I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear

Wow. I don't know about you but I certainly noticed the drop in temperature the last couple of days. I guess winter is upon us and we'll have to get used to more mornings of scraping ice off the windscreen. The cold snap rather took me by surprise and when I waved off my wife and little one Wednesday morning, I was hit by a moment of panic. It was chilly, what on earth did I have to wear?

The problem with reaching new territory in terms of weight is that I don't necessarily have clothes in the wardrobe that I need any more. At one stage I had jeans in every size from 34-48 inch, tops from M-XXL. A clearout last year got rid of my supersize gear but having only been this sort of weight for two weeks of my adult life, I'm rather short on suitable clothing for winter mornings.

I've been getting by with 36 inch trousers for work, held up by a belt I bought a few weeks back. Incidentally, I've had to move from the first hole on that belt to the fifth already, so I may have to invest in another one soon! M sized smart shirts have been the order of the day for wearing to the office, but yesterday morning that would not have done because it was blimming cold. I went through all of the knitwear I own, and narrowed down the the L sized garments, as I currently don't have anything in M. They were loose, baggy and not going to be very effective. I settled on the least bad, but it was a makeshift solution. If I plan to maintain or lose further weight, a bit of retail therapy will be justified.

As The Smiths once sang, 'I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear' - two young kids rather restricts the going out, but it would be nice to have some clothes to show off the new and improved figure. Think I'll be hitting the Christmas sales in a few weeks time.

Three Reasons to Feel Good

After my calf tightened up at the gym on Tuesday, I've spent the last couple of days away from the treadmill. As much as it has been a good chance to rest up, I've missed going. Rewind the clock to a few weeks back and I never thought I'd be saying that! My leg feels a lot better this evening though so I plan to squeeze in a little bit of huffing and puffing (aka running) tomorrow before the weekend kicks in.

The fact that I've dropped the physical part of my diet regime has not meant that I've given myself a green light to ignore the eating bit. I've added some fruit to my daily routine (who doesn't love peaches!) and enjoyed a fat free yoghurt with my lunch, but nothing that it going to substantially deviate from the three meal a day plan.

There was a brief moment of temptation at work today, when I was presented with a large box of Swiss chocolates from some very grateful students I've helped to secure jobs. These were very quickly offered to colleagues throughout the office and I'm pleased to say that I was able to keep my hands away from them. As my newest reader (big hello to Emma in Warwickshire) pointed out, this gave me three reasons to feel good. Receiving the chocolates in the first place was great, and a lovely gesture that was as unexpected as it was welcome. Secondly, in giving the chocolates to my colleagues, I was able to turn the tables and be the person providing the gift. And finally, I can be all smug and sanctimonious that I was strong willed and able to resist. Yay for me.

Would indulging in one chocolate have hurt my diet in isolation? No, of course not. Would one have led to another, and then probably more? Undoubtedly yes. I look forward to the day when I manage to find that balance where I can enjoy a treat and trust myself to leave it at that. Until then, I'm sticking to Plan A and abstaining from bad stuff wherever possible.

Seeing is believing

This evening when I sat down to eat dinner, my jeans started sliding down. My wife enquired if I was showing off because my waist has got smaller, which I laughed off. That hadn't been my intention - I'd simply forgotten to transfer a belt from my work trousers. However, thinking back now on that comment, I'm raising a bit of a smile. A few weeks ago I would have struggled to wear these jeans at all. Tonight, I need a belt to stop me flashing a builders bum around the house.

My 4 month old then celebrated with me by sharing a little bit of milky vomit on my jeans, which was most generous of him.

It does make me wonder though. I know that running is great for weightloss, but how will a prolonged period of running over the next few months (assuming I maintain current enthusiasm) affect my body shape? I'm not expecting miracles - having scaled down to 14 1/2 stone in the past I know that my tummy resembled a saggy Tesco carrier bag rather than a well chiselled six pack, courtesy of retaining the body skin of a 24st bloke. However, in the course of dieting back then, I rarely hit the treadmill, preferring instead to use a cross-trainer or exercise bike for cardio work, mixed with fixed weight resistance training.

Starting from a smaller waistline this time around, coupled with several years of not being as big as I once was, maybe the results of my anticipated weightloss will produce something more aesthetically pleasing than just happy bathroom scales. Time will tell I guess, and seeing will be believing. In the meantime, I won't complain if my jeans occasionally slide down - beats the hell out of busting your trousers down the seam!

My trousers last December - split at a petrol station

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My contracting waistline

The first two weeks of the diet have gone well.  Yesterday's weigh-in produced a second positive reading in as many weeks and in addition to the proverbial pat on the back I've been receiving from friends who have been following my progress, there has also been something else to warm the soul on this chilly winter's day.

I've been able to drop a waist size and am back into my 40in trousers. Satisfying though it is to see the bathroom scales going backwards, I find nothing more rewarding from putting myself through a diet than being able to see and feel that my endeavours are paying off. This morning I put away the cheap pair of jeans that I acquired so spare my blushes after splitting my work trousers just before Christmas. If all goes well I won't need to wear them ever again.

Dropping a waist size can be met with a bit of retail therapy if you haven't got any smaller clothes. I won't be rushing out to the shops any time soon as I have plenty of t-shirts and trousers in my wardrobe that I'm looking forward to wearing again. At one stage I had jeans in every size between 34-48, following my big diet that started in 2007. I found it very cathartic to pack up the big-sized clothes and take them to a local charity shop. Little did I know at that point I was about to balloon again and be forced back into the bigger clothes.

Nice though it is to know my waist has shrunk, I'm not going to get carried away. 40in jeans are still too big, and I've got a lot of hard work to do yet before I can lock them away.