Putting money on a white Christmas

We're awaiting our next big freeze and possibly a white Christmas (normally unheard of in most of the UK).  The last dump of snow was great and remnants still remain here and there despite warmer temperatures.  No trains, planes or school.  It wasn't even worth clearing the driveway; there was no way the car would make it up the road without snow-chains, which are such a faff to put on and take off.  And there wasn't anywhere to go anyway!

Instead, 'working from home' via Blackberry (husband not me), 'working from home' via PC (me) and plenty of healthy walks in the deep snow in fruitless search of bread and milk (it's amazing what you can find in the cupboards to make do).  Plenty of sledging for the kids (i'm sure it's educational in some way; physics, geography?)

And yes, I am holding a box of chocolates, but they weren't for me - honest!

Excuses, excuses!

What a coup!  The lastest copy of The Endocrinologist (courtesy of The Society for Endocrinology) landed on my desk the other day.  My attention was instantly grabbed by the picture of a young woman on a running machine (younger, thinner and quite obviously fitter than myself) accompanied by the title 'The Solution to Obesity?'  The question mark intrigued me.  I quote from Dr John Newell-Price's Editorial;

'All too frequently clinicians will encounter those in outpatient clinics who are convinced that the First Law of Thermodynamics must be wrong. Many will pay for expensive gym and club membership in an effort to lose weight,...' [tell me about it] '...but few understand the phenomenal effort needed to burn even a paltry number of calories,...' [I would disagree - I am frequently aware of the phenomenal effort required!] '...and the ease with which all the good work can be undermined by seemingly innocent amounts of food......only super-humans have the ability to exercise to anything approaching the example of [Everest mountaineers and Tour de France riders], and if output, rather than input, is the major focus, then the more 'average Joe' efforts that most can achieve will result in a disheartening and expensive experience for all.'

Ah ha!!

At first glance, I thought I'd found the perfect (medically-backed) excuse for ditching the gym and all things energetic - no amount of effort put in at the gym is going to burn enough calories to put a dent in my weight, right?

Of course, it's not that simple is it?  Never is; damn it!

Firstly, this refers only to losing weight of course, which is just part of my puzzle.  Don't forget the obligatory 'lose weight and tone up...' requirements that I have set myself for being able to trek 100km through the Sahara.  Yes, sadly for me the 'getting fit' part of my regime requires my continued presence at the gym of torture.  It was worth a try.

But the double body-blow is that to lose weight, it seems i will have to limit my calorific intake - harsh!  Christmas is coming for crying out loud - christmas cake, turkey, stuffing, christmas pudding, mince pies, brandy butter and enless sausage rolls.

Still, all may not be lost, because there aren't any calories in wine, right?

Cheers!