I’ve noticed lately that Mr Grump has got a little pot belly on him. He still looks skinny,but there is this little bit of podge around his tummy that he needs to get rid of.He has also been giving our dog Roxy a few too many treats, as he spoils her rotten. Now when she flops down on my lap or crawls over me to get to him, I am almost winded,as she seems substantially heavier than before.

It goes without saying that I too need to lose weight. I am sick of looking like a barrel; no shape at all, and whereas before my legs were quite slim, they are beginning to resemble tree trunks now and that won’t do. Having watched a programme on TV this morning about people that were ‘too fat to work’ I put down the nutcrackers (we still have a few nuts left over from Christmas) and decided that I  had better get a grip of myself! (not that hard really as there is rather a lot of me to grip).

I don’t want to end up like some of these unfortunate souls who get ridiculed in the street, not to mention suffer from all sorts of ailments associated with being overweight. However sometimes it is a slow process that gradually creeps up until you get on the scales and freak out!  I think it is time to nip things in the bud and take action.

I was really cross to hear about one of our British ‘Celebrities’ who won ‘The Apprentice’ some years ago, who stated that she would never employ a fat person as they were lazy, or words to that effect. She then said there was no excuse whatsoever to be overweight and to prove it she put on nearly 4 stone (about 50 lbs, or 25kg roughly) which she said she would lose again to show how easy it is!

She bloody did it as well, and in fact lost more that she gained in only 3 months! To top it off she  made a TV programme about it  (You can read about it here if you are interested).On the one hand this makes me feel guilty as there is no excuse for me being overweight; on the other hand it makes me annoyed, as some people do genuinely have problems losing weight, and she is belittling them ( I cannot include myself in this group as I just love my food).

Anyway, I have a habit of comfort eating, especially at the moment, and fruit just doesn’t cut it for me like a packet of crisps does! I wish I could be like Mr Grump who sometimes ‘doesn’t feel hungry’ . I always feel hungry. Well the unhealthy snacks will have to go, as will the rather generous portions Mr Grump serves up at mealtimes (He loves feeding people up, – and dogs too for that matter)!

Mr Grump’s weakness is beer (or bitter to be precise). He does like to have a few cans at the weekend to relax, but they have been taking their toll, hence the ‘muffin top’, and the loosening of his belt.  Mind you it won’t be long before his stomach is as flat as his arse as he is pretty disciplined (unlike me)!  I think he will have more of a problem not  being able to feed the rest of us up than he will losing weight.

Miss Hap will of course be appalled. She is pretty solid but burns off a tremendous amount of energy due to her constantly being on the go. The mere mention of the words ‘diet’ and ‘healthy’ will put her in a strop, and it will be a nightmare getting her to eat her meals. (It is bad enough already when she thinks that her ‘cook from frozen’ school dinners taste better than our home-cooked offerings).

Poor old Roxy will no longer be getting the odd sly sausage, or the left-overs from Miss Hap’s plate after dinner. She will no doubt be sulking along with Miss Hap when we get started on our new regime.

It’s going to be a bit fraught around here for a while, I reckon!