The Recession Diet

Little did I know that all it would take for me to lose a few pounds would be to have the company I work for make a couple of hundred people redundant.

As is the case with most women, I've been alternating over recent months between starving and gorging myself in a bid to lose the last couple of pounds between me and my target weight. (I use target in the loosest sense.. it keeps shifting by a pound or two depending on what mood I'm in). It's been a struggle, as I love those afternoon baking sessions with Lou Loo, watching her stand on her tip toes on her steps, 'helping' me to weigh and mix ingredients, her floury fingers scooping the mixture out of the bowl so that she can have a taste. The downside is that I usually end up trying out what we've baked (over and over again), just to make sure that it tastes ok.

But about a week ago, the negative effects of all of our baking were virtually cancelled out by the gut-wrenching, nerve-destroying situation of me having to tell people that they don't have a job any more. It's one sure way of putting you off your food.

I can only imagine that what I've gone through as the bearer of bad news is just a fraction of the anguish and distress felt by those who have been selected for redundancy, but it's been incredibly difficult. I've been walking around in a fog most of the time, like many people in the office, while trying to be strong and show some degree of leadership to the team. In some ways, it's a relief to get away and work at home for two days.

My appetite is coming back slowly, but I can feel that my hips are already an inch or two closer to where I want them to be.

I can think of many easier ways of getting there though..