Do or diet

WHY is it that not until you’re running in slush to get your bus do you realise there is a hole in your boot, and that the said slush is now seeping up your socks?
Why also is it that it’s not until you’re on the bus that you discover you have picked up two left handed gloves, and that the jumper you pulled out of the dryer may not have been quite as dry as you would have liked?
And worst of all, why is it that when you have guilt-free spending power you can’t find the one thing you actually need, to save your toes from frostbite? Alas, the law of Sod. Despite it being a new year, some things will never change.
I hope everyone had a very happy and peaceful Christmas time and a festive new year period. How many of you got either a cheese board or an evening bag? These seemed to be the top choices for gift buying.
I know someone who has already started buying for this year, taking the opportunity of this year’s sales ‘slump’ to buy up the bargains. I couldn’t really be bothered with it, apart from the fact I needed to replace my holey boots. I don’t like seeing things I’ve bought going for half price — I’m allowed to say cynical things like that now that Christmas is past.
I don’t know about anyone else, but didn’t 2005 just fly in and out? It probably had something to do with the fact that we started looking forward to the end of the year half way through it.
It makes you wonder when ‘Christmas’ will start this year.
Like never before, I’ve been bombarded with people asking about resolutions. Apparently there was something about the moon on Hogmanay which has some relevance to making or breaking resolutions this year. Can you tell I wasn’t paying attention when it was explained to me?
Like most people I rarely stick to resolutions — they’re usually thrown out with the last of the food and drink you promised you would cut down on.
This time I’ve decided instead upon a few aims which are far more reachable, like passing my driving test, finishing DIY projects started over the last four years, and generally improving the quality of my life for a better future.
Part of this is going to be looking after my body more; losing weight and getting fit. I could feel the inches piling on as I sat last night surrounded by a delectable feast of chocolates, crisps, cheese and biscuits, and shortbread.
It’s really silly — at no other time of the year would I eat so much junk in one sitting, but that was my final blow out; the diet really was starting tomorrow.
Now I’m planning sensible and realistic routines and methods for my 2006 summer body.
I’m not too keen on diets because I’m not disciplined enough to stick to them, especially when there is anything you need to count. And it’s such a minefield isn’t it? One group will say their’s is foolproof and everyone else’s is bad for you and vice versa.
I tend to work with what I’ve got and not go out and buy things especially.
The best diet I have tried came from a college friend and we called it the Five C’s diet. It’ll probably have another name, endorsed and copyrighted by some nutritionist or out of work actor, but it worked for me.
Basically you have to cut out the five Cs: Chocolate, crisps, cake, carbonated drinks and cookies (and all things biscuit like). I think my weekly trip to see Mr McDonald will also have to stop. His sandwiches although ‘healthy’ are still very more-ish. I don’t want to fall into the ‘Marjory Dawes’ pitfall of halving the portions so you can eat double the amount.
I’ve always liked fruit, but I’m now also starting to get into my vegetables too so I’m hoping it will be a success.
I have a dress size aim, a physical weight aim, and a body shape aim so I’m hoping they’ll amount to the same thing. I’ll stop when I reach one of them, whichever is first, and see what happens. I tend not to have a problem losing the weight — it’s maintaining it.
I’ll never be Kate Moss, but I’d rather not be Vanessa Feltz either.
The most important change I’ll be making this year is working towards my ambitions, now that I have some again. They are entirely different from those I held this time last year, but in a funny way something that has been there all along.
It’ll take drive and commitment — things I’ll hopefully have left over from my diet — but I’m determined to succeed. Only time will tell.