Been a long while...

[RFSMarch]

... since I have been here
So after joining and working hard to get my numbers down, things went awry with a lot of travelling and media centres being full of carb-loaded grub, in the end my doctor and I decided that while my work involved travelling and eating on the fly etc... to commit to the medication.

Additional meds started to include blood pressure meds (mum had high blood pressure so it was coming) and due to a lot of arthritis I was on anti-inflammatory meds, but that in turn brought some digestive issues and the pharmacist recommended taking turmeric tablets, which has helped manage that pain and reduced the amount of rattling I do with the other meds!

Then came the age of coronavirus and just like that my regular freelance shifts stopped as sport shut down. So... in lockdown, I cleaned out my bomb shelter at the bottom of the garden, liberated my golf clubs and for the first time since working on the tennis circuit, I was able to use my treadmill and spin-bike in a regular routine. Despite supermarket hoarders doing their best, was also able to buy fresh veg and was able to home cook a lot more.

The sum of all of this since March is that I am within 5lb of going under 10st for the first time since I turned 30 (21 years ago!)

My regular exercise is now knee rehab (from former life as an athlete), cardio (tready, spin bike, cardio boxing), a LOT of golf (which does NOTHING for the blood pressure!) and resistance/weights in a bid now to get rid of that belly fat which is the hardest to shake.

Still monitor with a Libre but because I have no income at the moment I am limiting myself to once a month just to check things are still under decent control.

My pharmacist has gently advised against going into my local hospital walk-in for a blood test righ now, and the surgery are not pushing for a new blood test under the current circs, so until they insist on a new one I will stick to what I am doing... and while as a former athlete I don't put too much store in BMI readings, I think I would be mightily chuffed if I can get below 10st and more importantly KEEP that weight.

If anyone can come up with anything home-gym wise on top of what I do to shift that belly fat I would be eternally grateful!

 

[ianpspurs]

... since I have been here
So after joining and working hard to get my numbers down, things went awry with a lot of travelling and media centres being full of carb-loaded grub, in the end my doctor and I decided that while my work involved travelling and eating on the fly etc... to commit to the medication.

Additional meds started to include blood pressure meds (mum had high blood pressure so it was coming) and due to a lot of arthritis I was on anti-inflammatory meds, but that in turn brought some digestive issues and the pharmacist recommended taking turmeric tablets, which has helped manage that pain and reduced the amount of rattling I do with the other meds!

Then came the age of coronavirus and just like that my regular freelance shifts stopped as sport shut down. So... in lockdown, I cleaned out my bomb shelter at the bottom of the garden, liberated my golf clubs and for the first time since working on the tennis circuit, I was able to use my treadmill and spin-bike in a regular routine. Despite supermarket hoarders doing their best, was also able to buy fresh veg and was able to home cook a lot more.

The sum of all of this since March is that I am within 5lb of going under 10st for the first time since I turned 30 (21 years ago!)

My regular exercise is now knee rehab (from former life as an athlete), cardio (tready, spin bike, cardio boxing), a LOT of golf (which does NOTHING for the blood pressure!) and resistance/weights in a bid now to get rid of that belly fat which is the hardest to shake.

Still monitor with a Libre but because I have no income at the moment I am limiting myself to once a month just to check things are still under decent control.

My pharmacist has gently advised against going into my local hospital walk-in for a blood test righ now, and the surgery are not pushing for a new blood test under the current circs, so until they insist on a new one I will stick to what I am doing... and while as a former athlete I don't put too much store in BMI readings, I think I would be mightily chuffed if I can get below 10st and more importantly KEEP that weight.

If anyone can come up with anything home-gym wise on top of what I do to shift that belly fat I would be eternally grateful!

Great story of hard work and turning things around. I hope the work situation picks up for you but that post is a glimpse into a very determined lady. She''ll be right mate

 

[RFSMarch]

Great story of hard work and turning things around. I hope the work situation picks up for you but that post is a glimpse into a very determined lady. She''ll be right mate

Thanks so much. I felt such a failure not being able to control LCHF food while I was away, and was actually made to feel a failure in a LCHF group I belonged to, so in the end I just left, burned out and pretty dejected.

