Z weighs herself again (2)

It's only a fortnight since the last time, but I started this diet at the end of October, so the end of the month seems neater than the middle.

10 stone 4.5 pounds, which is about a pound and a half down.

Half an inch off my bust measurement, no other change.

This is fine - I'd like to lose a couple of pounds a month on average, and I realise that I'm likely to lose weight quicker at the start, so I'm glad that my slightly casual attitude isn't taking me off track.

At home, it's easy to plan low fat meals and, having cooked for my mother for years, who eventually needed a very low fat diet, I'm adept at adapting recipes and cooking methods to shave off the oil without anyone noticing. When I'm out, it's often difficult to know quite how much hidden fat there is in a meal. Once I start eating, I'm usually aware of it, however, and the simplest thing to do is to eat slower and not to finish the plateful. I make a point of it, in fact. If everyone else is having cakes in a tea-shop, I'll have one too, but I'll only have a couple of bites. If I'm given a plate of lasagne, I leave some. If I'm at someone's house and trouble has been gone to, then I do try to eat it all - far easier if I can serve myself, or at least if the food is served at the table. One friend always dishes up in the kitchen and is generous with helpings, but I know that now and simply explain. It's easier not to sound rude or picky because I can say, regretfully, 'doctor's orders'. People accept that more readily than a 'vanity' diet, because I'm not (and Badgerdaddy has backed me up here) visibly obese, though not by any means slender.

In addition, it helps not to make other people self-conscious about what they are eating. I've always been aware that, because of my small frame, I need to eat less than many people do. There's nothing wrong with a hearty appetite and everything right about appreciating and enjoying food. I don't want to draw attention to myself in either a martyrish or a self-satisfied way.

Actually, a very large friend asked me, the other day, how I'm getting on with my diet. I wouldn't dream of mentioning food or size to her, and I felt a little awkward even talking about the subject in relation to myself, but she started the conversation. It was generous of her to do it, I thought.