chapter 6

Jennifer felt sorry for him. Poor Simon, he was like a caged animal! There wasn't much that she could do to help the situation other than make sure the tiny larder and fridge were stocked up so that he didn't starve.

Simon used food to try and make himself feel better about his situation. He would get up late, have a nice crispy bacon sandwich dripping with bacon fat. Mmmmm that tasted so good! He could eat that all over again! But no, that was just being greedy... and wasteful. He had to make that bacon last for at least another two days.
After sitting around for a couple of hours, it was time for lunch. What would he have? A cheese toastie? Tuna and mayonnaise sandwich. Yes, he'd make it nice and luxurious. He'd make it with lots of mayonnaise. Oh but there was no mayonnaise left. Not to worry, he'd have it without. In fact, what would it taste like if he didn't drain the oil out of the tin first? There was still much too much tuna left after making his sandwich. He'd cover the rest in cling film and have the rest tomorrow... but would it still be all right tomorrow? Was it not just better to eat a whole can at once?
He continued to make very poor nutritional choices in the time that he had off. Sitting around all day made him bored. Eating eased the monotony of it all.
He was used to taking lots of exersise and the confinement was not helping. By the time he returned to work he had put on two and a half stones in weight! His colleagues barely recognised him! His uniforms were so tight, especially across his newly bulging pot belly.
Indeed, his tunics were so uncomfortably tight that he had to wear a tee shirt underneath. As soon as the previous shift headed off home, he loosened the front zip of his tunic to make himself more comfortable. Some days, he was so hot, he took the tunic off altogether. It was not very professional of him and he knew it. He ordered some new uniforms in the next size up, but his old ones would have to do until that order arrived.
He would soon lose this extra weight once he started work again. He was sure of it!
In the mean time, he continued to enjoy his full English breakfast in the mornings and two x two course dinners a day.

The weight did not budge on it's own. He simply was not taking enough exersise for the amount that he was eating.
His new uniforms arrived. They fit, but only just. At least they were more comfortable than the old ones and he could complete a whole shift without loosening the zip.
He decided to go swimming. He'd swum a bit when he was a school, but he'd not done anything competitive. He had to buy some new swimming trunks. He had to try several different sizes and styles on. None of them made his bulging belly any smaller. It was the first time he'd seen himself so close up after putting the weight on. He was horrified! He looked like a fattie. A fat little pig. He was both intrigued and horrified. From that moment on, he made a decision. This had to stop! He was being ridiculous! How did he expect not to gain weight with the rubbish he was eating! He would have to start bringing his own meals in to work!
He left the shop without buying anything and headed off to the bookshop to buy a diet book.

This was the first diet Simon had followed and he was determined that it would succeed.
It was hard trying to think ahead all the time, buying in the correct ingredients, preparing everything in advance to transport to work. More than once he had issues with his salad dressing leaking all over his bag!
He struggled to stay away from the canteen, but stay away he did. It took him two months to lose a stone and a half.
Oh he felt so much better for it! His larger uniforms fit him better. He could fit into his old ones more comfortably. He was proud of himself for achieving so much. He didnt enjoy his diet food though. He was getting sick of salads and thin soups.
One day, in the supermarket, he found himself stopping by the bacon counter. That was one thing he did miss, his bacon butties! He had done so well, that he deserved to have one. Just one. He could eat it tomorrow morning when Jen was out at work. She wouldn't know anything about it. He could hide the bacon in the fridge behind all the salad stuff. She would never know. What harm could one bacon sandwich do?
He underestimated himself. One bacon sandwich undermined his resolve. One crispy greasy bacon sandwich was so tasty after all this time that it was not enough. He had to use up all of the bacon or Jen would find it.
Only when all the bacon was gone, all the fat from the grill pan had been mopped up with his bread did he feel satisfied. Three bacon sandwiches he had eaten, one after the other. The first one had gone down so quickly that he hardly tasted it. It hardly touched the sides on it's way down to his stomach.
Now he felt guilty and bloated. Why had he given in? He chastised himself for being so negative. It was just a bacon sandwich. It was not the end of the world! He could go back to his diet tomorrow. He could have a massive blow out today and he could make up for it by being ultra strict for the rest of the week! He would be fine!
The thought of giving in to food when he had restricted it for so long was almost orgasmic! He'd done well he wanted to reward himself. He didn't think of how full he already was. He was already planning how he could get rid of any tell tale evidence. He could hide the packaging in the drawers under the bed, then get rid of it all when Jennifer was in the shower on bin day. She wouldn't know anything about it.
He quickly pulled on his jacket before he changed his mind. First stop was the bakery in the next street. He had intended to buy a couple of pasties for his lunch. Nothing too elaborate. But then he saw the rows of cakes with piped whipped cream oozing out of the sides. It had been ages since he'd had anything like that! Well, if he was going to indulge, he was going to go the whole way! He bought six. As he walked out he wondered what he was going to do with the leftovers. No way was he going to get through six cakes and two pies, plus the crisps and biscuits he'd bought as well!
As soon as he got in he saw himself looking at the cakes. He'd always been told you had to eat savoury before sweet. Why was that? He didn't care! He was going to have his cake and eat it! No one knew. No one was watching.
He needn't have worried about any leftovers. There was none. The only evidence was stashed away in the divan under the bed.
His stomach was tight and bloated. He tried to hide it from Jen when she came in, but she noticed and made a comment. Simon blagged something about being constipated. He said the beans he'd eaten at lunchtime had only made him feel more bloated. He was full of wind! He lied.