Parkinson's Law?

The time I find hardest to eat sensibly, or better yet, to not eat at all, even more than when I'm at work, is just before dinner, after work, when I'm cooking. I'm hungry and sometimes don't want to be bothered to cook something tasty and nutritious. It doesn't matter how well I've eaten at work, even if I've had a big, filling and nutritious lunch, by the time I get off the train and in the door, it's like I'm conditioned to feel hungry. And what happens? I sometimes just shovel any old rubbish that I find in the fridge into my bake and add up the calories (and the consequences) later. There doesn't tend to be too much in the house these days that isn't real food, with the exception of TMM's pot noodles, so I usually end up with some calorie laden hunk of cheese. If I could just make a rule and stick to it, no eating before dinner, I'd be fine. But easier said, when I feel I could eat the left leg o' a scabby wain.

During the times when it's hard to stay on track, if I could just remind myself why I'm doing this, how much I don't want to get fat again, how good it feels, being fit enough to run at my best and wear my lovely running gear. I'm nearly 50 and I've never felt this good before. Why would I risk it??? And here's a question. Is there a Parkinson's Law for fat people? I have definitely found that my calories consumed expand to fill my daily allowance. I mean, I managed fine on 1200 most days (I say that. I know there were also days that it was a struggle, especially the last couple of months), and now I'm sometimes finding sticking to 1550 a challenge. Go figure!

Yesterday was the day. I went to the salon and got my hair done.

Even better, yesterday was the salon trip that TMM paid for, as a treat of hitting my goal, and for being sensible enough to stop, even though I didn't hit 136 lb. (An aside: he's so funny. He told me recently that he started going out with Ram Man and he's ended up with Skeletor!)

Gotta love a bit of retro cartoon action!

But back to my hair! After taking the professional's advise, I didn't go the light pink I was originally thinking about. My colour wouldn't do it right. But I love what I got and I can work towards going lighter. It's not too bad for maintenance. I could go back every eight weeks or so. So happy with it. It was a proper treat.

Yesterday. All sleak and straightened, fresh from the salon.

Today. Not so sleak, but a better idea of the colour. Sort of a plum/maroony dark pink?

Yesterday was fabulous. It felt so decadent to be off in the middle of the week. I was very early for my appointment, so I sat in a cafe before hand, and watched the world go by with a double espresso and a small amount of dark chocolate. I felt so relaxed as I watched everyone else scurry to work. Then there was the hair. So double fabulous. But then? Triple fabulous! I tried on, and subsequent;y fitted in to a pair of size ten jeans! I still believe sizing is a marketing ploy. But I'm not immune to it, to my shame.

I fancied buying a cheap pair of jeans to embroider. It's a while since I've customized an item of clothing, so I'm looking forward to getting started. I got a pair for £15 in Dunnes and went to try them on. I fitted in to the 12s nicely. Too nicely actually. An hour's wear and they'd be stretched out a bit. Since I'm going to spend hours embroidering them, I want them to be a nice fit, so I tried the 10s, on the off chance. They fastened! They were neat on me, but again, with an hour's wear, they'll relax in that way that denim does. So I bought them and they are soon to be covered with sunflowers and daisies, my favourite flowers. Maybe even a butterfly or two. I can't wait to get stuck in!

We had a Chinese takeaway last night. It was ages since I'd had one and I really enjoyed it. No, I'm still not fully paleo, clearly :-) My weight this morning, which I checked, just as a matter of interest because of the takeawy, was not too bad. It was a little up, probably due to water retention, given how salty the food was. I ended up 300 cals over which I more than made up on today's run. Happy days! I do have more takeaway planned for Monday night, when we meet up with my cuz BB and her hubby CB. But I'm on a week's holiday next week, so I'll have loads of time to go for a big run to earn the pizza and garlic bread that I fully intend to enjoy immensely and without guilt.