Well, this is the first post in two months. I haven't been posting because I wanted to hit that 15st 1 mark before I posted again.

I haven't managed it.

I hovered around the 15st 3 - 15st 4 mark for most of July and August. I just came back from holiday in Italy, hoping that all the walking I did would have shifted a little weight. Instead, I find I've gained...must be all that Italian food! Currently weighing in at 15st 5.

Progress over the course of this year hasn't been anywhere near my optimistic early goals. That much is pretty obvious. Still, I'm not about to quit.

Right now, I'm still ten pounds lighter than I was at the start of the year. While ten pounds in eight months isn't exactly amazing progress, it is still progress. I'm definitely somewhat fitter, too. Still pretty unfit, mind. Nonetheless, fitter than I was on 1 January - and for that matter fitter than I was at Midsummer - in fact, probably the fittest (or least unfit) I've been for at least a year. An uphill walk isn't such a struggle now. That's one thing I found out in Italy. Don't ask me to do any ten mile runs yet, but a walk of a few miles I can do.

My next target is to drop below 15st. Even if I don't achieve any more than that this year, I want to end the year feeling like I've made that much progress at least.

Six pounds to lose, four months to do it in. Sounds easy, but I've found losing anything but easy lately. Still, come on. I should be able to do this. I'm going to do it in a set of three phases. Each phase is made up of a two pound weight loss target. I start tomorrow.