Big Jim’s attempt to become Slim Jim

[big jim]

Thought I’d start a separate thread to my at work one charting my attempt to lose a fair bit of weight and eventually climb snowdon!

 

A bit of background, back in February I got told I was diabetic by the railway doctor so had to quickly make a lot of big lifestyle changes to be sure that, one I didn’t lose my job because of it but, two, more importantly I didn’t just drop dead!

 

I had a blood test that revealed my blood glucose level was 76, the safe limit is anything below 47 so way too high

 

straight away I joined weight watchers and cut out a lot of unhealthy foods, more to the point cut back on unhealthy foods, it was a bit hard at first to go from a 4 pack of full size chocolate bars down to nothing over night similarly 4 or 5 packs of grab bag crisps to nothing and cutting out my beloved pizza! 

 

So where are we at today, 3 months down the line and the lifestyle changes have made a huge difference to how I look and feel both physically and mentally, not going to say it’s been easy, but I’ve not felt like I’ve wanted to quit at all which is a good thing as it is a matter of life and death, not just doing it for vanity!

 

I’ve slowly got used to what I can and can’t have and have managed to have crisps, pizza and chips again as part of my weekly routine just in a lot smaller quantities, what used to be say a dominos 2 for Tuesday offer where I could happily wolf down 2 large pizzas in a sitting is not down to a couple of slices and as happened last week in lodge, got a 12” pizza on the Tuesday and by Friday it still had a slice left that I never ate!

 

My blood glucose level has gone from 76 to 43 so I’ve dropped below the safe level in the 3 months I’ve been doing things differently Which is fantastic 

 

As for weight, I was 22.8 Stone at the medical on 13th February which is now down to 20.1 Stone so a 2.7 Stone loss so far (17kg), losing that weight has made a massive difference to the way I feel, I used to feel sleepy all the time and would regularly fall asleep in the chair if an afternoon (thankfully not the driving seat!) but I did have to be checked for sleep apnea late last year which thankfully I didn’t have, I did used to regularly wake up unable to Breathe at night but that has stopped too, I’ve lost a lot of weight around my neck so that’s no doubt helped 

 

here I am in January with @Erixtar1992 foster cat ‘Mylo’ before he went to live with him

 

And this is me today 

the T shirt I’m wearing is 4XL when I got them I was worried as they were a bit tight but now they are hanging off me, as for my 44 inch waist, those pants keep falling down, I’ve not checked but I must be down to 40 now at least

 

As anyone who follows my other thread may know I’ve given myself the challenge to climb snowdon with a friend who is a driver at Holyhead when I get under 18 Stone so I’ve got to get a bit of proper training in as it’s morphed into being sponsored to raise money for the cat rescue my wife is involved in, thank you to those in here who have already given donations to the charity, I can provide a link if anyone else wants to donate 

 

As well as the incentive to climb snowdon I’ve got myself an electric assist bike on the cycle to work scheme that I’m going to use to travel from home to the station on days I can travel by train, I’ve taken it up to the caravan with me this weekend and have done a quick 4 mile round trip ride so far along the front at silloth just as sunset happened which was spectacular, I’m very impressed with the electric bike, really helps to keep a good turn of speed up, not very hilly in silloth but the bits i have driven it on hills it takes a lot of effort out of riding up them 

 

 

I’ve also picked up the latest book from Chris evans ‘how to train for and smash your first marathon in 119 days’ I’ll be honest I can’t see me running 26 miles by the end of October but if I can just use the tips and training guide to maybe get 5k to 10k done I’ll be happy, if I could do the full 26 mile I’d be amazed but I think I’m being realistic looking at the lower figure but who knows!

 

 

So I’m going to use this thread (if anyone is interested) to chart my weight loss, fitness goals, ups and downs of my lifestyle change and take in any advice from those who are already keen cyclists, runners, diabetics, ex fattys etc, ok I’m starting 3 months in but the incentive of having the bike and only being 2lb off being below 20 Stone has spurred me on to share my ‘journey’ 

and advice and motivational tips will be appreciated! 

