Slimmer of the year Dec 2007 "Runner up" photos

22 November 2007 12 Weeks of maintenance

Hi everyone, just dropping by to give you all a little update. I had my meeting last night with Chris the Cambridge Diet PR man concerning the forthcoming slimmer of the year awards and conference.
He spent nearly an hour going over our story (me and my wife) and asking questions about why we done the diet, how we felt etc etc. It was a very relaxed informal affair and has me now even closer to the edge of my seat. My wife and I have entered the award as a couple, we dieted together, shared everything so we entered jointly for slimmer of the year. well to lose 21 stone+ between us is no mean feat, we were there for each other and still are so thought it only right we enter as "one" Chris was blown away by our before and after pictures and seemed to like the story of our journey.
We have been told that 60 people have been shortlisted, this will then be taken down to 10 finalists on conference day and the winner gets taken to the Far East for a makeover and photo shoot next April..... ooooh I am so excited I so hope we do well

It has been 3 weeks since I saw my CDC and I have had a couple of large "naughty" meals but have been keeping up my running / marathon training. Well I got on her scales only to see that they were showing a loss of 2lb taking me down to 12 stone 5lb which is good, I had not had my dinner either so all in all that would probably have balanced back up to my steady 12.5 stone which I am happy to sit at.
As I said I continue to run, I am following a training plan and this varies distance and pace for example on Sunday coming I will be doing a 7 mile run at a speed of 10 Min's per mile but today (yes I have been out this morning at 5am!!) I done a warm up jog of 1 mile then 3 miles at 9 Min's per mile then a 1 mile warm down jog. that gave me a total of 5 miles today which blows out the cobwebs ready for another day at work.

Must dash now, The slimmer of the year final is being held on 1 December so not long to wait, I will keep you all posted
feel free to email me thebigdiet@hotmail.co.uk
best wishes Alan

Week 41, 9 weeks of maintenance completed

Another good week all round for me, apart from one crazy thing I have done today......
I have entered myself into the Reading Half Marathon on 2 March 2008!!!
I have been running for a few weeks now and love the feeling I get from doing it.
I was always the "fat kid" and never dreamt of running, my teachers would rib me and I had no interest in any kind of exercise.
Well being brought up in Reading I thought it poignant to return to do the half marathon that as a kid I would always watch and cheer the competitors. I will return "home" for the weekend where I still have family and attempt the 13 mile route. I am currently doing about 5.5 miles in just under 1 hour three mornings a week and have a training plan to follow to get me up to fitness to complete the half marathon!!
Still enjoying my food, that is my wise choices of food that I am having now. I am eating loads of fruit and veg and making really healthy choices. I do not have a weigh in this week but can see no reason for any increase. I do however have two slightly indulgent meals ahead, one when we have the neighbours around followed the following lunchtime by mother in laws birthday meal. Both of theses meals will involve eating some "unhealthy" choices but I will be right back on track straight after.
So I have placed a new ticker on this blog counting down until my "marathon" and nearer the time I will setup a "just giving" website for sponsorship and I will be after all you readers of this blog to dig deep for a good cause (yet to be chosen)
See you all soon
Alan

Week 40, 8th week of maintenance completed

Just been for my weigh in for the first time in 2 weeks and have shown a loss of 2lb, taking me back down to my target of 12 and half stone!! I am really pleased at this and equally pleased that I am managing to "maintain" take a look at my graph at the top of the page. Its doing exactly what I wanted it to do holding me fairly steady around my target. I know that the time of day when I weigh myself makes a huge difference, even now I can fluctuate as much as 9lb over a single day depending on things like what I have eaten and drunk, how long ago and when I last had a motion!!
So all in all I am happy with the level of food I am eating, If I calorie count it equates to about 1900 - 2000 calories or somewhere around 26 - 27 weight watchers points. I am using a CD bar for my lunch as a nutritional supplement really because I do not have time for preparing and eating a huge bowl of salad, and besides I just love CD Cranberry bars!!

I now have my appointment set for seeing the Cambridge PR man at my CDC's on the evening of Wednesday 21 November... Still very excited!!
I am not seeing my CDC again before that date and feel very comfortable with that, I know I am in control of my eating, for once in my life I control my eating not food controlling me!!
I will pop back periodically with any exciting news.
I will definitely update this blog after my appointment with the PR man in the run up to the December 1st finals!! I hope you are all rooting for me, I could do with winning an exotic holiday or some other nice prize!!

Best wishes to all of you on your CD journeys... stick with it, its worth it!!
Alan

Week 39, 7th week of maintenance completed

Well its been 7 weeks now on maintenance and I am loving it, I am not having food cravings and I am really enjoying loads of fresh veg and salad with controlled amounts of carbs and protein. I do still enjoy a sugar free jelly each evening as well!!

I have not been for a weigh in this week as I am now seeing my CDC once a fortnight so I do not have a weight update to post as I prefer to rely on my CDC's scales for an accurate comparative reading. A pound out at this stage could make all the difference!!

I have however had some fantastic news today.... My wife and I have been shortlisted for the slimmer of the year final!! I received a call from my CDC congratulating me and arranging a meeting for us to attend with the CD PR man!!

I am soooo excited this diet has really made my year and to now be shortlisted has had me doing cartwheels!!

I will be back next week (Thursday evening) with an official weigh in update, fingers crossed for a neutral weight gain / loss. I am still walking my dog for an hour each morning, this is now also followed every other morning with a 2 mile jog!! yes I have started jogging at some unearthly hour of the morning (5am) Me jogging??? was never heard of when I was 25 and a half stone!!

see you all soon
Alan

Week 38, end of 6 weeks of maintenance

Well that's another week over, it has flown by and seemed very hectic
Tonight has been busy, my wife is now working again and I am on dinner duty as soon as I get in the door, served up at 6.15pm and then straight off for a 7pm weigh in (I did feel bloated).
This week I showed a weight gain on my CDC's scales of 3lb heavier than my scales showed last week. however this is still 1lb lighter than 2 weeks ago when I last visited her. We must not forget my indulgent trip to Venice!! and any repercussions from over-eating.
I have decide I will not get on my own scales now for the next fortnight when I go back for my next weigh in. So I will not post my next weight update until 2 weeks time.
Tomorrow is the closing date for entries to be received for slimmer of the year they presumably then start the mammoth job of sorting them to some sort of criteria. i am not sure if it is done on most weight lost, % of body weight lost or just a good story. I wait with baited breath!!

I Will pop back soon but at the latest 2 weeks time with my next official weigh in result.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions
best wishes everyone
Alan thebigdiet@hotmail.com

9 hours in Venice

Just thought I would update you on my whistle stop tour of Venice last Friday.
Last week it was my wife's birthday and the weekend was our wedding anniversary so I planned a surprise trip to Venice for the day for her.
We set off from home at 0400 and flew out of stanstead at 0630 we had a fabulous 9 hours in Venice, the weather was gorgeous, 22 degrees C, bright blue sky it was fabulous.

We had decided that we would have a day of "indulgence" we did not want to travel all that way to only eat lettuce. We made a conscious decision that we would not go mad but would eat what we fancied and get right back on track the following day.

I started the day with a healthy banana and cereal bar washed down with a skinny cappuccino in the departure lounge
later in the morning I had an apple, the we went for lunch, one of the main things we wanted to do, we had researched a lovely restaurant online, one that locals use (my wife's mum is Italian so we wanted some nice food not that prepared for tourists!)
Since pasta and its various sauces is something we cook at home regularly I decided to go for something different. I chose seafood risotto followed by Chateaubriand. Both of these food were gorgeous the meat course came out with lightly battered courgettes and aubergine and I loved every bite.
I declined the desert menu choosing instead to go for a cheese course, a lovely board of high fat Italian cheeses, a lovely mix of hard and soft cheeses made a delightful end to the meal. I never drank alcohol, I had decided to drink nice pellagrino water instead
We stopped at various coffee bars for a nice espresso (I am a bit of a "nice" coffee lover) there is something about the atmosphere whether its stood at a coffee bar ( similar to standing at the bar of a pub) or sat by a canal watching the world go by with the sun shining, either way the culture was lovely.
later in the afternoon we had some lovely Italian Gelatto (ice cream) as only the Italians can make it!! 15 flavours to choose from how could I possibly decide on what to choose for my 4 small scoops... divine!!
In the evening I had a ham salad roll from a deli near to Rialto bridge followed by the most luxurious piece of soft nutty nougat from a lovely choclatier shop.

