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.