As water weighs about 1kg per litre, how much does my weight increase if I drink 3 litres a day?
If I expel about 750ml, how much does my weight go down?
If, over the last 3 days, I've drunk 9 litres of water and expelled 3; why has my weight dropped by over a kilo?
Is simple perspiration the answer? Seems like a lot of sweat!
Cheers.
On the scales this morning: 13 stone 10 and a quarter pounds. Delta from yesterday: -0.5 pounds. Total weight loss to date: 12 pounds.
I'm not sure I got yesterday's weight right. On reflection I think I was a little low in my recollection. However, the record is what it is. If I was right then the weight gain is due to being out, eating pre-roasted chicken (which probably had added sugar), and the phenomenal amount of water I drank in the heat yesterday.
However, 12 pounds in a week is perfectly fine by me, and plenty to go with heading into the cruise phase.
For those that don't know the Dukan diet, the philosophy is based around protein, and for the initial attack phase consists of nothing else (apart from the obligatory oat bran that is now with me for ever). This phase lasts up to a week, and the transitions to cruise.
In the cruise phase I carry on eating the same protein rich diet, but 50% of the time I can supplement that diet with selected vegetables. The veg should be raw if possible, excludes potatoes, and is easy on carrots and beetroot.
What this does is open the menu up some, and allow for a bit of variation.
I stick with this until all the weight I want to lose is gone. I expect this to take 4 to 5 months. Weight loss is slower in cruise, with an expectation of around 3 pounds a week initially, decreasing to 2 pounds a week as you get lighter.
With the re-introduction of veg, I will be restarting my sessions at the gym too. This should help with fat loss, and obviously help with muscle definition and overall well-being.
As I said last week, update like this would get pretty boring if I kept them frequently, so the next report will be next Monday.
On the scales this morning: 13 stone 13 and three quarter pounds. Delta from yesterday: 1 and a half pounds. Total weight loss to date: 8 and a half pounds.
I've broken 14 stone. Also, at some point I've gone from obese to just overweight. Next stop, perfect weight!
On the scales this morning: 14 stone 2 and three quarter pounds. Delta from yesterday: 2 and a half pounds. Total weight loss to date: 5 and a half pounds.
Another fine day, and I managed to make oat bran edible by adding it to creme fraiche and no fat vanilla yogurt. Edible, not nice!
It was hot yesterday, and by the time I got home I was craving a nice cold drink. Water really didn't cut it! Sugar free chewing gum helped a bit, but it was still there.
My daughter didn't go up to bed very well, so her bedtime treat (a couple of sweets before teeth cleaning) was cancelled. My wife brought some up anyway (soft touch :-) ), but I stood firm and said no. So my wife passed me 2 gummy bears to take back downstairs. That was hard. By the time I left them in the kitchen and walked out, I was shaking. I want gummy!
Onwards to today. As this moves on I hope the weight loss offsets the boredom of samey foods and water. No problems yet, but I'm on this for about 4 months!
This morning, on the scales: 14 stone 5 and a quarter pounds. Delta from yesterday: 3 pounds. Total change to date: 3 pounds.
Yesterday was fairly easy; I had a hard boiled egg and some cooked chicken that I took to work along with some prawns I bought from the supermarket. In the evening I had oat bran with fromage frais, some more prawns; and later, a fat free yogurt (which tasted horrible! Why did I buy 8 of the things!?)
The one shock was how thirsty I was. The diet requires 1.5 to 2 litres a day, I had about 3.5 and was still a little thirsty.
Today may be tough. Unrelated to the diet I was awake for 2 hours in the night (aren't daughters great!), so my need for caffeinated beverages is quite high. Water is an acceptable substitute right? Thankfully I haven't had any fizzy drinks or sugar filled chocolate bars for over a week and a half, so the cravings should be controllable.
Apparently the first three days are the hardest. So I'll be two thirds of the way through that by the end of today.
Hi, I'm Steve, and I'm fat. However, rather than sit around in a self help group complaining about my need for chocolate, my "big bones", and the only flesh creating virus ever discovered; I'm going on a diet.
The diet I'm following is the Dukan diet. We can talk about the validity of the diet, and any possible health concerns later.
