Have you heard that old joke that goes “I feel like a new man, the only trouble is that so does the wife!” Yeah, it’s a classic ain’t it? But don’t worry, my wife isn’t looking for a replacement husband but the one that she has is feeling a certain sense of improvement.

So much so that I thought I would post a bit of an update on what I was hoping to achieve in myself this year. Remember the post from January 8^th called Full of Good Intentions You do? Oh, nice one. Well, it’s been sixty-five days since I started on my journey of self-improvement and this is how it’s going.

Let’s get the downside out of the way first.

I’m in monumental pain from fibromyalgia and having serious bouts of fatigue still. Really, it’s quite bad. And the sad thing is I can’t see that changing any time soon.

However, I do still find time to work albeit in short bursts, which are actually turning out rather well and the sequel to Mutch Wants Moor is progressing a damn sight better than my latest book, Medicine Show did at this stage.

Ok, now for the positives.

Well, for one thing, I haven’t had an alcoholic drink since New Year’s Eve. Yes, you heard that correctly. Not a single drop of the stuff has passed my lips and I must say that I feel much better in so many ways. I have a greater clarity of mind for one thing and the writing days I’ve had have been more productive and the output a great deal funnier.

I’ve also been watching the calorie intake and try to keep to around the 2000 mark per day; often less than that. Combined with the absence of booze it has resulted in a 12-pound weight loss so far. And the best bit is that I’m not finding it too difficult. In fact I haven’t felt this determined to drop a few clothing sizes in nearly thirty years.

I can honestly say that I’m not even missing the ale because I’ve found that Guinness 0% is quite the most delicious beverage and just as good as the regular stuff only without the alcohol and about a third of the calories. So if I do feel like a beer now and then that’s the road I take.

On the 8^th of January I mentioned that I was on the very first notch of my belt. Today I can report that I am now comfortably on the second one and contemplating the purchase of a smaller size of jeans as it is getting embarrassing to keep pulling them up whenever I go anywhere.

I’m drinking about three pints of water a day, at the very least, and I’m still on the old rooibos tea several times a day, which is, of course, caffeine free.

Of those 2000 calories a day I mentioned, well over half of it is made up of fruit and veg with the occasional little treat thrown in now and then. Having a wife with type 2 diabetes is helping me to monitor my own sugar intake as well as I am acutely aware that I am at risk of it myself.

I’m still not great on the old pins and the other day my left leg went from underneath me as I tried to stand up which meant that I had to crash back down onto the couch pretty smartish. This means that I haven’t been able to walk as much as I would have liked to have started doing but I have consoled myself with making the effort to go outside every single day without fail; even if just to sit on the terrace and stare at the daffodils.

So the overall picture is a promising one. My internal organs feel a lot better and I had an extremely positive meeting with the respiratory clinic in January where I was told that I was one of the CPAP success stories and am doing great with my sleep.

The CPAP machine is wonderful but I’m also giving kudos to the lifestyle changes I’ve made in improving my sleep. Also, I’ve found these gummies called Ashwagandha which are brilliant little things. They help with anxiety and sleep and they taste quite nice too. I bought them by accident actually whilst trying to buy CBD on Amazon. But it was a most happy accident in the end.

Anyway, I thought I’d post this little update in the hope that it may encourage you if you’re going through your own health or weight loss battles. I don’t to be crass and sit here saying things like “Never give up” and quoting Churchillian style rhetoric but maybe say to you instead that just try and make a few small changes and do your best to stick to them. They’re working for me.

And I’ll leave you with a final thought, that as my dear friend and top bloke Kenny Scotland would say – It’s the small victories that count.

Remember that.

PS – The mouse jiggler is working a treat!