Several people have asked if I can give some tips on how I have managed to lose the weight - so here goes! The biggest problem is that there is nothing much more than most people are doing here - except for perhaps my mindset. I am stubborn - always have been and when I set my mind to something I push and push until I manage that.

Probably the exercise for me has been the key. Unless I am in bed with an identifiable illness I will at minimum walk an hour each evening and as I have become more fit and lighter I have progressed to running three times a week - which brings about a fabulous burn and despite wanting to die during the run -I feel over the moon afterwards.( I started using the C25K program.) I think it is a combination of the endorphins produced and the sheer satisfaction of now considering my self a runner after never having been involved in any sport other than swimming as a child. I have worked my way through 30 day shred ( it almost killed me and I almost vomited after the first session) and am now just finished week one of Ripped in 30 - and loving the way it challenges me. When the summer hit here and walking and running outside became a problem I bought a treadmill as I don't want to slide backwards. Up till this point I have never set foot in a gym( I don't have a problem with them- but live more than 20 minutes away from the closest one,),so have tried my best to create opportunities for exercise around my own home. I live right on the coast so there are fabulous walks all around me and I have always loved to walk- but I must say my little Westie makes sure that I never miss a walk if the temperature is below 100. Once it is over 100 he is not to keen on walking so we have moved to playing in the ocean and swimming.

The motivation from losing weight and moving into smaller sizes has been tremendous and when I plateau for a few weeks I just have to remind myself a little more frequently that it is just temporary and at least I am holding weight and not increasing and that sooner or later the scale will move again. I have just come off an almost two week plateau- losing half a kilo today .....and yay - it affirms everything and I start again.

I don't say never to any food - I try to eat healthy and prepare all of my own food from scratch - but if I am caught on the hop I will buy from take aways on rare occasions - I just try to choose the healthiest of the mine field. I still go out to meals with friends - and am having Indian food at a restaurant with friends on Friday. Amongst those friends is one who was born and raised in India so he is familiar with the food - so he orders for us all. I don't care about the calories - I just make sure not to over eat and guestimate the number of calories that I log - generally thinking around a thousand . On days like that I will try to burn more calories with exercise - but of course trying to cover that amount of calories is almost impossible - so my attitude is just minimise the harm and it seems to work. I will often find after such a dinner I will gain a couple of pounds of water weight that disappears within a few days. I think it is so important to be able to live a normal life and be able to sustain this as a future life style.

Enough of my ramblings !!