Once we had landed we headed home after an hours delay at passport control.We were both feeling peckish (by this time it was 0130hours) we committed the ultimate sin and went to the kebab shop, yes it was just as good as I remembered... I love a nice Doner
On Saturday we got straight back onto our healthy eating regime and have not wavered since. I am just hoping that the day does not have too much of an adverse affect on the scales this Thursday

Week 37, end of 5th week of maintenance

Hi everyone,
Well it looks like things are starting to plateau out a bit. I have been on my own scales tonight at the same time as my normal weigh in and have shown a 4lb weight loss, taking me back down to just under my target weight. I had once again just had my dinner so it should be a fairly good comparison to my CDC's scales.

I have had a good week weight wise making the most of 3 meals per day with plenty of veg and a few bits of fruit each day. I am now going to switch to following a weight watchers plan basing my points allowance on 27 which should in theory allow me to lose some weight. As I have said before I don't want to lose any weight but I will slowly increase the points to achieve a balance. The 1500 plan on Cambridge fits in very nicely with weight watchers and as I have said before I need something to carry on with as a lifelong programme. (I am not going to meetings but just plan on using it as a measuring guideline at home and documenting everything I eat)
I still feel like I need a control mechanism in place now my journey on CD is over. I need to have boundaries to avoid going back to old habits..... one thing is for sure I do not want to put the weight back on... EVER!!

I have loved doing the CD plan and fully wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who really wants to lose their weight. I hope that my blog lives on as an inspiration to others who may be considering starting CD.
I will still be back posting a weekly update for the time being just to let you know that I am "settled" on a lifelong journey of skinniness.
I hope to be shortlisted for slimmer of the year and look forward to meeting many others at the ceremony if I am successfully shortlisted.

Incidentally my wife lost 5lb this week. It seems like it took both of us a couple of weeks to balance after completing sole source.
Today is my wife's birthday and the weekend is our wedding anniversary so as a surprise I arranged a day trip to Venice for my wife. Yes just one day in Venice!! we fly out of Stansted at 0630 and back again at about 10pm giving us loads of time for a nice lunch and a bit of sightseeing, all for not much more than it would cost us to go to London on the train for the day!!

Yes we are going on a plane... a first in a long time, previously would not have been possible / comfortable prior to losing the weight... Thank you CD you have made my year. here's to a lovely trip, its due to be sunshine and 22 degrees

So I am off now to get an early night as we need to hit the road very early tomorrow morning

Week 36 end of 4 weeks of maintenance

So another week draws to a close. This week I have shown a 2lb weight gain!! I do feel a little bloated (and very disappointed with myself) I had just 30 mins before my weigh in had my dinner.
This week has been a nice week I attended a family wedding at the weekend where I ate a 3 course nouveau cuisine meal which by its nature consisted of fairly small potion sizes. Yes I did eat the desert it was lovely!! I had a brandy basket with summer fruits and cinnamon ice cream scrumptious!! it was however only the size of a cup cake and one small scoop of ice cream. This obviously would not have broken the bank calorie wise and I have not fallen off the wagon or anything, I just enjoyed that one meal. I also did not touch a drop of drink, I had a glass of champagne poured for me for the toasts, I lifted the glass to my lips but not one drop passed into my mouth!!
My wife has also shown a 2lb weight gain this week having also eaten the same as me
.
I am still going to step up the maintenance scale this week and plan on a mixture of the 1200 / 1500 plan which incidentally I have point scored on weight watchers (my choice of lifelong maintenance) and it does not end up more than about 14 points per day which is well below the 27 I would be allowed if I attended a meeting with the intention of losing weight at my current weight.
I just need my weight to peak and I hope then start decreasing, it must surely start soon, I am not cheating and don't even crave "naughties" but it must start to decline soon!! if not I'll have to hit the sole source wagon again!!!!
I am not seeing my CD counsellor next week but have an appointment for the following week so we will See how things go with 2 more weeks under my belt. She has forbid me to get on my own scales for the next fortnight as I am becoming a bit obsessed with my weight!! however the good news is my 32" trousers still fit very comfortably so I am happy really :-)

Week 35 end of 3rd maintenance week

13 stone 8lb at my weigh in tonight which is the same as last week
This week has been a good one on the 1000 plan which includes 3 meals a day and 2 CD products. I have had another week of maintaining a constant weight which I am most pleased with, especially as this week was the first introduction of carbohydrates.
I do not have any desire to lose any more weight but do wish to maintain and certainly not start increasing my now slender 32" waist.
If I stay within a healthy BMI and the same clothes then I will be very chuffed!!
I have been eating more vegetables / salad than "officially" allowed on the plan but that is as far as I have deviated from it.

I will be having another week this week on the 1000 plan before stepping up again to the next level!!
I am really surprised at how much I am enjoying eating some breakfast. I have never been a breakfast person however having started having 2 shredded wheat each day with a splash of skimmed milk it really sets me up for the day ahead. albeit I cant eat it until about 0930 at work (cant face eating before that time!!)

Our slimmer of the year application has been submitted to CD headquarters (I have lost 13 stone and my wife has lost 8 stone) and we await with our fingers crossed.

Hope everyone is well, I keep up with all the forum posts and blogs, best wishes to everyone who is still on their journey, Its so worth it!!! do it!!!

Fat Nation

Just found the article below and thought it was fitting to post it on my blog!

I am having a good week so far, enjoying eating some limited amounts of carbs, and having a salad at lunchtime is just divine. I have also been having some shredded wheat for my breakfast, I take this to work and eat it about 0930 as I can't do breakfast too early. Upto now I have only usually had breakfast at the weekend however it is really quite nice to have something in the morning that keep you feeling pleasantly full until "salad time"
I am off to a wedding at the weekend where I do not intend to have any alcohol however I do intend eating the wedding breakfast.
I will pop back tomorrow with an update after my official weigh in.


News article

Scotland is the second fattest nation

An alarming new study has revealed that Scotland is the second fattest nation in the developed world, behind America.
More than a quarter of the Scottish population is obese, at 25.5 per cent, compared to 32.2 per cent in America, and just 8.3 per cent in Norway. England comes fourth in the table at 22.5 per cent.
Scottish children are suffering an alarmingly high rate of obesity, according to the figures released by the Scottish Public Health Observatory. And women are also particularly at risk, since they are most likely to develop serious health problems from being obese.

Women are 13 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, four times more likely to suffer high blood pressure, three times more likely to develop cancer of the colon and 30 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke.
Obese men are five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and about twice as likely to develop osteoarthritis.
Heavily overweight people are 18 per cent more likely to need hospital treatment than those of normal weight in Scotland, with obesity costing the NHS £171 million in 2001 (the most recent year for which the figures are available). And in 2003, 500,000 cases of high blood pressure, 50,000 cases of coronary heart disease and 900 of cases of cancer, mostly of the colon, were caused by obesity in Scotland.
The Scottish Executive has launched plans to try and tackle the problem of childhood obesity by removing sweets and fizzy drinks from schools, serving less deep-fried food and more oily fish. It believes that by targeting children, it can make a difference for the future.

Percentage of obese members of the population around the world
United States: 32.2
Scotland: 25.5
Mexico: 24.2
England: 22.5
Canada: 22.4
Greece: 21.9

Week 34, end of 2 weeks of maintenance

Well this week has seen a very slight improvement.
I have this week dropped just one pound!! however one pound down is a pound in the right direction!! I have this week had my second week of maintenance following the 790 plan + a few extra vegetables with my one meal each day.
I am pleased though that my weight seems to have stabilised albeit I had a little jump in weight last week I am assured by my CDC that it is inevitable that my glycogen has started to refill and "not to panic!!" It is then with some relief that I have this week dropped a pound. I was very worried last week that this was the start of a problematic time with my weight going to be going back on week after week and getting out of control. I have remained positive a focused whilst thoroughly enjoying my food along with my 3 CD shakes / bar each day.
Tomorrow I step up to the 1000 plan whereby I drop a CD shake but gain a salad for lunch and a small breakfast.The evening meal is very similar to the last fortnight but with the addition of a small amount of carbs (Rice / Pasta or potato) I am very excited about this next phase of returning to normality and hope for a neutral effect on my weight. I will be happy if I do not drop down to 12 stone exactly, I only picked 12 stone to allow for a window of fluctuation. If my weight stays in the "healthy" band ie below 12 stone 11 lb then I will be chuffed. I also do not want to gain any size in my clothes. I am now quite happy wearing my 32" trousers and do not want to grow!! Therefore I will be happy to stay at this point as I move through the maintenance steps.
I will return next week with an update on how things have progressed after a week with 3 meals and carbs!! oooooh some lovely real food!!
I love the new chocolate orange flavour shake, I make this in to a mousse and have it for my desert / supper..... off now to eat tonight's!!!

Week 33 a Minor Blip!!!

