Monday 25th October - Day 127 (Week 19)

On the scales this morning: 11 stone 0 and a quarter pounds. Delta from last week:  3 and a quarter pounds. Total weight loss to date: 50 pounds.

Yes, I've hit the big 5 0! 50 lbs lighter than when I started this diet 127 days ago. It's made a huge difference, I feel better, look better, have more energy, and can even put my docks on without running out of breath!

Only 10.25 lbs to go.

I'm actually a little disappointed, last night I'd hit 10 st 13.75 after my run, and really wanted to hold onto that number for today, but replacing lost fluid pushed my weight up by 2 lbs before bed, and I guess I just didn't breathe heavily enough!

It's been a variable week on the old diet, I've run a marathon distance this week, with an 8.5 mile finale last night, but I've also eaten variable amounts of transgression fodder! There's been a chicken burger (and some chips) at Legoland, a smoked paprika chicken breast (and some chips) at a family meal out, and a Thai meal (with rice). Even a home-made, Dukan friendly curry had the addition of 2 small Naan breads!

Overall I feel positive about things, weight is continuing to head in the right direction. I should hit 10 st x tomorrow (or the next day at the latest), the remaining weight will fall into single digits at the same time. Whilst it would have been nice to lose 4 lbs this week, 3.25 ain't bad. Especially at this stage of the diet where weight loss is always going to slow down as there is less fat to lose. I'm worried about the amount of exercise. Last night was one step too far really; I set off too late, ran too far, and was too cold by the time I'd finished. I felt really quite dreadful before I went to bed. As the clocks go back this weekend, it's definitely time to draw the runs in, and if I can't start early enough, then they can't be done at all. Guess I'll have to hit the gym more (urgh)

Right then, no more obvious transgressions in the near future (I'm immune to Hallowe'en, honest), time to get that final large number. 10 st x, here I come!

Monday 18th October - Day 120 (Week 18)

On the scales this morning: 11 stone 3 and a half pounds. Delta from last week: minus three quarter pounds. Total weight loss to date: 46 and three quarter pounds.

Oh dear! I've gone backwards! There is a good explanation, and a silver lining however. On Friday morning I weighed 11 st 0.75 lb, a weight loss of 2 lb for the week from Monday. I'd gone strict on the diet, done a little exercise, and was nicely back on track. Then I went to Aberdeen for the weekend with some old friends. That's where it all went wrong!

I had a sandwich on the way up, a (Dukan friendly) chilli on Friday night with 2/3 of a bottle of wine. Saturday saw bread for lunch and a curry(!) for tea with 3 pints of cider. Sunday gave me a grilled breakfast of sausage and bacon, a fried egg, and some more bread. I had (Dukan friendly) home-made bolognaise for tea.

I also had fun, enjoyed the food and drink, and don't regret any of it.

Back to the strictness today.

I'll be taking my daughter to her first ever eye test later, so I'm working from home today. This means I can get out for a lunchtime run (yay!), and control exactly what I'm eating / stay away from dangerous temptation as I go back onto a primarily protein diet and fight off those carb cravings! 

I know, from previous experience, that a lot of the weight is water retention, and the run will sort that out. The goal for the week is to get back on track, and see a big 1 0 in that Stone column on the old spreadsheet. 

Now, will it be a chicken drumstick for lunch or a hard boiled egg??

Monday 11th October - Day 113 (Week 17)

On the scales this morning: 11 stone 2 and three quarter pounds. Delta from last week: 2 and a quarter pounds. Total weight loss to date: 47 and a half pounds.

A week of yo-yo-ing weight! I started last Monday on 11 5, did a run, and dropped to 11 2.5. Great! Then, over the week I rose back to 11 5.25 on Friday, did another run then, and a huge run yesterday, and now I'm on 11 2.75.

I tweeted, on Tuesday, that I'd entered the 1 stone to go phase. Obviously, by Wednesday, that was incorrect. Today, I can say that again, and this time I think it will stick!  Wednesday morning just saw too much dehydration; it wasn't sustainable. I knew that a 2.5 lb loss in one day wasn't going to stick, but I was hopeful that I'd hold on to some of it and continue the weight loss during the week. Didn't really happen.

It's becoming clear that very strict adherence to the rules is necessary, and continued exercise. Since our holiday in France the rules have slipped a little. I'm fitting into my clothes; I'm feeling better about myself; fitter, more able to do things. The pressure has come off. and there have been slippages. Home-made cupcakes *had* to be tried. A Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes with a Sunday dinner. Transgressions have been numerous. And, whilst the weight loss has continued, it's slowed; and there has been a worry, on my part, about a slip to the old ways. It's not far to go from a cupcake to a Mars bar, then a coke doesn't seem to bad, then I'm four stone heavier again!

So, a renewed effort has taken hold. I've bought some jeans over the weekend that have a 32 inch waist. I don't *quite* fit them at the moment, I *will* soon!

I lost 1.02 kilos this week. That was a sustainable amount. I have 6.25 kilos to go. 6 or 7 weeks. A short time pain for a long term gain.

Monday 04th October - Day 106 (Week 16)

On the scales this morning: 11 stone 5 pounds. Delta from last week: 1 pounds. Total weight loss to date: 45 and a quarter pounds.

Another quick one. Weight loss has slowed down. This is in part down to me getting bored! All my clothes fit, except my trousers which I'm getting too small for (!) The end is in sight, my BMI is in the "normal" range, the drive is fading. I'll carry on, but whether the final 1 st 2 lb will all come off I don't know. The goal was always to get around 10 st 3 to 10 st 8. I think I'll get to the range, maybe not the bottom of it.

Corrected some copy and paste errors with the post this morning. Somehow I missed week 5 in my posts and skipped straight to week 6, so this is week 16 for the second time. The total weight loss is also correct as per the spreadsheet (

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Apofalv9lLRjdEhMQ1EtT242Q1RGX2tfOGI1aDZ5NkE&hl=en&authkey=CKH4rpkG)

This week sees a renewed effort around my exercise. I hoped to go out for a run yesterday, but circumstances got in the way. I'm off out today, then hope to get another on later in the week, then a new route and new distance on Sunday. The only decent weight loss I get these days is after a run, so any hope of hitting my goal is dependent on some running.

Read a nice article the other day (that I haven't followed up on) saying that for males under 5 ft 8 (I'm 5 ft 7) with a weight under 160 pounds (mine is 159) has less than 2% body fat. Nice if it's true! I certainly don't seem to have a lot of excess bits anymore.

Right then, 16 lbs to go. Hopefully it won't take 16 weeks!