29 October 2010 – almost defeated by the Big Hill

The Big Hill nearly killed me off

This morning I had a proper breakfast for the first time all week and a walk up the Big Hill with my rucksack to do some food shopping. It was hard getting up the hill which is not normal for me and shows that I would have been stupid to attempt a long walk. The shopping took an hour and I came home as worn out as if I’d walked ten miles. My fever has gone and, although I don’t feel better, I feel like I may be getting there. Sadly my face is still a mess. The main task for the day was to stay off the comfort food.

28 October 2010 – looking like the Singing Detective

I did look like him on a bad day

It is the last working day of the week for me and I’m still coughing and feeling horrible. To cap it all the bugs have got my eczema going and my face is a nice itchy mess. Yet again I phoned in sick. At least the locals will not have to put up with looking at me. I look a little like the singing detective, all scaly and scabby.

Strangely, I’m really missing my exercise. This is something new for me. Back in my school days I used to be the one hiding in the showers to avoid PE and now I’m missing exercise. Who’d have thought it? The one good thing is I haven’t really been eating much because I’m slightly feverish and everything tastes horrid.

Today the fever seems to have broken and, for the first time this week I felt hungry. Everything was still tasteless but I had a day of comfort eating any old rubbish I could find. I even had a bag of crisps which is the first I’ve eaten since joining the BL site. By the time it came to dinner tonight I was already over calories.

Last week I hardly lost any weight and I didn’t want the next weigh in to be more of the same so, despite still feeling bad, I got out my weighted waistcoat and did forty five minutes of step while I was watching Biggest Loser. This earned me just enough calories to have some left over beef stew for dinner and a mig of cocoa before bed.



It wasn’t one of my better days but at least I am not over calories any longer. Tomorrow I’m giving the Riverside walk a miss because I don’t think I’m up to it yet so I have to keep the comfort eating under control if I want to lose anything on Monday’s weigh in. Wish me luck

27 October 2010 – coughing on the sofa

I didn’t look like this either

Well the duvet day was all in vain. I still felt terrible this morning and hadn’t slept at all well again so I didn’t go in. Kim, my boss, wasn’t too impressed, anyone would think I’d done it on purpose. This is the first time I’ve ever been sick but she made me feel a bit pressured to go in. Feeling this rubbish sitting on the sofa I can’t imagine what I’d be like in the office trying to get through a ten hour shift though, not to mention coughing in people’s ear on the phone all day.

26 October 2010 – duvet day

Sadly, I looked nothing like this at all

To be honest I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself. I’ve been coughing non stop throughout the night which means I didn’t get much sleep. Most of the night was couch, couch, cough, sip of water, cough, cough, cough, go to the loo because of the water. For quite a while I sat in my PJ’s trying to prise my eyes open and deciding whether I’d be able to make it to work or not.

25 October 2010 – feeling rough

That should just about cover it

The day started off cold and crisp with rain forecast. When I woke up I felt pretty rough, the start of another cold with a bunged up nose and sore throat. This is the peril of working in an air conditioned office with a couple of thousand people, one sneeze and you know it’s going to get you sooner or later. Wii Fit was out of the question but I did weigh in. The good news is I had a loss. The bad news is it was only half a pound. Oh well, back to basics this week to see if I can get the weight moving again.

22 October 2010 – walking to the airport

The airport

For the first time I really wasn’t looking forward to the Riverside walk today, especially not getting up early on my day off. Even so I dragged myself out of bed when the alarm went off and was out of the house just after 8, wrapped up warmly with a hat, scarf, gloves, my parka and of course the rucksack. I was glad I was because it was very cold down by the river. 



21 October 2010 – the angry customer line



It is frosty here this morning and very cold. Gloves and scarf were essential for this morning’s walk to work. Work wise I’ve had a bad couple of days. It feels like I’ve been on the angry customer line again. Consequently I have felt really tired. We all get them but when you get a succession of angry people who think if they shout loud enough you will cancel their bill it is very wearing. 

Tonight I came home worn out and too tired for evening exercise. Still I had an early night which I needed. 



17 October 2010 – the Southampton 10k

Looking cold because I was

When I ate my morning muesli I was feeling a little nervous. Mostly this was about coming last in the 10k race and looking a prat. At least it wasn’t raining. Walking the last half mile from Rae’s car to The Common we relished it was freezing though and, just in our running gear we shivered our way through the wait for the start. Even with a fleece on I looked as if I was shivering in the photo Rae took while we waited, mostly because I was.

15 October 2010 – another half marathon Friday

Turning round at Southampton Airport

After burning all those extra calories yesterday it was off for my Riverside walk this morning. I set off early with a plan to do three and a half miles along the riverside walk to Mansbridge and then head towards Winchester on the road rather than the scary trail I tried last time. Then I’d turn round and come back having added a mile to last weeks total. After that I was going to walk into town to pick up my Garmin GPS watch if I had enough energy left and didn’t chicken out and get the bus.

13 October 2010 – worried about slipping back

A kettlebell mistake

Yesterday I was still on cloud nine after the Monday weigh in but this morning it occurred to me reaching is goal is not enough, I have to keep working on it. It’s only one pound after all and it wouldn’t take much to be back into the overweight. There needs to be some space between what I weight and the top of that normal BMI weight. Right now I’m too close for comfort.