1066 All Stars

Previous weight - 11st

Current weight - 11st

Target weight 10st 6lbs

Food Log

Breakfast - Bran flakes with sultanas, tea

Lunch - Chicken salad roll

Dinner - Chicken curry with rice

Dessert - Chelsea bun

Snacks - 1x blueberry, 2x strawberries, 1x apple, 3x fruit slice, 1x gherkin, 2x pickled onions

Exercise

Parenting - all day

Comments

* When I look at the list of food eaten it can be tempting to question, 'Austerity? What Austerity?' But I have to take myself back to the original thought behind this regime. It is not a diet, this has never been about eliminating foods. It is more a case of cutting out unnecessary snacking, having sensible portions and exercising. So when I look in the fridge and see a chocolate bar I can nibble; when I open the cupboard and fancy a handful of sultanas; when I fancy a cookie 'because it's Friday'; or I get a hankering for a can of coke, I go all Grange Hill on myself - just say no.

* Weekends are always more challenging diet wise, the kids and general weekend activity making it difficult to implement my usual switched meal routine.

* I am constantly reminded, by my thoughts, actions and self recimination, that I am not cured. Living a mentally healthy life is an ongoing, never ending journey with detours, wrong turns and hard to read road signs along the way.

* I have a perception that others expect me to be 'normal.' I was in a mental hosptal, my life turned upside down for 3 months. When I got out, I found I was redundant from my job of 12 years. Then my Dad died. Each of these are life altering events. I like to think that I wear my mask less and less but I still feel that other people expect things to be like, 'oh yeah you went to the Priory but you're all better now, right?' Well I'm not. I never will be. Each day is a battle against anxiety. Some days I win, some days I lose. The most important thing is that therapy helped me to understand that not only could I fight back but that I also wanted to.