Well I was so surprised that my weight is still going down since I have ben on two days leave with no pedometer and no food diary......however that sets me up to keep going so I am still confident I can get to 12 stone (yes I know I am well heavy!) by end of April and hopefully less than 11 stone by my holiday in June.

I really appreciate food now although have to admit that just as I was getting chocolate out of my system there is a mountain of it in the form of Easter Eggs and I am having to focus daily!

Alex is back to University again tomorrow after two weeks at home so I will need to get into a routine again with the gym and swim - I have been this week but not for long enough each visit.

Really looking forward now to a good Easter break from work - just 4 days in next week and then a whole week off. Here's to the slim Audrey (within 3 months).

What a lovely weekend of sunshine - was a good weekend and even spent Saturday evening in the gym and swimming pool - at Alex's request!

My food intake was within my calorie allowance this weekend because we didn't have the challenge of a meal out - coffee shops are fine but meals out are more difficult to calculate and account for.

Another week - but an interesting one with meetings at different sites and two days off so this will be agood week!

My food diary continues even although our 8 week course has finished - too easy to lapse back.

The positive thing to date is that I bought a new skirt size 14 and it fits fine and today I am wearing size 14 trousers so with a few more weeks I should be a happy size 14 (some unwelcome buulges here and there).

So here's to another week of counting calories, steps, fruit and veg and exercise but all will be well - I will have to plan for the two days off!!

Today has been a good day following a good week - I do love our weekends - Robert spends a lot of time at home when I am working, so coming together at weekends is great. I am altogether more relaxed - work is challenging sometimes with loads of people issues.

My weight loss is still fine - this fortnight only amounted to 1lb each week but that was the aim from the group - quick loss is not sustainable so I am still positive. Now that loss was despite having a roast dinner last Sunday - coffee out and a lovely night out with a meal the day before weigh in!

Alex and I enjoyed a gym and swim session this evening and I also did 13k steps - so roll on tomorrow. The radio is on about the government's aim to get manufacturers to cut calories in food and snacks - no problem with that I say since the nation does need some help. Fat is a killer and there are loads of us - far too many - who are far too big.

More calorie and exercise awareness can only be good.

Today I decided that I would get an accurate weight reading - feeling sure that I had lost another 2 lbs this week since I have been so good! However rather than weigh before I had breakfast and coffee we went to our usual stop first - Caffe Nero and I enjoyed (well a bit) a low fat muffin and a coffee. Then we went to Boots to buy scales but I also weighed myself - and did not like that I was supposed not to have lost weight since last week!! So that was me depressed - but I bought new scales - half stripped off when I got home and wonder of wonders I have lost another kg - so now I am happy. Now I know I could choose to believe either reading but this is why it is not always good to rely on scales because it is depressing when trying hard, not to shift weight.

I have a feeling I may need to drop my calorie count again though if I really want to be sure of 1kg loss each week. I am so keen to get my BMI down and to lose another 10kg if possible.

Today I will (once Alex awakes) spend the afternoon out - we were going to walk to Stratford so I will see if the rain stays off long enough but we will at least do some walking - and tomorrow we plan a nice relaxed day a the pool in the Quad Club - should be nice to relax and then go out with Robert for a nice Mother's Day meal.

Anyway here's to my slimmer figure that is keen to be even slimmer!

It has been a fast week even although I was just wishing for today when we picked Alex up from Buckingham University!

I am pleased to report that this weight management stuff is getting a bit easier - I still need the props - food diary and pedometer - but happy to lean on those for a little while until I get a bit smarter and I can trust myself more. I do really want to lose weight and I can picture the slimmer Audrey but I realise how easily I could slip back into eating far too many sweet things.

Today was interesting - I sent my apologies to the Friday weigh in session since I was on the site closer to home so I could work from 8 - 12 before my half days leave. So I started the day with toast and on the journey to Buckingham was a bit hungry so started to imagine what food we could eat once we stopped. I resisted the temptation to stop at the services because I just knew I would want a cake! Then when we got to Alex at 2pm we were all hungry and keen to find somewhere to eat. So we went into the town centre and the tea rooms where Robert and Alex had a baked potato and I had soup and bread.....lovely and satisfying. Then I found myself at the cake counter admiring about 10 choices at least of cakes with my favourites there.....I bought one for Alex and one for Robert - victory!!

