The Hunger Games

So, birthday news: I ate too much.  Not everything I’d planned, but enough to know that most of those things were actually quite a disappointment.  The doughnuts really weren’t that great, and having had a minor temper tantrum at P for eating one of mine, I realised that they weren’t worth the calories and threw the other away.  The pizza was very poor.  I felt uncomfortably full for most of the week – I do not like that feeling.  I’m hoping to remember this for Canada as a way of curbing my inclination to try EVERYTHING.  Except the craft beer festival we’re going to in Whistler: I don’t like beer.  No great powers of resistance required there but I’m taking it as a virtuous tick.

Last WI I’d lost what seems to be my usual loss of a measly 0.5lb.  This WI I had to psyche myself up even more than usual to address the Scales of Doom.  I’d put on 3lbs.  I had guessed that as worst case scenario – although I’d hoped that it would be 1lb or even 2lbs.  I’ve heard that if it goes on fast, it comes off fast.  I do hope that’s right for me and my strong latent talent for holding on to blubber.  We’ll find out next week.

In fact, I’m hoping to blitz that off extra quickly, due to my new Project Panic Plan.  Only Mrs Spoon responded to my idea of combining 5:2 with SW – and she thought it was a bad idea (for, I have to admit, very valid and astute reasons).  Obviously I’m taking a single voice of caution as an otherwise ringing endorsement.  So, at least until I go away, I’m trying to do two starve days per weighing week – my version would be 3:2:2, three meagre SW days, two starve days and the weekend which is SW with syns.  I can’t say I’m looking forward to it but two weeks ought to be do-able and also measurable.  Clearly if I don’t get a result, I won’t carry on just for fun! 

Yesterday was in fact my first starve day.  Spurred on by WI and as I go to choir from my mum’s on a Wednesday and she has never been known to produce dinner, it seemed like a good starve day.  This week my second will be tomorrow – a poor choice for a starve day really but should work for this week.  Next week will be Wednesday and Monday.  I can confirm I was indeed starving yesterday, as per spec.  Hopefully the blubber is melting like Mr Whippy on a hot day.

I actually went and bought Lighterlife stuff for this.  I had seen that they’re selling bars etc through Superdrug and thought it would be an easy way to do two starve days – four of their packs makes up a starve day’s bounty of calories.  But I am not sure I will stick to LL for this.  Yesterday I had a bottle of banana milkshake that was definitely worse tasting than the sachets I used to blitz with ice.  I had a coffee, an LL bar at lunchtime (chocolate and hazelnut: not pleasant but just about possible to choke down) and a ordinary mug shot soup for supper.  I had forgotten (somehow) my pathological fear of anyone noticing I’m on packs.  Friday is to be a chocolate milkshake (I’m already dubious about this – I may ditch it if it’s as unpleasant as the banana), a bar (I’ll give it another try with another flavour), some fruit and a sort of LL pot noodle in the evening.  I like the idea of the bars as they’re discreet and easy but I’d prefer to have something that is palatable – has anyone tried the Slimfast versions?  There was a company that did two kind of muesli bars as a diet/meal substitute that I actually really liked – but this was about 20 years ago and I’ve not seen them since.  I like some of Boots Shapers chocolate bars but I’m not sure that’s a good substitute!

Anyway, my aim is to lose the birthday blubber and a bit more before we fly to Canada in (*squeal*) TWO WEEKS.  I’m still w-a-y behind on my target but I’ll go down fighting.  Not literally I hope.  On the basis of this week I fear I will put on 8-10lbs which no matter how much I get off beforehand will tip me back up a stone bracket.  Gloomy prognosis.

I did the scary thing and tried stuff on.  I bought a new cagoule (oh the glamour) which just about fits – but ideally I want a little more wriggle room there.  Interestingly, I tried on 2 new fleeces and a new rather clingy long sleeved t-shirt on – and pestered P for his opinion.  P is blunt – you know where you are with him.  It may sting but it’s honest and unequivocal.  He thought all the above were good.  The contrast was marked in our differing opinions when I was trying on the clingy, stripy t-shirt/top: “It’s good” he said “it shows off your figure”.  I looked at him in horror “But I don’t want to show my figure off”.  It was £5 in the sale so I’m keeping it – but I fully anticipate putting a lot of tugging work into making it baggier.  Genuinely, I have the sort of figure that is best shrouded in mystery and material.  But bless him.