The diet is in four phases, based around protein. The first phase is the attack phase, and lasts 5 to 7 days. During this phase I can eat no carbohydrates, and no fat. Only protein. So today I'm eating hard boiled eggs, chicken, and prawns. This will be the pattern for the next week or so.
After this phase comes the cruise phase which adds 28 vegetables, and lasts until I've lost all the weight I want to lose.
Next is a consolidation phase adding more foods, and lasting 5 days for every pound lost.
Finally, are some basic rules for the rest of my life (!) including "protein Thursday"
So, how fat am I? Well, the scales said 14 stone 8 and a quarter this morning. Where do I want to be? Somewhere around 10 stone 6!
Expect regular reports!
A family trip was planned; a long weekend in the Cotswolds. Research was done, a cottage picked. They decided to stay in a pretty little cottage down Meadow lane in Fulbrook near Burford. As the time approached clothes and food were collected together and packed. Bedding and toys were left to the last minute. Come departure day, the car was packed and they were off.
Travelling took a little over an hour, however there was a long stop for lunch. At around 14:30 they arrived without incident. Five minutes of hunting up and down the lane revealed the cottage, the name hidden under climbing roses. A further search and the key was found; under a stone, not the plantpot as described. They let themselves in.
The cottage was lovely. A nice living space, light bedrooms, a clean range cooker. The bathroom looked like it had seen some wear, but it was clean and tidy. Unpacking started in earnest. Cases headed upstairs. The daughter would take the back bedroom, and the travel cot was setup to ensure there would be no delay later. They would take the front room, and, presently, the clothes were unpacked, the food transferred to fridge and freezer, and the toys were all over the lounge floor. Having settled in they now had to head out.
The husband's parents were staying in a caravan 30 minutes up the road, and they had phoned to say that they were having trouble putting the awning up. Grandad (as we'll call him) had hurt his back and couldn't bend, so Nanny had called the husband for help. Putting up the awning was easy enough, but the husband still couldn't see the point of caravanning.
The two families caught up. The daughter had a good time on the site swings. Plans for the coming days were made. With late afternoon approaching, it was time to head back.
The daughter had had a long day, and started to drift off to sleep in the car on the way home. On arrival they all went into the cottage and started the evening routine. PJs, teeth clean, cuddles, and bed. The daughter snuggled straight in and looked like she would fall fast asleep. There wasn't a peep out of her for the rest of the evening.
A lack of oil to cook with sent the husband scouting for fish and chips. None in Burford, but some helpful teens pointed him to the next town. Fish and chips retrieved from 20 yards outside RAF Brize Norton, the husband returned home. The fish and chips weren't very good. And lacked ketchup. A small amount of TV was watched, then the couple went to bed.
At 01:30 they were woken to the sound of laughter. The daughter was in her cot periodically laughing, giggling, and otherwise having a good time. The husband dragged himself out of bed and went to see what the fuss was. The daughter was lying on her back, holding teddy, laughing. He reminded her that it was sleepy time, tucked her in, made sure she was settled, and went back to bed.
Patchy sleep for the next hour or so was broken with more laughing. Eventually the daughter was fetched and brought into the front room. The idea of sleep was offered and rejected. The next hour was spent struggling to calm the daughter, drifting off, violent movement, restless playing, more calming.
Eventually the husband went to the back room to make more room in the bed, and the wife fetched some food. The husband drifted in and out of sleep whilst the wife fed and calmed the daughter. By 06:30 they were all asleep, and the next few hours passed uneventfully.
Friday was a tired affair. The family went to Burford before heading to the grandparents for lunch and a trip to Broadway for shopping and ice creams. The daughter was tired but active. The husband and wife were tired. On the way home the daughter didn't succumb to sleep until the last mile, and was woken at the cottage. Some shopping was needed, so, after the routine and the daughter was settled, the husband set off to the nearby co-op.