So this evening we went off to Canary Wharf Nando's and I enjoyed a chicken wrap with pineapple - no chips and no sides - again victory - how nice the chips looked but I was quite satisfied with my wrap. Finally we went into Waitrose which was stacked high with chocolates, eggs, bunnies and everything looked so good - Alex bought chocolates (well I paid for them but she picked them up!!) and I had one at home and counted 80 cals for that treat - today I am under my 1600 calories which is great - finished the evening off with a cider lolly at 60 calories - so after a successful day I intent enjoying tomorrow. I have done 750 steps too despite my time in the car and tomorrow I will make Alex walk with me.

A new week, a new day and a new opportunity to shape up. Often I have to confess on a Monday that I have lost control over the weekend but at last I seem to be more in control of my eating and exercise. I certainly have more energy and determination if that counts! Having re-joined the Quad Club at the weekend, I have enjoyed some exercise and relaxation - the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna are useful for relaxing and doing my skin some good - hopefully!

The Powerplate machine was really good - feels great to have my fat wobbled about - hopefully will help it to loosen and get moving off my territory!!

Anyway I have started the day with good food - just fruit, pineapple and melon which was really nice - I have saved my banana for snack time with a coffee to keep me going until lunch time. I know at this time I would fall without keeping my food diary so that is a useful prop for now until I am stronger at resisting 'goodies' (you know what I mean - baddies but goodies because they are bad).

So here's to another positive week - I am feeling better but still wearing size 16 so not all brilliant - another few weeks until I am properly into size 14 I believe. Still I can live with that and then I must be a size 12-14 for June! Have a great week and let me know how you are 'shaping up.'

Well well I don't often impress myself but re-motivated after yesterday's success with weight loss I decided to re-join the Quad Club (gym and swim etc.) at the Crown Plaza London Docklands which is close to home and our Newham NHS offices. So that I didn't procrastinate we went even before we went off for coffee today to arrange my re-signing.

I am so glad I did that so that this evening I enjoyed a good hour at the gym - this included making my steps up from about 7500 steps to 15700 - that felt so good - my stamina has improved and I was able to keep exercising for the hour which is new for me!

The powerplate machine was great too - one 10 minute session is seemingly equivalent to an hour's workout so hopefully I can shake myself to a new smaller size.

This morning after our usual coffee out at Canary Wharf we went to South Woodford......I have had great difficulty getting decent comfortable shoes for my problem feet (bunion) and today I succeeded in buying two pairs - one pair was £80 but I was so desparate for comfort that I had to pay! Then I wanted to check out the charity shops because I can't go on buying clothes that won't fit within a short time and amazingly I found a couple of bargains - trousers size 14 and they fit me - except they will fit even better after a few weeks!!!

I have loads of energy - have not felt tired and I have managed to write up my calories today and have enjoyed healthy food - finished with my two squares of delicious dark chocolate. Since cutting most chocolate out of my diet I really do enjoy the little I have. It tastes so good when it is restricted. So tomorrow I intend walking along and back from the Quad Club and this time I will have another shaking session but then I will have a lovely swim, steam and sauna to relax before what promises to be a very busy week again. Would be great to hear of your journey.

Wow what a fast working week - mad but fast! Things are heating up now that we are approaching the last financial year of PCTs - and the GPs are getting geared up to commission - all interesting if confusing!

Amongst the confusion of the the NHS world I have managed to do okay this week on my shaping up. The group met again today and some are beginning to flag - so Peter showed us a 5lb lump of fat - so ugly and glad I have shifted two of those over the 5 weeks of food diaries, calorie counting, stepping and trying to cast of junk (most of) and stepping up on 5 a day fruit and vegetables.......not easy but 5k has come off. Just a pity I have still got a few stones to shift but I will do it.

