The reading for the bad stuff was 274. It was meant to be 190. I was so horrified I didn’t even take in the other numbers. So last night I started a low cholesterol diet which will last a month, after which we’ll measure again, and if the level is down, great, if not, pills. I thought I’d share my diet with you (perhaps not daily!) as an extra motivator. So here goes.

Dinner: Chilli sin Carne (vegetarian chili): see http://www.writelink.co.uk/blogs/chausiku/2007/07/14/p543#more543 for the recipe – it’s quite delicious – served with plain rice. A glass of wine. Dessert: two clementines and an orange.

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Cup of herb tea (have you discovered a brand called Yogi? It’s superb!)

Breakfast today: Three slices of wholemeal toast, with low-fat spread and Marmite. Glass of orange juice. Cup of herbal tea.

Part of the regime is exercise, so I walked quite quickly uphill into the wind for an hour (from the bookshop where I bought two new healthy recipe books). That got me very hungry, so I went into Exki and had a

Mid-morning snack: large bowl of fresh fruit (pineapple and melon) with a cup of herbal tea.

Lunch: Home made lentil and leek soup, with a grainy nutty roll and the ever-present herbal tea.

So I think I've survived my first day well. I have to go to Ireland for a couple of days next week, and it will be hard to discipline myself there, but i'll do my best.