Day one is past and I’m still standing.Was it difficult? Not at all!
Of course, I am full of determination and energy at this starting point. I’ve felt like this many times – as many times as I’ve begun a ‘new’ weight loss scheme.
In my twenties I weighed 8stone 6 pounds, but gradually put on weight when I left college. Suddenly I had money and could go places by car. I could afford to eat out – and often did. My job, (teaching) though not sedentary, didn’t offer many occasions for exercise. When I found myself wearing clothes that were a size larger – and mysteriously tight – I headed off to Unislim, determined to put things right.
What fun we had at Unislim! The group met in a church hall which was festooned with hand written boards bearing ‘Slogans’. The topic for the motivational talk was blazoned across the front of the tables where the lady sat waiting to take our money.
We slimmers lined up like cattle for the slaughter, waiting to be weighed.
This was an anxious time. Many of us felt the need to confess to our neighbours the many sins we had committed during the last seven days, needing to hear the reassuring responses of, “Sure you’ve nothing to worry about. You’re doing great!” and “You never know, it might not show up at all!”
Having been weighed, we trailed to the seating area to await the inevitable ‘name and shame’ session. Our sainted leader would smile widely when reading out the group’s total weight loss, and we would applaud wildly. Then the smile would vanish and reappear as she read out individual’s weight loss, depending on how well or how badly that person had done. There we sat – saints and sinners alike – each of us waiting for the hammer to fall.
This was followed by a short spiel from our leader. Sadly, our girl was not born to public speaking and the whole thing was a bit of an ordeal for her. I sometimes wanted to ask her for the script and offer to read it for her. Of course I didn’t, but continued to cringe for her week by week.
When this part of the entertainment was over, we would obediently stack our chairs and remove handbags and coats to the side of the hall, ready for the exercise session. This was more or less compulsory, unless you had a disability or medical condition that prevented you from joining in ‘at your own pace’. The music would start and off we’d go – hell for leather. I quite liked this part of the evening as I got to feel a bit superior to those less fit than me. There was no let up in the pace and I watched as gradually those ‘heavier’ than me dropped out. So satisfying! Not the fattest and able to stick the pace.
Go me!
So, did it do any good? Yes, for a while I felt and looked better. I got back into some of my old smaller clothes and lost about a stone in weight.
Success in the 1970s, so why am I here again? This excursion with HMS Slimming World is beginning some thirty years later after dozens of attempts to lose weight ; with all sorts of fad diets; with the aid of Weight Watchers; with several previous attempts with SW; with strict adherence to the low carb bible of the good Dr Atkins. And all successful up to a point.
I don’t know why I stopped each time I lost a couple of stones. Heaven knows I’ve never made it back to the weight I was in my twenties. I am now almost exactly twice the weight I was then!
(Pause while you calculate my current weight!)
It would seem that for a number of years now I have been carrying the equivalent of my former self around with me. Yikes! So, it’s time to get that woman off my back!
Jul4
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