At the opening of Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art last night, I found it very difficult to find a drink of the non-alcoholic or calorie-laden kind. Some of the huge bench bars had nothing but bubbly and many of the waiters had only beer and wine on their trays. I realise a lot of people like to have alcohol at this kind of event - and I'm usually among them - but I think the State Government should show some leadership here when it comes to serving healthy choices at its own venues.

This morning a crew from Channel 9's Extra program is filming me for a segment about my weight loss and fitness program to be aired next year - when, hopefully, I can report some great results.

According to the scales at the gym, I am now 9kg lighter than I was when I first weighed-in at my doctor's three weeks ago. Of course, I expect my weight to fluctuate, and the losses to slow down, but I'm fairly pleased with my progress so far.

I had a fairly rigorous session at the gym this morning, but that's not what has me worried. It was when I pulled the still-damp-with-sweat T-shirt out of my bag this afternoon and realised that I'm starting to smell like a gym junkie.

I survived not one but two Christmas functions, drinking only water and avoiding over-indulgence in high-calorie hors'd'oeuvres. I'm really starting to get a sense that I can do this, sensibly and slowly.

In the gym yesterday, I had a moment where I felt I was going to fall. My trainer was incredulous that such a thing could happen. Why am I telling this story? Because everybody's sense of balance - and perception of reality, for that matter - is different. What seemed perfectly safe and normal for him was a real challenge for me. Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not doing this because I want to stay in my comfort zone. That's why I put on weight in the first place.

I was thinking a little further about my post this morning and was reminded of a quote that's variously attributed to Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra: "I pity people who don't drink, because when they wake up that's the best they're going to feel all day."
That hasn't been the case for me! I've been feeling worse in the mornings now than I did when I was having a few drinks at night - although not as bad as I have felt the morning after a really big session.

I got my first compliment on losing weight the other day, which is fantastic. Still, I've got to admit that I don't feel well. I wake up each morning with more aches and pains than I did when I was less "healthy".

I bought some Frozen Coke today - not for myself, I hasten to add - and couldn't help making a comment about the sugar in soft drinks. "It's OK to drink sugar," said the young guy behind the counter, "sd long as you exercise." Given the size of the drink, a 60km walk home from Movie World might just about have evened it out.

I'm heading off to Movie World this morning. It's always a challenge to a dieter to visit a theme park. I wonder if there'll be anything healthy on the menu? I'll report back.

No rest for the wicked. It may be the weekend, but there's housework and racing about to do. All that exercise must be good for the wasitline (I hope).

I went to Friday-night drinks at the pub this afternoon and stuck to bottled water. I didn't feel entirely out of place, but I couldn't see myself having a long session just on H2O.

I faced an opening-night challenge last night. I had to rush to the theatre (to see The Pirates of Penzance) with no time for a real dinner, and get through the interval and the after-party without having an alcoholic drink or gorging myself. I had a small amount of cheese and some salami on crackers, plus two glasses of mineral water. Although the company was excellent, I didn't hang around long.

It's off to the gym again this morning, even though I don't have a thing to wear. My trainer reckons my almost knee-length shorts are fine, but others in my household don't share that opinion. Still, I'm confident enough that I will lose more weight that I'm not going to rush out to buy something that may not fit soon. In the meantime, I'm glad it's not one of those gyms full of judgmental, posturing w-nkers.

One of the things about giving up drinking - which I have done for short periods on various occasions (my record is six weeks) - is that it creates extra time in the day. Well, not really, but it does seem that way. On nights when I have nothing in particular planned (or no responsibilities to discharge), I find the distance between the end of the working day and bedtime seems longer than usual. The challenge is to use the time wisely. (I'll leave it up to you to decide whether writing this blog qualifies.)

On my doctor's advice, I bought a blood pressure machine - probably because my systolic reading was 161 when he first saw me (which alarmed him and is, I have discovered, above the recommended "upper limit"). Since my first reading on November 11, the measurement has fluctuated from a loq of 128/82 (in the "normal" range) to a high of 150/90 (in the upper limit). These changes can be attributed to time of day, amount of activity and other factors, but charting them is - I think - an important step in this process.

One of the requirements of my personal trainer is that I write down everything I consume so we can work on my nutrition. Of course, that's hassle, but it's also an incentive not to overindulge - becuase I'm going to have to account for it.

I woke up quite sore this morning from yesterday's exercise, and I'm still stiff this afternoon. I know it's doing me good, but I've just got to convince my body.

While I'm going to the gym for formal exercise, I'm also trying to increase the amount of exercise I do in every day life. This morning's hour-long bucket brigade to water the garden (we can't use hoses because of the drought) will certainly contribute to that. Oh, my aching back ...

I made it out of the gym alive and I've signed up for 12 weeks of personal training. I also weighed in at 118.5kg - but I'm not getting excited about that, because it's using different scales at a different time of day.