Is dieting anti-social?

14st 6lb. I know it wasn't a weigh in day but I decided that I was so encouraged by Friday that I would sneak a peak - this time genuine and constant, so valid. Now I'm over half way down the stone towards being in the 13's - it is so exciting!

I did really well at work yesterday and had grapefruit for breakfast and a hard boiled egg with a chopped tomato for lunch. I drank lemon water all day barring one cup of tea. This compromise suits me better - interspersing a healthy fruit tea or lemon water with my normal rations. I still need to win the battle to drink water as habit - after 44 years I suppose it is a hard nut to crack.

Last night, as I had said, we went to friends for dinner. It was a really good evening, including the girls which was great. There were nibbley bits with drinks which was easy as there were peppers and carrot sticks for dipping so I just ignored the dips and a mix of unsalted cashew nuts and walnuts which are perfectly acceptable to detoxing. I ignored the crisps and peanuts. So far, so good. I had a glass of crisp, chilled, dry champagne which was definitely fat free the last time I looked and doesn't taste very sugary - and quite frankly, I am so rarely offered champagne these days that I would have accepted it whatever the contents. Supermodels sup champagne and they are all stick thin. Dinner was self serve chicken with a delicious mushroom & cider sauce and vegetables. At least then you can fill alot of the plate with vegetables and no one notices what you are eating. Pudding was not so successful (it was in the eating, just not for the diet) - a warm almond & plum tart and banoffe pie - I only had a small piece (of each) but it would have been rude not to have. Since I had already been naughty, I couldn't resist 2 biscuits with delicious, tart blue cheese followed by two chocolate mints.

Which brings me to our Sunday topic - is dieting anti-social? I conclude that, yes it is. As I intimated in my last session, my partner is averse to me eating a different meal from the rest of the family (which I try not to do, but steak & kidney pie with a luscious suet crust pastry served with creamy mash and rich gravy is definitely not on the menu for any dieter!). I think going out to dinner at a restaurant is definitely an easier option than going to friends as you can, without mentioning anything or making a fuss, order sensibly from the menu and I always find, in a group of 8 diners, there are at least a couple who decline a pudding so you don't stand out (admittedly, I am never one of the two, but there's always a first time!). Going to friends is a different matter altogether and I'm afraid I've concluded that you just have to forget it (within reason) for the night. The alternative is to cause discomfort among your fellow diners and of course, the host. The real world (outside the diet bubble) involves a variety of foods and levels of fattening-ness and we have to learn to balance them into our daily lives. A high calorie meal can be counter balanced the following day by relative abstinence and therefore, enjoyed with everyone else on the night. My brother, who calls my blog "your witterings", goes on holiday for example, knowing full well that he is most likely to gain about half a stone. He accepts this and acknowledges that it is the price he will pay for thoroughly enjoying every meal out, freely consuming good wine and snacking in a way that he wouldn't at home. When he gets home, however, he immediately gets "back on the horse" and works for the next few weeks to take the excess off. It commands discipline (which isn't my strong point) but does release you from any potential problems that may occur when socialising.

I do tend to offer to drive which, though may seem boring, does remove the chance to consume copious calories in the form of alcohol (although when younger I used to find significant amounts of vodka led to a fascinatingly flat stomach!). Although it is in my nature to home in on the nibbles, setting yourself on the opposite side of the room from the truly tempting ones is one solution. There is something about nibbles that is just so moreish and once you have one, another is inevitably going to follow - it must be because you are ready for dinner and peckish.

I am sure there is nothing more boring than someone twittering on about being on a diet (in fact, thinking about it, I have been wondering why all my friends have a kind of similar glazed expression at the moment - I thought it was a virus that I had been lucky to avoid but maybe......could it be...me...and my diet....blog..???).

So come on fellow dieters, let's get a note of realism into the proceedings. If you can avoid "forbidden fruits" without making anyone else feel awkward then do, but if you can't, don't beat yourself up about it. Don't clean up all the nibbles just because they're there and you haven't had any for weeks. Try not to eat all the chocolates on the plate (especially if you're a bit p**ssed). Do not ask for the plate of chocs/cheese etc to be passed to you - if it's sitting in front of you, you know you will not resist.

Lastly, the following morning, you can not have a fry up for breakfast just because you "broke" your diet the previous evening! You are not a failure and are still dieting.

A good week coming up, I feel.

E xx
PS. Nothing to do with dieting but, is it only me or can only women put loo rolls on the holder?