Slowly the pounds fall off...or down

mr_bloggy
Originally uploaded by ecf1691.

Today's weigh in was 11 st 70kg 37.75ins which is slow but steady progress I guess. Surprised its not more with all the radical fruit chomping lunches replacing the spag bol and chips.

Meanwhile the smoking stats mount up. Am I just greeedy or does £850 and sixteen pence seem a bit measly considering the scale of the effort?

9m 2w 4d 02:50 smoke-free, 7,329 cigs not smoked, £850.16 saved, 3w 4d 10:45 life saved

On the plus side my breathing has improved immensely. A lot of voice work involves breathing in an out (money for old breath) and in my later years involved with that kind of thing my breathing was no longer smooth- there were sudden jerks and spasms within it that disrupted the flow. I begun to doubt my capacity to reach to the end of a long speech without the tone deteriorating towards the end.

Last night I seemed to be able to draw in and exhale vast breaths without any kind of disruption (I was a bit bored whilst R was at work....kept me amused anyway). I had noticed some improvement before but it was the first time I really gave my lungs a work out and the result was vastly better.

On the train the other day I couldn't help notice a lady with a very wrinkly face but otherwise quite youthful physicality probably 60 years plus. She was on the mobile:

"Hi I am on the mobile so better be quick.....yeah fine, I've given up smoking...yeah its going great I feel much better....a week...well not there, not there actually, so four days in all then...but I feel great it seems to be going well."

Poor thing - only Day Four. In 9months 2weeks 4days time her face might be completely unwrinkled. Lets hope she makes it

Excuse me, would you pass my spectacles please?
Originally uploaded by jonnyfez.

(Thanks to jonnfez for this image)




Another week another weigh-in.

TBH it was another disappointing morning. The afternoon was better but not for dietary reasons.

The result was 11st 2.5lb 71kg Waist Measurement 39inches.

If anyone is brilliant at metric-to-imperial conversions they may question the quality of these stats.

If anyone has taken a look at the quality of the scales I bought from John Lewis they also might express a degree of scepticism. I, too, have fallen into the trap of blaming my tools. I have difficulty seeing the result displayed on the scales. I was considering donating them to a charity shop and buying myself some digital ones but then it occurred to me that though it would give more refined results it would be equally difficult for me to see the results. The solution ofcourse is a Speak-Your-Weight Machine. A posh-sounding imperial one - not one that doesn't know what a "stone" is and has a Mid-Atlantic twang.

The measuring bit is also difficult. When R does it she seems to say I've lost loads of inches but I do it and the loss is minimal if at all. It all comes downto "when is a waist a waist". I should defer to R's judgment as she is a bit of an expert with knocking out clothes and things. But perhaps I feel the need to overcount the inchs in case I slackened my efforts.

The over-counting trick didn't work today as I went to Chelmsford City to watch AFC Wimbledon thrash the title contenders 3-nil. I got confused and bought a cheese sandwich then got even more confused and ate a jumbo hot dog with loads of ketchup.

I think the lack of calories has done something to my brain leading to sudden bursts of dietary confusion.

(When I was looking around for pics for today's blog I came across this little story on flickr that shares some of this blogs interests. Apart from the heart-stealing.)

Half a glass of water
Originally uploaded by Jeff Youngstrom.

I am floating in a lettuce leaf atop an ocean of low-fat yoghurt. The land of chocolate seems very very far away.

Honestly, the diet isn't getting to me, really.

Today there have been good pieces of news from here and there and I think I can have my weekly pint tonight. It's quite an enticing prospect.

It should be good. A problem with only being allowed a small amount to drink each week is you don't want to waste your units on any old muck. I definitely want a decent beer. I think the idea is to visit the immensely characterful Sussex Arms ( I was there on my birthday, sorry, I mean the Readers' Meeting, last September).

Thanks to Jeff Youngstrom for "Half a glass of Water" at flickr



Diet Yoghurt Beer

For the drop...and beginning to bounce

carrots
Originally uploaded by khalloran.