Edited May 30, 2021 by big jim

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

To paraphrase Jaws, we're gonna need a smaller scan!

 

Mike.

[simontaylor484]

Good luck Jim 

 

I have found myself in a similar predicament recently and I know it's not easy. Unfortunately the other medication i am on messes around with my blood sugars. 

 

 

 

[Ramblin Rich]

Good luck Jim. It is possible to reverse the effects of diabetes if it's adult onset, seems you've caught it in time.

Are you going to change your forum name to 33/2 if you're going to be Slim Jim?

[boxbrownie]

Well done Jim, the start is the very hardest part....until you come to the plateau (which I am on now ) we found that Slimming World was brilliant and we both lost a couple of stone in the first few months but then came lockdown and we obviously couldn’t go anymore, I think it is the actual physical meeting each week that helped enormously.  I am lucky my reading was 43...and has been for the last 15 or more years, everything I’ve I see a different doctor they say “are you diabetic” because of my peripheral neuropathy and I have to say no, I’ve been tested but sure enough they always insist on another test.....comes back the same, so instead of calling me diabetic I am pre-diabetic.....in other words normal  when I questioned the doctor about that he did admit it was more to scare people into doing something  before they become diabetic.

 

Annoyingly though I believe once your recorded as diabetic, you stay diabetic regardless of weight and readings, I thought that odd....so we were told by someone who dropped below the level.

 

Anyway...bright side you will be able to fit even sporty seats in your Minis soon 

Edited May 30, 2021 by boxbrownie

[didcot]

Well done  and good luck with it.

We tried to climb Snowdon today. Got about 1/3 the way up the Llanberis path and had to turn back. Not as fit as we used to be. Plus our youngest teenager was having problems with his arthritis. 

There is a little cafe near the bottom that does a lovely pint of Snowdon Craft Lager.

[didcot]

I should also add my wife is type 2 diabetic moving towards type 1. I can recommend The Pinch of Nom Cook books for help with weight loss and also providing some really good meals. 

[CovDriver]

Well done Jim you've really made a change I take my hat off to you. 

Like yourself I've noticed that my weight has been gradually going up in the seven years I've been driving and sitting in the seat.

So I joined my wife in doing the slimming world diet and cycling to and from work.

And in the last 6 weeks or so I've lost a stone. 

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Cheers 

Colin 

[wombatofludham]

I developed Type 2 diabetes after my weight ballooned to 27 stone, but after two gym courses on prescription I got down to 23 - then stuck.  Like you I too also used to wake up feeling I couldn't breathe, and some of the diabetic meds actually piled more weight on.  Then I went "keto-light" cutting out potatoes, bread, pasta, fruit juice (bad for diabetes) but keeping in selected, mainly oat based breakfast cereals.  Just by diet alone I lost another three and a half stone, and am now 19 and a half, a weight I haven't been for over 20 years, and have dropped several X off the clothing labels.  It is absolutely true, you do feel better for losing the timber, and my blood sugars, which had stubbornly been sticking in the mid 50s, dropped to the point I was in danger of over-medicating and I was taken off one tablet.  It can be done, and nothing is more motivating than getting back into clothes you haven't worn in decades, sleeping better and generally feeling better.  You will from time to time probably crave chocolate or a big blow out, but so long as you don't do it every day, and you repay the indulgence with a serving of stewed grass the next day (my caustic description of salad), it will all balance out.  Eventually, you can train your brain to expect less food - before I went "keto light" I'd have happily polished off a massive plate of fish and orange chips when back in the Midlands, but last time, I actually ended up leaving some, I couldn't physically eat more.

Daliwch ati!

[big jim]

Thanks for all the above replies, I’m in my mobile so it’s a pain to quote each one individually 

 

@boxbrownie yes one you are diabetic that’s it, even though I’ve dropped below the safe zone I’ll always be diabetic on paper!

