With a little bit of luck ...

Next week's weigh in on Monday will see the end of the Mayday Motivational Challenge that I've been participating in on the Weight Watchers Forum. The aim was to lose a stone over the period of the challenge, and as long as I lose half a lb this week, I'll have cracked it. Given that I was aiming to lose 2-3 lbs this week, I'd love to say it's in the bag, but I don't want to jinx myself.

I've really enjoyed doing the challenge, as it keeps me in line having someone I actually have to report into each month, and it's nice having a mini-community of folks aiming at the same specific target as well. With that in mind, I've signed up today (hopefully) for another mini-challenge to take me into July - to lose a stone and drop a dress size this time. This is particularly helpful, as I'm damn-well going to be at least down to a size 16 by the time I go away to Scotland in July! I also like the way the challenge is focusing on both weight and inch-loss, although at the moment, it does appear to be populated by skinny-minnies with not a lot to lose lol.

I had a little bit of insight into how I would look when I'm slim on Monday - the mirrors in the exercise studio at the gym have an odd distorting effect that's slimming if you're standing in front of the centre of the panel. The further away from the mirror you're standing, the more extreme the effect, so for me, standing in the back row, I bizarrely appeared slimmer than the man and woman standing in the two rows in front of me. So that's how I'd look - interesting! :o)

Still doing well food-wise this week. Added to Saturday's Go Ape activity, we're now either going windsurfing on Sunday if the weather's good, or possibly walking with friends over the Malvern Hills, for a distance of about 6 miles or so, plus lots of ups and downs.

Right, off now for the dreaded buffet lunch.

******

Well, I'm back from lunch, and just need to assess the damage. Give me 5 minutes while I work it out. I think I made good decisions, went for slices of the roast joint, and bread (and butter, but we'll gloss over that) and some quiche. I did have a handful of chips, and I literally mean about 5 chips, and 1 mini sausage roll, but when everyone else went for seconds I stayed firmly sat down. I shall go and count it now. I've already decided I'm having homemade soup for dinner though, whatever the damage. Right, time to go and account for it ....

******

Wooooooo - that's not so bad - I reckon my scrumptious plate of food came to 12 points! Which means I still have a reasonable 6 points left for the rest of the day. It also means that I won't have to raid my saved points for the week, so I can now have some dessert tomorrow night at Ask if I choose to - I'm practically salivating over the thought of their smashed honeycomb cheesecake!!!!! I'm really pleased with that - had a nice amount of delicious food, including a few little naughties like a mini sausage roll, the chips and butter, felt just nicely full afterwards and didn't lose the plot at the buffet table!!! Yay!!

Do you remember that on the bank holiday weekend, I said that one of my neighbours, Sid, had actually commented that I had definitely lost weight? An actual bloke. One who had been taking the piss out of our constant point counting and general fannying around from the start.

Well, I get the last laugh, as he's just emailed to ask how the whole point counting malarkey works. Excuse me, while I roll around on the floor howling with laughter and then take 5 to get my breath back ......

HA HA HAAA HAAAA HA HAHA HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

... that's better.

His doctor told him off a while ago at a general health check that his blood pressure was way too high and he needed to lose weight. So in typical man fashion he just started exercising like a bitch - walking, running, etc - and the weight's started dropping off. Like 10lbs in 2 weeks dropping off. How unfair is that??? And he just takes to running like it's the easiest thing in the world too. I hate men.

Anyway, I digress - he's decided that we might have a point, so he might be interested in doing the whole points thing too.

What kind of monster have I created??? I've literally started an epidemic amongst my friends. Since I started WW's, my flatmate started too. With her boyfriend. Then another friend Emma started. Then my neighbour Jon's girlfriend Hannah started it. Fellow healthy challenger Jo, whilst not doing it, is pointing for a week or two to see how her eating matches up. And now Sid's considering it.

I think WW's should pay me commission. Seriously.