Day 22 - Slim-Slow

20p. Twenty pence. 0.2lbs lost.

For goodness sake, I can lose that by sneezing!

Loss is a loss blah blah garble garble, but to hit this at week 3 is disheartening. It knocks my average weekly loss right down. It makes me wonder what the point is of never having cheese or butter again. It makes me consider liposuction, or more cheaply, just breaking every reflective surface in the house, and buying kaftans. If I wait for long enough, those will be in, won't they?

What do you do to self-motivate? Are you a picture-on-the-fridge person? Are you a treat-yourself person?

It's not terribly uplifting, but I guess I have to consider:

• I've been doing this for 3 weeks. This is my longest diet since 2007.


• A habit is formed after 21 repetitions (something that stuck in my head from God only knows where or when). I'm in the groove now baby!


• I'm halfway through the 6 week Alli challenge


• I DO want to lose weight. That hasn't changed


• Even at my crappest I haven't really fallen off the wagon, more like failed to keep my arms and legs inside the moving vehicle

I can do this.

I can do this.

I CAN DO THIS!

(can't I?)

Weekly weigh-in:

10st 4.2lbs

What I ate today:

Weetabix, followed by half a leftover ham, cheese and butter sandwich in defiance at the scales

Beans on Toast

Shapers snack bar

Slimfast Chocolate shake

Exercise of the day:

None. Not a sausage... but I have a plan...

Product of the day:

Slimfast Rich Chocolate Bottled Shake. A meal replacement in a bottle. I don't mind Slimfast shakes... so long as they are chocolate flavoured. I also can't be faffed messing around with powder (I make up formula for my child all day, in a sleepless haze I might easily mix up the boxes...). This, therefore is the solution, and you know what, I don't mind this.

For a start it is stupidly easy. Pull cap off, drink. If you're feeling posh, decant into a glass first. maybe add an umbrella and straw.

Taste-wise it's fine. I am not a fan of most chocolate-flavoured things as they taste like gravy granules and sugar usually, but this is smooth and rich-tasting. Good job really because the vanilla one smells like baby vomit, the banana one looks putrid, and I either can't/won't drink the rest as I don't drink coffee or eat fruit.

I find these pretty filling too. If you want to see how much thickener is in it, leave some to dry out on your kitchen side overnight then try and scrub the stuff off. It's like glue, which is not a welcome thought for the insides, but I shall la la la and ignore that.

It's still a whopping (in my opinion) 5g of fat, but it does what it's supposed to, which is take away the need for inspiration, creativity or effort from the delusioned dieter.

Worth having in the store-cupboard for unforeseen eventualities.