Sorry I dropped off the thread there! Just had a read back.
poorpaws Gosh, you are so brave for taking the plunge and weighing in! I honestly don't think 12lbs in 5 weeks is so disastrous - a lot of that will be water retention and bloat, and like Cider says, being in the Travelodge will have played havoc with your stress levels; I expect even with it being in a bit of a state (probably a huge understatement!) you'll be happier and calmer being in your own home. And hey, now you have a microwave and kettle you can stop camping and the food situation will be much easier! For me, you hit the nail on the head when you said I have to at least try to start now or it’s going to be another stone - that's just the right attitude I think: don't stress about the gain you've had so far, just make a start on eating as best you can with what resources you have, and if that still sometimes means supermarket sandwiches for lunch, at least you'll know it's not every meal. Like TV said I'd just do your best for now and shove the gain on the backburner until things improve some more. I really reckon next time you step on the scale you'll see a few of those pounds have dropped off with very little effort, just from your body adjusting back to normal after a period of emergency chocolate.
Sorry about the fleas though, I remember when the cats had fleas and, like you say, it was like warfare. The poor doggies must be going round the twist. Is there a silver lining in the fact that most of the hatchlings etc. will be left behind in the Travelodge, and you have fewer soft furnishings for them to burrow into?
Quantum that's why your way of measuring through averages is so good - you can see a downward trend even if it's not a huge one, it must be very encouraging!
LoveNina so glad you've decided to post, it's great that you've been following us and we've been helping, I wonder how many other Silent Slenderistas are out there! Maintenance is an absolute pig, I think that's when you really start to realise it's a lifestyle rather than a diet, and without the constant striving after a goal weight it can be hard to keep focus. Personally since reaching my Goal Weight (which I'm planning to revise down, but that's still a pipe dream for now) I weigh once a week and feel OK as long as I'm in the right KG bracket, and have an Absolute Upper Limit of 2kg over goal weight (which has happened twice this year!).
Welcome Misericord! I echo what the others have said - 2.5 stone is certainly not too much to shoot for in the long run, but definitely don't keep it in the background for now: start by aiming to get yourself under 12 stone, then go for a 10lb loss, then go for a stone, etc. Some people on this thread have lost twice that, and I remember when TV joined worrying that 12.7 was too ambitious for him, and now he's disappointed to be at 12 
I wholeheartedly agree with low carb and low booze - that's basically been the extent of my weight loss strategy. You really don't need to worry about the gym, especially not right now. Would you be able to stretch to an evening walk after work?
TV the funny thing about pasta is that (in my experience at least) you can put away absolutely loads more than you need. I'm always surprised by how small pasta portions tend to be in restaurants, but they're always perfectly satisfying, although at home I just shovel in loads more just because I can 
In terms of portion sizes, I remember seeing a thing on TV yonks ago saying that a portion of dried pasta should be a large handful (!) and that with spaghetti, you should make the "OK" sign, but with the pad of your thumb resting on the first joint of your index finger instead of your fingertips meeting, and the amount of pasta that fits in that circle is the right amount for you. Does that make sense?