Traditional innit

To start a diet on the Monday after New Year's day that is. So I'm just following the path of my people and that...

This year though I will need to follow the path well beyond the traditional few weeks of "being good" and actually remake those lifestyle changes I made back in 2008-2010 but seem to have slowly forgotten. THIS year I'm going to drop serious lard, we're talking 4 stone. None of this fannying around with 1 step forward, 2 back or treading water at best as I've been doing for the past 2 years give or take. This has resulted in a net gain of 2.5 stone!!

So, this time I'm actually doing the diet....revolutionary eh? I picked  Slimming World cos I know it works for me but I'm not going to class just yet. The last few times I tried it, I went to the class but didn't actually follow the diet properly. So I'm going to try it the other way around this time, bed the diet in then go to the class if and when I need it.

I weighed in and have faithfully recorded every morsel and so far so good. Despite being stricken by Rich's Christmas lurgy (it was inevitable) I have managed to resist the lure of the post Christmas stash. We're talking cake (homemade and iced), mince pies, stollen, shortbread, cheese, chocolate....drool.

Exercise will have to wait as just walking the dogs knackers me out but I went for a decent run last Friday before the cold hit and I felt the love. Am going to sign up for the Dronfield 10km which takes place in March to give me something to work towards. I can run just over 6km now so with some training should manage the 10.

The main challenge for me is how to cope with the big days out, particular at the football. I cannot realistically incorporate days where I eat a massive cooked breakfast, pie or burger and drink 6 plus pints of bitter into any successful regime. So rather than make exceptions from the diet which then derail me, I'm going to have to work out a way to have my big day but make the food and drink intake manageable calorifically.

And soon as we have the Mother of big weekends coming up...a quiz team curry night on Friday (at someone's home) followed by an awayday to Nottingham for the Forest game. The awayday being doubly difficult at we have designated it as the one where we spend all our free Castle Rock beer vouchers which we've been saving since August which means, drinking beer. Gaaah!!

Realistically I am going to drink beer for that one unless I can persuade the pubs to give me freebies on something better. But I'm going to be good for the curry night and  make sure that the Nottingham awayday is not too crazy just cos it's free and that I go straight back on the plan the day after. I will be good re food too, sort my own brekkie out and take a hearty salad to avoid the pie/burger option. It will be done. And future awaydays will be MUCH more abstemious!!

So, there we are. Another start. Another diet. Wish me strength and determination.