Hi All,

Well this was my first week of eating, and very strange it has felt!!

you will see from my charts that I have in fact shown a 5lb weight gain this week which sounds horrendous I know. Well I am an eternal optimist and am putting it down to one major factor.... I had just had my meal, yes just 30 mins before weigh in I ate 275g of Quorn with vegetables and a CD bar for desert. ( I had to do it, straight after weigh in I had to attend a school governors meeting)
I have started off this week by going straight onto the 790 plan and intend to follow this for 2 weeks minimum, now I know there has been lots of debate on the forums about being BMI 25 + 1 stone and you should be on a minimum of the 1000 plan and the CD book says one thing yet Cambridge now say something different, well I have decided to plump for starting with 790 to allow my body to balance then move on up the steps for a week or 2 minimum on each (as per the yellow book)
The 790 plan seems like so much food after months without anything!! I have however managed it all without any problem and my 3 CD products each day too. I have been having a few more veg than the 3 tablespoons mentioned in the book, so whilst not cheating I have bent the rules a little (had the correct veg just a few more). Some may say well it serves you right then to show a weight increase!! Well I know that at the moment my weight still fluctuates by as much as 7lb during the course of the day, which is a tremendous amount and on top of this my body must be grasping hold of this food for dear life after fasting for so long!!
I am happy still as I am within the healthy BMI category and that is what I based my target of 12 stone upon, 12 stone plus a 10lb "window" Now I only need a good poo and that will drop a few pound!! If I get on the scales first thing tomorrow I can guarantee they will say 12 stone 3lb as this has been par for the last few days. It will be better to look next Thursday at a like for like comparison when I go for my weigh in again after eating my evening meal, rather than trying to compare this week with last when I had not consumed a morsel!! I intend to stick on 790 for a bit longer if the trend does not move downwards, I am however consuming far less calories than my body needs to function so it inevitably has to start balancing once the glycogen store refills and weight starts coming off again.
Do I sound like I am trying to convince myself??? I think I am just putting a brave face on in light of a shit result of a weeks weigh in!! It is disappointing to see a gain I know but I will keep my chin up. I have not been eating any "naughties" just a bit more veg than that specified and only the one meal a day as per the book!!

It has been nice though sitting down again as a family and eating a somewhat normal meal. I have had Quorn, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese & Tuna this week (not all at once of course!!) with various different vegetables and even used some bullion mix on my "Sunday lunch" as gravy. I had turkey breast steaks with broccoli and cauliflower and the gravy and I loved it!! Cottage cheese with a salad was not quite as appetising and has since been scrubbed off the menu for this week replaced by a nice hot chicken breast with courgettes!! far tastier.

I have also been doing plenty of dog walking, its getting darker and colder in the mornings now, 5am is now pitch black!! I have been wearing a weight watchers pedometer and easily racked up 2 "activity points" from my morning walk and general daytime mooching about so I must be doing something right!!

I went for my trial light aircraft flight at the weekend, It was fantastic, yes I took the controls for 1/2 hour whilst flying over Colchester even looking down on my own home on what was a glorious day weather wise. It was great to do something that would not have been possible before when I was overweight (16 stone weight limit). I have however given up on the idea of flying lessons as they say to get your pilots licence allow 60 hours of tuition and at £150 per hour, you can do the maths to see that its not a "cheap" hobby!! I did really enjoy my 1/2 hour trial though and am most grateful to my wife for the present.

So here's to another week on 790 and hopefully a better result on the scales next week, I am still very very committed and motivated and know that this week is only a minor blip that will even out... its got to on 790 calories!!!

I'll be back with an update next week, feel free to email me if you have any questions, Best wishes to you all
Alan
email thebigdiet@hotmail.co.uk

Week 32 Last night of Sole Source

Hi Everyone,
well I am down from cloud 9 this week, I haven't come down with any kind of bump or anything like that, its just after such an achievement last week this week seems mundane.

I have however lost another 4lb this week taking me down to 12 stone 4lb and below my target of 12 and a half stone before I start to re-introduce food. So tomorrow is the big day when I step onto the maintenance stages, I intend having cod fillet and courgettes both steamed with some herbs and lemon or vinegar to taste.
I am excited about starting to eat some food but at the same time I feel very apprehensive about gaining weight. I hope I don't gain anything or I will be a bit disappointed. I am aware that as my glycogen refills I may gain some then balance out and hopefully drop a bit as I go through the stages. I intend following the maintenance to the letter for the required amount of time. I have a full 8 week menu written out ready to go for every single day during this next phase of my weight management plan. I will keep you informed on how I get on.

I have a flying lesson this weekend, this was a birthday present from my lovely wife back in May however I did not want to book it whilst I was overweight, I was scared of not fitting behind the controls or being told I was too heavy for the 2 seater plane. I don't think I will be having this problem on Saturday. I am getting really excited about going up and the weather is due to be OK at the last forecast I saw. I hope to take a couple of photos whilst up there however I am supposed to be flying the thing so this may not be the allowed!!

I have been doing plenty of dog walking this week averaging 2 hours per day over 2 walks the first of which I take at 5am before I get ready for my day job.

So I am signing off now on what is my last night on Sole Source, This diet has done a tremendous job for me and I am very excited about my future.
I will be back next Thursday with an update on my first week of maintenance.
Good luck to all newbies and all those continuing on their journey, good luck everyone, stick at it, my results speak wonders for how this diet can work if you are determined!!

Week 31 Triple milestone achieved

Wow Wow Wow......



Just got back from seeing my CDC and I am sooooo happy I have done it!!!!!!

yes I have today hit three milestones all in one go....



I have this week had my "official weigh in" after a 2 week break by my CDC for her holiday, you may recall that I have been keeping a track of my weight on my own scales well today surpassed all expectations



I lost another 5lb taking my weight down to 12 Stone 8 lb.
Why is this a triple milestone, well let me tell you I can hardly type fast enough for my excitement.
1) I am now less than half the weight I was when I started

2) I have now lost exactly 13 stone in exactly 7 months!!!!

3) I am now classed as healthy, with a BMI of 24.5, for the first time ever I have hit the healthy target.

I don't think I have ever been healthy, I was always the fat kid, now look!!!!

I have posted some new photos taken yesterday, They do show me in clothes as they were taken to submit with my slimmer of the year nomination form. I can do some more showing my wrinkly skin belly if people would rather I continued the same theme as all those previous photos.

I am now on cloud 9, Yippee

I will be starting maintenance next week and am so looking forward to a healthy future.

Its been another whirlwind week, back to work after my hols.
Sorry cant write anymore I have to dash off to inform the people who read the forums.....

oh I am so excited...........

Week 30 Weigh in results

Just jumped on my scales for my week 30 weigh in......... 4lb lost this week!!! (I must stress that this week and last weeks reading have been taken on my scales as my CDC is on holiday, my scales are usually +/- 1lb to what my CDC's usually show)

Wow I am now under the 13 stone mark!! just look at my little car in my ticker at the top of the page, its about to fall off the end!! I now have a BMI of 25.2 so very nearly healthy

I cannot believe I have lost 12 stone 9lb in such a short period of time.
This week has been a bit tough at times, I have been on leave from work, though not actually away on a holiday (could not bare going anywhere and not eating a morsel)
It always seems harder to drink the required amount of water when at home, probably because I have been busy doing things, its not always easy to drink the water. Don't get me wrong I have always drunk at least 10 pints each day, however this has sometimes consisted of up to 4 pints in one hour then nothing for several hours (I know this is wrong but I had to be practical! One of the places we have been this week is Legoland, well it started with a 3 hour motorway journey (should have been one and a half if no hold ups!!) How could I keep drinking and peeing whilst on the M25, then once in Legoland we had to queue for rides for anything between 45 min and 1 1/4 hours, again I could hardly reserve a spot in a zig-zag queue whilst I just nipped off to the WC could I !!!! Anyway I am happy to show a 4lb loss this week and hope this is reflected in my "official" weigh in with my CDC next week. I intend starting maintenance when I reach 12 stone 7lb and hope to lose the remaing 7lb on the maintenance steps (fingers crossed).
Back to the subject of Legoland.... well it was fantastic getting on all those rides, rides that previously I would not have fitted (adrenaline junkie here) It was a great feeling. I still really want to spend a couple of days at Alton Towers staying in the water park hotel and riding all the great roller coasters without feeling ashamed to swim at the hotel and being further embarrassed by being moved off a ride because the safety bars will not close!! For anyone who has not experienced this embarrassment it is difficult to tell you how it feels, you just sit on the ride at the head of the queue with 100's of people looking on and one attendant calls over another (already enough to cause people to glare over) when the second attendant arrives they both push, pull, squash and even kneel on the safety bar in an attempt to close it. "Its no good sir you will have to get off, sorry" you then exit the ride with your tail between your legs, by this time the whole of the other riders are looking on with anger as this has delayed the start of their enjoyment. You feel like you want the ground to open up (would need a bloody big cavern) and swallow you up. That experience happened to me twice and was enough to stop me going back to a theme park. .... I cant wait to go back!! maybe even Florida!! I wish....

