I know now that everyone with cautionary comments about my weight and my plans for running may have been right. It was Thursday evening that I made my first attempt – and today I’m still suffering. This evening though it seems like the tail end of it – but yesterday I was really struggling. My legs had completely … More 44 inch victory!
In space no one can hear you scream. However in the cinema people can definitely hear you s**t yourself – and given that I’m usually the world’s biggest scaredy cat (who famously threw his popcorn all over the place in Jurassic Park and could only watch Scream from behind a pillow) I was expecting the … More Good result
Well today everything muscular between my knees and my groin aches after yesterday’s attempt at jogging. The pain is identical to the post downhill cramps I felt after walking around the Malvern hills – but nowhere near as severe thankfully. However (and forgive me if I’m captain obvious but all of this is completely new to … More Advice
It’s early evening on Thursday and I’ve done something I swore I’d never do. I’ve ignored the embarrassment, I’ve paid little attention to the discomfort and I’ve been doing it in public. It all started on Wednesday – when during a day of rest I decided that I’d do some dancercise (my word for jiggling … More Couch to 5K
It seems that for some reason I became the target of a spammer this week – who decided to pepper my blog with unwanted comments and odd messages in a variety of languages. For a while I completely turned off commenting (and the notifications) and shut up shop until they went away. Thankfully this seems … More 62 seconds
Compared to yesterday the weather today is a riot of blue skies and sunshine. It’s frankly glorious and because of this I was genuinely torn between my ever pressing need to sort out my back garden (which regular readers will know is an objectionable task only because of my continued procrastination) or just dissapear for a walk. Hmm… … More Tinkerbell
It’s been grey and drizzly all day long – and I’ve somehow (after a week totally on plan with plenty of exercise and also getting into smaller clothes) managed to put a pound on. ‘Oh dear.’ You might say. ‘I bet Dave is unhappy’ you might add. ‘Far from it‘ is what I’d reply if … More Iron clad sentinel
Although I’ve had quite a few milestones over the last year I’ve hit another quite unexpectedly today. It’s not a ‘scale’ or a ‘non scale’ victory but instead an experience that’s caused me to pause and reflect on what might come next. But I’ll rewind a little. I’m getting ahead of myself. When I started writing today’s post I was sitting … More Starting point
I tried ‘planking’ last night. For those of you outside of shadowy organisations like the CIA who have never tortured anyone (or tried to actively hurt yourself) here’s a picture of a planker engaged in a vigorous plank. My friend had suggested to me that instead of sit-ups and ab crunches it may be a … More Planker
My arms are still killing me after my inaugural attempts to do press-ups. I just looked in my cupboard and I’m 100% sure that anything currently contained within a jam jar is safe and secure from my lascivious culinary appetites. It’s annoying because I’d really like a gherkin – but they’re just gonna have to … More Moobs, bingo wings & duck sauce
I haven’t done this in a while (and I don’t normally write two posts in a day) but my dad was browsing for items that weighed the same as my recent losses (currently 87kg) and dropped me a text. The item he found was maybe of more interest to him than me – but he … More The Sterling Sunrise Medical Elite XS 4 Mobility Scooter
I’ve rather enjoyed this week – and as well as my walk to Balsall Common and trip to Oxford on I treated myself to a first showing of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 at 12.01am yesterday. In retrospect, this ridiculously late showing (I got home at 3am) was probably a teensy bit past my bedtime … More Thirteen and a half stone later…
One of the upsides of having friends that don’t live nearby is that if you want to keep in contact with them then occasionally you have to be willing to travel a little for a hug. I quite like this – because although the down side of distant friendships is that you don’t see a … More Wolvercote to Cassington on the Thames path
Despite many weather forecasts suggesting today would see epic rainfall it’s instead proven to be absolutely gorgeous – and has been the perfect morning to be out and about in the countryside. I’m continually stunned at the wealth of opportunities for exploration that have been (metaphorically speaking) under my nose for years without me once feeling inclined to go … More Kenilworth to Balsall Common
It’s been a while since me and my torture simulator spent some quality time together – but since all of the muscles associated with walking appeared to be tied in a knot when I woke up this morning I’ve had something of a duvet day. It occurs to me on days like this just how invaluable … More Back on the bike
