I think it is time I introduced you to my wife Christine, we have been married for 40 years this year and she is the same size and weighs the same today as she did on our wedding day. That probably does not apply to me.


Although having a penchant for good quality dark chocolate she eats healthily with the correct daily intake of vegetables and fruit. She is also keen that I should eat well so we can enjoy our retirement.
The other point to note here is that I have spent the last 10 years working away from home from Monday to Friday which means four nights a week in hotels.


About three years ago, I lost a considerable amount of weight on The Atkins Diet and now at 5 foot 9 and thirteen and a half stone I am not the fattest person around but I am also not Chuck Norris. But following this weight loss we introduce a ritual of the ‘Friday Weigh In’ when the gain or loss on the last week away was discussed.


Now this was not easy as you can imagine, living in a hotel all week and trying to watch weight did not seem to work.


Let’s take breakfast:

I would walk downstairs from my room saying to myself Tea and Toast, Tea and Toast, Tea and toast, walk into the restaurant Tea and Toast, Tea and Toast, the waitress would walk up Tea and Toast, Tea and Toast and ask anything cooked this morning sir, Oh just couple of poached eggs on a muffin with some crispy bacon on the side and maybe a couple of sausages please. It happened every time. So there you have it to start the day, bowl of fruit, glass of juice, some shredded wheat because Ian Botham say’s its good for the heart, the hot plate and of course a slice of toast and marmalade to accompany the final cup of tea. And that’s only breakfast.


Lunch was usually OK unless I was driving down the motorway then it would be a service station sandwich and sausage roll because these could be easily managed whilst driving at 80 miles and hour in the middle lane.

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