Back to work tomorrow.
The main objective of this holiday was to get some healing in. That's mostly for the troublesome skin thing but partly for energy too ... I think I'm there with the energy thing for a few reasons :
I can feel that fire of the hyperactivity lurking in the background. It's like an electric charge where your hair stands on end and there's temptation to bounce off the walls. It also makes it much harder to get to sleep too, which is an especially terrible thing for me at the moment because if I can't sleep, I damage the skin even more when I fidget. (I know - bad me).
So yeah - I think the energy is back, although I'll see what I'm like tomorrow evening after a day at work. I have to watch the hyperactivity actually, as it makes me act without thinking. Which can be good, unless I'm behind the wheel where I drive ... faster. And scare people. But I view the hyperactivity as a wave to be ridden and enjoyed while it lasts.
Skin ?
It's improving, gradually. Some of my bits are much tougher than they used to be, although my ankles are still a disaster. I'm still my own worst enemy with it, I just can't resist damaging it even more. We'll see how it does over the next week at work. But I do see general and visible improvement with it.
What have I been up to ?
Lots of cricket watching :-) Some good (the county games), some really bad (the England games). Still worth watching for the cricket addict though. There was supposed to be a local England game in Bristol on Monday but that got abandoned due to the horrible weather we've been having. It's ok at the moment (looks outside, sees Yellow Face, hides).
Some gaming - I'm still not back to wanting to learn any new gaming systems so I've been on Moo2 and Defence Grid a lot. Moo2 is a space strategy game, Defence Grid is a tower defence game. I've been beating high scores on Defence Grid and trying to beat Moo2 again. I have a quite slow but if it gets enough time, irresistable strategy in Moo2. Trouble is, the vaguaries of the AI lead to it having enemies go from My Friend to I Hate You inside a turn.
Many music hours - iTunes tells me it's 796 unique tracks listened to since Friday 22nd. That's a bit down on my usual, which is a sign of how much cricket has been on the telly. There's been a tonne of good albums in that batch, I'm due posting the A to Z - K list soon and coming up very soon is one of the very best albums in the collection - Long Gone Before Daylight by the Cardigans. It's chock full of outstanding tracks.
And a film - we watched Lucy on Thurday.
Interesting film, very well made as you'd expect from Luc Besson. Scarlett Johanssen is as good as we've come to expect. Strange film actually, it's liberally interspersed with jump cuts to things like leopards chasing gazelles (it kinda makes sense in context)
When I watched Lucy, my mind was going back to another film called Limitless. They both share a theme that drugs are the path to unlocking the power of the mind. They go about it in different ways though. Limitless rubbed me up the wrong way by glorifying the power of the drugs. It gave a Drugs are for Winners message, which I wholly disagree with. I avoid drugs, if you don't absolutely need them you shouldn't be on them. Things like painkillers, if I used those I'd do even more damage to myself by not heeding the warnings from abused bits of body. Mind you :
I am on 2 antihistamine a day (8 hour ones).
I could probably do with sleeping tablets to knock me out and stop me fidget-damaging myself.
I'm still taking the vitamin tablets.
Anyway - Lucy's message is more a highlight of the dangers. The character quickly came to realise that the drugs would kill her, which is the antithesis of the message of Limitless. I'll stop there to avoid spoilers, although the Mind Over Matter thing was a little bit too much scifi for me. The brain is a massive computer, while there are unexplained phenomena like alleged clairvoyance and telekinesis, I can't rationally believe that even a hopped up supercharged brain can achieve these metaphysical feats.
Fun film though. Well worth seeing.
Last bit ? I've continued to lose weight ... I think there's two parts to this :
At the start of the holiday, my knees and legs were exploded. They were so swollen that it felt like someone was trying to lever off my kneecaps with a screwdriver. Now, my knees are nicely knobbly. Little bit scarred but that's the damage for you. I think some of the weight was in the swelling.
Eating properly - the weight's started coming off since I rediscovered the pasta stuff. So that's the F+B dinners, plus the pasta bakes I get from ready meals at home. I could do with learning how to do those myself. Home ingredients are more controllable. Plus there's the leftovers.
At the last check, I was down by 1.5 stone, to a weight of 12.5 stone. That's pretty good and is a decent target weight for my current build. Less would be better. I don't need the weight of muscle on my legs any more, although it's a good supplement to weak arms. Like, lift with the legs with a straight back, instead of breaking things by being all bent over. We'll see how the weight goes but I've shifted into trying to maintain a weight instead of losing more.
But only cos I don't want to have to buy new trousers !
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Selfie story
I spotted a news story today ... which isn't too unusual. I keep an eye on what the world is up to, usually so I get fair warning if the paranoia turns out right and the world sends a curveball my way.
This wasn't that but the story touched a nerve anyway. What was it ? Here's a link. It's a BBC story, so your credibility-challenged alarm is already going off but take a peek. It's about a health warning issued about the rise of selfie pictures being taken on the internet.
Ok, what's so strange about that ?
I didn't find the subject matter particularly puzzling. The question of self image has been paramount throughout history. It's only recently though that the camera has mercilessly shown the truth of what we look like. At least, the camera combined with our own tendency to self criticise.
But I'll come back to that. What I found puzzling was the scope of the research. 881 people questioned, all women. While not wanting to appear as sexist as that selection, it's not just the ladies who have self image consciousness, it's us blokes too.
We all want six packs. We all want to look like the guys on the telly. We want that strong jaw and that corded rippling bicep. Actually, my reaction to what I see with the guys on telly could be seen as being a little gay. That is, if the reaction was "I wanna be with him." It's not, it's a "I wanna be him cos that's what the ladies seem to like" reaction.
We all tend to want to look like something different. And the selfie doesn't help there ...
The thing about the selfie is that it's a picture typically taken from a very short distance. The camera lens is particularly unkind over that distance and we rarely get that person making us do that chuckle with a "cheese!" which brightens up the pic. There's a couple of pictures I took of myself in my Atomic Hat which I don't like to show people. But I do because I find it funny to say "This hat so bright, this night time pic did not need flash"
I've mentioned before that I'm on the Okcupid site - I found it very difficult to find a profile pic for myself there. Selfie pictures tended to be pretty nasty. I did get one eventually, it's one taken as Lords on a sunny day with me in Smart Stuff (doesn't happen often outside work) grinning away from the top of the Pavilion. I think it's got me a few peeks there, although not as many as I'd like.
But yeah - the selfie. It's one of those modern things that now we have cameras which have instant internet connectivity thanks to being in our phones, it spawns a new craze that the rest of us are expected to join in with.
However ... the ones that will dominate are the ones taken by those with most confidence to show themselves off. I'll admit right now, I'm not one of those people. And seeing pictures that make me look chubby makes me feel bad. I bet it makes the rest of you feel bad too.
My opinion of what I look like - chubby because I know what's hidden under the t-shirt
What people may think I look like - broad shouldered and probably a strong build (cos I engineer my posture that way).
I'm curious actually to know what people think of how I look. I just see the photos/pictures and think "need to lose weight". And I do ... but not as much as I think I need to lose. The more weight I carry, the less speed I have and the more unpleasantness from acid I suffer. That's my primary motivation for not getting too heavy. I could have a few targets for my 5 feet 8 inches :
14stone - a Strong weight. It's what I am now. If I converted the excess ballast to muscle, I'd be a powerhouse. Do I want to be ? Nah. I wouldn't have Warp Speed and there's only so much you can do with Popeye Arms.
13stone - a Fit weight. When I get down to this, I still carry a little ballast cos my arms are spindly but I have WARP SPEED and some strength.
12stone - is probably what I should be. However ... I carry all that leg muscle around which tips me into heavier territory. 12st might be a decent weight for me, I'd have Warp Speed plus agility but I'd probably not have much core strength.
What does Science say ? I just did a WTF at seeing what Body Mass Index recommends for my height - 8st 10lb to 11st11lb. That 11st 11 ain't too far fetched, it's a strong weight for someone who hasn't got the tree trunk legs I can get. When I got heavily into cricket, I filled out from 9st very thin into 11-12st broader shouldered. That was from age 14 to 18 though, so I had a lot of natural growing to do anyway.
But - 8st 10 ? I have to admit, I saw a few gamer boys at EGXRezzed who were probably my height and that spindly weight but I didn't want to be them. They looked like half starved bags of bones and that weight was probably causing them malnutrition type problems. (Although you do get the ones genetically pre-disposed to being ultra-thin and tall)
The key thing isn't weight, or height. It's confidence.
Confidence can turn the otherwise plain into creatures of total beauty. Lack of confidence puts a wall up that hides that natural beauty.
We all have that natural beauty, we just tend to hide it behind a lack of self belief. And that's made worse by seeing pictures of people who we'd like to look like. Me with a sixpack ? Don't think that's ever happened ! Although I bet it could given a breaking of the biscuit addiction and some concentrated exercise. I do tend to lose that Warp Speed if I exercise though.
I think that's another of my quirks. I can see that hidden beauty in people. I occasionally help bring it out when people spot me sending The Grin their way.
I'll close there but not without a message to everyone who's borne with me and read this far.
You're GORGEOUS. Yes YOU ! You don't think so ? Well, there's someone here who thinks you're the most beautiful thing on the planet. You just need to trust me, have confidence and believe it.
This wasn't that but the story touched a nerve anyway. What was it ? Here's a link. It's a BBC story, so your credibility-challenged alarm is already going off but take a peek. It's about a health warning issued about the rise of selfie pictures being taken on the internet.
Ok, what's so strange about that ?
I didn't find the subject matter particularly puzzling. The question of self image has been paramount throughout history. It's only recently though that the camera has mercilessly shown the truth of what we look like. At least, the camera combined with our own tendency to self criticise.
But I'll come back to that. What I found puzzling was the scope of the research. 881 people questioned, all women. While not wanting to appear as sexist as that selection, it's not just the ladies who have self image consciousness, it's us blokes too.
We all want six packs. We all want to look like the guys on the telly. We want that strong jaw and that corded rippling bicep. Actually, my reaction to what I see with the guys on telly could be seen as being a little gay. That is, if the reaction was "I wanna be with him." It's not, it's a "I wanna be him cos that's what the ladies seem to like" reaction.
We all tend to want to look like something different. And the selfie doesn't help there ...
The thing about the selfie is that it's a picture typically taken from a very short distance. The camera lens is particularly unkind over that distance and we rarely get that person making us do that chuckle with a "cheese!" which brightens up the pic. There's a couple of pictures I took of myself in my Atomic Hat which I don't like to show people. But I do because I find it funny to say "This hat so bright, this night time pic did not need flash"
I've mentioned before that I'm on the Okcupid site - I found it very difficult to find a profile pic for myself there. Selfie pictures tended to be pretty nasty. I did get one eventually, it's one taken as Lords on a sunny day with me in Smart Stuff (doesn't happen often outside work) grinning away from the top of the Pavilion. I think it's got me a few peeks there, although not as many as I'd like.
