the sea as we walked down towards the beach and along a very muddy path back to the car. By the time we got back to the car – our clothes were splattered in mud up to our knees. It was GREAT! The guide said it would take 3 hours. We did it in 2 hours 30 minutes. Just enough time to drive around the port at Bridport before a well-deserved coffee at “The Green Yard”, just off the main street in Bridport, before heading back for another sumptuous feast – this time it was fresh cod and scallops we’d bought from a fish stall in Dorchester. What a fantastic day. Pleasantly tired.

We both slept like dead things – but without the smell!

Sunday, I was left to my own devices as Peggy was working so I tried to mend our brand new rowing machine. Argos had delivered it during the week. Peggy had assembled it – but there was an important piece missing – no jack plug fitted to the monitor. Meaning the machine couldn’t tell you how long you’d exercised, calorie burn, repetitions etc etc. Not much use. Instead of going to the aggravation of sending it back – I finally managed to find a jack plug of the correct size, and got out the soldering iron. It worked! But I wish it hadn’t in one way – because I learnt a very important lesson – I am CRAP at rowing. After just 1 minute 17seconds I was in bits! And to think Peggy can and does row for up to 30 minutes!!! Look, Peg – let’s get something straight – I’M the one who has to have the six-pack – OK :-) !!

Obviously, I have a lot of work to do on that.

Finally, let me share this advice I received from my pal Si Ekin, a business coach in South Africa – Don’t forget to masticate grandly (50 times per mouthful) and the weight will drop off. Eating constitutes 80% of weight loss, exercise 20%. "Fat needs feeding." Eat half of what you normally do; takes 3 days to break a habit and 21 to build it...” Thanks Si.

In summary, I really get a sense that my lifestyle is changing – from being very sedentary to becoming more active. If and when I/we go on more long walks I can already see that exercise gives MORE energy not less. And that can only be good for getting rid of the remaining 20 pounds.

Day 14 – Week 3

2008-01-14T07:55:00.000Z

191 pounds. (13st 9lbs).

A successful week in that I lost one pound, although disappointing too. I wanted it to be more. Having lost 6lbs in the first week, I ‘relaxed’. Not a bad thing in one way but it was the beginning of a previous pattern. A case of “I can do this, so I don’t need to put as much effort into it.”

So what worked? My ‘diet’ of ‘no wheat, no fat, no salt, no sugar’ was almost entirely successful. My friends Graham and Tony tried unsuccessfully to persuade me to sample the delights of a deep-fried ‘forest’ onion - I stuck with my succulent fillet steak and grilled peppers without fries! And no booze. It has been another booze-free week. On one occasion I poured Peggy a glass of wine, and thought how nice it would have been to join her by pouring a glass for myself – but didn’t. Other than that moment , not drinking has been absolutely fine for me.

Although I did slip for one moment during the week when I dashed to catch a train back from Paddington to Bath – I had 2 minutes to get on board. I had attended a series of meetings all day and hadn’t had time to eat and knew from past experience that the buffet car never stocked anything ‘healthy’ – so I grabbed some food – a chicken and vegetable pasty! As daft as this might sound, it was only when I had chomped half-way through it, and relished every bite, did I realise that the pastry had wheat and fat in it. Damn – I was annoyed with myself but ‘had’ to finish the pasty!! A cruel punishment.

On the food front, we have continued to eat our way through the freezer. Smoothies become a staple of breakfast for a time, using frozen organic strawberries. Although a bit of crunch was lacking. Keeping a bag of carrots in the fridge has proved to be a very useful. A batch of home made smoked mackerel pate remains a weekly priority. The amount of food I’ve bought from supermarkets has really been cut down. I used to go there ‘all the time’ – but not any more. Saving weight, really saves money!
As I’d suspected, once work began in earnest, my exercise regime suffered. I worked out on the cross-trainer a lot less than during the first week. Although over the weekend we were active despite the stormy weather. On Saturday we headed over to Minehead and walked the high cliffs over-looking Porlock. Exhilarating and challenging, breathtaking scenery. Not even a twinge from my bad knee either. When we got back to Minehead, late afternoon a large skinny latte in a fabulous little coffee shop called “Cream” was the end to a perfect afternoon. Passing a bookshop, I found myself a book with a comprehensive list of workouts with weights – which explained in colour, exactly how to do particular weights-based exercises. The best ‘pull-together’ of exercises I’ve seen.

The rowing machine didn’t arrive – a letter of apology from Argos apologized for the delay. It should arrive on 24th January.

In all, my own report would say ‘Could do better’. My priorities this week are; drink more water and alternate cardio-vascular exercise with weights training.

Day 7 - Week 2

2008-01-07T07:40:00.000Z

192 pounds (13st 10lbs). A loss of 6 pounds in my first week! I must say I’m really pleased/relieved, although I know that this will not, indeed should not happen again. My intention is to lose weight gradually over the next 3-4 months and then maintain it forever. So what happened this week to shed 6 pounds?

I ate well. Really.

I simply didn’t eat any wheat, fat, salt or sugar. I wasn’t obsessive about it – a few foods had traces of these ingredients. And I ate potatoes occasionally.
No booze at all. Thankfully I didn’t miss it – it’s always good to know this, if you know what I mean! The biggest behavioural change has been drinking copious amounts of water. A pint of water before just about every meal. If I ever found myself getting hungry I had a drink of water instead. It filled me up. And I must have walked an extra couple of miles during the week – back and forth to the bathroom! We also decided to eat much earlier; between 5.30 and 6.30pm rather than after 8pm as we normally did. Not sure how easy that will be when I get back into the swing of work, staying at hotels.

