Week 9 – 46 lbs weight loss achieved
It’s easy to become complacent. Over confident. Smug even. Yes I have lost a fabulous 46 lbs in nine weeks but I must beware of falling back into old habits.
Last night, whilst I was preparing supper for Peter and me I found myself nibbling on left over stir fry chicken, and eating poppadums – they were microwaved, so no fat, but this was a worrying old habit. Sure enough the scales this morning showed 2 lbs on! AAAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!! No way must I slip back, not now. So I’ve had a word with myself – forgiven me my foolish lapse, and moved on. I still have six stone to lose. Yes I’m pleased with my progress, but there is a big journey still to do.
Peter had a curry, one of my pre cooked big batch meals that I make and stick in the freezer. I make vats of fave meals like Chilli Con Carne, Spaghetti Bolognese, boeuf bourguignon. It’s a good use of time and resources – as there is always a home cooked meal I’ve made that can be defrosted in minutes. These days, my meals are mostly vegetables, salad, fish or chicken – which I cook freshly. I was having the rest of the fresh caught fish I’d frozen, bought from fishermen at West Mersea straight from the fishermen. Dabs, they were called. Small flat fish – delicious baked in the oven.
I’ve been ordered to rest by my doctor. I have post surgery complications which I must be mindful of and rest so that healing can take place. The bronchitis is being blasted with two types of antibiotics, steroids and is mostly over – but my lungs are inflamed and congested. My foot surgery has been the least of my problems and is recovering well! The chest and back blooming hurt! I’m not good at resting. I’m always busy. What does ‘rest’ mean anyway?
Oh dear – just looked up REST in online dictionary :
- 1. the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep: a good night’s rest.
- 2. refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor: to allow an hour for rest.
- 3. relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies,troubles, or disturbs.
- 4. a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquillity: to go away for a rest.
- 5. mental or spiritual calm; tranquillity.
So now we know!
It has been mentioned to me that I need to put up some images of me and my weight loss progress. I find this quite difficult. I have been keeping a record of images – but I’m so embarrassed to publish them here. I have pictures take at the 1st of the month. But I started off in bra and pants only – and it really is not a pretty sight. I’m going to do more pics – with clothes on this time – so that my progress images will have more decorum. I’ll find some images that show me in clothes at the start of this Life Journey, too. However, there are not many images of me – as I usually take the pics.
Its turned really cold. Zero degrees and below, serious frost and snow is forecast. We live in a big old Victorian house, with draughty doors, windows and floorboards. The wind whistles up through the planks, up your legs, at an alarming rate. Stripped floors may look gorgeous, but sometimes I would secretly sell my stylish soul for a shag pile carpet!
So this new shape of mine is currently covered in loads of clothes in layers – two tee shirts, a black roll neck jumper, a huge loose long thick Aran jumper over the whole ensemble. . I’m also wearing 2 pairs of trousers, socks, leg warmers and a pair of white fluffy ‘Bedroom Athletics’ booties! Peter has just come in from shopping ‘It’s horrible out there, clinging cold and damp’. I can smell the cold fresh air on him.
Soon, we’ll light up the log fire and make ourselves cosy snug for the evening. Maybe watch The Killing – I love the Nordic Noir genre – one the best series on TV. I am also mightily impressed with C4′s Secret State – a stylish political drama starring the incomparable Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, as a look a like Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but without the dourness.
English: Gordon Brown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Wendy Bailey at Number 10 Downing Street, London
In fact I’d had the privilege to so some work with Gordon Brown when I was a member of the press office at Save the Children. GB was nothing like the public persona we are all so familiar with – an air of awkwardness, maybe even shyness, stress and inability to breath or smile naturally on TV interviews. In real life, I found Gordon Brown warm, friendly, charming, witty, with a genuine interest in the two young people I took to Number 10 for a long ago pre arranged meeting.
The teenagers, a boy of 17 and a girl of 16 from North England had been selected from all over the UK were nervously sitting upright on the edge of a rather formidable and uncomfortable sofa. Whilst we were waiting in the ante-room – a dark formal room which could sit about 10 people, furnished with dark leather chairs and button backed sofa, the door open and Cherie Blair, wife of The Prime Minister Tony Blair, stood in the doorway, carrier bags in both hands full of shopping. Putting down her bags, she smiled and said to the young people
‘Just thought I’d say Hello, I heard you were coming. Hope it goes well, well done and good luck. I can’t stop, I must go and feed Leo.”
And off she went. This unexpected diversion of a very normal domestic scene – of someone just popping in to say hello on her way back from the shops, lifted the spirits of the surprised young people, waiting for their once in a lifetime meeting to interview the then Chancellor of Great Britain.
It was the day after 9/11. I had thought the meeting would be cancelled, but no, Gordon wanted to keep the appointment as it was important to keep real life going. The young adults were there to interview The Prime Minister about the up and coming 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child, The Children’s Summit was scheduled to open in New York. The UN meeting was postponed. Years of preparation, strategies and plans gone when the Twin Towers fell.
In fact, I learnt of the disaster during a phone call to GB’s office, when I called to confirm the arrangements for the planned meeting the next day. I was talking to GB’s advisor but it was something in her voice tone, an anxiety and stilted answers, which prompted me to ask
“Sorry, is this a bad time to speak?’
‘Er, Well yes… (pause) … Aren’t you watching the news?’ she asked. I looked over to the small ancient portable TV atop a filing cabinet in the press office – it wasn’t switched on.
‘No’ I replied ‘Why?’
“An aeroplane has hit one of the Twin Towers in New York. I’m sorry but I have to go, call me later’.
I yelled across the press office – ‘put the TV on! put the News on – something awful is happening in New York’. We had all been working on the Children’s Summit being held in New York for a over year, so any news about New York was in well in our domain.
We gathered round the tv screen and horrified we watched as the second plane hit the adjacent building, our minds trying to make sense of the terrifying images trying to work out what on earth was happening before our eyes. Was this a terrible accident? How could two planes hit the same building? And then the buildings began to collapse. A dreadful silence descended on the room. Senior Save the Children staff arrived to watch the only TV on the fourth floor, Director of Policy, Programmes, Head of Africa, The CEO.
Then the phone rang, the Head of Press was on the line wanting to check details of her flight to New York for the summit. She was talking at an airport in Africa on her way back to London.
‘It looks like the Summit may have to be cancelled – there are some incidents in New York…’. She interrupted me and I will never forget her reply.
‘Don’t be ridiculous’ she said forcefully, ‘Of course we’re going to New York, no one is going to cancel the Summit, not with all the work that has gone into this event.’
The World had changed – forever.
Till next time.
Thanks for reading. x
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