My blogging shame

Today I've had two complaints about my lack of recent bloggage. One of them even cited the date that I last wrote and pointed out that I'd said in that very entry that I'd be updating loads because I had time off work. Well, um, I lied, didn't I? But while I might not be sticking to my vow to update this regularly, I am sticking to the diet. No slip-ups, no drama and I've now lost over two stone. So, what the hell have I been doing with my time? Let's see...

Home improvements: My flat is now nearly as beautiful as I want it to be. Thanks to the combined skills and general brilliance of my parents (Mum = painting and curtain making superstar. Dad = demon driller) and my own sense of motivation (which I never used to have before this diet), my living room is now all kinds of gorgeous. It's been rid of crappy Argos bookshelves and Ikea bits and pieces, and is full of things I really love from vintage shops and eBay. Speaking of which...

Spending money: Oh my god, I'm addicted to shopping. Over the past few weeks, Paypal has become my best pal. I've realised that everything is better in America and have been buying all sorts of clothes that don't fit me yet from sites like pinupgirlclothing.com, as well as loads more tat for my house from far-flung corners of the world like Oklahoma, Rotterdam and, er, Crystal Palace. I've also been spending money in actual shops, where you have to deal with human beings and everything, and today bought my first much smaller item that actually fits. I know a size 14 isn't small by a lot of people's standards, but it is definitely in the realms of "normal" and "curvy" rather than "fat", so for me to be able to buy something that size - and not even something stretchy, but a fitted autumnal jacket - is quite an achievement. And it wasn't a fluke - I tried on several different coats of various shapes and colours, and 14 was the right size in all of them. This is partly because my boobs (which normally had me firmly in size 18 territory with anything that needed to fasten) have shrunk quite a bit over the past week or so. Don't worry, whammer fans, they're still definitely prominent, but you might want to kiss goodbye to them soon. Not literally. Unless you're fit. Today I also bought a waist-cinching belt in a medium (the large was too big! This is unheard of!) which shows where my weight is coming off - my waist is under 32 inches now, but my hips are still of child-bearing proportions and, well, baby's most definitely got back. I'm still definitely a 16 in jeans, but that's OK - I like having an arse, and I know things will be in proportion eventually.

Socialising: My struggle with having fun while not boozing/eating is over - it's now totally fine. I went to a wedding drinks thing on Saturday night and had a brilliant time - the best I've had since starting the diet, and it didn't bother me at all that people were scoffing chips and knocking back shots of sambuca. I've also been enjoying doing different things - there have been more trips to the theatre, more gigs, more nice lunchtime strolls, more ridiculous conversations with Nicky (the day we run out of things to say to each other is the day the world ends) and I've just got home from my first ever meeting of Isabel's Book Group For Nice Girls Who Are Clever And Not Pretentious (search for it on Facebook if you want to join) where we discussed Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin. A lovely mixture of people came along and it made me feel all warm inside - and without the aid of Jack Daniels. I think that when it comes to drinking again, I'll take a much more moderate approach, as I've realised I absolutely don't need it to have a good time, which is quite the revelation for me.

Getting a big head: I've been really touched and overwhelmed by how lovely 99 per cent of people I know have been about me doing this. Obviously it goes without saying that my closest friends and family have been amazing, but I've also been getting lots of support and encouragement from people I don't know so well. Every day I get compliments about how good I'm looking, and some of the most meaningful come in the form of private messages from random people on the fringes of my life, because I know they wouldn't bother if they didn't mean it. It really keeps me going and I'll be keeping them all in a special file so if I struggle further down the line, I can give myself a boost. Blimey, that was a bit sincere. I hate you all really.

The important thing to remember is even though I might be, according to some of you, looking great at the moment, I do still have a long way to go. I'm over halfway through the first stage of this diet, but the hard bit comes after that, when real food starts coming into it. I'm determined to get to my target of a size 12 which I reckon will involve losing around two more stone, but it's really hard to say. At the moment it feels quite easy but I know it won't stay that way, so it means a lot to me that I have so many people being so damned brilliant. Aaaargh, there goes that heartfelt sincerity again! I'd better go before I start weeping or something.