Where are you Gok when I need you?

Since my spinal operation it is no secret that I have stacked on quite a few pounds. Today I decided to try on a few outfits from my wardrobe. How depressing. Not even a pair of Gok Wan's huge bodyshaper knickers could heave me in enough to fit into my few staple outfits that I drag out whenever I am invited to an occasion. Luckily I had already decided to buy something new for my niece's wedding as my "posh" outfits won't go anywhere near me!

I knew I had put on weight of course but still stupidly thought that I could fit into at least some of my wardrobe. Thank goodness I had a try on before I needed them. I have managed to find something that fits but I still bear a close resemblance to an overstuffed sofa. What makes it all the more sad is that I have been trying to diet for the last couple of weeks!

The knitting has not grown by a stitch despite going to the Kings Arms knit club last night. My crochet has grown but I still have the dilemma of only having one ball left and the sweater is still not long enough and the sleeves are too short. Hmm thinking cap on to see what I can improvise.

Why don't I look like this now?

I have just finished hanging out my washing on the line to dry in the sunshine. Yes folks, make the most of it, Manchester has sunshine today. As I pegged out my over large unsexy harvest festival bloomers (all is safely gathered in) my thoughts drifted to the time not that long ago when I not only fitted in these size 14 trousers but my underwear was a lot more lacy and flimsy looking. The ones I wear these days probably frighten the neighbours and take as much room on the washing line as a pillow case!

What brought these thoughts on. A step on the bathroom scales did. I decided to check my weight to see how the half hearted weight loss for the op was getting along and horror of horrors I have gained 5lbs! Not quite the result I am aiming for. So it's zip my mouth up time. Is it too late to run to the store for a big box of Slimfast? I must do something asap otherwise I run the risk of the op being cancelled yet again because of my weight issues.

I never have been a skinny girl but these issues have come about since my relative inactivity. When I had the shop I was on the go all the day. The stockroom was upstairs so I ran up and down many times during the day. Plus my stock went to the ceiling and so I was up and down ladders so any food got worked off no problem. I gained a bit when changed jobs as in administration there was a lot of PC work so I sat on my bum a lot but still the weight gain was minimal. My back got worse, I stopped work and my weight ballooned.

I am doing some housework today and praying that I burn some calories off. I have changed the brown throws on the suite as lovely as they are they are brushed and Buster's hair sticks to them as if they are magnetized. I have just chopped up an old faded , shabby green throw to make 3 seat covers and hopefully they will be easier to keep hair free. Ugly but the hair doesn't stick to them. I promise that I will sew the edges up one day when I can lift the sewing machine up to the table.

The day has whizzed past today and I got up late. I was crocheting until 2am last night as I didn't feel sleepy and so consequently I didn't get up until 10 am this morning. Such a waste of the day. Buster wasn't impressed as he has missed his morning walk. I will take him out soon.

I feel like I have a knee full of chopsticks

I feel rather like I have a lapful of spaghetti and chopsticks. I am knitting long legged soakers for a fellow Knitty Nora member's baby girl but the wool has not got a good yardage and so I do not have enough wool for the legs. The wool was hand dyed so I could not ask for another ball. I introduced some cream wool into the leg and last night knitted one leg in a broken striped pattern but when I got up this morning I didn't like it very much so I unravelled it. I decided that I would not have enough wool to complete the second leg the same way. I decide then to search out another set of needles and work both legs at the same time so that any striping would be identical and I could see how the wool was working out. So I now have 7 double pointed needles and 4 balls of wool to tangle with! I am a glutton for punishment. I just hope that she likes the finished random effect.

I went to the dentist yesterday to do the impression for my bite guard. I hate that squishy feeling when I had to bite down into the soggy sticky pink rubber tasting goo. I had a mouthful, a tongue full and even a face full by the time he had finished. Good job I wasn't wearing any make up as I had bits of rubber solution sticking all over my face and chin and not just around my mouth. I have no idea how it finished up everywhere.

I didn't make it to water aerobics today for various reasons (mostly laziness and apathy!) but I did get a bit of good news yesterday. I hopped on the scales (which is a thing I don't usually do) in preparation for trying to start a diet and discovered that I have lost 5lbs since my last weigh in 2 weeks ago. The hospital had weighed me then and I was convinced that their scales were wrong so I had hopped on mine when I got home. All I have done differently is to stop taking my HRT for the last 2 weeks. I had always insisted that I had gained weight after I started on them but everyone in the medical profession that I said this to just poo pooed the suggestion. They said it was just because I was eating more because I felt better. I knew I was eating the same amount as usual but thought that they knew best.

I found out today that one of my neighbours is having a very similar back operation to me in the next couple of weeks. Same hospital but different surgeon. I hope hers goes well otherwise it will start my nerves off if she has any problems. I am quite surprised they are doing it as she is quite a lot fatter than I am but maybe different surgeons have different rules for weight. I am not nervous at the moment as it all seems to be a long time away. My pre-op is not until beginning of April so I am not expecting to go in before May or June.

I had a shock today in the form of my gas bill. I haven't used any more gas and am pretty frugal with the central heating and the thermostat and it has really gone up such a lot. I was convinced that theymust have read the meter wrong but they haven't. The upshot of it is that they have now put my direct debit up by £10 a month to cover it. My pension is going up £4 a week but the way that every utility bill is going up people in my situation just get poorer and poorer. True we get £200 a year just before Christmas but that still doesn't make up for all the price increases. No wonder old people freeze to death. I am lucky. I am still pretty active despite my back problems but I do feel chilly in the house on really cold days. I couldn't afford to keep the heat on all day. I bought a calor gas heater with last year's heating allowance but haven't used it much. I can see I will be dragging it back out of the garage soon unless the weather gets warmer soon.