I have been out regularly this week walking my pooch, come rain or shine (mostly rain this summer!!) I am really enjoying the exercise.
Today I have been on the second part of my course with free lunch again, aww this time it was huge baguettes with lovely fillings, kettle chips and double chocolate muffins!! I left the others to get on and eat whilst I drank a pint of water in the car park and phoned my wife to see how her day was going. Incidentally she lost 3lb this week according to our scales.
My wife is going to stop sole source at the same time as me, she will not have got as quite as low as she wanted but will have lost just over 8 stone and be wearing size 14 so is quite content to stop. She may stick on the 1000 plan stage when we go through the maintenance steps if that works for her so at least she can join me and the rest of the family for 3 meals a day whilst still losing the odd pound.
We have been doing loads of menu planning this week using the weight watchers points system to score a healthy 4 week rotating menu to use long term after I finish all the maintenance steps reintroducing food.
My wife cant believe that I can sit looking at recipe books for hours and be writing menus, yet not want to eat, it drives her mad just talking about food (she is suffering a bit at the moment with hunger pangs) I really enjoy it,
I want to be as in control of my future as I am now, I am very motivated to keep this weight off and very very focused at my goal. I have even modified a spreadsheet I found to calculate my daily points and chart my food diary using excel so I can keep on track and monitor my future!!

I am feeling so great being a slimmer man, I really want to stay this way... I have loved this journey and feel that I have learnt so much along the way
Best wishes to all fellow dieters either on their journey or just considering embarking on the Cambridge Diet.... Do it this diet is amazing!!!

I hope to appear in the CD magazine one day and have told Kerensa (CD PR lady)that I will happily "pose" for some photos / tell my story,if they would like me too of course!! I am hoping that I can be a real inspiration to many people in the future.
Best Wishes
Alan

Thursday Week 29, What a week!!

Hi everyone,
Its been one of those weeks this week, been a bit busy, My daughter has gone away to the South of France on a school water sports holiday (lucky thing 29 degrees + where she is) My wife has been very hungry this week and has "cheated" slightly however only using Cambridge products. Sometimes she has 4 or 5 of the products as opposed to her normal 3, this has on occasions been 2 bars in one day. This has meant that she has not had a great week and has only shown a neutral week neither losing nor gaining any weight.
I have found myself feeling a little more hungry too, not sure if it is because I am menu planning for the future and thinking about food more. Maybe its just because the end is within my grasp now. I however have not cheated and have shown a 4lb weight loss this week!! This is fine considering that I am so close to my target, I have drunk loads of water and even survived going to a wedding and not eating anything from the wedding breakfast or evening buffet. This was not as hard as I thought it would be. I even sat and admired the food whilst I drank a bucket full of water and ate a cranberry bar. What I did find was that it was the people around me that had the problem, some of these other people felt a little uneasy eating in front of my wife and I, but we were cool with it!! I am so motivated to achieve my target!! Just look at my BMI its now 0.8 away from healthy status and starting to re-introduce food!!
Our weigh in this week has been based on my home scales, weighing at an identical time to my usual weigh-in with my CDC, however she is on holiday for a couple of weeks so we are checking ourselves (my home scales usually match my counsellors within +-1lb). It will be nice when I next see my counsellor to be at my healthy BMI. This means I need to lose another 7lb over the next 2 weeks to get myself down to a BMI of 24.9!!
I have been on a training course today (Day 1 of 17 of a day release Health and Safety course) There was a superb spread of food laid out at lunchtime, Pork pie, scotch egg, sausage rolls, various sandwiches, salad, cakes fruit and fruit juice... all very yummy!! I think people thought I was a bit odd when asked why I was not eating only for me to say "I am on a diet" since now I am thinner than a lot of other people!! Anyway I resisted the buffet, and the cakes and biscuits that appeared at each tea break, My life as a slim man is worth so much more to me!! I have another 16 weeks of those buffets to contend with!!!
Here's to another good week ahead, hopefully not too many more people are going to tell me to stop losing weight, I think I have told most people I know how much further I have to go and how I need to reach my target for my own self praise and I also feel that I need to get to a figure where I really feel I am at a point worth staying at!!
Hope to post soon, however I will be back definitely next Thursday at the latest (I may be busy again this week my puppy can go out and about from this weekend, I foresee lots of nice beach walks coming up!!)

Thursday Week 28

Hi everyone I will start with my good news!! I have just been for my weigh in where this week I have shown a 9lb loss, that's more like it after last weeks unexplained blip. I have now successfully shed 12 stone 1lb in 28 weeks, yes just since the end of January this year!!

My CDC now has her CD slimmer of the year nomination forms and she cannot wait to nominate my wife and I. I would absolutely love to get shortlisted it would be the pinnacle at the end of my fantastic journey.
I am getting close now to a healthy BMI, I need to get to 12 stone 11lb to fall into the "Healthy" weight category this figure incidentally falls to the exact pound of where I become "half the man I was"!!! yes half of 25stone 8lb (starting weight) is 12 stone 11lb. How bizarre is it that these 2 figures are occurring at the same time. What an occasion that will be. I have not been classed as a healthy weight EVER!! of course I did once weigh 12 stone 11lb and under but at that time I was at school and still had a sky high BMI so to be classed as healthy will be a momentous occasion to me personally. I was always the "fat kid"

Thanks to everyone who left me comments / emailed me after my post last week and my suit photos (scroll down , they are amazing) The picture of two of us in the old trousers (56" waist) is me and my daughter (not my wife), she is only about 8.5 stone and 5'10 tall!! with an underweight BMI !! My wife is plodding on with sole source and has lost 7 and half stone in the same period as me. She does however look fantastic and will happily pose for a picture to be posted on here at the end of her journey (she wants to lose 10 stone in total)

I have had more and more people telling me to stop the diet and an increasing number of people enquiring about my health fearing that I have something seriously wrong with me.
I met a guy today who I have not seen since prior to Christmas and he just looked me up and down and said "how on earth have you done it?" gesticulating his hand up and down at my body in complete disbelief.

I am off to a wedding at the weekend "best wishes to Paul & Vikkie" the weather looks great however I will still be eating a CD bar and tetra in place of the lovely food planned!! it may be difficult!
My wife and I have noticed this week an increase in the feeling of hunger, I have drunk plenty of water and just put it down to the knowing that its getting close to the end. But my wife has a different theory, we have been having problems with our son (17 years old and a real Kevin & Perry) and she feels that the stress and anxiety has caused the feeling, she may be right. Its certainly another trigger to keep an eye out for once we have finished the diet and recognise the symptoms and take action should they occur in the future.

Hope everyone else is doing well with their diet journeys, keep up the good work

Before & Current suit pics, Week 27

The first 4 pictures below have been taken tonight with me in my 58" chest / 56" waist suit that I was wearing in january this year.

The last 2 pictures have also been taken tonight with me in my "new purchase suit" 42" chest / 34" waist

Wow they are amazing

Wednesday 1st August Early Weigh Day, week 27

So today I have been for my weigh in and was gobsmacked by the reading on the scales, so much so that I got off and back on again. I have put one pound!! how the hell has that happened???
I have had a totally normal week even more bizarre though is that my wife put on a pound last week! I have drunk all my water eaten all my meals with the same number of bars, only used water flavouring one day and mix a mousse one day. so what has changed, is my body holding onto its last reserves for dear life? On e thing for sure it had better improve next week, a whole week without eating only to find that i have gained a pound. I even came home and tried my scales and for sure its true. It has to be water retention I am sure, I have been "regular" for the week so no problem there.
I feel gutted!!!

I need to shift this last 2 stone for my own peace of mind but cannot be gaining without eating!

I have now taken a look at the big picture and put things into perspective I have lost masses of weight over the last 26 weeks and listed below are my before and current clothes sizes, this is really to inspire me on after a bad result this week!

Before Now
Casual Shirts 5XL L
Formal Shirts 21.5" 16"
Chest 58" 42"
Waist 56" 34" look at this difference 22 " lost off my trouser waist size!!!
Shoes 10 9 yes even my feet have shrunk a little!

I have been out to buy a new suit as I have a couple of weddings in the next few weeks and have shrunk well below my previous smallest suit. I have to admit that I think I looked pretty good in the new one, very "normal" instead of just plain ol' Fat Ba*&%$d Me in a 34 waist and 42" jacket is almost unheard of.

