Losing and laughter - the skirt fiasco

By Virginia Winder
The evolution continues.
"Hello person who doesn't look like you any more," a woman I know quips as we cross paths.
"I still feel the same - just fitter, healthier," I yell over my shoulder.
But things have changed.
No 1 problem is that my clothes are getting too big. Way too big.
I know some of you may think this is a great thing, but there are two downsides to downsizing.
1. I love the clothes I had and they were chosen with love and care.
2. When clothes get too big it can be downright embarrassing.
Let me paint you a scenario of a hapless, hurrying woman on her way to a meeting last Wednesday morning...
The lift doors open and I rush out, pen and folder in hand heading for a gathering on the top floor of Puke Ariki. I am a few minutes late, so I break into a light jog.
If this was a movie, that jog would turn into a slow-motion scene so you, the audience, know something disastrous is about to happen.
Hold that thought... me jogging in slow-mo strides, and there you can start to see what's happening, see the slip of the material, see my eyes open wide... switch to the woman manager in the glass office, see her look up from her desk in astonishment, then there's a shot of a woman in the lift putting hand over mouth in gleeful horror, and then back to me...standing there in a puddle of black cloth.
Yes, my skirt fell off, straight down, on the floor, leaving me stranded in my black underpants! This is the stuff of nightmares.
I whipped it back on and headed to my meeting, hot-faced and guffawing inwardly at the absurdity of my life and terribly thankful the boss wasn't having a high-powered meeting in her office.
"That's one of the funniest things I've seen in years," the woman in the lift told me later.
We laughed together.
So, yes, I've still been training, especially biking and running.
I've also been eating well - mostly. But when I'm busy, and overworking, I crave carbohydrates and sugars, especially chocolate. That's when I try to have unroasted nuts on hand because protein staves off those cravings.
Drinking water still isn't easy. I forget. My husband, Warren has even taken to texting me "drink water" messages, which works. It's all about reprogramming.
It's amazing what the mind can do, what changes can take place, one step at a time.
Just remember to laugh at yourself on the way, because if you don't, everyone else will.
Live lightly if you can.