At 26 January my weight is already down below 11st / 70kg. I’ve lost the Christmas flab simply by not over-eating at every meal. However, at this stage I’m not convinced it’s wise to lose much more weight. It will be easy to shave off 5-6 pounds between now and 4 July – no need to get hysterical.

With this in mind, here is a rough outline of my daily diet. This is accurate for days when I commute into work (40 mins), do 10 hours at my desk, then commute back.

Breakfast:

• 2 Weetabix with grapenuts / porridge
• 1 fruit (banana or apple)
• 2 toast with jam
• tea
• orange juice

Mid-morning:

• coffee
• optional nuts / dried fruit
• very occasionally, a banana – mostly I can keep going til 1pm

Lunch:

• ideally, a plate of warm food e.g. pasta, rice
• or – Pret a Manger / Eat / Sainsbury’s sandwiches, in that order of preference
• possible cup-a-soup, samosa, crisps (basically, this is my point, it’s January)

5pm:

• tea
• 3 Weetabix, fruit (crucial to avoid the bonk on the way home)
• possible biscuits / office munchies

Dinner:

• all I can eat, plus seconds, of whatever it is – my girlfriend makes phenomenal curries and stews with chorizo, chicken etc.
• beer
• tequila shot
• butter and soft cheese still allowed in moderation
• yoghurt
• chocolate if we’ve got it in
• honey, ginger and lemon hot drink

I wanted to record this realistic picture of a hungry cyclist’s food intake when it’s cold outside and he’s already a bit skinny. There’s plenty of room for trimming out the munchies and the fatty / sugary stuff in due course.