Morning Readers! I hope you're all keeping well and are staying warm in this crazy weather. It's the first day of spring and yet we're still battling the snow and freezing temperatures.

It's the type of weather that makes us want to reach for the comfort foods that make us feel safe and warm.

Remember, if we want to wear those gorgeous summer dresses and feel fabulous, we can't let ourselves fall back into the old habits that made us so unhappy and eat things that aren't good for us. We can do it if we really want to but we have to be prepared to try.

I've tried really hard this week and have lost an amazing 3lb. After a yo-yo few weeks, I've really needed to give myself a talking to and pick up the pace again.

It's not always easy to do but I keep looking at my starting photo on my fridge door and the magnate I made which has the quote "The only real failure in life, is the failure to try!" It's true though.

If we fall, we pick ourselves up and try again. We keep going though no matter how many times we fall. It's never too late to start either. I've included a starting picture and a picture taken in January to see if you can tell the difference.

Carol, our Consultant was back with our group today after being on Maternity leave. It was great to see her back with great words of wisdom to inspire us.

This week she was talking about the amount of weight we'd all lost and rather than thinking of it as numbers, she was telling us what our weight loss was equivalent to. This week, I lost the equivalent of an average human brain.

I was amazed but secretly hoped I hadn't lost it from my brain as I think there's very little to start with. In total, having lost 6st 8lb, I've lost the equivalent of a baby calf.

Can you imagine having to pick up a baby cow and carry it around with you all day everyday? How on earth did I manage that on a daily basis? It's a scary thought.

It's made me realise, I never want to go back to where I was and it's also given me the push I've needed to keep going. What inspires you to keep going?

I think it helps to have that visual aid to see how far you've come. A bag of sugar is 2.2lb (1kg).

This means I've roughly lost 46 bags of sugar.

Why not see just how far you've come? You might just surprise yourself.

A Typical Day's Eating Plan Rather than adding a recipe this week, I thought I'd give you an idea of what I eat on a typical day following the Slimming World Eating Plan.

Breakfast

35g of Fruit and Fibre Cereal mixed into a Muller Light Vanilla Yogurt. Followed by grapes and an apple.

Lunch

Jacket Potato with Beans (mixed with cajun spice) topped with 45g of Mozzarella Cheese and a side salad.

Dinner

Diet Coke Chicken with Slimming World Chips and Salad

I snack on carrot sticks and fruit throughout the day if I feel peckish. I drink 2 litres of strawberry and kiwi water but also allow myself 2 cups of bovril a day.

At Slimming World, we are allowed between 5 - 15 syns a day which means we can have things like chocolate, wine or whatever treats you want.

I use mine for 25g of cheese in my salad for dinner (3.5 syns) and a Curly Wurly that I put in the freezer so it lasts longer (6 syns) That's a typical day for me.

Would you say that I'm on a diet? I would say I'm following a healthy, well balanced eating plan. Losing weight doesn't have to be lettuce leaves and starving yourself. The thought of ever returning to my old eating habits make me feel physically sick.

It's never too late to make a new start, why not start today?

See you lighter next week, Love Wendy xxx