Oh belt up, Peridot

Well, SoD certainly stuck it to me today: I have put on a lb. This is not the encouragement I need to exercise restraint over birthday week. So happy birthday to me from SoD: nice. No more pressies like that please.

Looking back on the week: Hiccup no1 was the Reversey Pig incident (although I managed this within points), then, after a frankly stellar Saturday (and despite my greed gremlin whispering all kinds of enticements in my ear about bf being away and all the food I could eat) and a pretty good Sunday, when we got to our local Indian I hit hiccup no 2. We’d gone because this month they do a barbecue of fish from Billingsgate – it’s fantastic, so fresh and yummy. And point-friendly. But they weren’t doing it on Sunday. So I did my usual of not ordering what I’d like, but what seemed the lowest cal/fat option. So, not onion bhaji and butter chicken with naan for me, no, it was lentil pancake stuffed with veg (lovely actually) and seabass cooked in the tandoor. Unfortunately the fish did come with some sauce and a couple of potatoes and I fear what that might have added to the pointiness (esp the gloopy sauce). I had a nibble of bf’s naan (I SO love naan) and literally 1 forkful of rice and felt rather sorry for myself. Never mind, I told myself, think of the encounter with SoD, think of getting down to the next half stone waymark (weighmark?!), think of the treats that are to come which you don’t need to compound at this stage. Pah, we know how that turned out. And hiccup no 3 happened last night; Beth and I went for a pre-birthday cocktail. Beth looked very expensive (which was a prediction as it turned out!) and although I’d dressed up for me, I, er, didn’t. Which was also a prediction as it turned out... So, Beth bought the first round and then, my head turned by the alcohol and the general swankiness of our surroundings, I joyfully suggested trying the other bar out for a second. The bill – just for 2 drinks – was £30! I swallowed, womanfully, but some of my joie de vivre fled, shrieking into the night. At least it sobered me up a bit! I also ate so many of the free nibbles that came with the drinks that I wasn’t actually hungry when we left. Beth, curse her iron resolve, didn’t so much as nibble a single parmesan rosemary biscuit or bloody mary flavoured popcorn. So then we went for dinner – remember, by now I’d eaten the equivalent of dinner in nibbles and I really didn’t need anything. So of course I had 7 plates from the Yo Sushi conveyor belt; at least 4 of them were fried things to boot. I actually felt really ill afterwards from the sheer volume of scoffing and only felt better this morning when I had digested it all – I still felt awful when I went to sleep last night. So that, my friends, is why I put on a 1lb.

I’m actually avoiding going on the WW website as I don’t want to confess I put on weight – how ridiculous is that?

But.

This morning I cycled. I regretted it quite quickly – it’s always such a struggle (both physically and mentally) when I’ve not cycled for a while but I know it was the right thing to do. The thing is, I know I’ll only manage one cycle ride next week too so it’s not going to get any easier any time soon. It would have been sooo easy to just get the tube – it’s funny how when I don’t cycle, it seems a big deal to, whereas when I’m cycling regularly it doesn’t seem such a big deal at all. And today there was a stiff cross wind to deal with too. It better burn some of those calories.

And I tried on a dress last night that I’d like to wear to Browns on Thursday for tea– I actually bought it to wear to V’s wedding last year and it was just too tight (despite being a 16 – these labels, they are there to torment and depress us). Well although it could be fractionally looser to feel more reassuring, it now fits really well and it’s a lovely dress. Hope it still fits after unending scones and cake and I don’t burst the one button that holds it together at the waist! I did try it on post last night’s blow out so I’m hoping that that means the button will contain the cake orgy that will be Thursday.

And.... (and this is an odd one).... I bought a belt from M&S to go with the dress I wore last night. I’ve not actually worn dresses for the longest time so it’s all a bit odd, incidentally. I needed a narrow, navy belt to go with 2 dresses that Beth had given me and eventually found one in M&S. I saw with some fear that they didn’t do it in XL so I furtively tried on the L: too big. How odd. So then I tried the M on – it was fine but I had to do it up on the penultimate hole and I’m still hoping to lose more weight. So, after a quick check that no-one was watching with with scorn and derision, I tried on the S. It fitted. Okay, I’m only on the 2nd hole but it fits nonetheless. I bought it with some bemusement that hasn’t faded in the week since that purchase. I can only assume it’s meant to be a belt for slinging round the hips: I have a small waist true but for a size 16, not small per se. I’m hoping it’s not supposed to be one of those belts which goes around the waist twice...