Back on Track - after the dreaded vote of confidence!

After the first week's gain last week of a scary 4lbs - that seemed to come from nowhere, this week has seen more focus, and a more ordinary week.

It came at the end of a week where BUILD's Chairman gave the biggest vote of confidence to the cause by making a very significant donation, and just like in the footballing world - after a Chairman's vote of confidence, the Manager ends up going downhill.  Well I hope that's not going to be a literal consequence, but the Chairman's donation, and confidence, did spell the first gain of the campaign.

However, this week we are back on track, thanks to support at home and away, and a re-focus away from some of the treats that had crept into the previous week.

Alex's birthday saw a dinner out - but although chips came with dinner, no desert, or high fat starter, and no beer. Sacrifices had to be made.

The result this week is that the 4lb gain has been wiped out at the first attempt, in one foul swoop, and some with a loss for the week of 5lbs.

This brings up the net loss of 2 stones and 1lb - exactly one stone off the final target loss of 3 stone and 1lb (43lbs).

This brings in what I expect to be the hardest stone to lose, and probably the hardest one to keep off.  The plan is to make sure that I am 43lbs lighter on 29th September 2010 than I was on 14th February 2010, so with around 20 weeks to go I expect some variance to hit that target.

How the hell did that happen?

What a week this has been.

On Sunday I saw one of the last images of my youth disappear on the back of a trailer as I sold a motorbike that I have had for 23 years, I managed to get three days of walking to and from work, to keep up the exercise routine, and I seemed to have been working every day and evening as I juggle accounts from last year and budgets for next as part of the day job.

No lunchtime buffets to tempt or distract me, and only one evening on the beer at a CAMRA branch meeting. All was looking good to add to the losses this week and break into the third stone countdown having completed the two stone level last weekend.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I got on the scales and found I was 4lbs heavier than last week.

How the hell did that happen?

I can only think that I may have given into the temptations of some chocolate biscuits at work this week, and probably missed out on some of the regular meals I have got into the habit of doing - a direct result of a very busy working week.

Whilst disappointed, but above all flabbergasted by the size of the gain, I guess the perspective of 2 stone in 2 months, was never going to last.

What it does mean  is that this has cost me so its another £8 to add to the pot as a penalty.

Some of our secret followers lost this week, so congratulations to them.

Now its back to the grindstone........

Surprises accross the board

As a horse racing fan I had mixed emotions about Tony McCoy finally winning the Grand National at the 15th attempt. There is no doubt that he is probably the best jump jockey ever to grace a horse's back, but one of the cast iron, nailed on bets for the Grand National is that Tony McCoy won't win. So of course I didn't back him. Surprise number 1.

When a football team is up for sale, relegated, financially broke, and with its staff not getting paid (like Portsmouth) they don't win FA Cup Semi Finals against Spurs on an ice rink of a pitch called Wembley. Whilst no money was at stake - you would have backed a shed load of cash on Spurs - who lost. Surprise number 2.

When you are running a weight loss programme that turns in consistent losses as results week after week, linking healthy eating and regular exercise to the loss, you would bet on a week where there was no exercise (walking to work), a drop off in healthy food intake, and giving into temptation (when people offer the remains of their Easter Egg) you know that that run of losses is bound to end. You just know that after weeks and weeks of losses there must be a levelling out somewhere, and this week was that week, or so I thought.

When I got on the scales this morning I was shocked to see another 2lbs off the scales, clocking up the complete 2 stone since Valentines Day. Biggest surprise number 3.

Now I wonder what odds I could get on Nick Clegg ending up in the cabinet after the General Election?

Easter Treats may take their toll.......

My prediction last week was that this was going to be the first week where I recorded a gain in weight. That prediction was based on the fact that I knew I had several nights out, where real ale would play its part, as well as the end of the self imposed cheese and chocolate ban which ended at Easter.

I started this challenge by saying that my food plan would not seek to punish, so this means an unconventional "Kearns Diet" programme which mixes good foods, occassional bad foods, alcohol and regular exercise. So far it has worked well with 25lbs lost to date.

The last week went a bit like this: a meal out on Easter Monday, ice cream, whelks and a hog roast at the Fakenham racing and around 17 pints of real ale consumed over the week at four different events. Couple this with an Easter day buffet at the in-laws, and one chocolate Easter egg- but this was never going to be a good week was it?

On the positive side I have clocked up around 16 miles of walking.

The result - came as a pleasant surprise with another loss this week, of one whole pound - God knows how, but the running net loss programme now stands at 26lbs.

This weekend, its back to a more focused and disciplined programme - the bike may have to come out, and the swimming pool beckons as I work towards the 2 stone mark, which means another 2lbs to lose.

The end of Cheese and Chocolate ban

According to research, Lent officially finished at Sun down last night, which meant that the self imposed ban on cheese and chocolate has finally ended. This means that from today I will allow myself some luxuries, especially as today's weigh in has revealed another 2lb loss, taking the total loss to 25lbs since Valentine's Day.

This feels particularly good given that this last week has included two work related buffets, with danish pastries, chocolate muffins and biscuits floating under my nose at coffee times - all successfully resisted, I might add.

Two days of walking to and from work, clocked up another 10 miles of exercise, and an alcohol free week as well has obviously helped. With the Easter weekend upon us, three nights out, and the choice to break the cheese and chocolate duck will present one of the greatest challenges to date, so next week I am preparing for a level or small gain.