SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter reckons he will be a ‘sharper’ team manager in 2012 having dropped nearly a stone-and-a-half in weight.

The 46-year-old made the decision to use the Cambridge Weight Plan, formerly known as the Cambridge Diet, after seeing a photo of himself before Christmas.

And having completed two months of the low-calorie diet, Rossiter has dropped from a hefty 13st 10lbs to 12st 5lbs, and says that will be to the benefit of his Robins side.

“I’ll definitely be a bit sharper,” he said.

“What you’ve got to bear in mind is there’s so much going on and sometimes you miss something, so hopefully now I can cut down on that.

“It’s also another bit of inspiration for the team, because I’m expecting them to go out and perform. If they can see that I have made the effort, then hopefully it will rub off on them as well.”

Rossiter was on thick shakes and soup for the first week and was drinking up to four litres of water each day.

In the second week he began to eat an evening meal, which usually involved chicken and fish alongside a green salad, with carbohydrates eliminated.

As the diet progressed, Rossiter has increased the overall amount of food and carbohydrates, but has still found himself losing weight.

“I started off on January 3 and now I’ve lost nearly a stone-and-a-half,” he continued.

“I notice it most around my midriff - my trousers still fit but I have to make my belt about five holes tighter.

“We’re not all millionaires at the moment so I can’t afford to replace my wardrobe just yet.”

Rosco does not plan to carry on with the diet indefinitely and revealed he has now hit his target weight, although he would happily go down to 12 stone.

“There’s a point where you can go too far and look gaunt, and I don’t want to get to the point where I look ill,” he added.

“I want to be between 12 and 12-and-a-half stone, I don’t want to go any lower than that, because I want to have a bit of weight on me.

“I know I’m going to fluctuate because of the job I do and the times I eat sometimes, but I’m trying to work on that.”

FOLLOW Swindon Advertiser speedway writer Ned Payne on Twitter at @nedpayne1.