I'm still here, honest

I'm still alive, but I seem to be rushing around everywhere and never getting near a computer for long enough to write anything coherent. Mum's here, so we're out more, and when we're in she's on it (the woman's worse than I am for compulsive email and message board checking!).

So, what have I been up to? Real life, mainly. One day I went out and got horrendously drunk... at lunchtime... on a week day. I stumbled back into the office at 4pm, went back to the pub at 5, then got home and fell asleep. It was a sleepy drunk day rather than a nauseous drunk day, thankfully. And I was tricked. There were 4 of us, one asked whether we should order a bottle of wine, everyone agreed, and then when it arrived there was only me drinking it. It would have been rude to leave any...

Then after that I went to Cologne with mum for the weekend. A couple of things stand out, going to the chocolate museum to watch Lindt gold bunnies being made was very eastery (as was the consumption of the contents of the museum shop), and I also did what I do with increasing regularity on city breaks and went shopping. What impressed me most about this wasn't the fact that I found something to buy, but that I chose the right size by looking at them, without having a conversion chart to hand. I might actually have an accurate perception of my size. Woo hoo!!

Then back home, back to work, and back to a string of evenings where I didn't make it home until 9 or 10pm. With my early gym starts that equates to walk in the house, prepare bag for the next morning and go to bed. This evening is my first night in since last Tuesday, believe it or not! And bearing in mind I leave the house at 6.15 in the morning, that doesn't leave much time for anything else.

Throughout that (despite what the evil scales might have said on Tuesday morning), I've not done too badly. I'm not claiming that my eating has been anywhere near perfect, but it could have been a lot worse. I've moved my exercise round to fit it in, rather than skipping it because I can't do it when I usually do. I've eaten plenty of fruit and veg. (OK, I also ate plenty of strudel, cheese and chocolate, but we can't be perfect all the time). Other than last Thursday I've kept my drinking sensible. I've had a beer or two, but not excessive amounts. I know that even if some of the extra weight isn't just water it's nothing that won't come off again once I get back into my normal routine. OK, I whinged about it and felt fat and lazy on Tuesday, but with my logical head on it's not a problem.

I'm gaining perspective on what maintenance means. It doesn't mean that I can't eat what I fancy when I'm on holiday, and that I can't have a bottle or two of wine on occasion, all it means is that I have to recognise that as the exception rather than every day life. But I'm not sure I'd want it to be. Today I've been looking forward to cooking for myself using real vegetables, and just having the opportunity to get back into my routine next week. I enjoy spending time with mum and doing different stuff, but it would tire me out to do it permanently.