After the rigours of my present diet something had to give I suppose.

Hopefully not the springs on my weighing scales.

Todays weigh-in was 11st 2.5lb 71.25k 39.50ins

Everything behind the decimal points is a bit fictional but some progress has been made.


Anorexia looms in 2020 at this rate.

(When I came back to edit this I suddenly remembered I was dreaming of a rabbit or rabbits).

Now that I have radically twiggyfied will I feel at home amongst the beer bellys of AFC Wimbledon's away support as we attempt the impossible - overthrowing Gravesend and Northfleet in our quest for FA trophy glory.

There's a particularly well known fan called Salad - for reasons that aren't immediately obvious.

The Quit-o-meter today

---9m 4d 03:46 smoke-free, 6,980 cigs not smoked, £809.68 saved, 3w 3d 05:40 life saved

Thanks to khalloran and pixietart at flickr for the images.

Technorati Tags: Blubber Diet Anorexia Dreams Rabbit

The Scales That Knew Too Much
Originally uploaded by WooDrew.

Well well well.

After the considerable effort and sacrifice of the last seven days I am proud to announce that I HAVE PUT ON 3LBS.

Yes I have gained weight. Cut out sugar exist predominately on fruit. Cut out fat and fat bearing products. Engage in extended brisk walks. And yes...weight is gained. If I continue with this I will have gained two stone by the time I see the doctor in June.

Bugger.


Diet Fat Hungry Disillusionment

Blogger has changed as anyone who uses blogger knows only to well. It has introduced "post labels". Not quite sure what the point of them is. I just tried the ones I placed below and they don't seem to go anywhere. Also they all seem to be a single link...even though they don't seem to link to anything except this post.

100 Chicken Nuggets
Originally uploaded by danmanley.

I saw an interesting item via redditt this evening. What do portions look like?

After a couple of weeks "adjusting" to skimmed milk I was pleased to see that a whole new set of portions was being called for.

slimming weight loss diet

Roast vegetable goodness

Roast vegetable goodness
Originally uploaded by kightp.

A minor culinary masterpiece tonight. Roast vegetables served with bouillon and worcester gravy. The frazzled green beans were a delight - almost oriental. And the roast cabbage was to die for. The secret is to roast it in chunks - don't let the leaves separate - the outer ones dry up but the inner parts are wonderfully moist.

I then had some sliced kiwi fruit and a drop of low fat yoghurt with the slightest hint of pure maple syrup.

It was delicious. It was two hours ago. I am starving.

I just noticed that at the top of this page there is a button marked "next blog". I wanted to see if this linked to my other blogger blog. Well it doesn't it goes off to see whats happening next door. So I went for a gander.

If looking for something to occupy your hands you could do worse that look here.

Interested in a bit of Malasian politics? Look here.

Find Walmart demonic and Angelina heavenly? Here.

Not sure what to do on News Year's? This blogger observes "Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions."

Another hobby when you bore of the knitting without having to buy large amounts of material then this blogger might have something to offer.

I could have gone on clicking on "next blog" quite merrily but this spoilsport had contrived to remove his button. As if that was going to make me stay at his site. There's always one who spoils things for the rest I say.

(They're not really neighbours - when I got stuck I went back to my page and started again and the next blog button went to a different site. I am not sure that's the right thing...it would have a stronger community feel if we were stuck together like real neighbours. Then we could all borrow virtual sugar off each other. Or given my present circumstances borrow artificial sweetener off each other.)

A mobile-phone version of this site would be useful for dealing with those inconsistent labels mentioned below. It comes grace of the US government and though pounds and onces aren't the imperial kind (I think) you're given lots of weight options, including metric of course, and lots and lots of food info about just about everything. It is search-based rather than list based and seems to do the trick nicely. I tried bananas, maple syrup and tuna canned in oil. (No - it's not some mad dish I'm conjuring up). It provided all the info I needed plus some. Definitely worth a visit.


