Week 158

1.8lb loss!

Woohoo! I'll take that with a smile.

I expected to lose something as I've been on track virtually all week (we'll ignore that Cornetto on Saturday and the scone last Monday), but I wasn't expecting such a drop. This takes me back under the 13 stone mark.


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 13lb - 181lbs
Body fat: 25.2%
Total Weight Loss: 94lbs

Week 157 - Starting year 4

1.6lb gain.

Not the most auspicious start to my 4th year of healthy eating, and a reminder that this is a lifestyle, and never was a short-term diet.

This past year has essentially been one of maintenance. I am in fact about 4lbs heavier than I was 12 months ago, but given that it has been an extreme year emotionally, and my default reaction to stress is still to want to stuff my face, then not have put on more weight is actually quite an achievement.

The medical establishment has decided that the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the right one, which means upping my activity levels as a way of losing further weight is not a good idea. My energy has to be balanced and I have to avoid boom-and-bust style activity.

However, after 6 months of playing around with different kinds of anti-depressants at different dosages, my Depression is now finally under control. This doesn't mean I don't get stressed and don't what to stuff my face, only that I don't get walloped by extreme feelings out of the blue with no warning anymore, so that's one thing less to have to fight against.

One other thing that occured to me this morning was that my wife and I had taken our eyes off the future. When we set out on our quest, we had a clear vision of happier, healthier selves to focus on and help us fight some of the worst cravings.

But with various crises this year, especially the CFS, we have been treading water where the future is concerned. To mix analogies, we have been constantly firefighting and have had precious little time to look at the direction we wanted to go.

The upshot of this is when faced with, say, a buttery scone, the reaction has been "Do I have this scone or not? - I feel lousy, I really want it so I'm going to have it" rather than "Do I have this scone and satisfy a short term desire, or not have it and so take a further step towards a happier, healthier future?"

When stuck in the present, long term goals and aspirations fail to be any part of your armoury.

Of course I was most of the way through a buttery scone (with jam) in the cafe with my wife when I this occured to me...

Still, it was a valuable insight.

Here's to a happier, healthier future. Let's celebrate by not having a cake :)


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 13st 0.8lb - 182.08lbs
Body fat: 25.5%
Total Weight Loss: 92.2lbs

Week 156

0.6lb gain

Well it was my stepdaughter's birthday on Wednesday, and the anniversary of my mother's death on Friday so the eating was a little haywire.

It's my daughter's 10th birthday this Thursday so I daresay I won't be losing anything this week either.

Still, could have been worse.


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 13.2lb - 181.2lbs
Body fat: 25.3%
Total Weight Loss: 93.8lbs

Week 155

0.4lb loss

Same again.

It is gratifying to know that when I stay on track the weight comes off. This means that if things go awry with pancake day tomorrow, my step-daughter's birthday on Wednesday and my daughter's birthday next week, it's not the end of the world.

And given that the rest of the time should be more or less OK, everything feels under control.

Which is an enjoyable, if rare, feeling.


And I'd also like to say Welcome Back Sir Squishy :)


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 12.6lb - 180.6lbs
Body fat: 24.5%
Total Weight Loss: 94.4lbs

Week 154

0.4lb loss

Still heading in the right direction, if not quite as quickly as hoped. However, given the lack of activity these days I'm quite happy for any losses I get.


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 13lb - 181lbs
Body fat: 24.5%
Total Weight Loss: 94lbs

Week 153

0.8lb loss

I might have hoped for a touch more, but I'm not going to complain. I've had a good week with only a couple of minor indulgences. Here's hoping we're back on track properly now.


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 13.4lb - 181.4lbs
Body fat: 24.7%
Total Weight Loss: 93.6lbs

Week 152

0.2lb loss

At least I've stopped increasing in size.

Last week I was full of good resolve, but there turned out to be a few more previously undiscovered Feastmas goodies hidden at the back of the cupboard.

In addition, Maggie produced some incredible white chocolate, cranberry and pumkin seed oat biscuits (cookies) in a sudden bout of comfort baking, which were too good to ignore.

All in all I'm just happy not to have gained.


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 13st 0.2lb - 182.2lbs
Body fat: 25%
Total Weight Loss: 92.8lbs

Week 151

2.2lb gain

That's me back over the 13 stone mark by 0.4lbs, which means I'm roughly half a stone heavier than a month ago.

However, I'd swear I’ve eaten more this past week than I did in the week surrounding Feastmas.

You see apart from Feastmas Day itself, I was actually a bit conscious of what I was eating. Sure I was eating too much of the tasty stuff but I would, on occasion, hold back a bit.

But this week we have a fridge, 2 freezers and several cupboards full of goodies that didn’t get eaten because we didn’t have 40,000 people over for Christmas Dinner.

Of course we can’t possibly let that food go to waste, but we also know it will be a major temptation so long as it remains. Therefore, the logic goes, the sooner we’ve eaten it all, the sooner we can get back to a healthier lifestyle.

I know there’s a flaw in the logic somewhere, but the drive not to throw out good food overrides all other considerations.

Contrary to the old cliché, you can in fact have too much of a good thing.

However, I'm not going to beat myself up about this. I know that our healthy eating system works. Unless there's another major crisis (or 6) then we should be able to get back on top of this, as we have for nearly 3 years now.


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 13st 0.4lb - 182.4lbs
Body fat: 25.5%
Total Weight Loss: 92.6lbs

Week 150

4.2lb gain

Back over the 180lbs mark. Still, despite some serious over indulges this week, I have still been aware of trying to limit the damage and I could easily have put on more.

We all knew no one was going to come out of Feastmas unscathed, but I've managed to remain under 13 stone, so I take this as a triumph of sorts.

Wishing you all the very best for the New Year!


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 12.2lb - 180.2lbs
Body fat: 24.5%
Total Weight Loss: 94.8lbs

Week 149 - Merry Feastmas!

0.2lb loss!

The fact that I haven't put on 3lbs this week has somewhat astounded me, given my reaction to unsettling news last week, and various pre-feastmas treats cropping up all over the place.

However, I am still mindful of a certain level of damage limitation where, for example, I decide not to have the 3rd piece of shortbread, even though it's available. If I put on 5lbs over the next week or 2, it's still better than putting on 10lbs.

Still, I'm toying with the idea of creating a new strategy to cope with Feastmas: I'm going to speed up my metabolism by eating too much...

Wishing you all, all the best. May you enjoy your food without too much impact. Make a deal with yourself that you will only over-indulge in the stuff that's really worth it. If you're going to put on a pound, make it worthwhile, and not on some junk thing that you either don't like, or don't even notice you're eating.

Have a good one!


Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 12st 8lb - 176lbs
Body fat: 22.8%
Total Weight Loss: 99lbs