As well as the direct sponsorship for my weight loss, we have had a couple of appeal days for the project, and have a couple more to go before we send the final amount around December 14th.

I plan to keep going with my weight loss efforts – I still have quite a long way to go to get to my final goal. We have not yet decided whether we will run LoseWeight4Waifs again next year and open it up to other participants, or not. It all depends on us finding a corporate sponsor for the major prize.

I had a nasty dose of the “dreaded lurgy” for the week leading up to our conference. I thought I was almost over it, but it obviously got freshened up at the CNAV conference, because by the Tuesday I was sick as a dog (how sick do dogs get??), to the extent that I put myself to bed for a couple of days – something I never normally do. I’m only just getting on top of it now.

The result of all the above is that the last 4 weeks have involved a lot of non-diet eating, and little or no exercise. I would not have been at all surprised if, when I went to the doc this morning for my weigh-in, I had found that I had actually gained weight.

However, I was pleasantly surprized to find I had lost a kilo, and am now down to 111 kg. Whilst certainly not what I would have liked, it is at least better than going in the other direction.

I give part of the credit for today’s good report to my accidental discovery of something called Chia seed. These tiny seeds are packed full of vitamins, essential fatty acids, calcium and protein. Their unique property is that when you add them to water, they absorb 9 times their own weight and turn into a kind of gel. When added to food, they fill you up and very effectively suppress your appetite. They also help to balance the sugar levels in your blood. They have allowed me to cut my portion sizes and not feel hungry. I’m really amazed at their effectiveness!