I will take a picture soon of me in the new suit and in the original 56 /58" just to show you the difference. Taking these pictures will help keep me on track for my last few weeks after what seems like a dreadful day today.
Albeit my weigh in is 1 day early this week (counsellor busy) and I did have jeans on whereas usually I am wearing work trousers, That will teach me to have a week off and dress casually lol

I have come back from my counsellor today loaded with 4 Weeks worth of products as she is going on holiday after next week and wanted to ensure we all had all the supplies we required, so £400 lighter( mine and my wife's supplies for 4 weeks + some spare to allow for variety but not for use as"extras") I now have a dining room that represents a counsellors supply cupboard

Keep an eye out for my suit pictures coming soon, hopefully later this evening if I get chance.
Here's to a better week ahead

Sunday Week 26

Hi everyone,

I have just updated my photos, this difference is now becoming less apparent from 4 weeks ago I have lost about one and a half stone yet the pictures look very similar. Just look at the difference though that 6 months makes on this amazing diet I find myself just looking at the photos in disbelief that I have achieved this. It feels like I am not looking at "me" when I see my latest photos, I am a big bloke! not that skinnier fella with bones protruding!

I am very proud of myself though.

Thank you Lesley for your comments glad to hear you have done so well, keep at it and you will be at the finishing line in no time at all, I am glad my motivation inspired you enough not to cheat this weekend, well done! feel free to email if you have any questions or queries.

Just thought I would post a picture of our families new addition "Alfie" the Springer Spaniel

Thursday Week 26, Months!!

Wow another week has passed by and that takes me to 26 weeks of this diet, yes half a year!! It has certainly flown by, one minute it was the end of January now we are at the kids summer holidays (if you can call it summer with all this torrential rain around the country)

I have had a good week this week weight wise losing 7lb taking me ever nearer to my target. I now have a BMI of 27.5 only 2.5 above a healthy weight!!
I have been really busy this week since we have a new addition to the family!!! yes we have a puppy, an 8 week old English Springer Spaniel and he is taking loads of my time.

My wife had a terrible week on the scales she showed a 1lb weight gain!! she has not cheated one bit, she has only had 2 bars all week however her water consumption has not been as good as it could be and looking at Icemooses post in the minimins forum http://www.minimins.com/cambridge-diet-forum/19842-why-drink-water-vlcd.html
it is clear to see why this may be the case. Her body has gone into water retention mode since it is getting very little other sustenance
I have been drinking loads of water and do not feel at all hungry though the nearer I get to target the more tempting food becomes!
I feel really good about myself and keep looking at clothes that now fit! I continue to get people amazed at how i look, just this week I had a man look at me and say "I know the face" he could not believe it was me another person has again this week asked if I have had my haircut! It's amazing that they can see a difference but do not know what the difference is. I am obviously quite happy to tell them since I am so proud of my loss.
Off now to give the pup some breakfast (I have a week off work now) but I will be back one day over the weekend to update my latest photo so please do pop back.

Thursday Week 25 18 stone lost between us!

Well that's another week flown by......

Only managed to lose 3lb this week!! could it be the extra mix-a-mousse that I had this week? Who knows. I have managed to consume plenty of water and still have either a peanut or cranberry bar daily with the remainder made up of tomato soup or chocolate tetra shake.

My body is now obviously needing less calories on a daily basis to survive since it is much smaller than the previous me! I don't mind as long as I can average a stone a month for the last bit of this journey then I will be happy.
My wife had a better week losing 5lb which she is pleased about, She deserved a better week after last weeks 1lb loss, she has however forfeited all bars, water flavouring and mix-a-mousse and is now surviving on just chocolate tetra and tomato soup. She is happy to continue on this basis so long as it works, losing a single pound did not help with her motivation.
The good news is that my wife has now lost an amazing 7 stone so between us today we had lost an amazing 18 stone exactly when we had our weigh in at lunchtime today.

So what else has happened this week? well I continue to get people telling me to stop and "you have lost too much now" etc however one new starter in our office agreed that I look just fine, this proves the point that it is just because people knew me as big Al and are just comparing the new small Al to the old image they have in their heads.

On Friday evening last week we had the school summer fair & BBQ, I traditionally carry out the role of BBQ chef, I continued to do the same role this year, cooking over 500 burgers and jumbo sausages it smelt wonderful. Not a single bit of this food passed my lips, this was quite a change in tradition for me as I would normally have eaten plenty of them not forgetting a good thick helping of cheese on top! Not to mention the copious amounts of wine that would normally have been drunk at the same time as cooking!

I have this week prepared a menu for my 8 weeks of food re-introduction (based on the yellow CD book) Never has half a chicken breast and a spoon of cabbage seemed so tempting. I used the guidelines in the book and bits taken from the forums to create a "tasty" varied menu for the 8 week period as I intend following it strictly to avoid initial weight gain. The reason for doing a menu is that I wish to be prepared for my future, I did not want to get to the start of my next phase and suddenly have to start thinking "what shall I eat tonight?" I am now fully prepared and will just need to ensure all the ingredients are available each week. Similarly I have now decided to follow Weight Watchers points system once I am out in the real world eating what I choose to eat. I like the idea that no food is forbidden it is just moderation and portion control, something I have had issue with in my previous life!
I have been around my kitchen cupboards with my points calculator working out what I can have and how much of a particular item is X points its been fun and I am looking forward to it.

I hope to be back and post soon,

Thursday Week 24 ooops a whole week since last posting

Hi everyone, well if anyone is still reading this after I have neglected to write anything for a whole week!! sorry, I have been very busy
I have been taking photos at unearthly hours like 4.50am sunrise shots for a project at my camera club, Its been school sports day, doesn't sound much except being on the PTA I had to organise run and bank for a refreshment stall with a healthy snack theme (went down like a lead balloon with school kids)
Its the Schools biggest annual event tomorrow, the summer fair & BBQ (fingers crossed for the weather) I have been buying bits, paying out money to others, sorting out floats. Then to top it all being a school governor I have had a lengthy meeting, also another shorter meeting with the Head on Sunday, Yes a Sunday and the Head was in the school, the reason for this... Ofsted had announced that they would be inspecting the school yesterday and today and I was asked to represent the board of governors in a meeting with the inspectors... nerves!! oh boy I had no idea what to expect, oh and not forgetting fitting in family life and a day job as well!! See I told you I have been busy.....

Now on to me and my diet!! I had the day off today to see those inspectors this morning so went for a lunchtime weigh in with my counsellor. Yippee another 6lb lost, I am getting towards my target now, 2 stone 11lb to go!! This may sound a lot of weight to some, many a person would only just be starting a diet if they were this heavy, but for me I have come such a long way 25 stone 8lb down to 14 stone 11lb is a personal WOW that I am so proud of, therefore 2 stone 11lb seems only a little bit to go in my eyes.

I have seen more people this week that I have not seen for many months and their jaw dropping expression painted a thousand words, they were all amazed at the new Alan, meanwhile those that see me regularly keep (annoyingly) telling me that I need to stop and I have lost enough now. This is clearly not true and I fully intend to continue. One person who has not seen me for months and months even thought that I had got cancer!!! very thin and a shaved head must be the reason!

I feel on top of the world, I am not feeling any problems with being on this very strict diet and love it, I recommend this plan to anyone who is committed to wanting to lose weight, though I do feel that you really do need to want to lose weight in your own mind.
I am still regularly drinking 10 pints of water a day and the more I drink the more I feel I need.
Off now to count more money for the summer fair!! hopefully it will not be a week until my next post however feel free to email me with the link on the right if you have any questions. Thank you to everyone who has sent me comments / messages of congratulations I hope that I continue to inspire others.
ooh nearly forgot, my counsellor asked today if we would be interested in appearing in the local paper as a story of the pair of us (Me and my wife) and on a down side my wife only lost 1lb this week, she feels like she has been in and out of ketosis this week even though she ditched the orange bars and has been having alternate day cranberry flavour. She is planning a week now without bars at all in an attempt to stay firmly in ketosis. I will let you know how she gets on.
really am going now....

Thursday week 23 Weigh in results

Just a quick update, been for a lunchtime weigh in today since I have to go out tonight! Anyway I have lost 4lb this week which has helped me to achieve another milestone, I am now classed as overweight with a BMI below 30 and I am no longer "OBESE" which is something I am very very pleased about!
More good news... my wife has gone back into ketosis after dropping water flavouring and orange bars and has replaced the orange bars with peanut bars only eaten on alternate days (they also have less carbs in them) so with being back in ketosis and a poor 3 weeks previously she managed to lose 8lb this week, and she is very pleased!!

must dash back to work..

Saturday week 22 Updated photos

Its been 4 weeks since I last updated my photos on here so I have this morning had my wife take some current pics to share and that coupled with my landmark 10 stone loss to date I am still feeling over the moon.
What do you think? can you believe that I am still in the obese category?
Can you see why people are telling me to stop losing now?!!!

I have a band of skin around my belly but after reading about Mike's (Icemoose)tummy tuck operation last week I don't think that will be a road I'll be going down, ouch sounds painfull!!!

