Well, Christmas is over and this goose has gotten fat!
I've had far too good a time this festive season and put on half a stone.
I have no excuses; I went completely off the rails and ate everything I wanted to - and a little bit more besides. Ah well, the damage is done. Now it's time to set about fixing it. I have to get back into my healthy eating plan. It got thrown out of the window for most of December - I didn't even pretend to stick to it, no starting the day with good intentions or whatever. It was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, made with double cream, on toast spread with real butter followed by a couple more slices of toast, butter and marmalade for breakfast most mornings. I'd have a cup of fresh, real coffee with sugar and real cream and maybe a little shot of rum to give it a kick (hey, it's the holidays!). Mid afternoon, if I wasn't going anywhere, I was parked on the couch with a box of chocolates and maybe some chips and dip. Dinner was maybe a Chinese takeaway or something else hugely calorific. It was all scrumptious and it felt worth it at the time. In retrospect, though, maybe not so much.
Christmas day was actually a very understated affair. I got my wish and spent the day on my own. I had my smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast, then more smoked salmon with cream cheese for lunch. Dinner was pork pie with broccoli, cauliflower and masses of creamy garlic and spring onion mashed potatoes - not very traditional, I know, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
On Boxing Day I was invited to my friend Katrina's house for lunch, but ended up staying until bedtime. It was a good day and we had lots of fun. The following day I went to visit my cousin and we went out for lunch, as is our habit - we meet up once a month for lunch to catch up on each others' news. We ended up at a Chinese restaurant (her choice), one of those all-you-can-eat-buffet places, which didn't have a great deal of choice. It was mostly deep fried stuff like spring rolls, won ton, sesame prawn toast, chicken in batter and fried rice on offer.
I wish these places served authentic Chinese fare. If the chinese people really ate all that deep-fried crap they'd be the most obese nation on the planet!
After seeing my cousin I was pretty much left to my own devices. I continued to over-indulge all on my own, tucking in to lots of chocolate, butter and double cream. I also treated myself to pizza and ice cream at the weekend. Thankfully, the cravings for fat and sugar are starting to pass now and the shops are getting back to normal, so I'm less tempted to buy food that I should be avoiding. I need to repair the damage I've done and get back on track with my eating plan.
I also need to kick start an exercise plan. Instead of kidding myself that I'll go back to the gym, and wasting my money into the bargain, I've cancelled my gym membership and decided to work out at home instead. I've no excuses not to, as I own several exercise videos. I need to mix it up a bit so that I don't get bored, but I've decided to start by dancing to music for half an hour every day. I know it might sound a bit lame, but I'm a big lass, so any exercise at this point is going to be beneficial. I had my first session yesterday and worked up quite a sweat. I jigged about to a mixture of Black Eyed Peas, 70s disco and some old skool house classics from my younger days for nearly an hour.
They fairly got my heart rate up, I can tell you. I'm actually a bit sore today, so I must have done some good. The best part is that it was fun and I enjoyed doing it. The theory is, if I enjoy doing it I'll keep it up. Here's hoping - I have absolutely no discipline when it comes to these things. That being said, I'm going to have another session while I wait on the courier delivering a parcel I'm expecting. It's been snowing, so I'm in no hurry to go outside. I hate the snow - it's bloody cold!
Happy New Year to everyone and may 2008 bring you success in your battle against the bulge!