Ironically one of my cousins and I were chatting and she cannot understand how I have lost/controlled my weight during lockdown when she has put on 3kg - but then I do three cardio days and one weights day a week and golf whenever possible.
Tennis has started back but with COVID numbers back on the rise I wonder how long the course/improvers group can continue...

Anyway - getting rid of that spare tyre and getting my handicap down seem to be solid goals to have. One... probably achievable. The other... is what keeps you playing golf in the hopes of that golden round and not playing like a donkey!

 

[ianpspurs]

Thanks so much. I was actually made to feel a failure in a LCHF group I belonged to, so in the end I just left, burned out and pretty dejected.

There is a trend on here which implies LCHF is easy and enjoyable for everyone with a very bullying tone if doubts are raised so I really understand your hurt. Keep looking for that Golden round of golf. After 40+ years of cricket I finally started to have a go at golf in June. Why is it so hard to hit a stationary ball where you want?

 

[RFSMarch]

There is a trend on here which implies LCHF is easy and enjoyable for everyone with a very bullying tone if doubts are raised so I really understand your hurt. Keep looking for that Golden round of golf. After 40+ years of cricket I finally started to have a go at golf in June. Why is it so hard to hit a stationary ball where you want?

I am convinced the little git moves *just* before I hit it.... And as for where it goes... in my defence yesterday the Green’s were running faster than Usain Bolt after a dodgy curry!

And interesting re the LCHF community. I had also found the same among the Intermittent Fasting (I have a relative who swears by it and as such wants to convert everyone to it - I tried it and it doesn’t work for me... but that apparently doesn’t matter and I should do it anyway!)

I have my go to LCHF recipes, I control with meds, I mix up my training... and my chipping/short game needs a lot of work!

 

[ianf0ster]

Hats off to you for doing it with exercise rather than diet or way of eating.
I hope that when we get back to a 'new normal' you will still have time for all that exercise, otherwise you may have to look at what you eat and when you eat it again.

I don't believe that people try to bully about LCHF or IF (Time Restricted Eating) or longer term Fasting any more than they do about crash diets or Bariatric Surgery. Each one of those might be the best solution for some individual.

Figures from Dr David Unwin in the UK and Virta in the USA show approx 50% remissions on Low Carb for those who try it.

VLCD ( Newcastle diet etc) also have reasonable remission rates, but refuse to say what the 'maintenance diet' after the crash diet consists of .

According to Dr Cywes, bariatric surgery 'buys' a patient approx 6 months to 18 months in which to learn to manage their eating in a healthier way. So although he's a bariatric surgeon he spends a lot of time trying to talk patients out of taking that option.

 

[RFSMarch]

Hats off to you for doing it with exercise rather than diet or way of eating.
I hope that when we get back to a 'new normal' you will still have time for all that exercise, otherwise you may have to look at what you eat and when you eat it again.

I don't believe that people try to bully about LCHF or IF (Time Restricted Eating) or longer term Fasting any more than they do about crash diets or Bariatric Surgery. Each one of those might be the best solution for some individual.

Figures from Dr David Unwin in the UK and Virta in the USA show approx 50% remissions on Low Carb for those who try it.

VLCD ( Newcastle diet etc) also have reasonable remission rates, but refuse to say what the 'maintenance diet' after the crash diet consists of .

According to Dr Cywes, bariatric surgery 'buys' a patient approx 6 months to 18 months in which to learn to manage their eating in a healthier way. So although he's a bariatric surgeon he spends a lot of time trying to talk patients out of taking that option.

I think perhaps you misunderstood.

I do actually do LCHF. However, some people really seemed to have a huge issue with my doing LCHF when I was home and having to make do with what you get at tournaments and media centres when away... and it was that level of banging my head against a brick wall that made me feel like not doing it THEIR way was wrong. For them it was either purely LHCF or meds. Not both. In the end it was easier to leave their group, and just do my best in the circumstances.

