It was my 61st birthday last Monday, so the wife and I took a day off to go up towards Middlesborough for a day-long visit to Castle Howard, a truly amazing place with a woodland full of rare tree species and Rhododendron varieties, an exceptionally lovely place to visit and a real birthday treat.

Unfortunately, as you might expect, gluttonous over-indulgence was the order of that day in particular, but the weekend prior to that Monday had been fairly diet-unfriendly as well, what with gift chocolates, rich meals, ream cakes and gateaux.  It came as no surprise, though perhaps in some respects quite a disappointment, to find that I had put 1.7Kilos back on, when I weighed myself this morning.

Of course, the fact that I have had a pretty bad work, in arthritis terms since Monday has not helped, but I did wildly overdo it with the walking about on my day out, and have paid the price in pain and discomfort since then, a situation that has meant I have had very little exercise, so no way to get rid of the excess baggage without starving myself, not something a sick person should do.

I suppose the only thing to do is be philosophical about this disappointing dietary week, for birthdays only come round once a year, and allowing oneself treats from time to time makes the rest of the dietary regime more bearable.  It will probably take a few weeks to lose the excess again, but I enjoyed the process of gaining those extra ounces, so I shall just have to grin and bear it.

The problem is that sticking to the diet is not necessarily the best thing to do all of the time, especially if you take the instructions too literally. According to my Paleo Diet book, I can eat as much of the right foods as I like, but consuming loads of fruit equals loads of sugar, lots of energy and no weight loss, but if you eat less you feel hungry, so it is a real cleft stick. Even the lean meats and the fruits can be overdone, so finding the right balance is really difficult, without being constantly hungry.

Am I sorry that, for the first time in over six months I have actually gained weight? Naturally, but there really is little point to berating myself for having a really enjoyable birthday and a great day out, even if there was an unwelcome, hidden price to pay. I will get back on track over the next couple of months, and start losing the extra flab again, because I need to get ready for October.

That will be the next big test, when the wife celebrates her next birthday, the same time as our anniversary, so I need to lose a few pounds again in preparation. Two steps forward all the time and one step back, that is the familiar pattern of the dieting life, and while I might feel bad about the week’s woeful weight gain, I enjoyed creating it, so why be upset?