h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...and a pinch punch on the first day of the month.

Have to get my journalling in early today as I've left my laptop in the office so I'll not be able to log in later on.

I've taken the day off work - had planned a girly day of shopping with daughter (I need shoes for my wedding next week!) rounded off by afternoon tea somewhere posh. That bit was part of her 18th birthday present, and I'm still celebrating my recent 50th. We've had to curtail activities somewhat, as her ballet teacher is stuck in Spain with an illness, and so J has to cover some of her classes, which means being in Lisburn by 2 this afternoon. So we'll have afternoon tea for lunch, as it were.

I do enjoy a lie-in now and then. I usually leave my alarm on, so that I'm half awake to relish the sounds of life going on outside while I'm still tucked in bed, ideally with a mug of tea beside me. Getting up at 8 doesn't sound like much of a lie-in, but when I'm usually awoken by noisy puppies at 6 it's a treat!

I've managed to tidy the house after last night's cocktail party (it wasn't too bad, really), and there are still some of Mala's patented spider mallows left, so I'll call those breakfast

9 stone 7 on the scale this morning - a new low, though I'm not sure I believe it.

Well done, B! That's a great achievement.

But how do you manage to persuade the puppies that today is your day for a lie-in?

Wow, you're sooooo skinny now Bea I'd probably not recognise you in the street.

Well done.

Enjoy your day .... while the rest of us work.

Ah, I'm in 'nam today, the puppies are in Lisburn.

"Nam". It did look a bit like that at certain times over the summer.

Bea do you have a golden weight you want to hit? Don't keep shrinking for ever!

A range rather than a specific target. I don't want to go over 10 stone, and I think 9 stone would probably be too thin for me. So somewhere in the middle is about right! It does make buying clothes so simple though - I was able to chuck a couple of cheap pairs of trousers from Tesco into my trolley without even needing to try them on.

What BMI are you aiming for, Bea, or do you not worry about such things?

Below 25.

The scales this morning tell me I'm currently 24.7.

Well done.

I've heard that the ideal BMI for men is 20 - 25 and for women is 19 - 24, but I don't believe it. I think that's just someone thinking that 'ideal women' should be skinny. The most important thing is that you feel good, you don't get tired walking up the stairs, and you don't get cold in the winter.

I'm at BMI 27, but most of that is on my stomach. I could do with starting to go to the gym again, and not drinking quite so much. I'm well below the recommended max level for weekly alcohol consumption, but all those calories have to go somewhere.

I think I'll try to limit myself to half a glass of wine a week until Christmas.

I have no idea what weight I am (think I'm round 8 stone, unsure), BMI means Big Marshmallow Intake, LOL and as for trying on clothes? It differs in every shop so I have to and I despise it. Fitting rooms are horrible.

Tut. If you're around eight stone you've no *need* to know what weight you are.

I'm sure those spidermallows will keep you from getting too skinny!

I know what you mean about buying clothes. It was always so frustrating that the things I liked in charity shops were only available in one size, and that was "too small". It's already better now - I lost 12kg over the summer since I finally found a GP willing to see it as the hormonal issue it was. I hope to shed about another 12. I don't have the bust or hips to be *skinny*, and I don't want to be, but "not overweight" would be good.

Every now and then I'd like to NOT try on clothes.