We're into Day Three of the school holidays. So far we've had two trips to hospital, one complaint to a medical services manager and one grumpy letter to a consultant drafted on my computer. Relating to different medical conditions. Unsurprisingly, I am feeling a little bit like a used teabag. This isn't good from a GETTING FIT! AND HEALTHY! perspective because obviously, you need a bit of time to yourself to exercise, and also a bit of spare energy and enthusiasm. Neither of these have been in particularly plentiful supply this week. However, I am doing my best. Specifically, I am trying to avoid my usual holiday strategy of
"Oh my Lord I have to spend eleven hours on my own with the kids how am I going to cope? I know, chocolate. What am I going to do with them next? I think it might be time for some more chocolate. Oh look, they're fighting, quick, distract them, here are some chocolate biscuits, yes I think I'll have some too..."
I am getting to the gym here and there. But my children keep messing up my exercise schedule with inconvenient needs for urgent trips to hospital. How very dare they. Do they not know how tempting those hospital snack machines are? Especially at teatime. We refused some unnecessary repeats of blood tests for one of my boys this week, at the time I thought I was being a protective parent but now I think about it, I think I was just trying to get out of the hospital before I succumbed to the temptation of eating every last Cheesy Biscuit in the vending machine. Anyway, it's holiday season, my time is not my own, yadayada, I am meant to be making an amazing holiday experience that they will look back upon with fondness in years to come. (Today this involved a lot of television, bread and jam. Look, it's tough creating mindblowing life-enhancing educational family experiences when one of your kids has just had a cast off his broken leg and won't get off the sofa).
So since I can't get to the gym as often as I want to I am trying to get to the snack cupboard a little less often. In the past I have found Weightwatchers Online a reasonably effective way of trimming my waistline but someone recommended MyFitnessPal, which is a smiilar thing, only based on calories instead of points. I am not sure I like this. The nice thing about Points was you earnt them: ooh, I have 24 Points today! It was like a little reward. Calories, however, are very dull and worthy. No getting away from it, you can't get excited about calories in the same way. And unlike WW, there are no "free" foods. You an't just pig out on something guiltlessly. There is something unutterably depressing about looking at a carrot, wondering if you should eat it, and working out that that would equate to about five minutes on the treadmill in the gym. And then I feel guilty for whinging about the gym because at least I CAN walk and run reliably, unlike one of my boys whose legs gave out completely for a period of time this week - the mystery arthritis-like ailment, we are no closer to a diagnosis than we were - and then the other one is still recovering from his broken leg. (That's right, the one that I broke). So there is an entire vortex of mother-guilt that I can tap into when I want to feel bad about myself. For which, of course, the only cure is chocolate.
You know what I really need to cheer me up? A night out. Ooh, in fact, I have two nights this week: husband, son and I are having a big boys night out on Friday at an all-you-can-eat local buffet restaurant...and then the next night, I'm going out with the ladies from school to, um, a set menu at a Chinese restaurant. So, erm, yes, this holidays needs to be about weight maintenance, that's it, I'm not trying to lose any I am just trying not to undo all of the good work of the last month. Besides, I'm SURE if I focus on the lovely company I won't eat and drink so much. Anyway, Chinese restaurants and buffets can be worked off with a bit of extra exercise next week, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment