Get Forked!

It's all over, folks. The Summer of Fun has ended! Sniffle.

When we arrived home from Amsterdam yesterday I looked at the kitchen calendar and now it's all empty white boxes. The Edinburgh Festivals are over, the weekend trips have all been tripped, and now it's back to reality.

I was determined to pack as much in to July and August as possible, so when winter rolls around again I can look back and be smug in the knowledge that we really made the most of the good weather. Turns out I did Something Fun in six out of the eight weekends, which means not only am I knackered, my writing schedule totally off track and we are also completely and utterly broke! But no regrets, you have to do these things while you can. Life is there for the livin'!

Now I am wallowing in post-Fun blues. We saw Radiohead in concert, and since I'm so pathetically obsessed with 'em, the come down is always brutal. Plus Amsterdam was so lovely. I am pining for the canals and the delicious hot chocolates I scoffed down in cafes. Ooh baby. Don't you love the temporary suspension of reality that comes with a holiday. It was just two days, but you start to think that your life is really about sitting in a cloud of smoke eating biscuits and talking about nothing. But then you arrive home and it's raining and you've got a credit card bill and no clean clothes. D'oh!

But as always, I have to look on the bright side! Now the calendar is clear I can crack on with some writing, which I have missed. And I can celebrate the fact that I came through two months of adventures without gaining weight! Hurrah! It's a freakin' miracle, I tells ya. I think am finally, finally learning the fine art of moderation. I somehow managed to make sane choices and not see a holiday as a licence to chow. For example, Amsterdam - instead of ploughing my way through the hotel breakfast buffet as per my usual fashion, we went out to a cafe and I had a wee croissant instead. Okay, that was more due to laziness than planning - we overslept and missed the hotel breakfast. But still! And I downed many hot chocolates as mentioned earlier, but skipped the whipped cream on all but one. Which was really hard to resist because the Dutch word for cream is slagroom, and I really wanted to say, "Gimme slagroom!"

I've mentioned before that when travelling, I always seem to end up eating kilos of cheese and bread, no matter where I am. There's always culture shock or laziness, so you go to a supermarket and buy some cheese and some bread rolls because it's easy. Sometimes you also buy a bag of chips (crisps) too, because your husband taught you that cheese and crisp rolls are delicious in a trashy sort of way. But cheese rolls get tired very quickly, and the body starts screaming out for some vegetables!

This time I was prepared! I had packed two plastic forks and two plastic spoons, so this time we bought some yummy salads from the supermarket plus a tub of yogurt for dessert. The healthier lunch meant I could have a decidedly unhealthy dinner of patat frites in a giant paper cone after the Radiohead show. Good lord, the Dutch are genius with the fried potatoes. Crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle, phwoar!

Excuse me while I mop the drool from the keyboard.

Anyway, it's all about balance. And the plastic fork is the way forward! Hail to the fork! I will be sure to carry it with me on future adventures so I can still have frugal supermarket lunches without cheese.

. . .

After all the above, I've had enough of maintaining, folks. It's time to get back to bustin' blubber. I've ordered the groceries and planned some healthy dinners and will figure out an exercise schedule. Swimming lessons are on hold for two weeks as the Swimming Lady is booked up til then, but I will do some DVDs and some pedalling until then. And all of this will be fun too, in its own way; just like a holiday... right? Right? Hello?

Comments

[1 · Posted by Videl · August 30, 2006 at 03:08 PM]

I just wanted to know, are you getting private swimming lessons or are they in a group? I've always wanted to learn to swim, but I am dead afraid of making a fool of my self in front of a group of people.

[2 · Posted by dg · August 30, 2006 at 03:13 PM]

it'll just be me on my own videl! i am much too chicken for a group lesson :)

[3 · Posted by Jen · August 30, 2006 at 03:44 PM]

Bravo! So glad you had such a wonderful holiday and still maintained. Such a wonderful feeling...almost as good as that great holidy suspension of disbelief you talked about. I remember feeling that way on my last trip to Prague: like those gorgeous cobblestone streets and tudor shops were part of my everyday life. Here's to brilliant holidays!

[4 · Posted by Gina · August 30, 2006 at 05:15 PM]

I am pretty taken with Radiohead, as well. Recently, a friend gave me a disc of Christopher O'Riley playin' the boyz tunes on his piano. Have you heard it?? Lovely.

[5 · Posted by Heather · August 30, 2006 at 06:26 PM]

Way to go with the maintenance during all your fun activities! It is amazing to realize how some habits become ingrained without us even noticing, isn't it? I was on crutches for four weeks this summer, so almost completely sedentary except for the few exhausting ventures I took on the crutches, and I wasn't particularly good with the food (or so I thought), but I made it through the whole thing with only a 2-lb gain. I was very proud of that! I figure it means I've learned to pay attention to my hunger and to choose better foods, even when I'm not trying too hard.

[6 · Posted by Zoe · August 30, 2006 at 08:31 PM]

Just popping by to say congratulations on the "moderation" thing - that's the key!

I'm off to pack some plastic forks and spoons in my handbag for future emergencies...

[7 · Posted by Sue · August 30, 2006 at 08:46 PM]

So, do you pretend to swim in the bath, just so you can wear your new togs?

[8 · Posted by Isabelle · August 30, 2006 at 11:13 PM]

Yes, don't other languages have good words? I seem to remember that the Spanish for "I put" is "pongo", which is rather pleasing. Pongo slagroom on my cake.

[9 · Posted by Joc · August 31, 2006 at 01:18 AM]

Was almost ready to shed a tear at the thought of the end of summer when I realised ... Spring starts here on Friday YAY, so we are just at the beginning. Thank God for that I hate winter.

Good work with maintining through the holiday season, I think that's the hardest part about weight loss, we all manage to lose it one way or the other but keeping it gone... um yeah I'll get back to you on that when I work out how.

Happy writing!

[10 · Posted by kathryn · August 31, 2006 at 01:26 AM]

Slagroom - that rocks! At least you could say something like - no slagroom for me!

I love the chip and cheese shanga. It's the only way I eat chips. It's right up there with the hot chip sanga in the healthy food stakes.

[11 · Posted by Michelle · August 31, 2006 at 05:41 AM]

What about the sour cream or is it salad cream that they dollop on those frittes? Especially after a visit to a cafe! I loved those things!!

[12 · Posted by Hayley · August 31, 2006 at 05:44 AM]

LOL at slagroom, I can use that!

I'm V. V. jealous that you can just pop over to Amsterdam for hot chocolates and lovely walks. Where I live is about 10 hours from ANYTHING of interest... oh well, se la vi (spelling?)

Congrats on maintenance over holidays, go to it with the 'gut bustin' - you're an inspiration!

Hayley

[13 · Posted by claire · August 31, 2006 at 06:08 AM]

Well done. I reckon learning to resist the urge that holidays allow an all out splurge will set you up well for when you are up the duff. This is my current struggle, eating well for the baby but not using it as an excuse to eat all I desire.

Take the plastic fork to a higher and more daggy level, get a knife, fork, spoon thingy from a camping store. They are great, about the size of a pocket knife, handy to carry and more robust than plastic.

[14 · Posted by Suzie · August 31, 2006 at 10:15 AM]

Congrats on the maintenance, yay!

Heather- don't crutches suck! I've been on them 6 weeks (with another 6 to go, bah) and just can't face moving... Spose it means I can't actually get to bad food at least!

[15 · Posted by blubbah · August 31, 2006 at 12:00 PM]

Does the UK have sporks? Double the use, half the space! And also, it's called a spork! (Some of them now even have one serrated edge, which blows my mind.)

[16 · Posted by Cat · August 31, 2006 at 01:42 PM]

Sporks are totally the way forward! but have not seen one round here (UK) for a while... maybe they are all away having their edges serrated...

[17 · Posted by Denise · September 01, 2006 at 12:39 AM]

Crusty bread and cheese...mmmmm.

[18 · Posted by Margaret · September 01, 2006 at 03:02 AM]

Yeah for languages, isn't the common old NZ Jandal a thong in Aussie???

Cheers for another interest post, luv it!!!

[19 · Posted by Argy · September 01, 2006 at 06:20 AM]

I just saw the numbers. You have lost a whole size 14 shauna!!!! This is mega stuff!!!

[20 · Posted by Marshmallow · September 02, 2006 at 01:22 AM]

Sporks for the win! Best weapon of choice! Forks poke, spoons gouge, while sporks poke AND gouge.

...

They poke and gouge THE FOOD, not eyeballs. I'm really not that violent a person.

*runs*

[21 · Posted by Nic · September 02, 2006 at 07:04 PM]

Hi DG! First visit to this site and I am INSPIRED! I have 5kg to shed (gained from the discovery of Cornish pasties [among much else] since being in the UK) and I am going to do it wid ya! *insert evil contrived 'R&B' accent and wierd sticky plaster on face* :D

No pongo slagroom on my cake either! XXXXX