But yeah - the selfie. It's one of those modern things that now we have cameras which have instant internet connectivity thanks to being in our phones, it spawns a new craze that the rest of us are expected to join in with.
However ... the ones that will dominate are the ones taken by those with most confidence to show themselves off. I'll admit right now, I'm not one of those people. And seeing pictures that make me look chubby makes me feel bad. I bet it makes the rest of you feel bad too.
My opinion of what I look like - chubby because I know what's hidden under the t-shirt
What people may think I look like - broad shouldered and probably a strong build (cos I engineer my posture that way).
I'm curious actually to know what people think of how I look. I just see the photos/pictures and think "need to lose weight". And I do ... but not as much as I think I need to lose. The more weight I carry, the less speed I have and the more unpleasantness from acid I suffer. That's my primary motivation for not getting too heavy. I could have a few targets for my 5 feet 8 inches :
14stone - a Strong weight. It's what I am now. If I converted the excess ballast to muscle, I'd be a powerhouse. Do I want to be ? Nah. I wouldn't have Warp Speed and there's only so much you can do with Popeye Arms.
13stone - a Fit weight. When I get down to this, I still carry a little ballast cos my arms are spindly but I have WARP SPEED and some strength.
12stone - is probably what I should be. However ... I carry all that leg muscle around which tips me into heavier territory. 12st might be a decent weight for me, I'd have Warp Speed plus agility but I'd probably not have much core strength.
What does Science say ? I just did a WTF at seeing what Body Mass Index recommends for my height - 8st 10lb to 11st11lb. That 11st 11 ain't too far fetched, it's a strong weight for someone who hasn't got the tree trunk legs I can get. When I got heavily into cricket, I filled out from 9st very thin into 11-12st broader shouldered. That was from age 14 to 18 though, so I had a lot of natural growing to do anyway.
But - 8st 10 ? I have to admit, I saw a few gamer boys at EGXRezzed who were probably my height and that spindly weight but I didn't want to be them. They looked like half starved bags of bones and that weight was probably causing them malnutrition type problems. (Although you do get the ones genetically pre-disposed to being ultra-thin and tall)
The key thing isn't weight, or height. It's confidence.
Confidence can turn the otherwise plain into creatures of total beauty. Lack of confidence puts a wall up that hides that natural beauty.
We all have that natural beauty, we just tend to hide it behind a lack of self belief. And that's made worse by seeing pictures of people who we'd like to look like. Me with a sixpack ? Don't think that's ever happened ! Although I bet it could given a breaking of the biscuit addiction and some concentrated exercise. I do tend to lose that Warp Speed if I exercise though.
I think that's another of my quirks. I can see that hidden beauty in people. I occasionally help bring it out when people spot me sending The Grin their way.
I'll close there but not without a message to everyone who's borne with me and read this far.
You're GORGEOUS. Yes YOU ! You don't think so ? Well, there's someone here who thinks you're the most beautiful thing on the planet. You just need to trust me, have confidence and believe it.
Monday, February 03, 2014
Thoughts on sizes and shapes
I've been seeing a few things lately about people's size and shape.
People like to criticize, people love to comment. People judge. People bully. People try to impose their world view on others. And nothing more than the subject of size :
They're fat ! They're skinny ! They're too tall ! They're too skinny !
I don't hold with that. We are all, to a certain extent, tied to a certain size and shape. Our bodies will tend to a certain size and shape, whatever we do to try and change that. Some people will be big, some tiny, some ultra-skinny, some super-cuddly. And you know what ?
All those shapes have their own kind of beauty.
We should never judge a person by their size and shape. To do so is assuming that we know all about the history of what made them that way. It assumes we know their genetics, that we know their habits, in some way their ethics (vegetarianism is another thing I'd never judge someone for and I hope I'm not judged for having omnivore ethics).
In my case, I have thin and tall person genes from my dad's side bumping up against healthy short genes on my mum's side. It combines to make someone spectacularly ... average. Lol. And then my snack habits come in to make me a little bigger than I should be. I have a couple of reasons to watch my own weight as if I get too large :
I can't run Very Fast
It affects my breathing
My knees decide they don't like me any more
It's that middle one that's the most important thing. We should never comment on someone else's size and shape. Sure, I do worry about some people but I won't add to their own problems by being cruel enough to point it out. And the worry is more about their health than any conforming to an ideal. If I stress, I reach for the biscuits and that rarely helps with the diet. I bet I'm not alone with that reaction to stress ;-) I'll judge my own size but I'd never inflict that judgment on another.
Weight bites on two fronts :
The ones who starve themselves to fit the supermodel shape. Please ! Don't do this. A person who is starving skin and bones is not nearly as attractive as someone with healthy curves. Curves are a good thing.
(Note "starving" - I know someone who is ultra thin, whatever they do. I bet most of the dieters of the world would envy her genes !)
The ones who are past that point of "large" that they incur other medical problems. There's only so much space in here, the breathing problems I mention above is when the chubbiness squeezes my lungs. That's not happened for ages though and it was probably allergies anyway.
The ones who over exercise. And I mean that. There were two gents in Bristol centre at the weekend trying to attract people into their gym. If it meant being their shape (they had big muscles but it had apparently turned to fat), then I'm off running in the other direction. And being too fit can have its disadvantages, I have too much muscle in my legs and it causes painful problems with the knees and shins.
But I do know a few people who are past that healthy point of large. One I believe is in a viscious circle where the medication to let her breathe more easily makes her bigger, which means there's less space for her lungs, which makes it harder to breathe. That's an example of where someone's history affects their natural size. They can't help being bigger than they should be and we should not be making them feel worse about a problem they are already fully aware of due to living with it.
I'll reiterate - whatever size we are, there is beauty in all sizes and shapes.
Unless, we decide to mar that beauty by inflicting a false world view on others. Like expecting everyone to fit into supermodel shapes. The supermodel shape is not natural and never will be.
Don't worry about not fitting into an ideal. Be the shape you are meant to be. Embrace it. And remember - big means bigger hugs.
Whatever size someone is, they will still get that massive trademark Sleepypete Grin if I see them. And you know what ? The Grin earned several Pretty Lady Smiles in return today. And that's from all shapes and sizes. I see the beauty in all of those and I think that translates through to the Big Grin.
Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Size matters not. Especially if there's a smile involved.
Cos a smile from a Pretty Lady is guaranteed to make my day.
PS If you see comments like "little lady" here, it tends to be about height. If they're shorter than me, they're "little", if they're taller than me ... hmm. Come to think of it, doesn't happen that often ! But I won't use "big" cos that can be totally taken the wrong, judging, way.
People like to criticize, people love to comment. People judge. People bully. People try to impose their world view on others. And nothing more than the subject of size :
They're fat ! They're skinny ! They're too tall ! They're too skinny !
I don't hold with that. We are all, to a certain extent, tied to a certain size and shape. Our bodies will tend to a certain size and shape, whatever we do to try and change that. Some people will be big, some tiny, some ultra-skinny, some super-cuddly. And you know what ?
All those shapes have their own kind of beauty.
We should never judge a person by their size and shape. To do so is assuming that we know all about the history of what made them that way. It assumes we know their genetics, that we know their habits, in some way their ethics (vegetarianism is another thing I'd never judge someone for and I hope I'm not judged for having omnivore ethics).
In my case, I have thin and tall person genes from my dad's side bumping up against healthy short genes on my mum's side. It combines to make someone spectacularly ... average. Lol. And then my snack habits come in to make me a little bigger than I should be. I have a couple of reasons to watch my own weight as if I get too large :
I can't run Very Fast
It affects my breathing
My knees decide they don't like me any more
It's that middle one that's the most important thing. We should never comment on someone else's size and shape. Sure, I do worry about some people but I won't add to their own problems by being cruel enough to point it out. And the worry is more about their health than any conforming to an ideal. If I stress, I reach for the biscuits and that rarely helps with the diet. I bet I'm not alone with that reaction to stress ;-) I'll judge my own size but I'd never inflict that judgment on another.
Weight bites on two fronts :
The ones who starve themselves to fit the supermodel shape. Please ! Don't do this. A person who is starving skin and bones is not nearly as attractive as someone with healthy curves. Curves are a good thing.
(Note "starving" - I know someone who is ultra thin, whatever they do. I bet most of the dieters of the world would envy her genes !)
The ones who are past that point of "large" that they incur other medical problems. There's only so much space in here, the breathing problems I mention above is when the chubbiness squeezes my lungs. That's not happened for ages though and it was probably allergies anyway.
The ones who over exercise. And I mean that. There were two gents in Bristol centre at the weekend trying to attract people into their gym. If it meant being their shape (they had big muscles but it had apparently turned to fat), then I'm off running in the other direction. And being too fit can have its disadvantages, I have too much muscle in my legs and it causes painful problems with the knees and shins.
But I do know a few people who are past that healthy point of large. One I believe is in a viscious circle where the medication to let her breathe more easily makes her bigger, which means there's less space for her lungs, which makes it harder to breathe. That's an example of where someone's history affects their natural size. They can't help being bigger than they should be and we should not be making them feel worse about a problem they are already fully aware of due to living with it.
I'll reiterate - whatever size we are, there is beauty in all sizes and shapes.
Unless, we decide to mar that beauty by inflicting a false world view on others. Like expecting everyone to fit into supermodel shapes. The supermodel shape is not natural and never will be.
Don't worry about not fitting into an ideal. Be the shape you are meant to be. Embrace it. And remember - big means bigger hugs.
Whatever size someone is, they will still get that massive trademark Sleepypete Grin if I see them. And you know what ? The Grin earned several Pretty Lady Smiles in return today. And that's from all shapes and sizes. I see the beauty in all of those and I think that translates through to the Big Grin.
Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Size matters not. Especially if there's a smile involved.
Cos a smile from a Pretty Lady is guaranteed to make my day.
PS If you see comments like "little lady" here, it tends to be about height. If they're shorter than me, they're "little", if they're taller than me ... hmm. Come to think of it, doesn't happen that often ! But I won't use "big" cos that can be totally taken the wrong, judging, way.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Reflecting on +1 year
People have been mentioning the annual Movember thing again ...
It's making me remember back just one year. Last year, I had a head start on the whole Movember thing. Because my skin condition had pretty much torn up one side of my jawline, I hadn't shaved for a fortnight on the run in. So I had something starting to grow ready for the start of Movember.
It was about this time last year that I gave up protesting and sought treatment, which made a good start on repairing the damage. And there was a lot of damage all over. I can't remember the precise details but I can remember getting through the cricket season last year pretty much intact. It was the rainy conditions that drew participation last year to a close, whereas this year it was my knee getting torn up. I think it was the diet change that initiated the condition getting much, much worse. Instead of it being just on my legs, it spread to arms, shoulders, back, bum, hips, face, ears and more of my legs.
