It’s boring, but it works for me. It requires discipline, which I’m working on anyway, and patience, which is a corollary. Patience, because without the expectations of a miracle diet, one has to wait and see the results – to lose weight sustainably, there’s evidence to show it’s better not to lose more than a kilo a week.

I’d like an overnight transformation from where I am to where I’d like to be; I imagine we all would. Experience has taught me that the journey will be valuable though. The gradual loss will deliver insight and a lot of proud moments as I hit milestones – an instant change (unaccompanied by hard work) doesn’t give the same reward.

As in other areas I think it’s going to useful to use a week as a yardstick for progress. I’ll aim to do my best each day while acknowledging there will be lumps and bumps that can be smoothed out.