Thursday Week 22, weigh in

Wow wow wow, I have done it.... I have now lost just over 10 Stone ,I lost 4lb this week taking my total loss to 10 stone 1lb in 22 weeks, or to be more precise 5 months to the day, I started on 28 January 2007 and here we are exactly 5 months on and I look like a completely different man. I just cant imagine carrying around 10 stone extra, I know several people that weigh that amount, the thought of having them strapped to my body 24/7 seems impossible but it was true, the photos prove it!!

So while I am full of joy at hitting this milestone my wife is not at all happy, she has only lost 1lb this week. This is her third week of poor weight loss. Today she peed on a keto stix and discovered that she is not in ketosis, this probably explains it, she has been feeling a bit "on edge" and hungry that coupled with poor weight loss must be the answer. What is a mystery though is why??? she follows the diet sole sourcing strictly, she consumes 7 - 8 pints of water every day (no change since starting) she has 2 shakes and 1 orange bar each day and water flavouring for 50% of her drinks. She does not cheat and have a little midnight snack, the most she might have for an extra is one piece of frozen CD toffee bar (1 twelth of bar bar frozen as a little sweetie!) and maybe a splash of chocolate tetra in a coffee, no more than 1 fifth of a carton in a cup of coffee (makes a nice mocha) but all of this is not a new phenomenon, she has followed this pattern for months now with no problem, no fizzy drink, no mouthwash or sprays, no chewing gum and certainly no food!!.... any answers would be much appreciated.

Off now to watch BB

Monday Week 22

A recent lack of posts has this time to be blamed on "photography" yes I have just ventured into the world of Digital SLR cameras and have so much to learn it is taking all my spare time, and of course Big Brother on the TV!!
I have this week had to put away my suits and drop another trouser size, I am now wearing 38" waist, I have a couple of pairs of 36" and that's my lot for smaller clothes. I am wearing "large" in casual / T shirts and feel great in them.
I am getting a bit tired of people telling me I have lost enough now, I seem to be getting it at least 3 times a day. I remind people how much I weigh and the fact that I am still obese and then grab hold of my spare tyre belly to show them "look, still fat!!"

We went to watch the new Shrek movie at the weekend at a preview show and were in two minds as to which cinema to go to, both equal distance from our house. The deciding factor was that one of the cinemas is located in a clothing retail outlet village, and we chose not to go to this one!!! why??.... temptation to buy clothes!! I could now buy clothes in any of these lovely shops and the temptation to buy things may prove too great. Deep down I know that I do not need to buy clothes at this moment in time. A few weeks time and I will be a size smaller so I would be wasting my money, I need to wait until I have stabilised at a final goal weight then shop!!! I just love the feeling of being able to buy clothes that I want rather than just those that I can find to fit!
I am still consuming copious amounts of water each day, averaging 10 pints a day at the moment, I find the more I have the more I want? Strange I know.
At the weekend I had a choc-mint mousse on Saturday and made a berry fruit jelly for Sunday both were lovely and made a nice treat for the weekend. I am limiting myself to one mousse and one jelly per week as I am sure it is not just a coincidence that I lost a low amount on the week when I had one nearly every day.
Off now to do some work...

Thursday Week 21 (Part 2) weigh in results

Just returned from my week 21 weigh in where I have successfully lost another 5lbs this week!! this is excellent I am now under 16 stone!! in fact I now weigh 15 Stone 11 lb, I have lost 9 Stone 11lb and only have 3 stone 11lb to go until I am at my target weight!!
Another positive, I have a BMI at the moment of 30.8 just another few pounds and I will be out of the obese category. None of my friends / work colleagues believe that I am still classed as obese however until my BMI goes below 30 (hopefully real soon) I am still a fat b$£%&*d classed as obese!! roll on BMI 30 to be classed as just "overweight"
My wife has lost 3lb this week which she is not too chuffed at, this takes her loss over the last four weeks to 13lb so not quite a stone, she has not cheated at all so is a little despondent. This was not helped by the fact that my BMI is now just a tiny tad under hers!!

I am very happy with my progress and hope it continues at this same great rate, 10 Stone in 5 months is bloody impressive I think, another 3lb and I hit that target and since I commenced on 28 January I just need a 3lb loss or more next week to achieve it.

Thursday Week 21 (Part 1)

Hello everyone,
Sorry for the lack of recent posts, I have been busy every evening for the last few days (hence I am typing this from work at 0715) whether it be DIY, meetings or in fact last night we celebrated my eldest's 17th Birthday, he had a few friends round for a couple of hours in the swimming pool followed by hot dogs, cheese burgers, chips and a great big chocolate cake covered in chocolate cream and revels sweets (courtesy of my mums fair hands!) it all looked and smelt fantastic I would have loved to have eaten some!!
I think it is getting a little bit harder now the nearer I get to to target. People keep telling me that I have lost enough and I fit into regular clothes so the temptation feelings have increased. They have only increased a tiny tiny bit, I am nowhere near to stopping its more like I am just fancying more of the food I see however my commitment is still rock solid 100% and I will be going strong until I reach 12 stone! (I blame all the neighbours barbecues!)

I have my weigh in tonight and I will pop back with a weekly update as to how I have got on in week 21 of this amazing diet.

Sunday week 20 Fathers Day

Today marks the end of week 20 of complete abstinence, I think I am going to have to start talking in terms of months now rather than weeks, the 28th June marks 5 months on this diet and it is likely that I will have lost 10 stone. That sounds fantastic doesn't it, 10 Stone loss in 5 months!!! I will See how my next 2 weigh-ins go.

Today is Fathers day and this morning I was given some lovely gifts from my children, 2 bottles of aftershave and a set of cuff links. I was very pleased they had gone to the effort. I have not managed to sit around relaxing for the day though, we popped out this morning to a couple of shops then I have been doing a few jobs since, including preparing and cooking the roast diner for the kids, it is currently in the oven 5 minutes away from dishing up time. I thought I would write this blog in a spare 5 minutes before making gravy!!

I spent the day at a training course yesterday (yes on a Saturday, all day!!) I took plenty of water with me and had two and a bit pints before I went so did not have a problem. I also took a bar with me for lunch and managed to avoid the free lunch without people noticing my absence.
When I came home I shoveled and barrowed a ton of gravel from one of those big white bags into my back garden to finish off the landscaping now my hot tub gazebo and new fencing are complete.. its looking nice now!! fortunately I managed to dodge the torrential downpours!

I am off now to have my soup followed by a choc mint shake turned into blamanche with mix a mousse.

Thursday Week 20 Weigh Day

Wow just been out to see my CDC and have lost another 6lb this week!! this makes my average loss 6.6lb per week for the last 20 weeks.
I am not getting as many comments now, people have become used to the smaller "big Al" however people do now call me skinny!! me skinny noooo it cant be, I have always been the big guy!!
I have obtained a copy of todays "Full House" magazine which has the amazing story in it of Sarah (hereigoagain blog) This lady who I keep in touch with went from 25 stone down to 10 stone using CD. Take a look at her blog there is a link on the right of my screen or go out and spend 68p on a copy of the magazine.
I have drunk plenty of water and still swear that is the secret of my success. I feel mighty fine, full of energy and loving every minute of moving towards my goal only 4 stone 2 lb until I reach my target.
My wife only lost 1lb this week which is disappointing, however if she loses 3lb next week that still equates to a stone in 4 weeks which is average for a lady.

My wife and I are still seriously considering becoming counsellors at the end of our journey and hope to help inspire others along their journey's. It is interesting looking at the forums ie minimins and the CD forum there are new starters virtually every day and I just feel like shouting out to each and every one of them "This diet is great, stick with it, its worth it!!"

Off now for a soak in the hot tub

Tuesday Week 20

Sorry I have not posted for a few days, been really busy and when I finally stop I just need to relax for a little while (ie watch big brother) then zonk out in bed

I have however still managed to drink plenty of water whilst keeping busy, basically doing DIY in the daytime / evening coupled with various meetings and training events I have had to attend. Oh I did manage to go to work for half a day yesterday morning then I took the afternoon and today off to try and crack the back on my DIY project which is taking far longer that I expected. I am typing this now awaiting a suitable time to start hammering in the back garden to avoid upsetting my neighbours more than I already have!!

I can feel that I am shrinking even further, my suits that I have been wearing now for just over a week are becoming looser (I don't have any smaller!) I keep getting comments at work and in fact everywhere I go and see people I know, even those I may have only last seen a couple of weeks ago. People still cannot believe the willpower that I have and how well I am looking, though everyone thinks I should stop losing now.
Hoping for another good week this week to move further towards my goal, I have a couple of weddings to attend later in the year and would like to be at target so I can at least munch on a small amount of something healthy to be sociable.

I am so pleased with my results so far and I hope anyone reading considering this diet can feel my passion for how it has made me feel losing so much weight, it has been so worth the effort. Its not been hard just very strange not eating.
I will return on Thursday with an update on my weekly weigh in.

