Weight watching, the lazy way

FOLLOW THE LAD

People worry about retiring. For several reasons.

Having enough income to live a decent life is the biggest one for most. We're lucky enough to have enough coming in to feed, house and clothe ourselves, and still have something left over to enjoy life with.

Then there's health. Well, you're getting older and the body doesn't quite function like it once did, but all you can do is try to keep active, eat healthily and hope you're lucky. Plus there's a lot to be said for not having to go into an office, or on crowded commuter public transport, when there are bugs going around.

Boredom?  Some people wonder how they'll fill the hours of every day when they no longer have a job to turn up at. They wonder how they'll cope with the loss of routine and structure that work provides. They think they'll miss the office gossip, the intellectual challenge, the sense of achievement. And really it depends on the type of person you are. I might, very occasionally, have missed some of the people I used to see every day. But the rest of it? Nah.... Never once. Far from being bored, I wonder how to fit in all the things I want to do some days. And I do have the chance to get some of those things a job used to provide through voluntary work (more of which in a future post). Trust me, there's no reason to let yourself get bored with life.

There was one thing I did have some concerns about though, partly linked to the health concerns above. Other than during a particularly stressful period of work almost twenty years ago, I've never been one to have to worry much about putting on weight. But a less active, less stressed, less structured lifestyle might well lead to eating more, burning off less, and an enlarging waistline. Fortunately we've discovered the perfect route to maintaining a steady mass.

It's simple really. Although we might wake around 7.30 or 8, that's not the same as actually getting up, is it? I go down for hot drinks, feed the cat, come back to bed and catch up on what's happening in the world (WiFi is the retiree's friend). Another round of drinks, a bit of a read of whatever book I'm currently in to and .... oh look, it's 10.30. How did that happen? So by the time I'm up, and done a bit of stretching (those cats know a thing or two), had a shower and chosen today's t shirt, breakfast seems to be some time around midday. And I do like a decent sized breakfast.

So there isn't a lunchtime really. And it's too close to dinner time to want to start snacking, so there is no incentive to eat anything much until I sit at the table again. That's it, that's the secret. Get up so late you can't really consider anything more than two decent meals. I call it the LAD. The Lazy Arse Diet. Works for me....