Yep. Lots of damage and I was probably underestimating things (as I do) when I reckon it affected over 30% of me.
The condition now is so much better, although I'm not counting my chickens just yet. And I have to keep exerting that discipline (I'm not doing so good at it actually) to stop worrying the bad bits cos that makes them much worse.
Oh, as well as diet, there was a definite stress trigger as end of summer last year was one of the most stressful periods at work that I can remember. There's two that come close but not actually this bad. Or are they ? One of those periods had me actively considering driving the car off the road at high speed and what stopped me was what family would think. (This is from a long time ago and before I had a bunch of friends in Bristol I can go to for support).
Incidentally, this is one reason why I'm sensitive about people I know who are struggling. Cos I've been there, know how it feels and would do anything I could to help them away from that very dark place.
I wonder if that incident is why I'm so uptight about workplace discrimination ? Because discrimination was at the heart of why I was so low in that bad time.
But enough of that. Too much depression posting makes me start to get low and I don't want that. What I do want to do is think about going forward.
I wouldn't pass myself ready (on the outside) to run around just yet. There's still damage on my arms and the skin is very easily made worse. So when I'd throw myself around and get cuts and scrapes, there's a good chance those will hang around for a while. However :
Ears - are now perfect, outside of the soreness I've always got where my glasses rub.
Face - no Zombiepatch ! And I can shave properly. Still doing Movember this year, although as usual for me and charity - awareness only because I feel bad taking money from people for doing nothing.
Bum - smoooooth.
Hips - there's still some damage but it's almost mended.
Arms - hopefully under control, they're my worst bit and the "hopefully" comes from knowing I'm still being helped by drugs.
Legs - are almost perfect again. Again, smoooth where a few months ago I could split the skin by running.
So - still some damage but it's repairing nicely. I even have a perverse wish to show off those legs again. Although preferably when they're in pasty-white mode because they still like to go red occasionally.
And now I'm thinking of a way to close !
I'm improving but there's a sense of loneliness that being addicted to WoW (again) can't cover. Now that I'm more intact, I think on a subconscious level I'd like to be getting out more again. There's a few chances for that coming up with work but I'd kinda like something more intimate. That's one of my inhibitions though. Or is it knowing who I'd like to treat to a dinner and a movie but being scared of the answer if I asked ?
And on that exposure of stuff strangely more candid for my norm, time to run back into that addiction !
See you later in the week for more of that Top 40. At the moment, the random track of choice is Queen's Radio Ga Ga. Always an anthem worth listening to.
It's making me remember back just one year. Last year, I had a head start on the whole Movember thing. Because my skin condition had pretty much torn up one side of my jawline, I hadn't shaved for a fortnight on the run in. So I had something starting to grow ready for the start of Movember.
It was about this time last year that I gave up protesting and sought treatment, which made a good start on repairing the damage. And there was a lot of damage all over. I can't remember the precise details but I can remember getting through the cricket season last year pretty much intact. It was the rainy conditions that drew participation last year to a close, whereas this year it was my knee getting torn up. I think it was the diet change that initiated the condition getting much, much worse. Instead of it being just on my legs, it spread to arms, shoulders, back, bum, hips, face, ears and more of my legs.
Yep. Lots of damage and I was probably underestimating things (as I do) when I reckon it affected over 30% of me.
The condition now is so much better, although I'm not counting my chickens just yet. And I have to keep exerting that discipline (I'm not doing so good at it actually) to stop worrying the bad bits cos that makes them much worse.
Oh, as well as diet, there was a definite stress trigger as end of summer last year was one of the most stressful periods at work that I can remember. There's two that come close but not actually this bad. Or are they ? One of those periods had me actively considering driving the car off the road at high speed and what stopped me was what family would think. (This is from a long time ago and before I had a bunch of friends in Bristol I can go to for support).
Incidentally, this is one reason why I'm sensitive about people I know who are struggling. Cos I've been there, know how it feels and would do anything I could to help them away from that very dark place.
I wonder if that incident is why I'm so uptight about workplace discrimination ? Because discrimination was at the heart of why I was so low in that bad time.
But enough of that. Too much depression posting makes me start to get low and I don't want that. What I do want to do is think about going forward.
I wouldn't pass myself ready (on the outside) to run around just yet. There's still damage on my arms and the skin is very easily made worse. So when I'd throw myself around and get cuts and scrapes, there's a good chance those will hang around for a while. However :
Ears - are now perfect, outside of the soreness I've always got where my glasses rub.
Face - no Zombiepatch ! And I can shave properly. Still doing Movember this year, although as usual for me and charity - awareness only because I feel bad taking money from people for doing nothing.
Bum - smoooooth.
Hips - there's still some damage but it's almost mended.
Arms - hopefully under control, they're my worst bit and the "hopefully" comes from knowing I'm still being helped by drugs.
Legs - are almost perfect again. Again, smoooth where a few months ago I could split the skin by running.
So - still some damage but it's repairing nicely. I even have a perverse wish to show off those legs again. Although preferably when they're in pasty-white mode because they still like to go red occasionally.
And now I'm thinking of a way to close !
I'm improving but there's a sense of loneliness that being addicted to WoW (again) can't cover. Now that I'm more intact, I think on a subconscious level I'd like to be getting out more again. There's a few chances for that coming up with work but I'd kinda like something more intimate. That's one of my inhibitions though. Or is it knowing who I'd like to treat to a dinner and a movie but being scared of the answer if I asked ?
And on that exposure of stuff strangely more candid for my norm, time to run back into that addiction !
See you later in the week for more of that Top 40. At the moment, the random track of choice is Queen's Radio Ga Ga. Always an anthem worth listening to.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
More sleep, more data
Still figuring out what I'm needing to avoid or stick with as I shift my diet around.
I think I've gained some valuable data over the last few days. Friday's sleep broke the mould as it was fairly unaffected by the breathing issues. Saturday's sleep wasn't great (but not nearly as bad as it had been!).
Hell, my breathing had improved to the point where I was very happily singing along to the iTunes bits and pieces and not missing any words out due to not breathing at the right times.
What's the data ? What made Saturday night's sleep bad ?
All this week, I'd been having cooked dinners. But I occasionally have a massive sandwich instead. Because I'd got myself caught in doing "just ... one ... more ... quest ..." in Guild Wars 2, I'd broken off quite late yesterday for Doctor Who and didn't really want to be pausing halfway through to pull something out of the over. Answer ? Make one of those massive sandwiches on my lap in front of the telly.
Yeah I know right - domestic god ? Lol. There's that thing again where I have different standards for what I do for me to the standards I'd expect to give to others.
I'm digressing - what's the data again ? There's two big potential triggers from the bread (white bread - I'd gone back to something familiar) : Gluten and wheat. Gluten is the current fashion for something to be allergic to. Let's have a look at that one first :
From wiki - "Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhea, or it may present with a variety of extraintestinal symptoms including headaches and migraines, lethargy and tiredness, attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity, schizophrenia, muscular disturbances as well as bone and joint pain"
Yeah, I recognise a few of those but I don't think gluten sensitivity is the cause of bone and joint pain, that comes from being a nutter on the cricket field. I don't get migraines and luckily it's rare that I get a headache and that can sometimes be put down to caffeine withdrawal. Some of the others ... yeah. Meh. But again, don't think it's the gluten.
You could look at that list of symptoms and apply them to a huge number of people but then, as with all internet based research, always apply that sanity check to ask "is this really the problem ?". And I don't believe that it's the gluten in the bread that's causing me the problems.
How about what bread's made of ? Wheat allergy (from wiki again) symptoms :
Sanity check again though - the sacroiliitis, joint & muscle aches would be from the various cricket booboos. What is sacroiliitis ? It's problems where the spine meets the pelvis, yeah - I have that but it's a legacy of me hurting my lumbar area when I was 17.
So the symptoms point me towards wheat allergies. However, it's not as simple as that as I've been ok on brown bread. Must be something in white bread that's activating the allergy. It makes a fair bit of sense too, as I've been historically unable to drink more than 4 pints of bitter before having to throw up. That's not been from the alcohol either (I think!)
I think it fits with the growing season too. I've always suffered from hayfever but I got it especially bad in early spring and late summer with a gap in the middle. Perhaps that's lining up with the growing season. Could be. Or I'm just allergic to what's outside the window. (The eyes have improved since the wilderness outside the back got removed)
So - where to from there ?
Avoid white bread for a while. If I can - what may have triggered it last week was munchies at a contractor's office on the Thursday, I could feel my lungs closing up on the way to the car.
Not really sure apart from that - so much of the stuff that's on sale doesn't account for the more uncommon allergies. And even for the more common allergies, there's things like "may contain nuts" on the most unlikely things.
Looking at it a bit more though - I've still been a biscuit fiend and one of the most common ingredients in those is "wheat flour". Must be something specific in the white bread that's activating the allergy. Like the bacon buns at work which have lots of flour on the bun.
We shall see ! And I may get a little more information later too when I see what the reaction is to me downing a milkshake :-)
PS Pizza reaction too - could well be that it's not the cheese I react to but the pizza base itself ...
I think I've gained some valuable data over the last few days. Friday's sleep broke the mould as it was fairly unaffected by the breathing issues. Saturday's sleep wasn't great (but not nearly as bad as it had been!).
Hell, my breathing had improved to the point where I was very happily singing along to the iTunes bits and pieces and not missing any words out due to not breathing at the right times.
What's the data ? What made Saturday night's sleep bad ?
All this week, I'd been having cooked dinners. But I occasionally have a massive sandwich instead. Because I'd got myself caught in doing "just ... one ... more ... quest ..." in Guild Wars 2, I'd broken off quite late yesterday for Doctor Who and didn't really want to be pausing halfway through to pull something out of the over. Answer ? Make one of those massive sandwiches on my lap in front of the telly.
Yeah I know right - domestic god ? Lol. There's that thing again where I have different standards for what I do for me to the standards I'd expect to give to others.
I'm digressing - what's the data again ? There's two big potential triggers from the bread (white bread - I'd gone back to something familiar) : Gluten and wheat. Gluten is the current fashion for something to be allergic to. Let's have a look at that one first :
From wiki - "Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhea, or it may present with a variety of extraintestinal symptoms including headaches and migraines, lethargy and tiredness, attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity, schizophrenia, muscular disturbances as well as bone and joint pain"
Yeah, I recognise a few of those but I don't think gluten sensitivity is the cause of bone and joint pain, that comes from being a nutter on the cricket field. I don't get migraines and luckily it's rare that I get a headache and that can sometimes be put down to caffeine withdrawal. Some of the others ... yeah. Meh. But again, don't think it's the gluten.
You could look at that list of symptoms and apply them to a huge number of people but then, as with all internet based research, always apply that sanity check to ask "is this really the problem ?". And I don't believe that it's the gluten in the bread that's causing me the problems.
