Holding steady

OK, so I'm not going to hit my dream number on those scales before we go away. To be honest, with what I've been doing (and, more importantly, not doing) in the last couple of weeks that is no real surprise, although there's been a slight downward trend.

I think I've been more in a maintenance frame of mind and have not really had that 'hey, go mad' and 'let's lose' mindset. Still, I'm quite OK with this and I plan to get firmly seated back in the weight loss saddle on my return.

I can hardly believe we are actually about to go. It seems to have rather snuck up on me and I don't feel remotely prepared. Excited yes, yes, YES - but ready... er, not exactly. Guess I'd best start packing, huh? Oh, what the heck. It's going to be great fun - even if not meticulously planned.

We plan quite an active trip, with a fair amount of walking (some of it carrying rucksacks) and a lot of moving around. I'm going to try some new foods, and probably have some treats too, but definitely in moderation as I'll have no idea what most of them will be made from. Still, a typical Levantine diet tends to focus on seasonal, fresh produce and doesn't usually include too many bad things.

Anti-malaria tablets have improved a bit, haven't they? They seem to have one or two odd but minor side effects (we are taking both Paludrine and Avloclor), but nothing like those bloody Lariam from the last time. Never again with those things.

Right, signing off now for a wee while. Ta ta folks.

A great day

OK, it's raining and cold and dismal outside today, but to hell with it. Went for a great walk anyway and loved every minute of it.

Breakfast was delicious Turkish yoghurt and a small hunk of seedy bread. Lunch a big plate of fresh leafy salad, with loads of tomatoes, cucumber, fresh coriander and spring onions. Delicious. Tonight I've got a yearning for something spicy so I'm on kitchen duty and a low fat mince and pea curry (made from scratch - no sauce mixes please!) it will be. There'll be more yoghurt and I may knock up a nice fresh kachumber too.

Exercise for today consists of blitzing the house in readiness to go away. Time to put some fun music on and boogie down while I have dusted, polished and hoovered until the place could pass a white-glove inspection. Bathroom next. Not my favourite task but it'll look and smell great when I'm done with it!

Tomorrow will be more of the same, and an outing for the Swiss ball. It's about time those abs were reminded of why I have them (grin).

Have a great weekend!

Dog days!

Unlike yesterday, which wasn't the most fun I've had, today is a very much better day. I'm definitely the dog today!

A beautiful walk in the sunshine helped keep my temper on an even keel. So did a really delicious mixed fruit salad (with Turkish yoghurt) for lunch. It had redcurrants and blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, pineapple and grapes, and some gorgeous ripe melon bits too. Extremely satisfying, fruity-sweet but tart enough to be refreshing and healthy enough to make the fat lass feel virtuous. Should help with my digestive struggles too [wink, wink].

Tonight I have an appointment at the local salon to get this shaggy mop of hair out of my eyes. Can't wait to feel tidy again. Then I can look forward to one of lovely hubby's gorgeous veggie soups.

What a difference a day can make. Hope yours is a good one.

Some days...

... you're the dog. Some days you're the fire hydrant.

Today I'm not the dog!

Ho hum.

Things to think about

It's been a mixed few days. The bad stuff first, then I promise I'll shut up and say something positive but I really do want to get it off my chest.

First, and by far the biggest thing in seriousness, is that just weeks before their wedding my youngest niece's fiance came home to some very sad news on Sunday. He'd just returned from a work trip to the continent when he had a phone call from his sister to tell him his mother had been rushed to hospital as she'd collapsed and wasn't breathing. They went straight to the hospital but his mum never regained consciousness and she died within the space of a couple of hours. That poor, poor lady... and her poor family, who now have to deal with losing a beloved parent so unexpectedly. I've never met his mum, or any of the family apart from my niece's fiance, but it makes me want to weep.

Then there's my older niece. She has a health problem (actually, she's recently had it confirmed that she has ME) which she is dealing with to the best of her ability so she can remain in work for as many hours as is feasible. She's been doing fine, until now. Her boss called her to one side just before the weekend. This boss, despite the involvement of my niece's GP and occupational health, appears to assume that my she is being lazy, or something similar, and used terms like 'reduced pay' and 'dismissal' during a less than pleasant conversation. Really supportive employer, eh? Especially given that my niece works for the NHS, who should know better than any that stress exacerbates the condition. I'm not even going to start on what I'd like to do right now, but it isn't nice.

Then there's that Icelandic volcano. I find I'm fretting that it'll kick off again and ground us before we even get to set off. If it does, so be it, but I can't help but have this niggling concern. Ho hum.

I said I'd say something positive though, didn't I? OK, two things. I spent half an hour or so taking in the waistband on my favourite work trousers at the weekend so the darned things stay on me without resorting to an uncomfortable belt. Am rather pleased with the job I did - and no seamstress me! Then my scales, despite continuing problems on the digestive front which made me assume I'd not lose anything this week, tell me I've dropped to 61kg. I've walked a fair bit but not exercised much beyond that, but I guess I've eaten sensibly enough to make the difference.