Back to the grindstone.

Some more pics from last Saturday. This one is the view from above the Ladybower Inn over the A57 (Snake Pass towards the Ladybower reservoir and Bamford. My route home from work some nights.


Minty enjoying the view.

Sheep in a wood. They're glaring at Minty who is vainly trying to climb the snowy slope to get to them. She doesn't chase sheep but she really wants to ....more training required there methinks.

Meee - looking very hot and sweaty considering the weather... In my defence, it was a very steep hill!

Strangely, I don't really find it too hard to get back onto the straight and narrow on a Monday even if I have had a really good weekend (by "good" I mean enjoyable, not good in a dieting sense unfortunately!). I just wish that I hadn't undone some of my hard work of last week over the weekend so I'm going to try very hard next weekend.

Although I think I can "get away with" relaxing at the weekends for a while longer, the extra food at the weekend will eventually mean that I don't lose anything overall and that would be a massive waste of time. I must focus on what I want to achieve in the longterm, not just coast.

If I can lose a lb a week, it will take me until Christmas to reach my slimmest weight. I'm pretty sure I DO want to get back down there but I know I will be happy with my weight quite a long time before that. Even a stone off my current weight would make a big difference. I would be comfortably into size 14 clothes and I'm sure running would be a lot less tiring.

So, the long, slow game is the one for me but I mustn't lose sight of the end and relax away from dieting altogether just because I'm not expecting to see dramatic results. That is what I've done in the past and what I'm desperate to avoid this time.

I've noticed that, while I've been following Beck and seeing some early results, I've been much more relaxed in my life in general. I have felt much more able to let little things slide with D and, as a consequence, we have not had a row (yet) and have enjoyed a lovely, happy weekend together. I'm less defensive and less snippy and I'm more willing to go out and dress up. It can't be the weight loss itself as that is only a few lbs overall. It must be the mental side; the fact that I've found something that can work for me and can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Which is all the more reason not to take it for granted and muck up this new dawn as I have been known to do in the past!! I must treat every sucess as a precious commodity to be nurtured and developed until this new way of life is well and truly consolidated.

Today was pretty good. Once again, Boots were out of the king prawn salad I had put down on my food plan. I fancied a hoisin duck wrap instead,which is about 100 calories more than the salad. So I had it but I substituted a small pack of carrot batons for the raspberry yoghurt granola I usually have which easily balanced it out. I turned down chocolate or biscuits at least 6 times today at work, probably more. And this evening, although I've had some cravings, the only snack I have eaten is a couple of small slices of melon (which I had allowed for on my plan in any event).

Also, I've finally got round to joining the gym so I'll be going to my first class on Wednesday evening.

I know I can do this but I have to keep working at it. The coming weekend is going to be my next big test and I'm going to have planned the ass out of it by then...and that's promise!! I get the feeling that, if I can manage one reasonably disciplined weekend, I will realise that it's not that bad after all and more will follow. Have a good week everybody!!