How about what bread's made of ? Wheat allergy (from wiki again) symptoms :
Wheat allergies are not altogether different from other food allergies or respiratory allergies. However two conditions, exercise/aspirin induced anaphylaxis and urticaria occur more frequently with wheat allergies.Oh how many of those do I recognise. Easier to say what I haven't experienced of what's above (even to minor degrees). I was about to say "sacroiliitis" because I didn't recognise but on reading where the problem is with that, yep. Add that to the list.
Common symptoms of a wheat allergy include sacroiliitis, eczema (atopic dermatitis), hives (urticaria), asthma, "Hay fever" (allergic rhinitis), angioedema (tissue swelling due to fluid leakage from blood vessels), abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting.[15] Rarer symptoms include[citation needed] anaphylactic shock, arthritis, bloated stomach, chest pains, depression or mood swings, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, joint and muscle aches and pains (may be associated with progressive arthritis), palpitations, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), swollen throat or tongue, tiredness and lethargy, and unexplained cough. Reactions may become more severe with repeated exposure.
Sanity check again though - the sacroiliitis, joint & muscle aches would be from the various cricket booboos. What is sacroiliitis ? It's problems where the spine meets the pelvis, yeah - I have that but it's a legacy of me hurting my lumbar area when I was 17.
So the symptoms point me towards wheat allergies. However, it's not as simple as that as I've been ok on brown bread. Must be something in white bread that's activating the allergy. It makes a fair bit of sense too, as I've been historically unable to drink more than 4 pints of bitter before having to throw up. That's not been from the alcohol either (I think!)
I think it fits with the growing season too. I've always suffered from hayfever but I got it especially bad in early spring and late summer with a gap in the middle. Perhaps that's lining up with the growing season. Could be. Or I'm just allergic to what's outside the window. (The eyes have improved since the wilderness outside the back got removed)
So - where to from there ?
Avoid white bread for a while. If I can - what may have triggered it last week was munchies at a contractor's office on the Thursday, I could feel my lungs closing up on the way to the car.
Not really sure apart from that - so much of the stuff that's on sale doesn't account for the more uncommon allergies. And even for the more common allergies, there's things like "may contain nuts" on the most unlikely things.
Looking at it a bit more though - I've still been a biscuit fiend and one of the most common ingredients in those is "wheat flour". Must be something specific in the white bread that's activating the allergy. Like the bacon buns at work which have lots of flour on the bun.
We shall see ! And I may get a little more information later too when I see what the reaction is to me downing a milkshake :-)
PS Pizza reaction too - could well be that it's not the cheese I react to but the pizza base itself ...
Monday, August 20, 2012
Mending - I hope
Been seeing improvements with this latest diet shift I've made.
My legs and the wounds on there that have refused to heal have been an issue for over a year now. The antibiotic pills and cream stuff given to me by the doctors helped up to a point (and mostly cleared it up) but after a while, that patch type stuff runs out and the original problem returns. In my case, it looks like it was diet.
That first doctor's trip did help in a very significant way though - the "diet" (actually antibiotic) pills had a fairly strict pattern attached to when I could have them : don't take one until 2 hours after food and 1 hour before food. With 4 times a day, that's 3 hours times 4, literally half the day when snacking was banned. Upshot - the habitual grazing was no longer an option. Going on that regimen for a week put the idea in my head "yes, this can be done".
Combine that with knowing that in the cricket I'd gradually been losing my speed ... and you have someone thinking that he can make a go of losing the weight. Oh - I'd also been seeing my most recent photos taken on a holiday. Best word to describe ? Chunky. I don't like being chunky and I definitely don't like being slow.
Result ? After almost a year of it, I'm down 1.5 stone (9.5kg) and I have all of my speed back. And that's not just straight line power, it's being able to dodge out the way when I have to. I still wilt in the heat (was hoping less insulation would help there) but hey - can't have everything.
I've had to shift that diet again though. With the stuff on my legs erupting again a week and a half ago, I figured I'd look up diet as a potential cause for the damage coming back. As in, was I giving my body the material it needed to repair itself ?
So - diet shift. I've added lettuce to the lunchtime sandwiches. I'm drinking orange juice regularly again (old habit that I dropped a couple of years ago), I'm taking vitamin supplements (as a booster). I'm eating green crunchy stuff in the evenings as grazing snack instead of cookies.
Trouble is, that comes at a cost in the early days of the shift. My head was definitely not right last week (think it's been more in balance today) with motivation definitely lacking. That's not to say I wasn't getting on with doing Stuff, I may not Want to do Stuff but I'll get done what needs to be done. Like the laptop, the contracts stuff at work, the desktop and all the other bits and pieces at work.
That balance thing also shows itself in cramping up - I ride a fine balance there and having the leg muscles I have doesn't help. That sounds kinda whingy doesn't it ? I can handle the cramp and it's a good sign that I need to drink something.
Other signs - you know when you get starving and there's a kind of conversation with yourself that goes like :
"I'm hungry ! Feed me something !"
"But I just ate, what do you want now ?"
"I dunno ! Feed me Something"
And you have no clue what the "something" you need is. You have an instinctive level understanding that you are missing something crucial but can't put your finger on it. By adding the Vitamin C rich stuff back into my diet, I think I've identified that "something". That'll help the diet too because instead of treating craving with cookies, I'm treating it with green stuff.
How are the legs doing with all this ?
I have this impression that there's thousands of mini workmen inside me all shouting "Yey ! He's finally giving us the stuff we need to fix him ! Let's get to work". And they've been patching up each broken bit in turn. Literally. The bad bits on my legs are in patches on both calves and above my left knee. Behind my left knee is also bad. Each patch started repairing after the other.
At the moment, I have a couple of fairly spectacular patches and my right leg looks like it got burned a while ago. But that's ok, cos it shows it's mending now instead of getting worse.
Hopefully the legs will continue to improve. As they are at the moment, I cannot wear my knee pads because of where the patches are. And that means no cricket. And no "warm up the legs" treatment when the cold of winter gets into my knees, as it will. I got bored of these leg issues last year and want smooth skin again.
I think it's time to close now before this post gets huge. Summary ?
Diet's helping - and I'm adjusting to it
Legs are repairing (I hope!)
Having leaner legs means I can see the muscles at play under the skin
And that's pretty awesome
I have speed !!!!!
Still not gonna be seen in public in shorts
What I'd really like to close on is - if you find yourself confronted by a need to make a wholesale life change, throw yourself into it. Don't look back, don't have second thoughts. Make that change. Whether it be giving up something damaging like drink, drugs or smoking. Or if it's needing to eat healthier or otherwise lose weight. Or change in circumstances at home or work (not something I'm usually good at due to inertia but when the change clicks ? I'm ok)
It'll seem hard early on but stick with it. It'll be worth it in the long run. However, I'll admit to being no saint there. I have had the occasional cookie and piece of chocolate when I've felt the need. I have one chemical addiction that I'm not willing to give up - caffeine.
Sometimes a little comfort is needed. I'm not so tough that I don't need that comfort munchie every once in a while. But as long as that long term plan is in sight - consider the chocolate or the cookie a treat rather than the norm. Try to be dependent on absolutely nothing. I'm not there yet, I have that chemical addiction to caffeine which means I get headaches if I'm too long without coffee.
And I am definitely rambling now - if you make big decisions like me with the diet, stick with it ! It'll be worth it. And I'll be remembering that tomorrow when I'm dodging out the way of people on the stairs :-)
My legs and the wounds on there that have refused to heal have been an issue for over a year now. The antibiotic pills and cream stuff given to me by the doctors helped up to a point (and mostly cleared it up) but after a while, that patch type stuff runs out and the original problem returns. In my case, it looks like it was diet.
That first doctor's trip did help in a very significant way though - the "diet" (actually antibiotic) pills had a fairly strict pattern attached to when I could have them : don't take one until 2 hours after food and 1 hour before food. With 4 times a day, that's 3 hours times 4, literally half the day when snacking was banned. Upshot - the habitual grazing was no longer an option. Going on that regimen for a week put the idea in my head "yes, this can be done".
Combine that with knowing that in the cricket I'd gradually been losing my speed ... and you have someone thinking that he can make a go of losing the weight. Oh - I'd also been seeing my most recent photos taken on a holiday. Best word to describe ? Chunky. I don't like being chunky and I definitely don't like being slow.
Result ? After almost a year of it, I'm down 1.5 stone (9.5kg) and I have all of my speed back. And that's not just straight line power, it's being able to dodge out the way when I have to. I still wilt in the heat (was hoping less insulation would help there) but hey - can't have everything.
I've had to shift that diet again though. With the stuff on my legs erupting again a week and a half ago, I figured I'd look up diet as a potential cause for the damage coming back. As in, was I giving my body the material it needed to repair itself ?
So - diet shift. I've added lettuce to the lunchtime sandwiches. I'm drinking orange juice regularly again (old habit that I dropped a couple of years ago), I'm taking vitamin supplements (as a booster). I'm eating green crunchy stuff in the evenings as grazing snack instead of cookies.
Trouble is, that comes at a cost in the early days of the shift. My head was definitely not right last week (think it's been more in balance today) with motivation definitely lacking. That's not to say I wasn't getting on with doing Stuff, I may not Want to do Stuff but I'll get done what needs to be done. Like the laptop, the contracts stuff at work, the desktop and all the other bits and pieces at work.
That balance thing also shows itself in cramping up - I ride a fine balance there and having the leg muscles I have doesn't help. That sounds kinda whingy doesn't it ? I can handle the cramp and it's a good sign that I need to drink something.
Other signs - you know when you get starving and there's a kind of conversation with yourself that goes like :
"I'm hungry ! Feed me something !"
"But I just ate, what do you want now ?"
"I dunno ! Feed me Something"
And you have no clue what the "something" you need is. You have an instinctive level understanding that you are missing something crucial but can't put your finger on it. By adding the Vitamin C rich stuff back into my diet, I think I've identified that "something". That'll help the diet too because instead of treating craving with cookies, I'm treating it with green stuff.
How are the legs doing with all this ?
I have this impression that there's thousands of mini workmen inside me all shouting "Yey ! He's finally giving us the stuff we need to fix him ! Let's get to work". And they've been patching up each broken bit in turn. Literally. The bad bits on my legs are in patches on both calves and above my left knee. Behind my left knee is also bad. Each patch started repairing after the other.
At the moment, I have a couple of fairly spectacular patches and my right leg looks like it got burned a while ago. But that's ok, cos it shows it's mending now instead of getting worse.
Hopefully the legs will continue to improve. As they are at the moment, I cannot wear my knee pads because of where the patches are. And that means no cricket. And no "warm up the legs" treatment when the cold of winter gets into my knees, as it will. I got bored of these leg issues last year and want smooth skin again.
I think it's time to close now before this post gets huge. Summary ?
Diet's helping - and I'm adjusting to it
Legs are repairing (I hope!)