 

@CovDriver  keep an Eye in your weight up front, I was about 18 Stone as a guard and it didn’t take too long to get to almost 23, I do a fair bit of activity on the freight side, not just a change end and 4 coach walk to the other but I still managed to balloon in size 

I have done weight watchers completely on line with the app on the phone, I can scan items in the shop to get the smart point for it so I can keep within my daily limits, it’s also recorded in the app so you can keep tabs on it daily and weekly 

@wombatofludham it’s going to be expensive having to get a whole new wardrobe! 
 

I also had a blow out the other week of ‘orange chips’ from the chippy near bescot, never heard of them before but they were lovely, for the woman to just do me one scoops worth though, as for chocolate if I do have some it’s sugar free or diabetic stuff, Aldi have just started doing sugar free bars which my diabetic mate showed me, again one or two pieces from it rather than a whole bar!  

 

anyway this afternoon I went for a walk into town and back but went the long way round 

 

I then went for a ride on the E-bike, considering I’ve not ridden a bike for 15 years I’m pleased with what I managed to do 

 

 

 

 

the bike is now on charge ready for another adventure tomorrow 

Edited May 30, 2021 by big jim

[Nick G]

Well done Jim keep at it and you will achieve your goal. Remember its will power that is the important part you have to be in the right mindset and it looks like you are.

 

[ELTEL]

Well done Jim

 

I trust I will a new slim Jim at our exhibition at Stafford next February (now to be held in Bingley Hall ) a much bigger venue adjacent to our old venue

 

Keep up the good work 

 

Eltel 

[Nick C]

Well done Jim. I think with any major change of habit it's the first few months that are the hardest, once you get into the new habits it should get a bit easier. 

 

The better weather we're starting to get should help too, more incentive to get out for some exercise if it's sunny...

[cornelius]

Great work.

 

The Hairy Bikers' diet books are very good if you want a bloke-compatible approach to healthy cooking.

[wombatofludham]

Be wary of diabetic or sugar free sweets and chocolate, they are often sweetened with Sorbitol, so called because it's laxative properties will give you a Sor(e) Bot...I once over indulged on some very tasty Spanish made sugar fee chocolate I bought via a well known online retailer and how I didn't overwhelm Fairbourne's sub standard sewers I don't know.  However, I learned my lesson and got into the habit of just allowing myself a couple of squares after a meal whilst satisfying the occasional craving for chocolate.  It was a sort of extreme brain training I guess.

[big jim]

I am aware of the laxative effects of sugar free or diabetic sweets, thankfully not first hand experience of it

 

Ended up doing 15k steps yesterday but the last 4K (1.8 miles) involved a stop at the pub 1/2 way through and I don’t normally drink so the pace on the 2nd part was a bit slower and more zig zaggy  

 

 

Nice evening though 

 
 

might head the other way out of town tomorrow afternoon on the new costal cycle path toward Maryport direction (but not that far!) 

[Ruffnut Thorston]

There are some good “calorie counting” apps out there.

 

I’m using a free one, though a paid version with more “features “ is also available.

 

My Fitness App.

 

It has helped focus my mind on what I am eating.

 

I always read the labels, though often during, or after, eating the contents!

 

I had an upward curve from over indulging in vegan pasties when they were on offer in Lidl over January!

 

It is sadly quite possible to eat to much good stuff, as well as the “bad” stuff. 

 

It is always good to hear about others efforts...

 

It helps to remind me that I am not alone in this world! 

 

[KeithHC]

If you want to do a 5k or even a 10k run then there is only one app you need. The nhs Couch to 5k or C25K. I and my wife took up running in 2019 we are both 60+ using the app as a starter. We have run in races even beating runners much younger than us. We have even managed to railways into running having done 5 and 10k races along the S & D in Bath(relish racing twin tunnels events). Last year during the first lockdown we did 3 half marathons and got a trophy for a challenge of a 5, 10 and a half. Not bad for a couple of oldies.

 

Keith

[Jonboy]

As @KeithHC says the NHS c25k app is brilliant (although I have called Laura a couple of rude names on occasion).

 

Personally I find I have to cross-train with cycling or swimming both for my knees and breathing/stamina (having done the program a couple of times after sliding back into bad habits).