I have been amazed (and delighted) to hear from so many people giving words of encouragement and occasionally sharing their own weight-loss stories. Ann sent me a photo of her after shedding 5 stone! I really wouldn’t have recognized her. An amazing achievement. Well done. She’s kept it off too. Another Ann told me how she has lost 120 pounds – but then added “The same 10 pounds every year for the past 12 years!”

In answer to Jeremy's question - I'm 5ft 10ins.

Andy wrote to say he sticks with the the Low C diet– I love this one; anything beginning with the letter C goes out of your diet immediately;
Cheese, chocolate, chips, curry, Chinese, crisps etc etc.

He also added, more seriously, “I think the reality is that we all KNOW what constitutes a healthy or unhealthy diet but choose not to follow it. Addressing these issues is perhaps the greater challenge to remain slim in the longer term. The diet industry thrives because so many people, myself included, feed emotional hunger of some sort with food; it becomes an addiction. You feel low, sad, miserable or unloved so you eat something to make you feel “fuller”, “better” or “happier”. All this does is make you fatter, more miserable etc etc so you eat more. It’s an addictive loop like trying to satisfy thirst with sea water.”
I’ve recognized there are 3 elements to my weight-loss programme; 1) mindset, attitude and behaviour, 2) what I eat and 3) exercise.

My breakthrough thinking has been to adopt my weight-loss as my new ‘hobby’. It therefore become an enjoyable pastime, rather being something you endure; months of deprivation and self-torture!

As far as what I eat is concerned – I can eat anything so long as it’s not wheat, fat, salt or sugar. we have also decided to eat our way through what we have in the freezer. In the past, a quick trip to the supermarket took precedence over what we already had in the freezer – loads of organic vegetables that I’d grown myself had been ignored in favour of a ‘quick’ convenience meal. Quite seriously, we have saved ourselves a small fortune in just the first week. Most of our food was already in the house – how dumb is that?! Rooting around, I found some frozen smoked mackerel fillets the other day and made a smoked mackerel pate. I cannot tell you how delicious it was – fantastic. It took 5 minutes to prepare and lasted 2 days. And SO healthy – Omega 3 oils – brain food.

As for exercise; seeing as I can’t run any more (knackered knee), on the recommendation of my brother I bought a cross-trainer last year. I wiped the dust off it (!) and have done about 20 minutes on it every day. Not too manic – capable of carrying on a conversation is the ideal, I was told. Then I’ve done some work using weights for my upper body every other day. Nothing too strenuous yet. In addition to this I am also working on my ‘core stability’ following my physiotherapist’s advice – lying down (I normally do this before I get out of bed in the morning) – breathing out, further and further, you try to get your belly-button to ‘touch’ the inside of your spine. I can’t describe it any other way! Each time you do it, you hold it for 5 seconds. It’s done 10 times. I want to improve my flexibility so another habit I have to keep reminding myself to develop is to do more stretching – before and after I exercise.

What problems have I encountered in my first week? Not much. I have to look after my knee though. It’s been a little bit ‘achy’ occasionally. I have also experienced a few headaches – which I’ve put down to not eating as many snacks as I have done in the past. Occasionally I’ve chomped on raw carrots for a healthy snack.
I now realize that I have some terribly corny friends – one was wished me future success and said “I’m with you all the ‘weigh’.” (te he) and another wrote “Good luck on your way from ‘flabulous’ to ‘fabulous’.

Thank you for all your emails and phone calls. So far so good.

I wonder if my new rowing machine will be delivered this week?

Day 1, Week 1

2008-01-01T10:33:00.000Z

168 pounds is my target weight. Down from 198 pounds (14st 2lbs) as it is today!

My congratulations to Jo, a woman I met the other day at a drinks party who lost 50 pounds in 100 days as part of a medically supervised regime. Fascinating to hear what she was prepared to subject herself to. Jo - you are an inspiration. And thank you for plying me with all that drink through the afternoon - large glasses of water! I'm drinking a pint of water right now as I write this.

As part of my plan to lose the weight - we're off for a long hike today. If you have any ideas or tips on how I and any other reader can lose weight - please get in touch.

Preparing the Ground

2007-12-27T16:31:00.000Z

My wise 'kid brother' Glyn once told me 'You can do anything, if you want to do it ENOUGH." He should know, he climbs mountains and was even part of a successful Everest expedition!

Well, I want to lose 30 pounds enough to make a fool of myself if I don't achieve this goal in 2008. Publishing my weekly progress, will ensure I maintain my focus and monitor my own progress. I am open to helpful suggestions from anyone else who has already lost (and kept off) excess weight in the past.

I really don't like having a tight waistband. And have decided to do something about it.

There are quite a few old habits to break and replace with more helpful ones - the first is to become more active each and every day. I plan to do something - anything every day - and build it up into part of a weekly exercise regime.

In the past, like millions and millions of other well-meaning people who want to lose weight - I've done too much too soon - lost interest and failed. That's why I plan to take a whole year to make the necessary improvements to my lifestyle. Being honest, reaching 50 in 2008 has focussed my attention.

My goal is to ensure that by the end of the year when asked "Is Fat Roy Slim?" I'll be able to say - YES!