Whilst shopping (not an easy task when the shopping list is fairly random and the shop layout is unfamiliar) the husband got a text to say that the giggling was back. It had been tired, almost unwilling giggling at first; almost like she was being kept awake against her will. However, it had soon become fully awake laughing. When he got home, all was quiet, but the wife had been up to settle the daughter and had a chat. Apparently the daughter had a friend, and they were friendly. And funny. The wife was spooked, the husband sceptical. They decided to sleep in the back room. So, after tea and TV, that's what they did. The night was uncomfortable, but uneventful for the most part. The daughter did awaken early in the morning, and after some placating, was brought into bed and the wife sent to the front room. The husband and the daughter spent the rest of the night in the bed. The daughter periodically kicking him in the back whilst she slept.
The next day was a write off. Everyone was too tired, and a trip to the Cotswold wildlife park was met with tantrums, sullenness, and even a rejection of ice cream! After a dejected trip on the little train, and a lack of enthusiasm to even wave to the camels for Daddy (who was left at the station with the pushchair and bags), they went home.
A request was made. Daddy went into the back bedroom and carefully explained that the family was suffering from lack of sleep. He went on to ask if the child could be left alone tonight so they could all catch up.
The night went well. For the child at least. Mummy and Daddy don't sleep well in strange beds, and Daddy ended the night in the back room. He was woken by his daughter standing in the cot wishing him a "Good morning Daddy"
Tired as everyone still was they had a better day. A trip to a National trust property with Nanny and Grandad was followed by some packing and another quiet night.
On Monday morning they all went home. Calling in on the grand parents on the way to celebrate Grandad's birthday. In the end they were all glad to be home.
Before bed on that Monday, Mummy made some enquiries. The "friend" in the room was a boy. Bigger than the daughter, but not old like Nanny or Mummy / Daddy. He was friendly, had come shopping with us one day (!) Hadn't come home with us. And would be missed.
"He" was never discussed again.
Still here. More or less.
Running more at the mo. 5 times a week. Not huge distances, but something is better than nothing. I hit exactly 14st on the scales the other night. I'm hopeful to crack that first milestone off this week and get into the 13s. Long way to go yet, but the changes I've made don't seem to be taking any toll. I'll just keep up the exercise and keep watching what I eat, and see what happens.
Thinking about it the other night (jogging gives plenty of opportunity for that), I realised that my running playlist hasn't changed since that first half marathon in Chester. My running tunes are older than my daughter, my marriage, even my relationship! They were put together before I got my first contract job in Newcastle. I've used the same tunes in Chester, Newcastle, Wimbledon, and Wokingham. All that work I did years ago measuring bpm, checking tone and subject matter all seems to have paid off. If I get the iPod and the phone together I'll post the list.
Cleared out the garage at the weekend. For the first time since we moved in you can move around freely, and actually find what you're looking for! Next stop the shed. One day, maybe, the loft. That just leaves a couple of cupboards that need a sort.
Out at the cinema last night to see "Inglorious barsterds". It was a good, fun movie with the trademark Tarentinoisms (music, slow shots of detail, etc). However, I'm not convinced it's historically accurate!
Currently watching "True Blood" series 2, and looking forward to catching up on "Californication" series 2 before season 3 comes out next month. Also anticipating "Dexter" season 4, also out soon.
Enjoying listening to the soundtrack from "True Blood". For some reason the US and UK versions are different, but combining the two on random seems to work. This morning, however, I'm listening to Chickenfoot; the 'supergroup' with Joe Satriani on guitar. A couple of really good tracks, but mainly just some hard rock filler. I never saw the appeal of Van Halen (the band) and with Sammy Hagar doing the vocals (and lyrics) a lot of this falls into the sort of music. Mediocre Van Halen with Joe Satriani on guitar. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Right, work arrives, time to go.
As I mentioned in the previous post, I tweet. I don't tweet a lot, but I certainly tweet more than I post here. I also use it more than my immediate group of friends.
I have 104 followers. People who hang on my every word (except they don't.) And I follow between 110 and 120 people at any one time. That, for me, is manageable. I read pretty much every tweet on my stream; I may not read them as they happen, but I do read them. It doesn't take too long either.
A while ago I started an experiment to follow more people to see what the limits were. Turns out that when you do that something exponential happens. More and more people follow you, and the cycle continues. Forever growing. Well, not forever. I've seen these types of account, and they hit a limit around 3500. There are 3500 idiots you all follow each other. And most of them are self-declared SEO experts. What this means is that every post has some pointless triviality and a link to their eBook.