 

Also make sure your phone has a good selection of music with a decent rhythm (although I also have the rocky Horror show soundtrack which makes for the occasion laugh as a short extract intersperses the background music). Alternatively my wife used the bbc sounds app running playlists for the background

[big jim]

I’ve heard a lot about the couch to 5k in the radio etc over lockdown but didn’t realise it was an app, I’ll have a look at that in a bit and get it downloaded 

Edited May 31, 2021 by big jim

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, CovDriver said:

Well done Jim you've really made a change I take my hat off to you. 

Like yourself I've noticed that my weight has been gradually going up in the seven years I've been driving and sitting in the seat.

So I joined my wife in doing the slimming world diet and cycling to and from work.

And in the last 6 weeks or so I've lost a stone. 

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Cheers 

Colin 

Maybe it’s a Rail Driver thing, my Uncle was diagnosed diabetic when he was about 55, he had joined LNER at 14 and retired at 64, when diagnosed he was frightened as the Railway was his life, both working, Union and social, so he changed diet drastically, he was never a “small man” but always very fit, I think an early life of shovelling tons of coal while sweating like pig in slaughter house helped, but I guess later years in top link sitting in the driving seat didn’t help.....but he got through it, stayed on until he said he could take the sh1te from the TOCs anymore and retired after 50 years cleaning, firing and driving.....he died a couple of years ago at 85, nothing related to diabetes and I still miss him every time I see a picture of a Loco.

 

It is something that can be managed for most people.

Edited May 31, 2021 by boxbrownie

[big jim]

Train driving defiantly doesn’t help with its weird shifts, you can’t really get a good eating or sleep pattern going, shifts are set out to give you optimum safe rest for example when switching between days and nights but it’s not that easy to get a routine going 

 

I like to think that despite of my weight and size I’m fairly nimble and can easily climb into a loco, walk a train length on ballast, get in between to uncouple etc, I know some drivers smaller than myself struggle to do those tasks 

 

Also I’ve downloaded the couch to 5k app and am going to have a go at that too, it says based on my ability that I can start on week 3, day 1, (1.5min run, 2 min walk x 6) which realistically I feel I can manage, I’ll do it in the sea front later

[tomparryharry]

My wife suggested I try walking 5 miles a day. 

 

Now I'm up near Gloucester somewhere, and I'm lost.... Only joking, only joking.... Honest.....

[boxbrownie]

Oh......I thought I told her to tell you 10 miles.....

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, and well done Jim!

 

I'm also Type 2, and have reduced my HbA1c from low 50's to a constant 37 over 18 months.  Purely on diet - get rid of the carbs!  I have lost 3 stone (15 down to 12) and do feel so much better for it too.  It is our over production of insulin as a result of carb overload that causes our issues, the body then becomes insulin resistant. 

 

I strongly recommend reading 'The Diabetes Code' by Dr Jason Fung, a Canadian - debunks a lot of the crepe talked about T2, and the 70's hangover of all fats being bad for you - they're not.  But the real way to putting T2 diabetes into remission (you can't cure it) is reduction of carb intake.  Takes a while, you do get carb craving, but you don;t have to go daft with it - full keto isn't too good for you long term I don;t think, but get to reading carb content on [packets, you may be amazed. 

 

I do about 100 - 150g a day of carbs, and have settled nicely over the last 18 months.  the NHS 'heathy plate' diet did nothing for me - it has carbs and fruit in it, fructose is worse than sucrose.....keep fruit & fruit juices in strict moderation, berries are OK though.  I thought the 'Desmond' course was incredibly out of date.  Well, rubbish actually.  Also look on diabetes.co.uk, great stuff on the forum there.  And me. ;-)  I'm less great.

 

There's another book I found useful but I can't recall the title, I'll look for it this evening.

 

Keep up with the exercise, I can do about 8k paces a day but have limits due to my wrecked foot and hip arthritis, I won;t be walking up Snowdon any time soon - maybe Snaefell though!