I have decided that this weekend I re-join the Quad gym/swim club - it is a lovely one in the Crown Plaza Hotel and even the swimming will help - even better that I can wear a bikini and not look too grotesque - because I am so uncomfortable in the swimming suits.

So here goes to a great weekend - Robert and I will be out for coffee in the morning and I want to shop a little but I want to walk, walk, walk to get this fat shifted!! If you want to join me in my shaping up it'd be great to hear from you and how you are going about it.

Monday over already - mind today did feel a long day at work - not too exciting and I was in from 7:45 so by the time others came in I was well into my work........

It was so cold today and it is that miserable weather = but set to improve soon I believe. Robert is out this evening at London Rotary again so I will pick him up later when he calls - he will be so cold on the open DLR stations.....roll on summer and sunshine.

Alex sounds bright these days - I have now called her twice by accident but she was sounding good. I will be able to enjoy her company again soon which is lovely. Well today has been okay for calories - I had a hummous salad sandwich earlier and although I had a muffin at lunch time I counted it as my total lunch - stupid I know but I am allowed anything - it is just costly in calorie terms. Our programme leader wants us all to weight ourselves this week but I don't really want to since my scales always tell me I am heavy - seriously I really want so much now to get back to my former glory. My weight has gone on slowly though so it will come off slowly - but the important thing is that each month I will be lighter and shapelier!

This weekend has been a good one - and today was relaxing. I have read a lot and rested a lot and feel better for it. Need to be ready for an early start tomorrow and all week but I always feel better for having a relaxed positive weekend - sets me up for a busy week. Robert and I don't have loads of valuable time during the week but we really love our time together at weekends.

Has been fine today counting calories - and even finished on a McDonalds ice cream Sundae - can count that. This week I will continue to balance my days - if I go over one day I will hold back the next. Fortunately I am not planning to eat out this week which should make things a little easier. It is cold outside which will mean I may not enjoy my walking very much but I know I need to do it. My health needs the exercise but I also really want to get slimmer. Although I can wear a couple of my 'bits' at size 14, I tried on some at that size this weekend and they were far too tight. So I am at that in between size thing and I really want to get to a slim size 14 very very soon so here goes with another week of discipline!

Here I am back again - had a good day. Robert and started by skipping breakfast in bed and went to Caffe Nero as usual so had breakfast there which was lovely. After yesterday I peeled back my calories to 1100 today - since I ate a bit too much last evening.

On top of that I have done so well with walking today - I walked over to Stratford to the shops and that was tiring enough but I had not taken my Oyster travel card with me so walked all the way back too - otherwise I may have been tempted to hop on a bus part way at least!! Still it is satisfying that I managed this today because sometimes I tell myself I should do things and then disappoint myself by not carrying out my own plans - sound familiar to you?

We did intend initially to go to the cinema this evening but decided against it since my feet needed a bath and a rest when I got home.

I'll be back tomorrow - I cannot wait to be slim but will have to!

Today is a good day - I do really appreciate my weekends - I love my role within HR but life in the NHS is challenging at present so after a busy week I am glad to rest! After our weight action group yesterday where we all had a good laugh as well as some education and encouragement I was pleased to lose weight again so Robert and I enjoyed a meal out and I had what I fancied. That means that although I had left what I thought could be enough calories I may have gone over a bit! So today I am counting well and keeping my calories under the 1600 allowed to make up for yesterday. That's what I like about calorie counting plans - you can juggle a bit to ensure that overall the 1600 limit is retained.

It is getting easier to resist what I used to think of as 'goodies' - now they are 'baddies' I suppose - all the things that don't add any nutritional value to my health. Still there is nothing I am not allowed - just again learning that there are things I don't really want because the cause havoc with my size.....and I do really want to get slim again. No age excuses - I know many women at my age give up and just accept their increased weight and size but I am not happy with mine and need to get smaller to be happier - fact!

I am off out for a long walk soon - to the shops- but still a walk, and I hope that I feel a lot better about myself when I have been.