Having leaner legs means I can see the muscles at play under the skin
And that's pretty awesome
I have speed !!!!!
Still not gonna be seen in public in shorts
What I'd really like to close on is - if you find yourself confronted by a need to make a wholesale life change, throw yourself into it. Don't look back, don't have second thoughts. Make that change. Whether it be giving up something damaging like drink, drugs or smoking. Or if it's needing to eat healthier or otherwise lose weight. Or change in circumstances at home or work (not something I'm usually good at due to inertia but when the change clicks ? I'm ok)
It'll seem hard early on but stick with it. It'll be worth it in the long run. However, I'll admit to being no saint there. I have had the occasional cookie and piece of chocolate when I've felt the need. I have one chemical addiction that I'm not willing to give up - caffeine.
Sometimes a little comfort is needed. I'm not so tough that I don't need that comfort munchie every once in a while. But as long as that long term plan is in sight - consider the chocolate or the cookie a treat rather than the norm. Try to be dependent on absolutely nothing. I'm not there yet, I have that chemical addiction to caffeine which means I get headaches if I'm too long without coffee.
And I am definitely rambling now - if you make big decisions like me with the diet, stick with it ! It'll be worth it. And I'll be remembering that tomorrow when I'm dodging out the way of people on the stairs :-)
Monday, August 13, 2012
Will the last one out ...
(addon - I've spotted all the hits come in looking for info on Martin Wolfram - I don't know much, just what I saw on the telly. Will keep looking and add a link if I find anything. Hope he'll be ok when that shoulder fixes !)
... Please turn off the torch.
That's from one of the pen & paper role play gamers in a little group that's been going for years (on hiatus at the moment - ill health).
This Olympics (and this will be the last Olympics post for a while - honest) has been pretty awesome. It's had everything :
On at a good time, so you don't have that "stay up longer or go bed at reasonable time ?" timezone competition thing. Beijing was ahead of the UK, so the time zone was quite hostile.
Information - the London2012 website has been outstanding for getting results, updates, scheduling and just generally getting information out there. With the diving, I was occasionally seeing results and updates come through before the commentators and crowd saw them. (That's partly due to the delay on the feeds).
Coverage - this has been unrivalled. Huge number of channels with great camera work on them all. It heralds the digital age coming again. For Beijing, the multi channel streaming architecture wasn't as mature and the hardware we have to show it nowhere near as ready. I didn't but I suspect I could have watched some of the coverage on my phone, like I listen to internet radio on it.
I suspect the coverage may have plateaued there though. I'm not sure it can be taken that much further, apart from maybe Picture In Picture selections like what was promised with TV decades ago.
Stories - There's been stories all the way. Good ones, Bad ones, Embarassing ones, Heartwarming ones, Inspiring ones.
Good ones - the way it's all come together, with the conduct of the games being such that it's allowed the athletes to come to the fore. One thing I can remember from Beijing are the stories about the smog, no such worries about London although the rain made things interesting at times.
Bad ones - the non-trying badminton players and the occasional bad referee. Yep. These stole the headlines but it was dealt with appropriately.
Embarassing ones - remember those Arabian signs ? Oops ! (Paul McCartney counts too)
Heartwarming ones - that clip of Victoria Pendleton showing the heart symbol will be shown for a very long time. As will those of our boys and girls being in tears on the medal podiums.
Inspiring ones - all of the athletes. All of 'em. But especially Martin Wolfram who injured his shoulder badly during the diving and then proceeded to complete the competition with a useless right arm. Did well too.
But - what's next ?
Back to life, back to reality. I'll be looking forward to the Paralympics in a couple of weeks, followed by the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. I'll give sport watching a rest for a few days (cricket's on but will ignore until Thursday's Test Match).
I didn't get to go along to any events (feeling I missed out) but Olympic spirit was flowing well, even with those who I'd never believe it would catch. What is next ?
Catching up on the telly ... Got lots of recorded stuff, lots of recorded films and 7 blu-rays have arrived that I haven't watched yet. Lots to watch.
Cricket season is done - there's another game but I'm going to be avoiding that. My back is sound but isn't fixed yet. I'm being careful because it could go bang again easily if I twist wrong. Nah - my legs aren't fixed yet.
Actually that's another thing I'm going to have to change and that's diet ... I've done a little more analysing and come to the conclusion that neglecting certain things in my diet is why I'm having problems with legs, lungs and eyes.
Whenever you hit a problem with your body, try and analyse it. Don't instantly go for the patch it over solution, as the underlying problem will still be there. The creams helped my legs repair some of the damage but it didn't fix the underlying cause. I think it's diet - I need to get the greens back in and the orange juice. I used to drink a reasonable amount of that, enough to keep me healthy. I think what's happened is that my body's run out of the essential minerals it needs to keep it healthy and I need to make the switch to get them back in.
We'll see how that goes. Sainsburys tomorrow and I'll break a habit by visiting the aisle with Green Stuff in it.
But yeah - I'm not repairing as quickly and as efficiently as I used to. Playing cricket one week needed to be followed by a week away in order to recover. There's a lot of consistency between symptoms observed and things missing (Vitamin C, K and zinc) from my diet. And now I've identified that, it's time to test the conclusion and see if it's right :-)
Besides - I've got bored of biscuits, munching raw crunchy cabbage will be suitable biscuit replacement :-).
... Please turn off the torch.
That's from one of the pen & paper role play gamers in a little group that's been going for years (on hiatus at the moment - ill health).
This Olympics (and this will be the last Olympics post for a while - honest) has been pretty awesome. It's had everything :
On at a good time, so you don't have that "stay up longer or go bed at reasonable time ?" timezone competition thing. Beijing was ahead of the UK, so the time zone was quite hostile.
Information - the London2012 website has been outstanding for getting results, updates, scheduling and just generally getting information out there. With the diving, I was occasionally seeing results and updates come through before the commentators and crowd saw them. (That's partly due to the delay on the feeds).
Coverage - this has been unrivalled. Huge number of channels with great camera work on them all. It heralds the digital age coming again. For Beijing, the multi channel streaming architecture wasn't as mature and the hardware we have to show it nowhere near as ready. I didn't but I suspect I could have watched some of the coverage on my phone, like I listen to internet radio on it.
I suspect the coverage may have plateaued there though. I'm not sure it can be taken that much further, apart from maybe Picture In Picture selections like what was promised with TV decades ago.
Stories - There's been stories all the way. Good ones, Bad ones, Embarassing ones, Heartwarming ones, Inspiring ones.
Good ones - the way it's all come together, with the conduct of the games being such that it's allowed the athletes to come to the fore. One thing I can remember from Beijing are the stories about the smog, no such worries about London although the rain made things interesting at times.
Bad ones - the non-trying badminton players and the occasional bad referee. Yep. These stole the headlines but it was dealt with appropriately.
Embarassing ones - remember those Arabian signs ? Oops ! (Paul McCartney counts too)
Heartwarming ones - that clip of Victoria Pendleton showing the heart symbol will be shown for a very long time. As will those of our boys and girls being in tears on the medal podiums.
Inspiring ones - all of the athletes. All of 'em. But especially Martin Wolfram who injured his shoulder badly during the diving and then proceeded to complete the competition with a useless right arm. Did well too.
But - what's next ?
Back to life, back to reality. I'll be looking forward to the Paralympics in a couple of weeks, followed by the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. I'll give sport watching a rest for a few days (cricket's on but will ignore until Thursday's Test Match).
I didn't get to go along to any events (feeling I missed out) but Olympic spirit was flowing well, even with those who I'd never believe it would catch. What is next ?
Catching up on the telly ... Got lots of recorded stuff, lots of recorded films and 7 blu-rays have arrived that I haven't watched yet. Lots to watch.
Cricket season is done - there's another game but I'm going to be avoiding that. My back is sound but isn't fixed yet. I'm being careful because it could go bang again easily if I twist wrong. Nah - my legs aren't fixed yet.
Actually that's another thing I'm going to have to change and that's diet ... I've done a little more analysing and come to the conclusion that neglecting certain things in my diet is why I'm having problems with legs, lungs and eyes.
Whenever you hit a problem with your body, try and analyse it. Don't instantly go for the patch it over solution, as the underlying problem will still be there. The creams helped my legs repair some of the damage but it didn't fix the underlying cause. I think it's diet - I need to get the greens back in and the orange juice. I used to drink a reasonable amount of that, enough to keep me healthy. I think what's happened is that my body's run out of the essential minerals it needs to keep it healthy and I need to make the switch to get them back in.
We'll see how that goes. Sainsburys tomorrow and I'll break a habit by visiting the aisle with Green Stuff in it.
But yeah - I'm not repairing as quickly and as efficiently as I used to. Playing cricket one week needed to be followed by a week away in order to recover. There's a lot of consistency between symptoms observed and things missing (Vitamin C, K and zinc) from my diet. And now I've identified that, it's time to test the conclusion and see if it's right :-)
Besides - I've got bored of biscuits, munching raw crunchy cabbage will be suitable biscuit replacement :-).
Monday, June 18, 2012
Monday Mayhem
Feels like it's been mayhem today.
I don't think it has really but that's the way it feels. We're at a stage in the project where we're seeing the skeletons we buried in cupboards ages ago start to rattle their bones. No decision is perfect. Whatever you buy, something will come along later and make you think "What if we'd gone a different route ?" "What if we'd thought of this back then ?"
And on really complex projects like our's, there can be a few of those skeletons around. What's important is :
Knowing you've delivered something awesome (and we have)
Knowing that you've got an excellent team that sort out the issues
Knowing that the early decisions that got made, got made for the right reasons
From my own engineering, I know a lot more about building PCs now than I did 15 years ago. I made a lot more Good decisions with this desktop than I did the last one and the one before that. However, my car knowledge has gone a little backwards as we've got more insulated from what our cars do.
Where'd that come from ? We've been investigating some of those skeletons so we can properly sort them out. Duct tape does fixes but we want Proper Job Fixes, not duct tape bodges.
Picture !
I actually feel a bit worried about people I see who I think are too skinny. There were Lexus ladies in the garage on Saturday, both were on the thin side. One was too thin (or was wearing stuff that was too tight), one looked thin cos she was quite tall.
Yep - I get worried about thin people. Are they starving themselves in order to fit an image that just isn't right for them ? Are they causing themselves health problems because they aren't eating enough of the right things ? A starved, hollow look just isn't attractive.
What is attractive is how confident people are in their own skin. And that can be Big People, Little People, Medium People, Skinny People, Chunky People. While I'd still describe myself as Chunky, I'm a lot happier now with the way I look than I was a year ago when I was a stone heavier. That's from being able to move better, although I wasn't happy in the early stages of the diet because a side effect of changing was that my muscles were tending to cramp up more.