Thursday Week 19 Weigh Day!!

Just had to get back to work and type my update, I went for my weigh in at 1200 today since I have to attend a meeting tonight, wow I lost another 6lb this week. This had made me very happy. My wife also lost 6lb and she is very pleased with herself.

I have now lost an amazing 9 Stone in 19 weeks!!! just take a look at my ticker, I am 2 thirds of the way through my journey and loving it!!!
I also had some other good news, my counsellor wants to recommend my wife and I for slimmer of the year which is a fantastic recognition even if we don't get through to any kind of final.
Must dash now I am supposed to be working....

Tuesday Week 19

Week 19 on CD has started with me returning to work after a weeks leave (when I arrived the Air con and the PC network were knackered, meant I could not view all my emails waiting for me after a week off anyway!!). I have been inundated with comments about how I have lost enough now and blimey you have lost loads. I tell everyone that I am still 17 stone and have a long way to go and they find it hard to believe, They say I look 14 or 15 stone at most!! Some have told me I need to stop now or I will look wrong!! Not wrong just different from the old Bg Al !

I took some lovely home made cakes into work as it had been my Birthday last week (courtesy of my mum) I put them out near to my desk and all day people trawled up and helped themselves, I had none!!

I opened our swimming pool at the weekend for the season and swam a few lengths, I intend doing many more to aid fitness and try to tone up my now skinny arms, the sun was out and I had great fun with the kids.
My wife has noticed that she was very nearly out of ketosis yesterday, we can only put it down to the mix a mousse or water flavourings (she was using the flavouring for all her water) She noticed when she started to feel hungry yet had been drinking plenty. Today she has drunk only plain water and feels so much better although still getting over a stinky cold.

I have started wearing a suit to work, because I can!! yes I have some suits that are nearly new that now fit (I normally wear shirt & tie anyway) well just wearing a suit starts all the comments like "oooh off to an interview are we?" its quite funny but I did feel very smart in my smaller suit its amazing the difference just a jacket makes.
I will be going for my weigh in this week on Thursday lunchtime as I have a meeting to attend in the evening, I cant wait to see the scales this week and really want a better week than last!

I will be back with an update early evening Thursday, pop back to see how I get on!!

3 June 2007 Updated Photos!!

Well it's been 4 weeks since I last posted an updated picture, so here it is, my weight seems to have gone from my face, neck, arms with the last few stone still sitting in a bulge around my belly.
I have got a sun burnt neck this morning which is a result of me spending the day in the garden yesterday constructing a timber gazebo whilst the sun was blazing down. I was busy all day but still managed to drink plenty of water, about 12 pints in all. I did not have my last "meal" until about 10pm when I finally crashed into the armchair to relax.
During the the afternoon I had a Tetra chocolate shake mixed with about 8 ice cubes and put into the food processor, this whipped the mixture up into what I can only describe as a McDonalds chocolate milkshake, it filled a pint glass with some left over, it was very yummy and especially nice in the sun.
Having a day off construction work today, just been for a relaxing soak in the hot tub and if the sun appears later I intend sitting next to the pool and relaxing with a newspaper.....

Thursday Week 18 Weigh in

Just back from seeing my counsellor on what was quite a disappointing weigh in result! I only lost 3lb this week, that equates to exactly a stone lost in the last 3 weeks. Putting it that way 3 weeks for a stone is still bloody good but it is a bit of a disappointment when used to losing a stone in 2 weeks!!
Could it be my jelly I have been eating? could it be a general slowing down? or could it be the lack of water this week? Being on holiday has meant that I have struggled a bit with the water drinking, not through not being able to drink but more like too busy to notice I have not drunk for the last few hours!!
Lets hope next weeks weigh in is a big improvement!

Wednesday Week 18

This may be a short post, the new season of Big Brother is due to start imminently and I will have to go and watch it as soon as it starts!!

Today has been a day of mental torture.... We have been for a day trip to France, we left home at 0545 and have just got back (about 8 ish). The best news is my 5yr old was not travel sick, best part of 2 hours each way to Dover in the car and believe me that is a miracle. At the weekend we only went as far as the town centre (2.5 miles) and he was green around the gills and needed to hold a sick bowl, so today we packed him full of pills, ginger biscuits and pressure point bands and no sickness, he even felt fine on the boat.

So on to my mental torture.. well what does a day trip to France normally consist of, well probably some cooked breakfast on the ferry, then on to purchasing copious amounts of beer and wine and.... Milka chocolate bars, Toblerones, french bread, croissants including pain au chocolate, fine cheeses, strawberry tarts and not forgetting to stop for a lunch of 100's of moules with frittes (mussells and chips) ahh the good old days!!

Today we went really so my little one could experience the ferry, he wanted to go on a boat so we took him for a day out. We purchased just 4 cases of beer that my eldest is likely to consume prior to me finishing CD, 6 bottles of wine that mother in law had ordered, 6 pain au chocolate (2 each for 3 kids) and 3 Milka chocolate bars (1 each for 3 kids) are you getting the picture here??? ..... I have nothing to show for my visit!!! the smells from the bakery, the fresh produce, 100's of cheeses I left them all in the shop but just could not resist the temptation to walk around the hypermaket and shops admiring all those goodies... hence mental torture!!
We even sat and ate CD bars at the restaurant where the kids were consuming lunch! So all in all a great day was had, only done about 3 pints of water though!!
ooops its now 2058 , 2 mins until BB, Bye....

Monday Week 18

Well I have had my Birthday (now I am 34!!) and it was an ok type of day, the weather did not help. We were stuck indoors for most of it with very heavy rain and generally yuck and cold! I would have loved to have gone to one of the events happening locally that probably ended up being a washout.

I got something for my Birthday that is only of any use to me since losing so much weight.... I was given a flying lesson!!! I asked my wife if she had taken out life insurance in my name at the same time but she assures me that was not her motive, Do they provide parachutes??? The maximum weight for doing this activity is 18 stone, however I will probably wait until the summer when hopefully I will be under 16 stone and fit comfortably into the planes seat

What else did I have.... cufflinks, some money, some cinema vouchers, membership to a photography club & some aftershave, so all in all I did pretty well. Thanks to all my family for their kind thoughts. I went out and spent the money by putting it towards a DAB Radio / CD /MP3 bedside alarm... Its cool!!

The cufflinks came in a triangular box just like Toblerone, Well all my family know that Toblerone is my favourite chocolate and there is not usually a Birthday or Christmas that passes without me getting at least one as a present. Well my daughter obviously knows I am on a diet, what is she doing buying me a toblerone I thought?? Well I smiled when I opened it to reveal a nice pair of cufflinks.

The day was strange in that I could not eat, I know I have not eaten now for 17 weeks but I would have definitely been out to a restaurant for a nice meal. Instead I survived on clear orange jelly and tomato soup!!

I have today lived on flavoured water (made much weaker than the instructions on the tub) and a choc-mint shake made into blamanche with mix a mousse along with tomato soup and a peanut bar.
I went to see my parents who have arrived back from Canada (I managed to keep the plants alive!!) I have not seen them for 2 weeks and they were amazed at how my wife and I looked, which is great
I have priced up the wood for making a gazebo over my hot tub (at my wife's request) and unfortunately it costs just a quarter of the price of the kit at the shop, guess that means I will be getting the job!!

Saturday week 17

Well in true Bank Holiday style the rain has arrived, I managed to do some bits in the garden this morning then it turned miserable. We went to blockbuster to get a couple of DVD's to pass the time if this is going to be it for the weekend!!
We have also done the food shopping today, I still don't have a problem with this, in fact I enjoy it. Tesco had decided to move a load of things which scuppered my usual plan of head down with the trolley on auto pilot only stopping at the healthy options, well today I had to endure looking at the nice goodies like Pizza Express pizzas and I was only looking for lean cooked ham, honest!! you will be please to know I did not buy any, the most unhealthy item bought was probably a box of "decorate your own" gingerbread men, not for my consumption I hasten to add!!

My wife has decided that she would like some form of roof over the top of our hot tub, I have therefore spent a couple of hours this afternoon looking at designs of wooden gazebos with roofs. I may have already mentioned that I have a week off next week, looks like I have my work cut out now!! That's on top of painting the sheds with treatment if the cloud breaks for a few hours and so the list goes on.... I do need to keep busy though, just to stop me getting too bored and risk the feeling of hunger creeping in.
I treated myself to a choc mint shake today with mix a mousse which tuned it into something resembling a blamanche, maybe I put too much of the mix a mousse in to the bowl, its supposed to be like angel delight!! anyway it tasted good and actually gave quite a filling feeling.

