A few months ago, I joined a local Doctors and had to undergo some routine height, bloodpressure and weight examinations – no problemo, Doc! However, he was a touch concerned with my B.P and asked if I’d put a bit of weight on? I shrugged at this (knowing that I obviously have at some point in my life!) but he pointed out that my Body Mass Index was 26 (not that I truly understood this!)
Now, for me, 26 sounds like a good number – a LOW number – I mean, 26 out of 100 sounds good, yeah? No danger for me, I thinks! See ya, Doc! 
Well, the convo went a bit like this:
DOC: Your B.M.I’s 26.
ALEX: Is that alright?
DOC: Well,……30 is obese.
ALEX:
Yup, I was speechless – ME? OBESE? NAY, NAY………AND THRICE: NAY!!!!!!!! So, it was recommended that I take up some exercise – ‘yay!’ I mean, come on let’s be honest here: you’re in bed cwtched up with a brew, agood book perhaps, the heating’s on, your loverlee lady’s next to you……then it’s: ”Sorry, honey – the world of fitness calls: where are my trainers?”
Who are we kidding? But guess what…………..I did it! I ACTUALLY went for a ten-lap jog around my local park yesterday AND I went to a gym last night with the lovely Jen and did some back-aching cardio: WOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
To bring you up to speed (from yesterday’s blog), I was going to keep ’you all’ (?) informed of my attempt to go for a jog and visit the gym – I think I can say I tick all the boxes on that front and, at the moment, I feel pretty good in the body and mind about it (saying that, I’ll probably be whining like a pooch with a boot up its rear tomorrow, eh? So, if there’s no blog that’s cos my fingers refuse to move after the vice-like grip I had on the rowing machine handle last night!)
The reason for this sudden health kick, I hear you ask? Well, to be honest and blunt it’s because I’m approximately 14stone (or 90kgs in gym-speaks!) – and that’s 2 and a half stone too much for my bones to lug around all day!) The thing is, everywhere I go I’m kind of reminded of it, y’know? Reflections, my jeans are too small, I get serious ‘moob’ actione in ANY t-shirt lighter than a comforting, forgiving black one (which STILL has to be loose on me!), photographs, I get out of breath quickly, blah, blah, blah…..
But, the worst one is, when I go home to south Wales from Bournemouth, I actually get scared of meeting up with friends sometimes because they are all too quick – at some point of the night – to remind me: “Fuck, you’ve been eating well, haven’t you?” or I can spot the odd glance from people at my waistline (who are by no means ‘Slim Jims’ themselves, let me tell you!) who then proceed to nudge someone else and make them aware of it (BECAUSE IT’S SOOO IMPORTANT, ISNT IT???)
The thing is, I used to be very skinny, or slim (’skimmy?’), growing up – even to the age of 24/5 I had a great metabolism ‘cos of all the sports I would play. But then, one day, I just stopped playing football, and going to the gym, and decided to devote myself to the devil’s cordial (Lager!) I mean, it was good enough for George Best for a while (saying that, he was a footy leg-end, to begin with – and he didnt have the happiest of endings [Hmmmm, message here, anyone???)
Basically, I'm fed up of it all, as you can probably tell, but don't worry - I'm not depressed or anything (or going to do something silly!): I'm just a liitle peed off! It's like the episodes of Friends when 'Fat Monica's around, y'now? And you look at her face under the layer of 'fat/latex' and you can just make out Courteney Cox's face? Well, that's what it's like in my world! I go home to Swansea and I can just see people talking to me and looking 'around' my face, itching, fighting the temptation to say....."You've put a bit of weight on, haven't you?" I honestly just feel like screaming back: "Well, yeah - I couldn't stay 10 stone for the rest of my life!!!" (they'd probably think I was too skinny then!)
I have to wonder why it's so important to point that out to someone? Is it because of the celebrity culture that dominates the most normal of people (even the extreme youths!) who are desperate to wear the same clothes as Kate, or be as skinny as Posh or as plastic and orange as Katie Price? I mean, cant we just all get along being who we be? Isn't variety the spice of life? Don't opposites attract? Doesn't love conquer all????
Now, I'm quick to point out here that I'm not being hypocritical: I'm going to the gym trying to lose weight to get into a targeted 34waist (from a 36) for Christmas and to live a healthier life for me and my lady! We're changing our eating plan, going to bed earlier, exercising and walking more so we can have healhier minds as well as bods (sounds corny bollox, I know, but when you get to the grand age of 31 you kind of realise that you really have to take care of yourself because - barring an illness or losing a limb - the weight's just not going to drop off you overnight and the sluggishness and a slower mind isn't good!)
So, today's Tuesday. My plan is to run every Mon, Weds and Fri and go to the gym every other day (or vice-versa!) I know it's going to be hard - and sometimes the biggest battle in all this is the mental battle when we have to simply get out of bed, slip into some shorts (start stretching - groan!) and get out there and hit the road!!!
I know you never see a happy jogger but I think the point - or goal - is to be smiling after the weight loss? If I can do this - and lose that weight around my waist, boobs and my chipmunky cheeks - then we can all do this (but only if we want to!) It's going to be tough (I mean, what meals are there you can have which DON'T have carbs in them [especially after 8 O'Clock in the evening!!!])
I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, if anyone ever reads this and fancies a jog around Winton rec, I’ll be the chicken-legged, red faced runner wishing deepdown that I was still in bed!!!
Good luck to us!
Alx
(PS: Jen, I wouldn’t change one thing about you, baby: love you! x)
