Morning Readers! I hope you're all surviving this wet weather we seem to be having. I was thinking about building an ark yesterday as the rain just seems to get worse with each passing day.

Still, we need the rain to combat the drought problem that seems to be taking over the UK. Let's hope it's made a difference for those who need it.

According to the met office, the weather will be unsettled for the whole of May too so don't pack up your wellies or your winter gear just yet and keep those recipes for winter warmers handy.

Despite the weather, I hope you've had a good week. I'm pleased to report, I'm back on track and it's full steam ahead for me.

Enough was enough! I had to stop the comfort eating before it really got out of hand.

I was back to the healthy choices and I managed to lose 5.5lb this week. It just goes to show what you can do when you really put your mind to it.

I've now got to lose 3lb to reach my next target of 7st. I never would have believed when I started that I would lose almost 7st in 10 months. It's unbelievable.

I was reading a success story on the Slimming World website of a man who has lost an amazing 17st. What a fantastic achievement and something he should be really proud of, along with his family and friends.

I keep thinking back to where I was 10 months ago and I have to tell you, I wasn't in a great place. I was miserable, crying all the time and just really unhappy with the way I looked not helped by the illness either.

It was a dark time that I never want to go back to. Don't get me wrong, I still get down about how much weight I need to lose which is now another 15st 6lb. I still only look at my face in the mirror to do my hair or make up but I won't look at the whole of me.

I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can do that without being disgusted at myself. I know I should be really proud of myself, everyone else tells me how proud they are of me but I just need to get to the point where I do look in the mirror, then I can be proud and praise myself. How have you all done this week? What causes you to fall back into your old ways? How do you get yourself back on track? Please share your thoughts on this.

How Much Exercise Do You Do?

It's been reported this week that 9 out of 10 women don't like to exercise outside because they have low self esteem and body confidence. It also reported that many felt they lacked ability compared to others and they would look foolish and others worried that any excess weight they had, would wobble and people would laugh at them. I have to say, I would be one of those women who lacked confidence as I have terrible coordination and would be more likely to fall flat on my face and look a complete idiot. Even if there's nothing to trip over, I still seem to manage. Clumsy is my middle name. I've had quite a few nasty falls too so my confidence is fairly low. In fact I would even go as far as to say, I have no confidence at all. So do we have to join a gym or go running in order to get a good work out? The answer to that is "No!". Did you know that doing housework can also give you a really good workout too? It'll make you feel great to have a sparkling home too until the children come home from school.

Moderate activity is the key to helping us lose weight and tone up our wobbly bits. Basically, any activity that makes you warmer, speeds your breathing and heart rate a little, whilst still allowing you to hold a conversation, is helping with your weigh loss. Some activities that we do everyday, although still great to do, can’t be counted as moderate as they just don't get the heart rate up enough. So dusting and weeding won't count unfortunately. There are many everyday jobs that we do that will count. Look at this list and tick off the ones you do.

1. Cleaning the windows.

2. Washing the car by hand.

3. Digging the garden.

4. Sweeping and mopping the floor.

5. Putting extra effort into the hoovering can also count.

6. Walking to the shops and carrying the shopping home. (Don't over do it by trying to carry too much).

Why not put on some great music while you do the housework? A great beat really can get you moving and help you burn those calories. A great way to check as to what moderate exercise is to place your hand on your heart. If it’s beating faster than normal, your activity counts as moderate exercise. Remember, don't push yourself so hard that you make yourself ill. You can always build up to doing more. It also shows that you don't have to spend a fortune on a gym membership either. Walking and swimming are the best forms of exercise you can get and walking doesn't cost anything. You could even build up to taking part in the Race For Life and walk round the course. You could get yourself fit while helping a very worthy cause at the same time. A friend from our Slimming World Group who is at her target weight, is doing a 26.2 mile walk in London for Breast Cancer on the 12th May. We all think she is amazing for doing such a difficult task for such a great cause. The training she's putting in is amazing. I think the training alone would kill me off at the moment let alone the actual walk. Maybe one day I'll be able to do something like that too.

Changing our lifestyle by eating healthily and exercising regularly can reduce our risk of getting various cancers. Having nursed my Grandma, who unfortunately lost her battle with cancer and then nursing my Mum through her Breast Cancer, I know how tough it is them but also for the carer. I don't want to be in that situation so I intend to make those changes and they will be changes for life. What changes are you going to make this week? Will they be changes for life?

See you lighter next week, Love Wendy xxx