Capitals and Canapes

With this week's weigh in recording another surprising 4lb loss, the total loss is now 19lbs since Valentine's Day and well on the way to achieving the first target of being 14lbs lighter by the time I go to Cheltenham for the racing next week.

The Guinness with the huge Irish contingent at Cheltenham next week now looks safe, if the week ahead can be "steady as she goes".

Challenges this last week included a Monday with two work related receptions offering very nice food and wine, courtesy of the Theatre Royal (lunchtime) and the Lord Mayor of Norwich (evening). Polite participation and two days of walking to, and from, work (5 miles a day) helped keep the exercise routine going and make up for a weekend away with good food on a scout training course.

I was in London yesterday taking a couple of people from work on a sightseeing tour, that although ended in Burger King, saw resistance to all things bad - well almost!

A trip to Greenwich Market saw me sampling a Brazilian Doughnut, purely in the name of cultural experimentation you understand. It was about four inches long, and filled with a caramel sauce, and was my only indiscretion as the now regular accompaniment of apples and bananas kept hunger locked up.

It seems that the metabolism is changing. I don't actually feel hungry, or crave anything - which is a surprise, as perhaps I am not eating enough, but the changed habits, including a regular breakfast, snacking only on fruit, reduced alcohol, and increased exercise seems to making the desired differences.

This is the first real week that I have seen inches going of waist and chest, belts are beginning to need extra holes, and trousers seem to be getting a mind of their own in staying where they should. Builder's bum has arrived, particularly when walking up stairs!

The next week needs a bit of planning, and I think that has become one of the tricks of this campaign.

Traditionally, during the Cheltenham Racing Festival week I would settle down in front of the TV for the first three days of the Festival with regular cups of coffee and a packet of biscuits, that just seem to disappear between first and last race.

On day four, an early morning start, an enormous full English breakfast at the M6 Corley Services, and enough Guinness to float back to my Irish ancestry would be followed by a lunch of burger, chips or Chinese, ahead of the racing and then a post racing three course dinner and wine at the hotel on Friday night.

Time for change I guess - as another habit needs to be consigned to history - but I will allow myself some reward for the hard work to date.

So at the start of one of my favourite weeks of the year, I guess a tip is required and it is................apples and bananas. They take time to eat, easy to carry, and fill you up.