I do monitor what I eat and it’s effect. I do not only rely on exercise. For me it will be a constant balancing act between all these elements.

Even though covering tournaments is remote now (no media on site), the same issues apply... you are in and out of press conferences and have to try and grab something to eat in between interviews and matches and writing and publishing content. I seemed to manage it with the US swing. Let’s see how that changes with the French Open. Let’s just say... there has been a LOT of batch cooking to minimise the time it takes to grab lunch and dinner!

 

[KK123]

I don't believe that people try to bully about LCHF

Pretty subjective I would say.

 

[RFSMarch]

I can only speak about my experience but it felt very much to me that it should either be LHCF or Keto and absolutely no meds. Continuing to balance LCHF with meds because of my circumstances seemed to be a real sticking point. That was where I was being made to feel like I was “doing it all wrong” ...

I made my peace with the balance of this “holy trinity” of a change in diet, trying to maintain exercise while away from home and demanding hours .... and it is not necessarily a balance that would suit others. But it has been working for me especially since lockdown.

Yes, if things go back to normal and shifts come back and I can travel again, those challenges remain but the key was understanding it could not be done without the help of meds and continued monitoring.

That is just the way it will be and I completely accept that it will come down to LCHF when I can, Libre, exercising as much and where/when I can, and just continuing to proactively managing my diabetes. Surely how I get there ... is up to me?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I can only speak about my experience but it felt very much to me that it should either be LHCF or Keto and absolutely no meds. Continuing to balance LCHF with meds because of my circumstances seemed to be a real sticking point. That was where I was being made to feel like I was “doing it all wrong” ...

I made my peace with the balance of this “holy trinity” of a change in diet, trying to maintain exercise while away from home and demanding hours .... and it is not necessarily a balance that would suit others. But it has been working for me especially since lockdown.

Yes, if things go back to normal and shifts come back and I can travel again, those challenges remain but the key was understanding it could not be done without the help of meds and continued monitoring.

That is just the way it will be and I completely accept that it will come down to LCHF when I can, Libre, exercising as much and where/when I can, and just continuing to proactively managing my diabetes. Surely how I get there ... is up to me?

You do you. No-one else is walking in exactly your shoes, with your body, your needs, your lifestyle. So whatever works for you, is good. Be that diet-only, diet and meds, or meds-only. It's got to fit your life, as you're the one living it.

Are there various perks and drawbacks to every method? Sure. But you're making an informed choice on how to handle this, and if it works, it works. And it IS your choice, no matter what anyone says.

 

[ianpspurs]

Hats off to you for doing it with exercise rather than diet or way of eating.
I hope that when we get back to a 'new normal' you will still have time for all that exercise, otherwise you may have to look at what you eat and when you eat it again.

I don't believe that people try to bully about LCHF or IF (Time Restricted Eating) or longer term Fasting any more than they do about crash diets or Bariatric Surgery. Each one of those might be the best solution for some individual.

Figures from Dr David Unwin in the UK and Virta in the USA show approx 50% remissions on Low Carb for those who try it.

VLCD ( Newcastle diet etc) also have reasonable remission rates, but refuse to say what the 'maintenance diet' after the crash diet consists of .

According to Dr Cywes, bariatric surgery 'buys' a patient approx 6 months to 18 months in which to learn to manage their eating in a healthier way. So although he's a bariatric surgeon he spends a lot of time trying to talk patients out of taking that option.

Outside of this forum you may well be correct but one would need to be wilfully blind to post here and come to that conclusion. The kindest way to view this is to credit people with a genuine concern for the health of others.

 

[Goonergal]

I can onlySurely how I get there ... is up to me?

Absolutely and well done on finding your way forward.

With my mod hat on, and not wanting to detract from the success of @RFSMarch please could I remind people that if you see posts of the type being intimated at here which are bullying in tone, please report them.