Getting Through January

Well dear reader, I had a stellar new outfit to show you this week but the weather had other ideas. It was so GREY and while we had a brief snow flurry in London, it didn't settle and so I couldn't get any "winter wonderland" photos. So instead, I've put together a post about what I've been doing in this hideous month so far, and my work outfits.
My colleagues are a fairly casual bunch, working as I do in the hi-tech/engineering sector, so I quickly learnt that asymmetric skirts and dresses were no good (except for conferences or trade shows). I mostly wear black trousers and try to liven it up with my quirky shoes and jewellery. Below, I am wearing fabulous metallic brogues from Next, black trousers from M&S, blouse from Next, cropped cashmere cardigan from Pure Collection and two chunky pearl necklaces.

I wanted one of those bright stripe jumpers but they were out of stock at Asos. Warehouse caught my eye with this black and white stripey number, plus added cherries (top). I love cherries. Can you see I'm wearing one cherry earring (bought at a Christmas bazaar in Plymouth). I'm not doing a Meghan Markle - I can't find the other one. I finished off with red boots.

This January has been intolerable, and I'm not even dieting /detoxing or struggling through resolutions.

I did resolve to #walk1000miles, a challenge being run by Country Walking Magazine, and I've been very good so far.  I work in Cambridge and hardly know the place at all, so I've been tramping around the streets and finding routes. One route passes claypits and a nature park, another, two Tesco's - useful if I need a few supplies. I take my "walking outfit" to work to make sure I go out in all weathers: deluge trousers, North Face rain jacket, hat, gloves, trainers. Plus ipod and phone, to record the mileage. I heat up some soup when I get back.

So far I've done 70 miles. Mr Mutton himself escorted me yesterday round the Lee Valley Park; we both expected the weather to clear up but it carried on raining, so we got quite wet. I went into a frenzy of Nik Waxing when I got home.

I've been trying to eat healthily - making soups and ensuring we have fish once or twice a week.

With the extra walking and trying to keep calories to around 1500 a day, you would expect to lose weight. But I don't, and the reason is that most of us don't need anywhere near the 2,000 calories that are quoted daily for the average woman. I need just 1400 calories a day, and that's to maintain my weight. If I exercise a lot more, then it goes up accordingly. But to lose weight, I need to drop quite low, which is why in the past I've used diets like the Alevere medical diet. I'm mulling it over. I need to lose at least seven pounds before we do the Coast to Coast walk in May (200 miles in 15 days) but at the current rate, I'll be lucky to lose half a pound a week.

I'll be back next week hopefully with the stellar new outfit I told you about (it needs a blue sky to do it justice).

Enjoy the rest of January. I'm meeting up with fellow blogger and Mouton Anna next week, so looking forward to that!

Sharing this post with: Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, Catherine at Not Dressed As Lamb;  Fake It Until You Make It at Fake Fabulous, Creative Mondays at Claire Justine, Spread the Kindness at Shelbee on the Edge, Emma at Stylesplash, Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Fabulous Friday at A Pocketful of Polka Dots,Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style and Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style

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