I know a couple of young ladies who are both on the short but very large side. One projects an attitude of "The world hates me". The other projects bubbly, confident, fun. Guess which one I find myself asking "who dat ?" and which one I avoid so the "world hates me" doesn't become catching ... (both of those are "first mention"s here and only 1 reader is likely to know 1 of them)
Dodger of DexBonus put in an awesome vid yesterday for cheering yourselves up. There's a lot of beauty out there. It just needs a chance to break out past those preconceptions on what size and shape we should be.
I miss cakes. I'm at a stage in my diet where I can eat what I like. The trick is that I've managed to change "what I like" into something that has me munching the snack food in moderation instead of gluttony. Oh !
That takes me to shopping tonight. Mall trip tonight was aimed at getting a few things : Jacket for Lords so I could see inside the pavilion. Cash. Snack food for car. But this will be the last time I go to Morrisons for a while (I nearly put my shopping back so I could go to Asda instead). I don't normally keep snack food in the car but Minstrels are really good for it. E numbers to keep you awake. Chocolate for energy. Shells so they don't melt in the packet.
I like Minstrels.
But I've managed to alter my thinking so I don't devour a packet of Minstrels a night. I'll ration the munchies. And that's one secret of the diet I've been following :
Eat what you like - but in moderation. Treats are an excellent motivational device. You shouldn't deny yourself them completely. Just keep them as occasional bonus munchies so they're special, instead of boring cos you have that packet of Giant Buttons every night. (I would if I could get away with it) Especially if they're of the quality we got from Snow Queen & Co !
PS This is definitely me hoping that my favourite iPhone based visitor spots this and lets me know the next time there's cakes :-) ! :-)
I don't think it has really but that's the way it feels. We're at a stage in the project where we're seeing the skeletons we buried in cupboards ages ago start to rattle their bones. No decision is perfect. Whatever you buy, something will come along later and make you think "What if we'd gone a different route ?" "What if we'd thought of this back then ?"
And on really complex projects like our's, there can be a few of those skeletons around. What's important is :
Knowing you've delivered something awesome (and we have)
Knowing that you've got an excellent team that sort out the issues
Knowing that the early decisions that got made, got made for the right reasons
From my own engineering, I know a lot more about building PCs now than I did 15 years ago. I made a lot more Good decisions with this desktop than I did the last one and the one before that. However, my car knowledge has gone a little backwards as we've got more insulated from what our cars do.
Where'd that come from ? We've been investigating some of those skeletons so we can properly sort them out. Duct tape does fixes but we want Proper Job Fixes, not duct tape bodges.
Picture !
Yep - I get worried about thin people. Are they starving themselves in order to fit an image that just isn't right for them ? Are they causing themselves health problems because they aren't eating enough of the right things ? A starved, hollow look just isn't attractive.
What is attractive is how confident people are in their own skin. And that can be Big People, Little People, Medium People, Skinny People, Chunky People. While I'd still describe myself as Chunky, I'm a lot happier now with the way I look than I was a year ago when I was a stone heavier. That's from being able to move better, although I wasn't happy in the early stages of the diet because a side effect of changing was that my muscles were tending to cramp up more.
I know a couple of young ladies who are both on the short but very large side. One projects an attitude of "The world hates me". The other projects bubbly, confident, fun. Guess which one I find myself asking "who dat ?" and which one I avoid so the "world hates me" doesn't become catching ... (both of those are "first mention"s here and only 1 reader is likely to know 1 of them)
Dodger of DexBonus put in an awesome vid yesterday for cheering yourselves up. There's a lot of beauty out there. It just needs a chance to break out past those preconceptions on what size and shape we should be.
I miss cakes. I'm at a stage in my diet where I can eat what I like. The trick is that I've managed to change "what I like" into something that has me munching the snack food in moderation instead of gluttony. Oh !
That takes me to shopping tonight. Mall trip tonight was aimed at getting a few things : Jacket for Lords so I could see inside the pavilion. Cash. Snack food for car. But this will be the last time I go to Morrisons for a while (I nearly put my shopping back so I could go to Asda instead). I don't normally keep snack food in the car but Minstrels are really good for it. E numbers to keep you awake. Chocolate for energy. Shells so they don't melt in the packet.
I like Minstrels.
But I've managed to alter my thinking so I don't devour a packet of Minstrels a night. I'll ration the munchies. And that's one secret of the diet I've been following :
Eat what you like - but in moderation. Treats are an excellent motivational device. You shouldn't deny yourself them completely. Just keep them as occasional bonus munchies so they're special, instead of boring cos you have that packet of Giant Buttons every night. (I would if I could get away with it) Especially if they're of the quality we got from Snow Queen & Co !
PS This is definitely me hoping that my favourite iPhone based visitor spots this and lets me know the next time there's cakes :-) ! :-)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Warming up the avatar
I think I said ages ago that there was another different Pocket Dwagon avatar coming soon ...
I changed at the weekend (just felt like it!) but I'm looking to switch to another one as a symbolic thingy. I like my symbols. But I think that might be the OCD tendency talking ...
Anyway - the next avatar's going to be one of this pair :
With "Feed Me" being the symbol. I've used the little fella before as an avatar but just as a jokey Feed Me Mini Eggs thing. Nah - the symbol this time will be weight loss :
I've been seeing the needle go below the 13 stone mark :-)
Not sure how many years it's been since I was last under 13 stone. I think I hit that at uni due to working too hard and exercising less. (Yeah right). But the weight definitely climbed on when I started working because I could indulge in far too much unhealthy food. Lunchtime Heaven would be finding out that a placement had a place I could get chips for lunch every day.
Effectively having 2 dinners per day is bad news for the waistline, especially if you're not expending enough energy to cover that intake. It's sandwiches for lunch now and they just happen to be the sandwiches with fewest kcals :-).
Yeah - been seeing the needle of the scales go lighter lately, although I'm not going to jinx it by switching to that Feed Me avatar until it stays under that target weight. I need to lose more still to be honest. I'm back to 34" waist trousers but they're a stretchy 34". I won't go below 34" (hips are too wide for 32"). But it's definitely getting there :
I have my speed back
Some underlying health issues have faded
(I'm not saying what those were cos people would get worried)
And I feel much better for it
I need to keep the exercise going - I'm fine if I keep myself moving. However, a couple of weeks away from cricket and my back is wanting to freeze up on me (rubbish chairs at work too). I suspect that doing gardening would help me out (weather permitting).
I'm going to keep the discipline going for now with the weight. The leg infection helped me out there - the "diet" pills told me that I could handle going for a while without grazing on junk. The "diet" pills were antibiotics that needed 2 hours without food before and 1 hour without food after. 4 times a day. So that's a 6 hour cycle with 3 hours of no munchies. It can be done ! Even by a serial snacker.
So that's just over a stone lost so far with more to come. Just gotta keep the discipline going and not eat stuff for the sake of munching. Did ok there today, avoided an afternoon cookie :-) This was just after giving a big grin and wave to the Snow Queen (hello Snow Queen!) who just happened to be nipping through the canteen area at the same time I was.
Happy days.
Wonder if I can use a different description to "a little extra" soon ? I don't honestly consider myself to be "trim" or "athletic" yet. More like "normal disappear into crowd" type average build.
Last thought - if you're trying to lose weight and you're going the heavy exercise route, don't be discouraged if your weight goes Up after exercise. I gained half a stone through the first two games of this season. A lot of that was in my legs, which felt very heavy and stiff after those games. The reason was lactic acid build up, after that went away over the next couple of days I was back down to the weight from before the games.
Exercise may make you gain weight as well as lose it - the lesson is to understand why and balance energy incoming with energy outgoing. So on match days, I'll eat more. At other times, I'll attempt to avoid temptation when not actually hungry.
Too much ramble ! Not enough pictures !
PS The CQ Race For Life link needs more clicking and definitely more support.
I changed at the weekend (just felt like it!) but I'm looking to switch to another one as a symbolic thingy. I like my symbols. But I think that might be the OCD tendency talking ...
Anyway - the next avatar's going to be one of this pair :
I've been seeing the needle go below the 13 stone mark :-)
Not sure how many years it's been since I was last under 13 stone. I think I hit that at uni due to working too hard and exercising less. (Yeah right). But the weight definitely climbed on when I started working because I could indulge in far too much unhealthy food. Lunchtime Heaven would be finding out that a placement had a place I could get chips for lunch every day.
Effectively having 2 dinners per day is bad news for the waistline, especially if you're not expending enough energy to cover that intake. It's sandwiches for lunch now and they just happen to be the sandwiches with fewest kcals :-).
Yeah - been seeing the needle of the scales go lighter lately, although I'm not going to jinx it by switching to that Feed Me avatar until it stays under that target weight. I need to lose more still to be honest. I'm back to 34" waist trousers but they're a stretchy 34". I won't go below 34" (hips are too wide for 32"). But it's definitely getting there :
I have my speed back
Some underlying health issues have faded
(I'm not saying what those were cos people would get worried)
And I feel much better for it
I need to keep the exercise going - I'm fine if I keep myself moving. However, a couple of weeks away from cricket and my back is wanting to freeze up on me (rubbish chairs at work too). I suspect that doing gardening would help me out (weather permitting).
I'm going to keep the discipline going for now with the weight. The leg infection helped me out there - the "diet" pills told me that I could handle going for a while without grazing on junk. The "diet" pills were antibiotics that needed 2 hours without food before and 1 hour without food after. 4 times a day. So that's a 6 hour cycle with 3 hours of no munchies. It can be done ! Even by a serial snacker.
So that's just over a stone lost so far with more to come. Just gotta keep the discipline going and not eat stuff for the sake of munching. Did ok there today, avoided an afternoon cookie :-) This was just after giving a big grin and wave to the Snow Queen (hello Snow Queen!) who just happened to be nipping through the canteen area at the same time I was.
Happy days.
Wonder if I can use a different description to "a little extra" soon ? I don't honestly consider myself to be "trim" or "athletic" yet. More like "normal disappear into crowd" type average build.
Last thought - if you're trying to lose weight and you're going the heavy exercise route, don't be discouraged if your weight goes Up after exercise. I gained half a stone through the first two games of this season. A lot of that was in my legs, which felt very heavy and stiff after those games. The reason was lactic acid build up, after that went away over the next couple of days I was back down to the weight from before the games.
Exercise may make you gain weight as well as lose it - the lesson is to understand why and balance energy incoming with energy outgoing. So on match days, I'll eat more. At other times, I'll attempt to avoid temptation when not actually hungry.
Too much ramble ! Not enough pictures !
PS The CQ Race For Life link needs more clicking and definitely more support.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Looking young, feeling ... oldish
Been getting some amusement over the past few days ...
I've been getting guesses out of people for how old they think I am. It's usually as a follow on to me saying that I'm too old to be throwing myself around a cricket field.
