It's now mid-November and I should do an update...

Below you can see what I wrote in April. I carried on in the same way, slow and steady, until the end of May by which time I had lost 23lbs and was ready to write to more friends and colleagues seeking sponsorship. There followed three months where I had an infected tooth, and major dental work in four different places. My training and diet were limited and I stopped losing weight - ending up back at about 20lbs lost. Still good - as people remind me.

I spent September and October getting back into things and am now starting to lose weight again, and get fitter. But I'm not going to hit 50lbs by December 31st. At the moment I'm thinking about setting up the 50mile exercise bike time-trial, and of extending my 50lb quest into next year - rather than dropping it.

For now then - just sponsor me if you think I'm doing OK - or pledge money conditional on my hitting a target that you can suggest in your message,

thanks,

Nick . 

Thanks for visiting...

GfK NOP is marking it's 50th birthday by raising funds for several charities - over and above those supported in ordinary years. The common theme for our efforts is 50 (surprise) and for my part I'm going to lose 50lbs during the year. I started on January 2nd and have achieved 17lbs so far.

Don't worry - I'll still be a healthy weight when that's done, especially as I'm using exercise and a steady low GI diet. I'm being helped by Craig Barkway at the Next Generation gym in Dartford. He's a sports physio as well as a great instructor and motivator. I'm keeping a diary of my efforts on my blog, Web and Flow.

More important than all that is my chosen charity - Phab. Also created in 1957, Phab is all about bringing disabled and non-disabled people together through shared activities. They explain it more eloquently than me, here.

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online. You may choose to do this by the pound lost, or for the whole 50 on completion. Two more things. First, the internet is a great way of spreading things - if you sponsor me I would also like you to pass on my details and this site address to two more people. Just two! Second, if we can reach £500 I will add a second challenge, a 50 mile static bike time trial. I'll get the guys at Next Generation to set me a tough but  realistic time and course - I'll have to get inside that time, in a supervised trial, before 31st December.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Phab will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

best,

Nick.