Over here the new thing is Five Portions of Fruit and Veg a Day. Check it out here. This is the total opposite in style - it keeps things short and sweet and there is a useful list of of "portion" samples. It could do with a portion-calculator and a search function I think.

And failing that there is also the option of popping a few newly-arrived pills and getting them to do the job for you - for smoking and for weight control.

Stepping towards 2007

Christmas Cigarettes
Originally uploaded by Todd Ehlers.

Here's an eve of new year's eve summary as far as smoking is concerned:


---
8m 3w 12:50 smoke-free, 6,644 cigs not smoked, £770.70 saved, 3w 2d 01:40 life saved


And we have a newcomer to the stats - all part of the de-fattening process:

Weight 72kg ~ 11st 3lbs Waist 40 ins.

Could be worse.

All in all it's a bit too much for me - even R finds it a bit mind-bending watching me eat fruit and clap gleefully at the sight of a carrot.

And of course there's the no (minimal actually) alcohol regime.

So where am I?


I gave up smoking in April.

I was getting really itchy skin so I went to the doctor. He saw my palms and promptly fainted. "Your liver" he gasped.

I went through two extended dry periods prior to a blood test and then an ultrasound scan.



Neither was conclusive. Either its a type of fatty liver thats not too bad or its liver disease at an early stage.

I see a second doctor and he seems relaxed about it - I start enjoying a few drinks again

Then I see a consultant - he thinks a biopsy might be needed and he wants me to lose weight and go minimal with drink.

In the mean time I think I'm having a heart attack which is some other vaguely diagnosed ailment, another doctor gives me a drug and am told not to drink. Subsequently my face explodes with yukky skin disease around the mask of my face. So I see another doctor. For some reason she wants to input basic info onto the practice's database again. She is amused when I tell her I drink 1-2 units a week.