It's been good for the soul too, as the age guesses have been placing me at around 28-30. ("Or even younger" as one said today). That's really good to hear, as about 6 months ago that age guess range was 32-34. It gives a bit of truth to the saying that losing weight can take years off your age, as over that 6 month period, I've lost a stone. I haven't broken through the 13 stone barrier yet (that won't happen until after the cricket season) but I'm stable there.
Good times.
It must be something in my genes. As it has absolutely nothing to do with me :
Looking after myself properly (outside of snacking less)
Lack of stress (work pushes me and I push myself harder)
Funny chemicals and other "beauty" products
Getting exercise for keep fit stuff (that just seems to wear people out)
I do avoid a lot of the common poisons like drink (prefer taste of cola), nicotine (smoking is a really nasty habit all round) and drugs (of all kinds). I've never smoked because I figured early on that it would wreck lungs that are already not great. I avoid alcohol now, except for special occasions, because my IBS is controllable except when I drink. And I very rarely take drugs of any kind, be it medicinal or recreational.
So I don't really have any magic formula for looking young, except - Keep a positive attitude, avoid the vices.
I don't feel that young though. I definitely feel my 37 years and then some, with most of my damage being on the inside. Even with the bruising from last week, the spectacular bruise is the one that's least of a problem. That said though, after yesterday putting myself to "reserve only" (i.e. let someone else have a game) for this week's cricket, I'm feeling improved today.
Wonder how much of that is down to having the chance to grin at four!* lovely ladies at our contractor's office today ? It's not all about the grinning though, we had the chance to talk through and sort out some issues.
*(two because three became four as I remembered a couple more that I've known from Way Back on this project. Erm - make it 5 cos of Doreen on the front desk too)
Oh - I have a youtube channel now. I have to admit, I only made it so I could comment on a youtube video. But ... you never know. I've been enjoying the Dodger Coffeh Time vlogs a lot over the past couple of weeks. They feel like what this blog would be like if I did it with video. It's become essential viewing, at the end of every Coffeh Time vlog, Dodger will wish us a wonderful day. And you know what ? The day feels so much brighter for that.
So - dunno if I'll post any webcammy type videos to that youtube channel (if I do, I'll add a link to the list). It won't be gameplay video as I tend to fade in and out of games. Could be an occasional vlog as that would let me show what I mean with some of the cricket stuff. But something I would inflict people with - karaoke !
Now there's a threat that'll make people run away screaming. MUAHAHA.
I've been getting guesses out of people for how old they think I am. It's usually as a follow on to me saying that I'm too old to be throwing myself around a cricket field.
It's been good for the soul too, as the age guesses have been placing me at around 28-30. ("Or even younger" as one said today). That's really good to hear, as about 6 months ago that age guess range was 32-34. It gives a bit of truth to the saying that losing weight can take years off your age, as over that 6 month period, I've lost a stone. I haven't broken through the 13 stone barrier yet (that won't happen until after the cricket season) but I'm stable there.
Good times.
It must be something in my genes. As it has absolutely nothing to do with me :
Looking after myself properly (outside of snacking less)
Lack of stress (work pushes me and I push myself harder)
Funny chemicals and other "beauty" products
Getting exercise for keep fit stuff (that just seems to wear people out)
I do avoid a lot of the common poisons like drink (prefer taste of cola), nicotine (smoking is a really nasty habit all round) and drugs (of all kinds). I've never smoked because I figured early on that it would wreck lungs that are already not great. I avoid alcohol now, except for special occasions, because my IBS is controllable except when I drink. And I very rarely take drugs of any kind, be it medicinal or recreational.
So I don't really have any magic formula for looking young, except - Keep a positive attitude, avoid the vices.
I don't feel that young though. I definitely feel my 37 years and then some, with most of my damage being on the inside. Even with the bruising from last week, the spectacular bruise is the one that's least of a problem. That said though, after yesterday putting myself to "reserve only" (i.e. let someone else have a game) for this week's cricket, I'm feeling improved today.
Wonder how much of that is down to having the chance to grin at four!* lovely ladies at our contractor's office today ? It's not all about the grinning though, we had the chance to talk through and sort out some issues.
*(two because three became four as I remembered a couple more that I've known from Way Back on this project. Erm - make it 5 cos of Doreen on the front desk too)
Oh - I have a youtube channel now. I have to admit, I only made it so I could comment on a youtube video. But ... you never know. I've been enjoying the Dodger Coffeh Time vlogs a lot over the past couple of weeks. They feel like what this blog would be like if I did it with video. It's become essential viewing, at the end of every Coffeh Time vlog, Dodger will wish us a wonderful day. And you know what ? The day feels so much brighter for that.
So - dunno if I'll post any webcammy type videos to that youtube channel (if I do, I'll add a link to the list). It won't be gameplay video as I tend to fade in and out of games. Could be an occasional vlog as that would let me show what I mean with some of the cricket stuff. But something I would inflict people with - karaoke !
Now there's a threat that'll make people run away screaming. MUAHAHA.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Random stuff
Felt like there's a blog post bursting to come out but what to write ... what to write ...
Found a new artist to get hooked on, courtesy of Craziequeen. Just listen to "I Do Adore" and try not to sing along. You will fail. I've had the chorus bouncing around in my head all day, which kinda balanced a horror day otherwise. Someone ... decided to implement a change which forced every user on the system to download their full inbox. The network actually survived. But almost no-one had their inbox available and doing things with stuff outside email was incredibly slow due to all the inbox downloading traffic.
I suspect that whoever decided to implement that unnecessary change is currently being skinned by the boss. And there's a baying mob with pitchforks gathering.
Diet - this is still going ok.
The average weight is still steadily reducing at a sensible and sustainable rate. I'm getting less issues with cramping up which hopefully means I'm getting that mineral balance better. I have problems when I've not had enough salt (like everyone) but I also have issues with too much salt.
At school age, after getting home from a day's cricket I'd typically have :
Coke/Diet Coke in the pub after the game (it's a diuretic)
Dinner with lots of salt
And I'd usually be lucky to not get cramp so bad I'd tear a leg muscle. I call it the Salt Bomb now ... Chippie dinners are bad for it as well. The lesson is to make sure that salt intake is balanced, i.e. drink lots of water to replace sweat or to offset the salt. And coke is bad because it does funny things to that salt/water balance.
Anyway. Diet is getting the calorie intake discipline going better, although I'm not exactly being scientific with it. I'm just sticking with "don't eat if not hungry". Can't remember last time I ate a dinner on a Friday night, as bacon sarnie + late lunch baguette means I don't need dinner.
Been stiff & sore lately, enough to go "ow" when people aren't looking ... But I still have full power available in the legs. Actually more than full power, as I'm a stone lighter now compared to when I started the diet. And that lower weight means I can start moving quicker and adjust quicker. Because of the way my legs are set up, it takes time for them to start moving but when they do, I can move extremely quickly. And less weight means less reaction time.
I'm not sylph like (never will be) but I've dodged out of the way when ever someone's come running around the corner.
Hmm. That means I've missed being run into by pretty ladies. (They seem to be the ones rushing around a lot at work)
I may have to rethink that dodging out the way thing.
Oh - diet stuff. I've got to a point where I can play around with what I eat a little more, while keeping within that discipline. So like today, Mini Eggs in the afternoon let me blast through work frustration enough to get stuff done late. But that's balanced by me not having a teacake for breakfast this morning. And the pizza will be balanced by me resisting cookies for as long as possible tonight.
It's not so much looking at packets and adding up calories, it's more keeping to a discipline. Like not knowing how long it is since I had a dessert ... It's been a while.
Still a little sore though. I vaguely remember that getting poked by strong fingers was awesome for relieving stress and tension. With the vaguely showing how long it is since I knew someone willing to do that for me. Last expert I knew was Mad Alyse from uni, who worked wonders with the back injury I picked up at school.
Found a new artist to get hooked on, courtesy of Craziequeen. Just listen to "I Do Adore" and try not to sing along. You will fail. I've had the chorus bouncing around in my head all day, which kinda balanced a horror day otherwise. Someone ... decided to implement a change which forced every user on the system to download their full inbox. The network actually survived. But almost no-one had their inbox available and doing things with stuff outside email was incredibly slow due to all the inbox downloading traffic.
I suspect that whoever decided to implement that unnecessary change is currently being skinned by the boss. And there's a baying mob with pitchforks gathering.
Diet - this is still going ok.
The average weight is still steadily reducing at a sensible and sustainable rate. I'm getting less issues with cramping up which hopefully means I'm getting that mineral balance better. I have problems when I've not had enough salt (like everyone) but I also have issues with too much salt.
At school age, after getting home from a day's cricket I'd typically have :
Coke/Diet Coke in the pub after the game (it's a diuretic)
Dinner with lots of salt
And I'd usually be lucky to not get cramp so bad I'd tear a leg muscle. I call it the Salt Bomb now ... Chippie dinners are bad for it as well. The lesson is to make sure that salt intake is balanced, i.e. drink lots of water to replace sweat or to offset the salt. And coke is bad because it does funny things to that salt/water balance.
Anyway. Diet is getting the calorie intake discipline going better, although I'm not exactly being scientific with it. I'm just sticking with "don't eat if not hungry". Can't remember last time I ate a dinner on a Friday night, as bacon sarnie + late lunch baguette means I don't need dinner.
Been stiff & sore lately, enough to go "ow" when people aren't looking ... But I still have full power available in the legs. Actually more than full power, as I'm a stone lighter now compared to when I started the diet. And that lower weight means I can start moving quicker and adjust quicker. Because of the way my legs are set up, it takes time for them to start moving but when they do, I can move extremely quickly. And less weight means less reaction time.
I'm not sylph like (never will be) but I've dodged out of the way when ever someone's come running around the corner.
Hmm. That means I've missed being run into by pretty ladies. (They seem to be the ones rushing around a lot at work)
I may have to rethink that dodging out the way thing.
Oh - diet stuff. I've got to a point where I can play around with what I eat a little more, while keeping within that discipline. So like today, Mini Eggs in the afternoon let me blast through work frustration enough to get stuff done late. But that's balanced by me not having a teacake for breakfast this morning. And the pizza will be balanced by me resisting cookies for as long as possible tonight.
It's not so much looking at packets and adding up calories, it's more keeping to a discipline. Like not knowing how long it is since I had a dessert ... It's been a while.
Still a little sore though. I vaguely remember that getting poked by strong fingers was awesome for relieving stress and tension. With the vaguely showing how long it is since I knew someone willing to do that for me. Last expert I knew was Mad Alyse from uni, who worked wonders with the back injury I picked up at school.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Diets and dangerous advice
The "irritated Sleepy" buzzer just went off again ...
I've just looked at BBC's BMI calculator as part of my daily peek at various websites. It flags up what's very dangerous about following religiously what the medical people say. My diet's going quite well, although I know I'm probably getting to the plateau for what I'll lose just by being more disciplined.
What's the numbers ?
