awww thanks everyone . . .
My boyfriend is so bored of hearing about it i just wanted to tell some people that understand!!!
What finally worked is having a job that required a 30 min brisk walk each way allowing me to focus on weights and more strenous CV (20-30 mins) at the gym 3 times a week. Also not snacking and portion control as what we eat is fairly healthy we just ate too much, especially of the pasta/rice/potatoes part etc . . you know how it goes!
Now I am back to driving to work it's gonna be a challenge to stay this way . . i feel squidgier after 1 week but hopefully that's just paranoia and water retention.
Glad I inspired people
Z