I’m currently revelling in two different kinds of little miracles – the first as old as time and the latter a far more recent thing. Firstly – sleep. Ohmyflippingwordhowmuchbetterdoestheworldlookwhenyou’vehadsomesleep???!!!! It’s fair to say that some (but not all) of my darker moments in the past week can be traced back to the doorstep of an … More Feeling lots better
I had an inkling that things may be on the right track this morning when I put a recently purchased shirt on and could sit down in it without the waist tugging for the very first time. It’s a really really comfey top – and one that I bought in a sale at Debenhams for … More Sayonara 13 Stone
I hate to say it but this week (and today in particular) I’m struggling a bit. This afternoon I’m looking around me and I’m feeling a muted sense of anger about almost everything. Feeding this even further is an irritation because I know it’s unreasonable and out of proportion. Nothing apart from the fact that … More Large chopper
I’m waiting for 5.20. It’s almost 4pm. It’s been almost 4pm for about three or four hours. Or thereabouts. Maybe that’s just me being impatient. 5.20 is taking its time but it will (probably) arrive eventually. I don’t normally sit around drumming my fingers waiting for things – but I’m excited. When 5.20 finally arrives I’m … More No songs or Northerners
As bank holidays go I’ve zero complaints so far. If the point of such a holiday is spending time wandering aimlessly from place to place with people you like and talking all day long about life and ‘stuff’ then I think so far all the boxes I have are well and truly ticked. Today I’ve been … More Along the Offchurch Greenway
So it’s here. It’s actually a whole year since I joined Slimming World. 365 days have passed. It’s currently 8.21am on Saturday 15th April 2017 – and if I’m completely honest I’m a little nervous about what the scales will say today. I’ve focused so much on walking over the last two weeks that weight loss … More One year on…
Today I’ve hit my target. Theoretically I don’t have to walk anywhere. I can sit at home, put my feet up on the sofa, turn on my XBOX and play a video game. Or watch the TV. Or a DVD. Or read a book. I probably won’t however. I now find it irritating in the extreme to … More Not that man any more
It’s not rained for a while. Not properly anyway, meaning that dirt track walks have suddenly dried out and extra bits of the countryside have become accessible. I’ve continued my slightly ambitious walking schedule this week and maybe explored a little more than usual as a consequence. When muddy paths aren’t an issue I’m far … More Pity party
It’s 10am and the canal towpath is already busy with the fleeting scent of jogger and cyclist’s body sprays as they pass by. Occasionally I catch a whiff of what seems like a scent I know – but then it’s gone again and once more the canal falls silent apart from a distant sound of … More Good golly it’s Molly!
Whilst in Tesco’s this afternoon I was standing next to a child having a meltdown in the DVD aisle. As I watched her tantrum reach fever pitch her mother deployed the ultimate parent’s line. ‘If you keep crying I’m going to give you something to cry about!!’ she said – clearly at her wits end and about to … More Backed up
Another day has passed and i’m another tantalising step closer to normality (if such a thing exists). I stood in a changing room in my local supermarket today wearing a high street brand shirt. Someone has already pointed out to me this evening that my expression in these pictures conveys little of the joy that I was … More New shorts
‘In all the years I’ve been a diabetic specialist,’ said the practice nurse sitting in front of me ‘I’ve never seen a diabetic patient with HbA1c levels like this. It’s twenty nine!‘ She looked at the screen again and shook her head a little from side to side. ‘When I first saw these results I thought … More It’s twenty nine!
As I’ve been walking over the last few days I’ve seen and said hello to a lot of people. It’s somehow always easier to say this to those that are passing if it’s a sunny day – as weather is a great opener. Just as you can commiserate a truly awful day with a knowing … More Passing duck
Although summer is a still a way off today has definitely had the feel of it – even if it’s the wrong time of year. Everything has seemed well lit, warm and temperate. Everywhere I’ve been today people have been out and about enjoying the sunshine. Furthermore today almost all of them appear to be smiling. Me too. … More Hedgerows
Someone asked me recently about obesity, compulsive eating behaviours and why some people fail at diets while others succeed. I’ve been thinking about it a lot ever since – and as regular readers know it’s a topic that’s never far from my mind. It seems that the prevailing wisom is that ‘diets don’t work‘ and … More Shadows and blue skies