The upshot of the experiment was that I found that above 150 people I couldn't follow the stream anymore. My phone client refreshes every 3 minutes, my web every 2. On both with 110 people I can often go 20 minutes without a single tweet. At 150 I was getting around 3 a refresh. Too much data (and far too much noise).
Some people may be able to follow more, but I came up with 2 rules off the back of that:
1. Anyone following more than 300 people has got filters and won't read anything you post.
2. I'll only follow those who interest me. If you follow me, fine. Don't expect it in return unless you have something worthwhile to add to my stream.
A final backup rule. Anyone following more than 300 people must have something very worthwhile to add as they're probably a twat. (Thanks Dave, we won't forget)
Right, enough twittering, it's time to get back to tweeting.
Here I am in a slow moving tube, slowly heating up, listening to "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac.
Why isn't music as good as this today? A whole album of class. No filler, no vocal effects, no silly electronic gimmicks. Just classic rock.
I'm definitely getting old. Music released in the year I was born is "better" than today. Aye, and all this were fields once. Kids today don't know how good they've got it. I had to go to school, uphill both ways, after a full shift down the pit. Etc etc etc.
You may have noticed the lack of posts recently. Actually you probably haven't seen as there haven't been any real views on the blog for a long time. I have made well over 700 posts on twitter (see that side bar over there on the left), but that's not quite the same. Strangely 140 characters is easier to come up with than a blog post. There's so much going on at the minute, most of it bad, frustrating, or just plain exhausting that I don't want to write about it. Things have to come to a head soon though. The status quo cannot continue, and I'm mentally working through my options. Maybe, just maybe I'll get back to posting when all this is worked through. Those three draft posts may yet see light of day!
In the mean time, sporadic posts of waffle, and irregular twittering is the best you're going to get.
But as you're not reading anyway, who cares?!
First, a confession. I snore. I also twitch, writhe, moan, and fidget. Only while I sleep of course. This means that although my wife and I may start the night together, one of us invariably ends up in the back room. Last night, I volunteered.
At 1ish last night I made the journey from one room to the other; mobile phone, charger, and pillow in hand. I plugged the phone in, closed the curtains, and got comfortable. Then I sat up, set my phone alarm, and got comfortable again.
What I had failed to do was turn the charger on at the wall.
My phone has a battery life comparable to nothing. It's rubbish. It needs charging 3 times in a 24 hour period. Needless to say, sometime in the small hours the phone died.
I awoke with a start this morning. Groaned, and leaned over to check my phone for the time. It was blank. Still half asleep I looked up and saw the switch on the wall in the off position. Oops. I got up, and switched the phone on. Wondering exactly how late I was, I staggered into the study to look at the clock in there.
If my alarm had gone off it would have done so at 06:20. What time was it? 06:20!
For the first time in a long time I'm on time. On the only day where I didn't have an aid to waking. How? It's beyond me!
but the heat, and the tiredness, and the general apathy is getting to me.
I should write about weddings, trips to the beach, BBQs and paddling pools, trips to Legoland. We've been busy!
I just can't find the words.
Life is fairly tough at the mo and the light is too far away to see. Just need to keep my head down and keep going.
One battle at a time.
I hope to be back soon.
Tired this morning (for a change) and can't find the muse.
Busy weekend, just can't do it justice yet. See what this evening's journey brings
I got home at 22:00 last night. Slept, got up, and now I'm on my way to work again.
I can't say much more than that. Nothing else of interest has happened.
My hayfever is really hurting my eyes this morning. The nose is a little better behaved though.
Missed my connecting train last night by seconds. That was annoying. Could have been home at 21:30.
Working from home tomorrow. Looking forward to the "lie-in"!
That's it. That's all I got. Can't see the screen properly anyway thanks to blurred vision.
Up a whole 30 mins later than yesterday, but still stupidly early. As it's Tuesday, and I've really stuck to my photo plan, I thought I'd post the joys of the day at 06:30!
Today hurts. Tomorrow will, no doubt, be worse. At least I'm working from home Thursday.
Well, it's that time of year. Once again I can abuse my html knowledge and shove a few YouTube videos into a blog post to illustrate wha...
