WEEK 5 OF THE 5 STONE CHALLENGE – COMPLETE!!

This morning started bright-and-early today and, as with every Wednesday, my weigh-in was niggling away at the back of my mind.  Taking my usual route to the office however, I was faced with what can only be described as a very cruel temptation to test my resolve and commitment to the 5 Stone Challenge.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so you can see for yourselves…a Big Ben burger…c’mon!!  You’ll be pleased to know I avoided it like the plaque and laughed off as just another chapter in my new life. 

Lunchtime came and off I went to Boots for my weigh-in.  I am pleased to report that this week I lost another 3lbs (1.4kg), which takes me down to 23 stone and 8lbs (150.1kg / 330lbs).  That means I have now lost a total of 34lbs in 5 weeks.

My BMI is now 39.5, down from 42.05.  Remember, a BMI over 40 falls into the ‘morbidly obese’ category, so I am now out of that extremely unhealthy category and moving in the right direction!  Let’s hope next week we make even more progress, but I know that weight loss is certainly getting harder to achieve.

I also had a good chuckle playing a game with my niece this evening where you have to collect shopping and place it in your trolley.  I only managed to collect some water and some soup in mine - it felt scarily 'close to home' for my liking!

CAN YOU BE A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY & STILL LOSE WEIGHT?

Thankfully, this weekend hasn't played host to any birthday parties, stags, weddings or charity events which would take me away from home, unlike the previous 4 weekends.  However, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been busy!  I am blessed with a mixture of great friends geographically scattered all over the globe and a family with whom I am particularly close.  I am also a firm believer that relationships require time and you will only ever get out what you are prepared to put in, so there really isn’t ever a quiet moment in my social calendar, which makes dieting more difficult for me personally.

Friday evening I joined a friend for dinner and, as is usual for us, we headed to our favourite Mexican restaurant.  Usually I’d be having some jalapeno chilli, salsa and cheese topped nachos as a starter, chicken and steak combo fajitas mixed nicely with a couple of Corona’s and a Margarita or two for good measure.  This week I had to find something new from the menu and given how notoriously fattening Mexican food can be, I applied my own rule of thumb, which was to try and stay away from anything which was fried, so I skipped the starter and tried out the Guisado de Cordero (slowly stewed lamb in a tomato sauce) which is served in a tortilla bowl, which I didn’t eat.

On Saturday, I missed breakfast, as I overslept, so grabbed a coffee en route to a meeting I had in Victoria.  I headed to La Tasca for lunch and had a Castile la Mancha (spicy roasted vegtable cassolo made with butternut squash, red onion, chickpeas, celeriac and cannellini beans in a winter warming spicy tomato sauce).  After lunch I went to witness one of my friends get confirmed in Westminster Cathedral.  This friend’s family is half Italian, half Irish, so food and drink plays a huge part in the every gathering.  After the confirmation, as expected, we soon sound ourselves in an Italian restaurant and I really had to dig deep to avoid ordering some bruschetta, a nice plate of pasta and bottle of red wine, but I pushed on and ordered Spigoli Alla Meditarrean (seabass grilled with onions and garlic) served with a side of broccoli and spinach.

We will find out on Wednesday whether or not it is possible to continue to have a social life which involved a lot of eating out and still lose weight, but the key rules seem to be not ordering a starter or dessert, staying away from alcohol and allowing yourself to order a couple of extra sides of vegetables and a coffee whilst everyone else is tucking into their tiramisu! As one of my Titter followers said to me earlier today, “a moment on the lips…a lifetime on the hips”!!

FEBRUARY BRINGS GREAT LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE!!

At the launch of my 5 Stone Challenge the interest from the media was fantastic and it helped to both raise the profile of The Dream Factory whilst also reminding people of ways they could support me by donating to this very worthy cause.

The month of February seems to bring continued media coverage with an informative article in the Everything Epping Forest Magazine in the Essex
Megascene Magazine and I have also been invited to return to BBC Radio Essex on Monday 4^th February at 11.30am for a monthly review of my 5 Stone Challenge with presenter Dave Monk which you can listen into here.

To all of my friends and colleagues in the media, I thank you for your continued support.