[Lyman]

Well I have to say it's very nice to be so encouraged. It's very hard to get the sense that people appreciate the effort unless you know they're on a similar journey, so thanks to all of you
I think it would be helpful to reset that ticker thing at the bottom as by viewing this year's weight loss as a separate effort I'll be less inclined to maintain by current bulk by basking in the self-congratulatory haze of what I've lost so far. In short, I'm still a tubby bastard and it shouldn't end here.
This week has been pretty good, thanks largely to the insane stresses of my MA which, contrary to the visual of professionalism the term 'MA' might imply, sees me drawing a cartoon duck over and over again.
Long story.
Anyway, the real revelation came today when I took a bath for the first time in five years (don't worry, I bathe, just more of a shower man) and to my astonishment I had to add more water once I'd gotten in, previous baths in recent memory having been accompanied by the risky business of overspill once my heft had landed. I think that's what they call 'living on the edge'.
Also had a bizarre experience earlier in the week which would rule out bulimia as a possible weight loss option, aside from the obvious fact that it's a bloody foolish thing to do. While getting 2 of my five a day craftily disguised as curry, some jalfrezi went down the wrong way and as a consequence I had a coughing fit which lasted five minutes and ended in vomiting. By the end of it the area of my face around the eyes was freckled with broken blood vessels (they faded within 24 hours but it was rather disquieting). If I were ever to actually try and induce vomiting I imagine based on that experience that my eyeballs would shoot across the room.
The well-intentioned girl at the cafe (who inflicted soy on me last week) recommended a vegetable wrap today, like, just pitta and carrot and green stuff. I appreciate the gesture but I don't think I'm quite ready to take that step just yet. Also I'm a little wary as she's decided, in true barista form, to adopt an 'edgy' hairstyle which kinda looks like she made to shave it bald, then gave up and just left it shaved in patches. While I'm ordinarily not a big advocate of contrived eccentricity, she wears it well. Well, better than I would. If I turn proper veggie though, lord knows what I might end up doing to my own hair. I already look like Van Helsing with a drinking problem.
The heat in Bristol also seems to be a contributing factor to my sensible eating. It's been muggy with the occasional dose of actual sunshine and as a consequence once I've returned from my day's walking, lethargy has taken over. The act of microwaving some prepackaged MSG is too much effort, let alone preparing a giant meal or going to the store. With some skillful handling I can harness one genetic disposition - laziness - and use it to battle another, my natural gluttony.
There's a lot of rambling and ranting about a lot of unrelated nonsense in here. As it actually helps to just type something as a means of distraction I may just use this thread for that. As for my actual progress thus far, I'm another lb down from last week. I guess 1lb a week is steady enough for the time being.
Thanks again for your support