Time to Bite the Bullet

... and admit that it is time I lost some weight.

I'm currently about 10lbs heavier than I was before Little Cherub, which was already 20lbs heavier than the top end of my healthy weight range. I console myself that I weighed much the same before Little Cherub as I did pre-Angel, but that doesn't alter the fact that I was overweight even then. I did go to Weight Watchers several years ago and lost that 20lbs, so I know it is possible.

For the first time, I have realised that the extra weight is probably not helping my health. I have struggled all year with asthma (now under control), coughs and colds, and a general feeling of being under par - aches and pains that I blamed on my age combined with a nursing toddler. You would think it would have occurred to me that carrying round an extra 30lbs of weight just might exacerbate breathing problems and aches and pains, but there are times when I am rather slow on the uptake.

So what to do about it? I know. Eat less. Eat more healthily. Despite the evidence of the scales, I actually don't put weight on easily. It takes sustained and substantial eating. Which ... um ... is my default mode. Conversely, if I put my mind to it I can manage a slow but steady weight loss without having to cut back too drastically. I don't have time or inclination to go back to Weight Watchers at the moment, so I'm just going to try to stick to a few simple rules:

• Three square meals a day
• Put a little less on my plate for each meal
• No eating up children's leftovers
• Limit snacks between meals to one piece of fruit and one "treat" (cake, biscuits, crisps, chocolate) daily
  
• No snacks in the evening, except for an occasional glass of wine
• Aim to get my five fruit and veg every day
  

This should cut down my calorie intake enough to turn slow weight gain into slow weight loss. I hope. I'm going to try it for a month and see what happens.