She gives me another prescription. Then I am looking at the small print of the first drug and it warns me to consult a doctor if my face starts to blister so I guess I am going back to see another doctor about...er...what...oh yes...my face...or is it my liver?


~~~~~~~~~~

My first non-smoking Christmas. Any thing to say about it? I had to spend more quality time with my family - I used to be able to escape to the garden for a long cigarette or two. Did I say escape?

I missed my post Midnight Mass cigarette - much more than my usual Christmas Eve drink-up it must be said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John Lewis yesterday braving the sales-seeking crowds to get a weighing-scale. Got pounced on by an assistant "Can I help you sir" "Yes I am looking for some weighing scales" He must have thought I was a drug dealer or something as he sent me down to the kitchen department. I emerged ten minutes later and sought out bathroom accessories.

I had little idea how the market has changed - weighing scales tell you all sorts of things nowadays like how much of you is fat and how much is water at any given moment. After failing to find out what batteries were required I bottled out and bought conventional mechanical scales. They also happened to be the cheapest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Football used to be a different experience altogether and it wasn't only because the Wimbledon FC team was professional. At least four pints of lager would be involved and it was almost statutory to visit one of the many chicken outlets in Thornton Heath - the greasier the better. When things went Non League I suddenly found I could drink just as easily and smoke much more easily. Fried chicken was on offer in Kingston Road but I never really got on with it. The chips and burgers inside Kingmeadow sufficed nicely.

Post-smoking and the experience is practically unrecognisable. Today I had two bovrils on the trot (don't tell me its fattening please!). In the second half I stuffed my face, rather furtively I have to admit, with some over-priced dried berries I had bought from Waterloo Station. The berries were washed down with tea.

(Bovril of course does belong to rituals of football - it was drizzly and windswept and the light was perfect as I sipped on my warming beaker. AFCW beat Walton and Hersham 3-1. I celebrated with a berry.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Though R has been a great help with giving up smoking she isn't very expert at anything to do with slimming. In fact reading labels is not her strong point unless it's the bright yellow "Reduced" or "Two for the Price of One" type of label and then she's very observant indeed. Negotiating the microscopic grid at the back of foodsfuffs (Fat 0.3g of which 0.05g is mono-flatuent and so on) isn't easy for anyone. I have never ever in my life bothered looking at them till now. I have spent two weeks odd checking them and am already annoyed at the inconsistencies. I original thought the values were all on a per 100g basis but obviously not. Something I looked at today was only X amount of fat per 1/3 of a pot. Not very easy to make your calculations extrapolating from fractions of pot sizes.

Despite our relative inexperience we'll shortly be settling down to a Jacket potato and a lettuce leaf. R might have a beer to wash it down with ....ahhhhh.

A Happy New Year to You All.

Football Diets Smoking New Year

Not getting any younger.







OK. This is getting silly now. I went to see my "consultant" on Monday. He wants me to lose weight. And not use sugar. And avoid dairy products. And fatty foods. And bready foods....potatoey foods...foody foods. He very kindly will allow me the 1-2 units of alcohol I mentioned below.

And the daftest saved for last...he wants me to exercise. Twerp.

Crise de coeur

A person came to live in the close's dustbins the other week. Very Christmassy – doubt it was a pregnant virgin but we never got to see the occupant. A note was left for them telling them it wasn't safe to live there and they seem to have moved on. They had stuffed old newspaper paper into the slats of the door to keep out the cold.

Last Monday I decided I was in the middle of a heart attack and called out the ambulance. I felt a bit silly doing it but the ambulance people were very reassuring. To my surprise they actually took me to hospital and worse the doctor wanted me in over night and I had an IV thing plonked into the back of my hands. I didn't get out until 3pm the next day.

My fellow patients were a bit of a pain. I wondered if one of the disembodied voices I heard during the night was the person who had just moved on from our dustbins.

There was another who I was convinced was faking his moans and groans. R smuggled in a slice of pizza. Although he didn't see the source of the smell he was soon on his feet hassling the staff for supper. “I smell food” he said “I haven't eaten for two days” “Why haven't you?” the nurse asked. He didn't answer.

Another bloke turned up at 5am under police escort. Various doctors attempted to ascertain what he had taken – there were concerned mutters about opiates. The next morning the doctor did her rounds and had a jolly chat with him about the pills cocaine and litre and a half of Jack Daniels he had drunk. When she got to me she asked how much I was drinking. I had briefly discussed the indeterminate liver problem. “Around the limit” I said “21 units a week” - she hit the roof and gave me the third degree – “You should be drinking 1-2 units a week at the most” she screeched. Oh well. How much is a unit now?

Try banning this

WHACKIE TABACKIE ?
Originally uploaded by Philip Campbell.

