Like many before me I did not believe that I would be affected by this most terrible tragedy of English living. Yes, I am overweight, and have been for some time, but at a level of overweightness that has remained stable for the last five years. I keep meaning to do something about it but kept putting it off.
Today I got a big fright.
Today I got weighed for the first time since coming here.
Today I am going on a diet.
So what is the Heathrow Injection exactly? Well, it’s the sudden and inexplicable gain of weight that a new arrival experiences upon settling in London. It has a lot to do with the imbibing of beer, the amazingly stodgy English food, and the wide variety of new temptations available. For example, my downfall was due to Belgium chocolate. And French bakeries, and the Borough market and the wide variety of lovely cheeses available… yes, well, will stop drooling now.
End result; I have put on weight. Not Happy Jan!
So now I am back to being good, eating well and avoiding all the amazing, marvellous range of food here, the cheeses and chocolates... oh dear. This is going to be tough.
1 comment:
Actually I think you'll find it's not as clear cut as that - yes there's French bakeries & lovely continental cheeses, etc. but you seldom meet overweight French people, do you?
I'm inclined to believe that though the beer's a component of it (and these humungous Imperial pints make a big difference over what we were brought up on), I suspect equally important are the emotional side of things. London can be a very unforgiving & unwelcoming place, and it's not unusual for people to supplement emotional needs with food in times of stress.
Drop me a line if you wanna discuss further - it's fascinating, and I've got a friend who's an expert in this area!
Post a Comment