Friday afternoon.

I didn't think diets were supposed to go wrong before they started, but mine has! Went to Lighter Life HQ with my signed medical form yesterday evening, brimming with enthusiasm and ready to start next week, only to discover that the start date has been put back by a whole week. This is due to the fact that I AM the group. In other words, no-one else has signed up! And at £70 per week in the middle of a recession, I'm not bloody surprised. As a marketer (albeit a 'resting' one) I can't help but feel that they haven't got their marketing model right. Where are the new year discounts and incentives that other weight loss organisations offer? And as for their reticence to follow up their information sessions with a simple phone call - words fail me! They have a lead that's warm enough to attend a whole hour on a Saturday, then they let them slip through their fingers, surmising that if they don't come back of their own accord, then they're not keen enough! Feel tempted to offer them some marketing advice in return for a generous discount!

So now 4 February is D Day, which on the upside means I can enjoy the choir dinner without having to shovel it all into a napkin and stuff it into a vase. I can also plan a longer programme of 'final meals' - squeeze in an Indian takeaway and maybe a Chinese as well before they become off-limits.  I'm sure this is completely the wrong attitude but there you go.

Loved Tanya Gold's observation in today's Guardian that when you're fat, you can largely ignore fashion because they don't want you wearing their clothes and looking crap in them. I have discovered that very little fashion caters for the 'fuller figure', which is good for the bank balance if not the self-esteem. I am sick to death of wearing stretchy jersey skirts and tops. True, they have their advantage round the house: you can move quickly to rescue a toddler in distress and they are easily washable when covered in toddler meals.  But when I go out, I know I look a frump. Now I know this is Bromley, and all things are relative, but I come from a smart family. My father wore a suit and tie to do gardening! He didn't understand the concept of casual - or even "smart casual".  There was only "smart" in our family. And I feel as though I'm letting the side down big time.