Height - 5"9 (ish - a poorly back may have brought that down to 5"8)
Weight when I started the diet - 14st2lbs
According to the BMI calc, that's 29.4 which is on the verge over going into Obese from Overweight. I'd actually agree with that assessment with reservations. At that 14st + a bit, I was getting slowed down by having to carry too much weight around and I was having trouble unlocking the potential energy hidden in the chubbiness. Hence the decision to try and cut down and be more disciplined in what I consume.
That's a mindset thing that goes throughout how I'm trying to be. Focus on "Need" instead of "Want" :
I may want the teacake in the morning but if I'm not hungry ...
I may want to hunt down obscure information but if I need to produce a business case ...
I may want to demolish the cookies but if I need to be in better shape ...
Urg - getting sidetracked again. What's the BMI say for me if I lose weight ?
Current weight - 13st 4lbs (it varies but that's the current average)
BMI - 27.2 solidly in the middle of Overweight
Fair enough for my build and fitness at the moment but that BMI is what I had when I was playing cricket regularly. For people who regularly exercise and have some strength about them (mine's in my legs), BMI is a terrible measure.
Target weight for current build - 12st
BMI - 24.7 - just into "Normal"
This is where things get a little dangerous. At 12st, I'd in theory have got rid of the spare tyre around my middle. However, I'd probably be losing the leg muscle mass that gives me my speed.
But ... BMI calls an index of 18.7 as "Normal", which is just above "underweight". That's at a weight of 9st. HUH ! ? ? ! A male of 5 foot 9 and my build at just 9 stone would be in severe need of feeding up. I wouldn't describe that as healthy. I don't think I've been 9 stone since I was a teenager and it took me a while to fill out.
Take that to an extreme and put BMI numbers in for professional sportsmen. Chris Ashton is a star on the wing for England's rugby team (he of the dive). He's 6ft and 14st 7 for a BMI of 27.4 (Overweight). He's on the top of his game, doesn't have an ounce of fat, could probably run marathons but BMI sees him as overweight. That turns to the ridiculous for muscly forwards.
It's a silly measure. It ignores how wide you are and just concentrates on height. A better measure would see how wide you are from either shoulder to shoulder or across the pelvis. I went from 11st7 to 13st7 over a few seasons of cricket over ages 15 to 20 that saw me get wider across the shoulders from just filling out a bit.
But the real rule is : Know yourself. Don't trust arbitrary (and illogical) measures made up by idiots. Ask yourself whether you think you're overweight (I know I still need to lose a decent amount). Don't make yourself unhealthy by losing too much.
Losing the weight I've got rid of so far has unlocked agility and energy I'd forgotten about but I would run myself into severe problems if I tried to get to that 9 stone for "underweight". With the muscle mass on my legs, I'd hit problems if I went under 11 stone.
As for others, aim for what you feel comfortable with. Examples for how I see certain celebs :
Adele - cor. She's comfortable with who she is and it shows. It's attractive. Great voice too, shame I'm not a fan of the songs.
A N Other skinny poptart - reaction : "Eat something". Bony is not sexy.
(they might have a better foundation for thin & reedy & screechy voices too if they weren't unhealthy)
Only you know what weight you should be. Arbitrary measures like BMI only cause Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. Big can be sexy too, it just depends on a person being comfortable with who they are. Nikasaur from the League of Legends videos is definitely not overweight (she's a hottie that kept my interest in that game for a while) but I saw an offensive video on youtube that suggested she was. I hope the person responsible looks back in a few years when they will no doubt be much bigger and I bet they will be ashamed of putting that hurtful video on youtube.
And I really must take care that when the sexy people catch my eye, that I don't stare. (Grinning = ok, slackjawed stare = creepy)
I've just looked at BBC's BMI calculator as part of my daily peek at various websites. It flags up what's very dangerous about following religiously what the medical people say. My diet's going quite well, although I know I'm probably getting to the plateau for what I'll lose just by being more disciplined.
What's the numbers ?
Height - 5"9 (ish - a poorly back may have brought that down to 5"8)
Weight when I started the diet - 14st2lbs
According to the BMI calc, that's 29.4 which is on the verge over going into Obese from Overweight. I'd actually agree with that assessment with reservations. At that 14st + a bit, I was getting slowed down by having to carry too much weight around and I was having trouble unlocking the potential energy hidden in the chubbiness. Hence the decision to try and cut down and be more disciplined in what I consume.
That's a mindset thing that goes throughout how I'm trying to be. Focus on "Need" instead of "Want" :
I may want the teacake in the morning but if I'm not hungry ...
I may want to hunt down obscure information but if I need to produce a business case ...
I may want to demolish the cookies but if I need to be in better shape ...
Urg - getting sidetracked again. What's the BMI say for me if I lose weight ?
Current weight - 13st 4lbs (it varies but that's the current average)
BMI - 27.2 solidly in the middle of Overweight
Fair enough for my build and fitness at the moment but that BMI is what I had when I was playing cricket regularly. For people who regularly exercise and have some strength about them (mine's in my legs), BMI is a terrible measure.
Target weight for current build - 12st
BMI - 24.7 - just into "Normal"
This is where things get a little dangerous. At 12st, I'd in theory have got rid of the spare tyre around my middle. However, I'd probably be losing the leg muscle mass that gives me my speed.
But ... BMI calls an index of 18.7 as "Normal", which is just above "underweight". That's at a weight of 9st. HUH ! ? ? ! A male of 5 foot 9 and my build at just 9 stone would be in severe need of feeding up. I wouldn't describe that as healthy. I don't think I've been 9 stone since I was a teenager and it took me a while to fill out.
Take that to an extreme and put BMI numbers in for professional sportsmen. Chris Ashton is a star on the wing for England's rugby team (he of the dive). He's 6ft and 14st 7 for a BMI of 27.4 (Overweight). He's on the top of his game, doesn't have an ounce of fat, could probably run marathons but BMI sees him as overweight. That turns to the ridiculous for muscly forwards.
It's a silly measure. It ignores how wide you are and just concentrates on height. A better measure would see how wide you are from either shoulder to shoulder or across the pelvis. I went from 11st7 to 13st7 over a few seasons of cricket over ages 15 to 20 that saw me get wider across the shoulders from just filling out a bit.
But the real rule is : Know yourself. Don't trust arbitrary (and illogical) measures made up by idiots. Ask yourself whether you think you're overweight (I know I still need to lose a decent amount). Don't make yourself unhealthy by losing too much.
Losing the weight I've got rid of so far has unlocked agility and energy I'd forgotten about but I would run myself into severe problems if I tried to get to that 9 stone for "underweight". With the muscle mass on my legs, I'd hit problems if I went under 11 stone.
As for others, aim for what you feel comfortable with. Examples for how I see certain celebs :
Adele - cor. She's comfortable with who she is and it shows. It's attractive. Great voice too, shame I'm not a fan of the songs.
A N Other skinny poptart - reaction : "Eat something". Bony is not sexy.
(they might have a better foundation for thin & reedy & screechy voices too if they weren't unhealthy)
Only you know what weight you should be. Arbitrary measures like BMI only cause Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. Big can be sexy too, it just depends on a person being comfortable with who they are. Nikasaur from the League of Legends videos is definitely not overweight (she's a hottie that kept my interest in that game for a while) but I saw an offensive video on youtube that suggested she was. I hope the person responsible looks back in a few years when they will no doubt be much bigger and I bet they will be ashamed of putting that hurtful video on youtube.
And I really must take care that when the sexy people catch my eye, that I don't stare. (Grinning = ok, slackjawed stare = creepy)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Training - Motivation required
Another one from the "Facebook made me lol" collection :
Definite lol from that one.
(Aside - now watching the cricket highlights and thinking "when did bowlers throwing the ball become an accepted part of the game ?")
It's getting close to that time of year when I need to start thinking about getting ready for the season. Previously, I'd rely on a combination of :
Natural Fitness (I'm a fattie but can still pull my weight around with little preparation)
Pre season nets
Running around at lunchtimes at school
These days the running around at lunchtimes and pre season nets don't happen. Plus I'd be challenged to get as much quality training in with nets because of the shoulder issues. I used to be one of the first to turn up and I'd be bowling all through the session (except when it came my turn to bat). I'd get full value out of the nets time, it let me try new things out or groove my bowling action until it was ready for matches. I found my away swinger by accident but nets let me learn how to bowl it properly. I was literally one of the first to turn up and the last one to leave. (Half the team didn't know where the light switches were)
I can't rely on the natural fitness so much now, I used to be in Much Pain for about 2 days after the first game of the season. Much Pain time was closer to a week last year ... even without doing a full allocation of bowling overs.
So what I need to do is to start getting miles into my legs. I have a good training circuit available for that, with a set of roads near my place set into a triangular pattern. I think that it's maybe about a mile and a half. It should serve first as me walking around it, followed by jogging when more conditioning is back in my legs.
That's what it needs really, the power is still there in my legs plus I can really feel the benefit of being a stone lighter. But ... what's cursed me over the years is lack of stamina and being prone to cramp. The diet has caused a bit of an imbalance that's increased that proneness to cramp too. (It's settling and going away)
But most of all - it's motivation.
And the Pink Hat Project for the summer may well be the key to unlocking that motivation. Can't rely on being chased by dinosaurs any more !
(Aside - now watching the cricket highlights and thinking "when did bowlers throwing the ball become an accepted part of the game ?")
It's getting close to that time of year when I need to start thinking about getting ready for the season. Previously, I'd rely on a combination of :
Natural Fitness (I'm a fattie but can still pull my weight around with little preparation)
Pre season nets
Running around at lunchtimes at school
These days the running around at lunchtimes and pre season nets don't happen. Plus I'd be challenged to get as much quality training in with nets because of the shoulder issues. I used to be one of the first to turn up and I'd be bowling all through the session (except when it came my turn to bat). I'd get full value out of the nets time, it let me try new things out or groove my bowling action until it was ready for matches. I found my away swinger by accident but nets let me learn how to bowl it properly. I was literally one of the first to turn up and the last one to leave. (Half the team didn't know where the light switches were)
I can't rely on the natural fitness so much now, I used to be in Much Pain for about 2 days after the first game of the season. Much Pain time was closer to a week last year ... even without doing a full allocation of bowling overs.
So what I need to do is to start getting miles into my legs. I have a good training circuit available for that, with a set of roads near my place set into a triangular pattern. I think that it's maybe about a mile and a half. It should serve first as me walking around it, followed by jogging when more conditioning is back in my legs.
That's what it needs really, the power is still there in my legs plus I can really feel the benefit of being a stone lighter. But ... what's cursed me over the years is lack of stamina and being prone to cramp. The diet has caused a bit of an imbalance that's increased that proneness to cramp too. (It's settling and going away)
But most of all - it's motivation.
And the Pink Hat Project for the summer may well be the key to unlocking that motivation. Can't rely on being chased by dinosaurs any more !
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