The Fat Woman Abroad.

Coooooeeee! I am back from my hols.

I am starting with this....  "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!" ~ Mae West

You can guess why. Yes, the holiday was a fabulous food-fest and I bloody well enjoyed it. We ate SO well, at home and in great restaurants. No junk food in sight. Not only that we drank every day - with wine or beer to accompany food at lunchtime (in the sun) and wine to wash down food in the evening. Sometimes we even finished with a night-cap of brandy in creamy coffee. Oh dear.

Not good when you are supposed to be losing weight, is it? I am NOT getting on the scales. It could have been worse. I drank lots and lots of water every day, I always had a healthy breakfast and we walked lots. I also dragged my man into the sea for a paddle. I love being by the sea. He was reluctant...but so what if the ends of your shorts get wet? I was rushing in and out of the sea laughing..trying to avoid the huge waves which came crashing in. It's good for the soul to be playful I think. (Typical Fat Brit abroad? All I needed was a knotted hanky on my head...) OK so the beach was full of beautifully groomed slim women..in tiny bikinis and bronzed men in tiny trunks. I was fat and middle aged and probably laughing too loudly. The sand sticks to your feet and is a marvellous pedicure...all the hard skin removed....so I decided I WOULD brave the beach, even though I might have looked out of place and attracted stares (of repulsion probably, from all the 'beautiful people'.) I am not going to apologise for being me. Life is too short. I'll never wear a bikini again, nor do I feel the need to. Oh...and walking in the sand is also quite a strenuous activity too...it gets the leg muscles working. (OK so I am trying to justify the over-indulgence.) I swam in the pool..twice..

It was a good break and all my pre-holiday fears proved to be in vain. The company was good too. It WAS a beach holiday...not my favourite sort really. I prefer sight-seeing, a bit of culture and the magnificent scenery of the great-outdoors, but we WERE in a great place and the sun shone all week. We've been before, because my man's sister owns a villa out there. It's a place where the wealthy congregate and go to be seen. Mere mortals like me just look on, in awe ;)

OK so I felt enormous compared to all the chic and glamorous women who holidayed in the exclusive little port in Spain..(see pic/link if it shows up...) They were obviously wealthy, but I have long since stopped envying wealth and lifestyle. The enormous white yachts moored in the harbour and the flashy cars parked in the bays nearby were stupendous. Great to look at ..just superb...and representations of wealth far removed from my lifestyle (and those of most people on this planet), but that was OK.

http://www.malagaweb.com/images/photos/banus.jpg

I was thinking : as a fat woman I envy slimmer women and wish I could look like them. I am not sure I could do (or would want to do) filthy-rich and posing as well! The women were sleek, trendy, slim (cough) and wore exquisite jewellery - to go with their even tans and huge, flashy sun-glasses. Their cars purred by, and onlookers would move out of the way to let them pass though...as was their right, or so it seemed. All quite amusing. Ostentation does very little for me..I wanted to scorn these spoiled people, but I enjoyed looking! It's another world. All I know is, I had a fabulous week away in the sun and I was very lucky to have that break. I am really not sure whether sticking to a diet (or even healthy eating) was on the cards in reality.

I think I may have to start again....(eeek!) but at least I shall start with a tan (very slimming..yes?) and a happier, more relaxed disposition.

Where ever you are, I hope your week has been good too. Like me, you might have had a bad week, food wise, and you might have to get back in the saddle and work hard with a new-found determination. OK, so we gave in, temporarily, but all is not lost. Back to square one. The main thing is - we are not giving up on ourselves :)