Not often I actually write a blog post about me, but I suppose this is the place it happens when it happens. So this post is about me. And is a rather subdued celebration.
I'm going to talk about weight. As a young child I had major health issues and was always dangerously underweight. Then the hospital sorted my problem, and I blossomed. My mother, who was anorexic, had a problem with this, and put me on a diet which I have been on more or less ever since. I finally accepted that my weight belonged in a certain range, and kept it there for about 15 years. Then I relaxed, stopped worrying and it rose a little and plateaued. It settled, and I could maintain that without any real effort. Ten years ago, it rose... I dieted and brought it back down. It plateaued again (at the same point).
Which brings me to last summer, when it started rising again. Possibly in part because I no longer have a dog. Either way, it was creeping up. I took my usual approach of "I'll do something about it when it starts to worry me". It didn't... instead I became depressed and lost my appetite. As a result, when I went on my October holiday, I was back to my 'plateau' weight. I came home with a virus I collected on the plane, so carried on gently losing a little. I was under plateau when I went to Morroco in the spring.
While in Morocco I realised how important it is to me to exercise. I became aware how much I was missing the dog walks. And dancing. So I got back on the exercise bike which was lying around, and invested in some dance-exercise videos. The weight started to drop. And I signed up for some Serious Cosmetic Dentistry - something I've wanted for years, in a effort to feel good about myself. (Yes, I have looked in the mirror at my teeth and thought "Well, no-one is ever going to want to kiss that!") He looked into my mouth and went "Oh!". So first up was a lot of work restoring and stabilising teeth that were falling apart, fillings long overdue replacement etc. Then we got to the 'cosmetic' stuff fairly recently.
Which brings me to the small celebration. A few weeks ago I achieved my first weight target. Last week, the major item of dentistry was completed. (Yes, my mouth is extremely sore and bruised, resulting in some very crude remarks about what I can't do at the moment, but it will heal). And I can now actually boast that my weight has reached one of the serious targets: I have a BMI in the 'normal' range (just!)
BMI is an absolute pain for short people. I'm sure I have the same sized internal organs as everyone else, and I certainly have the same sized boobs. Not to mention that courtesy of the exercise, most of what's left of me is now muscle. So achieving a normal BMI is something I'm mildly proud of. And I've lost over 12% of my body weight since this time last year.
Hence the quiet 'Yay!'
It's a quiet one because the mood levels are still seriously crap, so I lack the impetus to do the happy dance. And because there's more to do: a few more visits to the dentist to swop amalgam fillings for white ones, and a few more pounds off the backside. And then I have a nice posh bottle of perfume I'm going to open for me, to feel a bit girlie. Meanwhile, I'm having to look at my wardrobe as many things no longer fit (I had my knickers fall down in the supermarket last week - thank heavens I was in trousers to catch them!)
Now all I need is to find someone who might *want* to kiss me!6![Add to favourites]( "Add to favourites")
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I'm going to talk about weight. As a young child I had major health issues and was always dangerously underweight. Then the hospital sorted my problem, and I blossomed. My mother, who was anorexic, had a problem with this, and put me on a diet which I have been on more or less ever since. I finally accepted that my weight belonged in a certain range, and kept it there for about 15 years. Then I relaxed, stopped worrying and it rose a little and plateaued. It settled, and I could maintain that without any real effort. Ten years ago, it rose... I dieted and brought it back down. It plateaued again (at the same point).
Which brings me to last summer, when it started rising again. Possibly in part because I no longer have a dog. Either way, it was creeping up. I took my usual approach of "I'll do something about it when it starts to worry me". It didn't... instead I became depressed and lost my appetite. As a result, when I went on my October holiday, I was back to my 'plateau' weight. I came home with a virus I collected on the plane, so carried on gently losing a little. I was under plateau when I went to Morroco in the spring.
While in Morocco I realised how important it is to me to exercise. I became aware how much I was missing the dog walks. And dancing. So I got back on the exercise bike which was lying around, and invested in some dance-exercise videos. The weight started to drop. And I signed up for some Serious Cosmetic Dentistry - something I've wanted for years, in a effort to feel good about myself. (Yes, I have looked in the mirror at my teeth and thought "Well, no-one is ever going to want to kiss that!") He looked into my mouth and went "Oh!". So first up was a lot of work restoring and stabilising teeth that were falling apart, fillings long overdue replacement etc. Then we got to the 'cosmetic' stuff fairly recently.
Which brings me to the small celebration. A few weeks ago I achieved my first weight target. Last week, the major item of dentistry was completed. (Yes, my mouth is extremely sore and bruised, resulting in some very crude remarks about what I can't do at the moment, but it will heal). And I can now actually boast that my weight has reached one of the serious targets: I have a BMI in the 'normal' range (just!)
BMI is an absolute pain for short people. I'm sure I have the same sized internal organs as everyone else, and I certainly have the same sized boobs. Not to mention that courtesy of the exercise, most of what's left of me is now muscle. So achieving a normal BMI is something I'm mildly proud of. And I've lost over 12% of my body weight since this time last year.
Hence the quiet 'Yay!'
It's a quiet one because the mood levels are still seriously crap, so I lack the impetus to do the happy dance. And because there's more to do: a few more visits to the dentist to swop amalgam fillings for white ones, and a few more pounds off the backside. And then I have a nice posh bottle of perfume I'm going to open for me, to feel a bit girlie. Meanwhile, I'm having to look at my wardrobe as many things no longer fit (I had my knickers fall down in the supermarket last week - thank heavens I was in trousers to catch them!)
Now all I need is to find someone who might *want* to kiss me!6
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