Still on track

It's not going too badly at the moment and I'm beginning to feel more in control again. My target of 75kg by the time we go away (in just about six weeks) feels achieveable.

The food side is reasonably good although I need to start making my portions a bit smaller again. That said, the content is good, healthy and tasty stuff. Take last night, for example - a chicken breast cut into strips and marinated in ginger, garlic and a touch of oil, then grilled and served with a little pile of stir-fried vegetables, sprouting beans and a sprinkle of soy sauce. A big glass of water and a natural (goatmilk) yoghurt for dessert. Delicious! Lunch yesterday was two Ryvita, an orange, a handful of blueberries and a glass of water. I ate an apple at break, some goji berries as a snack (the taste is slowly growing on me) and had my toast and banana (with no spread) for breakfast. I actually said no to a glass of sherry last night too - even though I would quite have liked one.

The exercise is a bit variable - rowing is going well (up to 300 strokes now and planning on 350 by the weekend) but the exercises the physio gave me are not going great. I just need to keep reminding myself of the benefits... and of the consequences of not keeping up the routine! The walking is a bit hampered by the knee trouble, but I'm keeping at it, just limping a bit to begin with. The asthma is not wonderful at the moment and my peak flow is down to around 380 again - oh well, back to using the other inhaler and keep an eye on it.

The weight is still around 77kg but the needle on the scales is just hesitating slightly to one side of the mark - the correct side, that is - and I may get to 76.5kg by next week as long as I keep at it. My waist measurement has dropped a tad as well, to just below 33 inches. This is definitely a yippee!

And, saving the best to last, I'm wearing a new pair of trousers for work, which feels rather good. My old ones had been taken in several (!) times and were beginning to feel uncomfortable as the waistband had four small tucks (or whatever the dressmaking term is) at the front and two at the back - and they were very loose on the thigh. The new ones are fitting, but not tight to the point of embarrassment. I can sit down comfortably and bend and do everything I need to do. Oh yes, and they are a size 16 from one of the high street chains not known for generous sizing. I also have a new raincoat, as the weather here has been so consistently rainy, in a sort of military style with a belt at the waist! A belt? This would have been a complete no-no a year ago. I feel quite smart.