Apparently the German coalition have agreed on strengthening their relatively relaxed smoking laws. Smoking in pubs restaurants bars and "discos" will still be permitted. I'm sure this guy is well pleased with that - especially the disco bit.

My my... how I have changed

Papua New Guinea
Originally uploaded by Eric Lafforgue.

Apart from the general podginess there are a few "giving-up" positives I have noticed.

I am just at the end of another period of being on the verge of a cold. On the verge of one. Not laid low off sick with one. This has happened twice since I have given up smoking. Has my resistance/immunity strengthened?

That said I did get hit by a bad one shortly after giving up. At least life is a bit more comfortable now if you get burdened with a sore throat. There was nothing more depressing than steeling yourself to smoke despite a red raw throat.


Sometimes with a fever you would have to go without - you had no choice because you were unconscious. But as soon as a bit of clear-headedness arrived it would be out on the balcony for a puff.

There was an error or rather an oversight in my earlier post about the Waterloo Cafe makeover. The Waterloo Cafe is now to be known as the Cafe Waterloo - in fact thats what all the engraved glass is about. Very chic that. Cafe Waterloo. Very French.

Guess it's not one of the more common cafe names over there though.

Thanks to Eric Lafforgue for the image "Papua New Guinea"

Oh the chill and wonderful world of Windows. Sitting hear listening to Ennio Morricone at this website - it could equally be chill with a Mac I presume but with Linux....who knows? Perhaps it would work perhaps not.

Though the pros and cons of Macs running OS X Tiger and PCs running XP Home and Pro are rigorously detailed at XvXP its taken for granted that the Mac machine is ahead on pure design and the logo blares out of the back of every MacBook.

And it's not only Steve Jobs who is at it. After a bit of a gap I decided to visit the Waterloo Cafe for egg chips sausage and beans today. This is a cafe that I mentioned had annoyed me in the past - it had a billboard advertising spag bol but everytime I went there the old guy would say "We don't do it on a tuesdays" ...or if it was a Weds "we don't do it on Weds".

They finally took the sign down after me going in there a thousand times and turning on my heels whenever the excuse was trotted out.

I went in today and ordered my food in a half trance finally looking in the direction of the manager. He was wearing a black tee-shirt with The Waterloo Cafe printed on it in a clean modern font.

I should have ordered mutton dressed as lamb.

Let's all just chill

Originally uploaded by questionyourtruth.

Aaaaargh...its so annoying. R and I look like we are going to hit a brick wall with our dream home. The vendor says he can't shift the tenant and that he's going to sue them etc...Months of fiddle-arsing is coming to nothing. Fivers have been wantonly cast upon the open flames and it wasn't even a rock stunt.

Oh well. Just have to chew it over with some new-style Orbit chewing gum in weird cigarette type packets. Perhaps Orbit are gearing up for the new boost in sales that should accompany the smoking ban next year.

Instead of changing the packets they should really be thinking about the flavours. Spearmint doesn't really go with stout or bitter though its probably ok with Vodka and Tonic and the more flavourless lagers. Some possibles:

Biltong

Cheese and Onion

Salt cod

Tobacco.

The last one is a bit problematic - does tobacco without nicotine taste of anything? The sickly burn is the whole point.

A friend reckons it will be smoke free tobacco products that will hit boom time rather than the sweety industry.

I know only one tobacconist, in Otley, that sells chewing tobacco. Will it become a standard behind every bar counter? And snuff of course.


I think I'll google around to check out the Irish experiments.

EDIT: And sure enough here's the first hit so to speak.

thanks to questionyourtruth at flickr for the image

We didn't get mullered in any sense of the word. AFC Wimbledon played well but not well enough to earn replay or a win. The turnout was huge for such a fixture.

R and I were able to do some catching up with respective friends who live in or near Exeter and the whole thing went a treat. 

feeling a wee bit nervy

!
Originally uploaded by viva la paola.

There's nothing like a good chain smoke to calm your nerves through the night before a big day.

Aye

AFC Wimbledon take on Conference Giants Exeter tomorrow at St James's Park.

R and I have to get a ridiculously early train so are preparing for bed at a ridiculously early hour.

Oh yes the chain smoking...no I'm not. I am having to make do with decaf instant. Great thing is its a long train journey tomorrow and I won't have to deal with any cravings.

R has just opined that "we are going to get mullered aren't we?". I think she meant to use another word but if we win tomorrow we will probably get mullered and all.

Half a year

No Pipe Smoking in Croatia
Originally uploaded by Venichka.

SIX MONTHS without smoking.

Had my first heavy smoking dream in ages as if to mark the occasion last night.

Half a year without cigs- little old me.

A world without smokes seems possible.

Had to happen in the 21st century though - wouldn't really look right in any other era.

How would James Dean have looked cool? Hung a shoelace out of his mouth?

And what would Sherlock Holmes have done if the anti-smoking craze had kicked off even earlier?

"I am most beholden to my horse chesnuts dear Watson - it is a liberation of the mind to enjoy them by the hearth but even so I fear this problem is a nine nutter. Leave me now"