Its my Birthday tomorrow and my little one is so excited for me, he keeps asking if we are going to have a tea party with balloons and tea party food!! and things like jelly and iced rings he said, well I can manage to have some clear berry flavoured jelly but he is too young to understand that I just cant eat anything else. I will buy a few bits to make some party food just for him and he will be chuffed to bits
I will hopefully be back on Monday to post some more, If it keeps raining and I get bored I may be back sooner......

Thursday Week 17 weigh in

**** Week 17 Weigh in result ****

I have just got back from having my weigh in and despite eating jelly made with mix a mousse and water flavourings I have lost another 7lb this week. This takes me down to 17 stone 3lb, this week was the end of my Birthday challenge when I had wanted to get to down to 18 stone!!

I am very happy with myself and feel very proud!!
My wife only lost 2lb again this week and she is therefore a little unhappy this evening, this takes her total loss to 5 stone, which is great, however at 2lb a week she is despondent!! However we did purchase some of the CD product for constipation, called fibre 89 a week on this and she should see a big improvement in next weeks result!

I have today purchased some more mix a mousse and some orange water flavouring. I am so impressed with the jelly we have been making I just had to give orange flavour a go too.

Only one more day at work then I am on holiday for the week, however in typical Bank holiday style the weather is due to change for the worse. we have no real plans just a week off from work whilst the kids are on half term. I daren't go away on holiday whilst sole sourcing it would drive me nuts!!
Health wise I still feel on top of the world, full of energy and really happy. I have regularly all week drunk 8 - 10 pints of water each day. I am off now for my last meal of the day a tomato soup!!
I Will be back to post on Saturday, 1 day before my birthday, lots of presents and cards please!!!

Wednesday Week 17

Time has just flown for the last few days and I have had not had chance to blog, I had planned to write last night and then again on Thursday after my weigh in, well those plans went out the window when my day at work which had started at 0700 did not end until 0100 this morning yes an 18 hour shift right through without a break!!! fortunately my wife came out to where I was working with a big bottle of water and a bar, I still only ended up having 2 of my meals for the whole day though!! The good thing is I did not feel hungry, just really thirsty until my reserves arrived.

I had to explain my diet to several people whilst at this incident yesterday, I was controlling an incident with several people that I have never met or not seen in a long time. As the day drew into the evening and it became clear that we had a long night ahead of us I dispatched a guy to buy sausages and chips x 15, I passed them around all the staff and then had to explain why after buying them all dinner was I not eating any? Well they were all well impressed with my determination an willpower. Feeling tired now though, its catching up on me, I was back in work by 0700 today however I came home at a more sensible 1530hrs! I sat in the sun and drank a tomato soup followed by a cranberry bar, now that's more like it!

I will be back tomorrow with an update after visiting my CDC for weigh in!!

Sunday Week 16

Another week bites the dust!! I feel absolutely fine and really motivated to carry onwards to my goal.
We have been out today to the Chinese state Circus and the smells from the food were lovely, Candy floss ,popcorn, hot dogs all wafting around the big top smelt lovely (the Chinese State Circus was very impressive, well worth a visit if it comes to your town)

I am about to indulge in 1/4 of a pint of jelly which leaves me another 1/4 for tomorrow (my wife had the other half) I have also tried putting chocolate Tetra into black coffee, this made a nice tasting mocha coffee which I would have again but not on a regular basis.
That's it jelly all gone in the time it has taken to type this!! I deserved it, I have just cooked a roast beef dinner for the 3 kids and I would have loved a plateful of it. (just temptation not feeling hungry)

When I went out today I wore a new shirt that I bought 2 weeks ago (did not fit then!), It's a normal XL from Sainsburys, wow XL from a run of the mill shop, its a linen type brown casual shirt that only cost £12. I could not believe the price, triple that and you might get somewhere near to the price I would have had to pay for a 5Xl mail order shirt, and even then the choice will have been limited, but now the world is my oyster. Its coming up to my birthday next weekend however my wife is reluctant to buy me any nice clothes as we don't yet know what size I am destined to end up at.
The sun has been out today and this makes me feel good, I sat outside earlier and drank my soup and ate a peanut bar, it was lovely to sit soaking up the rays, then reality hit home the oven timer was beeping and back to the grindstone .

Saturday Week 16

Well at least the rain has stopped, we have had 2 days of blustery bright and warm weather. This makes me feel like going out on my bike again! Fair weather leisurely riders here. We did manage a very short bike ride today to do the watering for fear of the plants dying at my parents if I did not do it!
Today has been fairly leisurely all day really, I dropped my wife off for her interview which was apparently a grueling one, just as well she had done plenty of prep beforehand. I then went to do the weeks grocery shop and she arrived home just after I had put all the shopping away!!
I then cooked the kids nice fresh 1/4lb butchers burgers on our health grill (similar to a George Foreman but loads better at cooking) the smell was lovely though the amount of fat that runs out of them is worrying!

Yesterday my wife and I ate the clear jelly I had made and we were most impressed, so much so another is setting in the fridge for the next day or 2. The whole 1 pint jelly has a total of 52 calories which I hope is not going to be a problem at next weeks weigh in! We are allowed all the ingredients in moderation, so I figure an extra 26 calories (half a jelly) every other day or so will not be too much of a problem. I also have fallen in love with the water flavourings, I have had about 3 pints of my water today made with the summer berry flavouring and its lovely!! I could not have it all the time but the odd drink is nice. Again I will moderate the amount I consume (approx 12 calories per litre) It has even helped me to drink more water today I am up to 11 pints so far (approx 5.5 litres). I have one of my meals left to consume and will probably have a tomato soup followed by a nice soak in the hot tub.

Thursday Week 16 Weigh day

Been to get weighed tonight, Both my wife & I lost 4lb each this week. Could this be the start of the decline in my weight loss?? 4lb, I suppose it's not bad considering I did 8 last week.
I have based my estimated end date on 3 weeks to lose a stone, This takes me up to mid September though deep down I would love to exceed that target by quite a few weeks!!

I did exceed my birthday challenge, I set myself a goal of reaching 18 Stone by my birthday at the end of May, well with 1 1/2 weeks to go I am already 4lb below that target!! Yippee

At my counsellors tonight it was fairly busy with people, not helped by my wife and I standing around nattering, anyway I bumped into Clare (who I mentioned last night) and she brought with her to the counsellors a frothy milkshake mixer, so the whole group of us watched whilst she demonstrated frothing a butterscotch CD shake, Well this thing sure did aerate the mixture, doubling the normal volume you would expect with a hand blender. Everyone then sampled the shake which was very much lighter and fluffy, well worth a go!!
I purchased some Mix a Mousse tonight and some water flavouring, I have not had any of these before but having read an article on Minimins forum decided I fancied making some jelly!! its just water, mix a mousse (which is a powdered gelatine) and powdered water flavouring. My first attempt ended up with a chewing gum type texture wrapped around the stick blender. So I chucked it all in the food processor with another scoop of the mix a mousse and have now got something in the fridge that represents jelly at the bottom with a thick layer of set froth on the top! I will let you know what it tastes like, in theory it should be berry fruit flavour jelly!! and its allowed in addition to my normal CD meals!!

A quick hi to my parents, if they manage to catch up on my blog at an internet cafe or similar whilst touring the Canadian Rockies!! ( I didn't do the watering tonight, its been peeing down for the last 2 days!!) lucky buggers! They might try to see tonights post knowing its weigh day.

Wednesday Week 16

Another miserable wet day today, I am missing going out on my push bike, The kids want me to open up our swimming pool for the season however I am reluctant to start heating it with this sort of weather, they will have to wait! Once open I intend swimming lengths as often as I can. It is only 28ft long but I can keep turning and hope to get some exercise that way.
I bumped into our cleaner at work yesterday for the first time in many weeks (I start work early and finish early so normally miss the cleaner) She gave me a second take when I said hello to her. She said "i really did not recognise you" "your face has even changed so much" "wow" & "well done" she then went on to talk about the articles that you see in the women's magazines with "I went from this size to this without surgery" and she said she treated these stories with some pessimism, yeah sure the pictures have been doctored etc. She said she thinks that I am living proof that huge weight loss can be achieved, she was truly gobsmacked.
I had an email from my friend yesterday who has been doing CD for 1 week, she has decided not to continue with the programme, I have tried to give her plenty of encouragement but alas she has her reasons to not continue. this diet does have tremendous results but does also need a great deal of willpower to get through any tough times.
I have my sixteenth week weigh in tomorrow night and will be back to post my update, I am still feeling on top of the world (not surprised having lost 16" off my waist in just 15 weeks!!!), I have had 10 pints of water today and all my "meals". Cant wait for tomorrows result...

Hi to Clare, Thank you for your email, I look forward to hearing how you progress. Clare called me an inspiration, which really made my day!!
If anyone wants to chat feel free to email me using the link on the right of my blog